Sony confirms Oct.11 as '40GB PS3' launch date in Europe

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) on Friday confirmed the upcoming availability of the long-expected 40GB PlayStation 3, a lower-cost version of the Blu-Ray game console, putting an end to year long speculations about the possible new lower-spec model.

While officially announcing the details on the 40GB PS3, the European division of Sony confirmed the new PS3 model will be available in Europe on October 10th. As expected, the 40GB version will retail for €399 ($564), a whopping €100 less than the previous cheapest unit. The model will significantly differ from the standard 60/80GB version.

“The introduction of the new PS3 has been the result of extensive research into the entertainment needs and preferences of the next generation of PS3 owners,” said David Reeves, President of SCEE.

“It has allowed us to deliver an extremely advanced, yet incredibly affordable High Definition gaming and entertainment system, configured to the needs of the next generation of European PS3 owners. PS3 has always been the device of choice for the discerning gamer and entertainment seeker, and the new PS3 is more than ever the perfect High Definition entertainment system,” Reeves added.

The mysterious 40GB model will apparently feature Blu-Ray, the 40GB hard drive, Wi-Fi connectivity and a Sixaxis controller, but it will only have only two USB slots instead of the four provided in the 60 and 80GB models. Moreover, the device drops hardware PlayStation 2 compatibility, and it won't have the multi memory card port. However, it will be capable of running PS3 games.

Meanwhile, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Australia) has confirmed that it will make available the new PS3 model down under from October 11. The Australian division of Sony said the device will cost gamers A$699.95.

Besides, the European launch of new PS3 model, Sony will sell the 60GB PS3 variant at a reduced price in UK. Sony said gamers in the UK will also be receiving a price cut of the revised 60GB PS3 bundle (which will come with two games and one Sixaxis controller).

In the UK, the new price will drop £76 or about $155, from its original £425 (about $868), totaling £349, or about $712, while it will be €499 ($705) in rest of Europe. Sony is slashing the prices of the PlayStation 3 home entertainment console ahead of the holiday season, apparently in an effort to boost sales.

Officially announced in May 2005, PS3, Sony’s third video game console and the successor to the 7-year-old PlayStation 2, boasts of Cell processors that are purportedly 10 times faster than current-generation computer processors.

Jointly developed by Sony with IBM and Toshiba, the Cell is the heart of the PS3 and represents Sony's first attempt to ensure they had the most powerful console on the market. Besides Cell, PS3 features a hard drive as standard, an in-built broadband adapter and a Blu-ray disc drive.

Despite being technologically advanced than its rivals, sales of PlayStation 3 have significantly trailed those systems. Sony has enjoyed an iron grip on the video game console market with its two previous PlayStation models, PlayStation (1994) and PlayStation 2 (2000). The combined units sold for the two models recorded a high of over 200 million units globally.

The Japanese game giant in June announced its plans to launch at least 380 new game titles for its PlayStation 3 gaming console in order to boost up the sales of its next-generation console which is continuously losing its market share to Nintendo company’s wildly popular gaming console, Wii.

The three biggies in gaming arena, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, are locked in a fierce battle for dominance in the $13 billion U.S. video game market, and for the moment, Sony is lagging behind both of its competitors in terms of sales, while Nintendo has emerged as the numero uno in sales.