Harrison on Dual PS3 SKUs

Which one will you buy when launch day comes?

When you walk into your local electronics store later this year to buy a PlayStation 3 and you find yourself standing agape, perplexed by the two models on offer, perhaps you'd like to take your lead from Sony's Phil Harrison.

His company revealed this week that it would have two models of the PlayStation 3 when the console launches in November - one for $500 with a 20 GB hard drive and another for $600 with a 60 GB hard drive. Harrison told the BBC this week that, faced with a similar decision, he'd go for the more expensive model.

Apart from the extra hard drive space, the top-end model also supports wireless networking, top high-definition TVs and memory cards such as those found in phones and camera.

"What we should be clear about is that the functionality is identical in both machines," Harrison told the BBC. "There is no difference in what the machine does."

The major difference between the two is that the cheaper model drops the HDMI connector, which is essential to get the best possible picture out of the PlayStation 3. TVs that support this high-end video signal are rare and expensive, but they'll become more affordable with time.

"Some people might be interested in the PS3 primarily and exclusively as a games system," Harrison said, "whereas other users might look at it as a multimedia hub in the home, which is games and music and movies and other digital content."

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games