No 160GB PS3 For Australia
via IGN
Sony Australia today confirmed that "it will not be introducing the limited edition 160GB PS3 announced by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe at the 2008 Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) held in Leipzig, Germany." The company did state, however, that Australia will be receiving the new PSP model on October 16 (read more here), while the Wireless Keypad will also be released in Australia "before the end of the year." It also confirmed that Play TV, the system that allows PS3 users to watch, pause and record free-to-air TV, will be heading to Australia in the first half of 2009.
While Aussie gamers may not have the 160GB model to look forward to, we will be stepping up to the 80GB system soon – it's coming to Australia on August 28 for AU $699, and will have a DualShock 3 controller bundled in.
With no sign of the PSN video download service for Australia (the last word from Sony was that it wouldn't be coming to Australia any time soon) and Play TV only having a nebulous 'first half of 2009' date, it's not surprising that Sony isn't pushing the new 160GB model down under. After all, it has no new features beyond the expanded storage. We would hope, however, that as video downloads and Play TV come closer to reality in Australia, that the 160GB model will be re-evaluated.
For those of you interested in the Wireless Keypad for PS3 it's a Bluetooth enabled accessory "designed to fit precisely into the unique shape of SixAxis and DualShock 3 wireless controllers, allowing users to enjoy text chat communication more easily and comfortably in their hands. In addition to the keypad for text input, a Touch Pad Button enables PS3 users to use the entire surface of the keypad as a touch pad, allowing them to easily manoeuvre the pointer while web browsing, simply by sliding their finger on the keypad surface. Also, two shortcut buttons, a Communication Button and a Message Box Button, are placed on the lower part of the Wireless Keypad, enabling users to jump to pre-set features on XMB (XrossMediaBar) such as 'Friends' and 'Message Box' during game play, which help users to easily communicate with each other." Yes, it's quite a bit like a juiced up version of the Xbox 360 Chatpad.
