Rumors of 80GB PS3 Arise
March 30, 2007
Yesterday, Kotaku, a gamibg blog, did some investigative work regarding recent FCC filings. Well, it seems that their search led them to a Sony submitted request pertaining to a pair of recent BlueTooth modifications for the PS3. Hmmm…
The text at the very end of the request references the addition of a new PS3 model, one which has a product code of CECHE01 and is purported to contain an 80GB hard drive. According to the filing, the 60 GB model (CECHA01) is listed as the “Original Model” while the 80 GB model (CECHE01) is listed as the “Addition Model.”
So is Sony going to replace the 60GB model with the new 80GB model? Is Sony planning on the simultaneous release of 3 different PS3 units, in the tradition of the Core, Premium, and Elite versions of the Xbox 360? Is Sony going to do both? Time will tell.
Today, Kotaku has published an official response from Sony regarding the recent filing: “As mentioned when we made the product announcement for PS3, the system will have different configurations (thus, 60GB HDD with memory card slots and Wi-Fi and 20GB HDD without memory card slots or Wi-Fi both exists). Application to the FCC has been made with various possibilities in mind, however, it does not lead to a new product announcement at this time.”
Stay tuned…
Xbox 360 Elite Details Leak
March 27, 2007
Even though an official announcement has not yet been made by Microsoft, plenty of print and internet sources are unofficially heralding the forthcoming Xbox 360 Elite system.
Dean Takahashi of the San Jose Mercury News recently chimed in with his sources, claiming that the Elite (or, more specifically, its comparably larger 120 GB hard drive) will be featured as an introductory platform for Microsoft’s new IPTV service. As a result, the Xbox 360 will double as an IPTV set-top box, allowing users the luxury of viewing television programming after it’s piped through their console systems.
Takahashi also writes that, given Microsoft’s track record of redesigning motherboards and reducing chip costs on a yearly basis, another major change is in store for the Xbox 360 starting this fall. According to his sources, the microprocessors that power the Xbox 360 will be reduced in size from 90 nanometers to 65 nanometers, which will benefit Microsoft in a number of ways, including reduced costs, increased production capacity, and more efficient hardware.
Meanwhile, news broke out in a rather unexpected place as a Microsoft employee, labeled as an “XNA Framework Developer,” may have inadvertently admitted to the Elite’s existence. In a forum thread on the Microsoft Developer Network, one inquiring poster asked whether the HDMI output on the “revised 360″ would require any code changes. The developer, known as “Shawn Hargreaves,” responded by saying, “No changes required,” thereby possibly confirming the system’s existence!
No PSP Redesign Announcement from Sony
March 14, 2007
In regards to recent online reports/rumors of a “smaller, lighter” PSP being confirmed at Sony’s PSP in Education conference, SCEA’s Dave Karraker has said that the comments made by Sony’s UK managing director Ray Maguire were simply “general context” regarding the nature of consumer electronics, and no PSP redesign has been announced.
“We have not made any announcement regarding any new PSP hardware changes,” Karraker says.
Sony’s PSP in Education conference focused on using PSPs in mainstream education. Maguire told the education specialists that the PSP in its current form is merely the “first iteration,” and that, as with its previous consoles, a “smaller, lighter” system would be introduced in the future.
When questioned on the redesign, Maguire reportedly added that while the rest of the design might be altered, the PSP’s current screen size was “fixed,” but had no additional information regarding a date on which redesign might be released.
Microsoft Developing New Xbox
March 13, 2007
Microsoft big shot Peter Moore said in an interview that the production team behind the creation of Xbox 360 is already working on the next Xbox.
Moore even went as far as saying that Xbox 360’s successor could launch around 2012, as the team of tech-heads are looking into what kind of computing power would be available around that time frame.
It is also being reported/rumored that Microsoft could soon ditch the Xbox 360 Core version, the one without the hard drive and wireless pads that. We think it makes perfect sense to drop the cheaper model, as the Premium System is a bargain in its own right, so dropping the bare bones version makes good sense, no? By now, everyone that has a 360 should be online (or close to it), for which you need a hard drive. Microspft has issued no comment on this.
A Wii Microphone???
An anonymously written blog claims that “several insider sources” have confirmed that 1) Nintendo will release a microphone attachment for the Wii, 2) several microphone-enabled games are being developed, and 3) a new Wii Channel will utilize the microphone peripheral.
The anonymous site indicates that Disney’s karaoke sim, High School Musical, is one game that will use the microphone. Disney has commented that “an announcement will be made within the next few weeks” regarding these rumors. Nintendo UK insiders, however, have deemed the news “pure rumor and speculation.”
It has also been rumored that the next Harry Potter game on Wii will come with a microphone attachment.
Although the microphone itself hasn’t been officially confirmed, Disney’s has sent out official information regarding High School Musical: “With two all-new karaoke games on Wii and Sony PlayStation2, fans of all ages will extend their High School Musical experience as they never have before. They’ll sing their way through the original hit movie - solo or as a duet - plus perform all of the songs from High School Musical 2 and other bonus tracks from popular Disney Channel artists.” So if you’ll be singing, surely you’ll need a microphone, right?
For what it’s worth, this is not the first time that rumors have swirled around the notion of a Wii microphone; Nintendo itself once said that the microphone was one of many considerations for the Wii Remote, with the internal speaker being the company’s final decision.
Stay tuned for when Video Game Buttons officially confirms the Wii microphone!
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