Those new SKUs revealed at Sony’s press conference during GamesCom are not exclusive to Europe. Sony Computer Entertainment America just sent out a press release, detailing the new, bigger PlayStation 3s in North America, as well.
The new systems will offer 160GB or 320GB hard drives, giving even more room for your digital media and games. These new SKUs offer the same technology as the current models, but they now have roughly 33 percent more capacity. All of that extra space is intended to meet the demand of the 1 billion pieces of content downloaded as of July 1010.
The 160GB model, which is shipping now, will cost $299 USD. Launching on Sept. 19 alongside the PlayStation Move, the PS3 Sports Champions Move bundle will introduce the 320GB model PS3. The bundle includes the Move controller, PlayStation Eye camera, a copy of Sports Champions, and a bonus Blu-ray game demo disc (along with a 320GB PS3) for $399. That’s quite a package considering many of us dropped similar cash for the original, smaller hard drive PS3s.
"With the launch of PlayStation Move just around the corner, we’re expecting many new consumers to join the PlayStation® family. The PS3™ Sports Champions™ Move bundle provides those families with everything they need to get into motion control gaming at a great value, with the 320GB model PS3 system as the centerpiece of the package," said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president of product marketing. "Also, as PlayStation Network continues to evolve with exciting new services, the hunger for digital content grows; these larger storage capacities address that demand and encourage consumers to take full advantage of the complete PS3 experience."