Filed under: Hardware

SCEE is prepping a "no duh" hardware bundle, combining Killzone 2 with an 80GB system. Considering the importance of Killzone's release, a bundle is an obvious offering to provide to consumers. ThreeSpeech has confirmed the release of this pack -- it will retail for £299.99. Stay tuned, as further details will be announced in the future.

So there are more PS3 units with special markings coming out. The release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete on April 16 will usher in this new 160GB bundle in Japan. The new unit will be bundled with the reworked and extended film from Square Enix, which will also include a demo for Final Fantasy XIII.

Alongside the hardware bundle, Advent Children Complete will see release in two other packages: the movie with the FFXIII demo, and the movie without it. The film will include English voiceovers, so those looking to import won't miss a beat. There's still no word of a release date outside Japan and whether the bonus demo would appear in worldwide releases of the film.

Here's a breakdown of the three packages and their prices:

• ¥49,980 [$550] - 160GB PS3 with Cloud wolf logo and copy of ACC
  
• ¥5,900 [$65] - Advent Children Complete with demo
• ¥4,900 [$54] - Advent Children Complete without demo

The latest Japanese hardware sales figures show White Knight Chronicles' continued impact throughout the region. Numbers rose from 45,989 during WKC's launch week to 60,654 the next. A rare occurrence, as sales have tended to substantially drop the week after a big release in the past. In fact, the increase means that White Knight Chronicles has sold more PS3s during its two-week launch period than Metal Gear Solid 4.

While MGS4 had higher launch week sales (75,311) it dropped considerably to only 20,336 the next week. A total of 95,647. White Knight Chronicles, on the other hand, has sold a total of 106,643 during its two week launch period, almost 11,000 more. We're intrigued to see how sales of both the game and hardware continue. White Knight Chronicles has already proven a greater success than we first suspected.

A brand new PS3 bundle will go on sale in Japan, featuring the upcoming PS3-exclusive Yakuza 3. Available in late February, the bundle will include the game and a specially designed Ceramic White console (pictured, above). Only 10,000 units of this bundle will be made, so expect it to sell out quickly in Japan. Will any find their way on eBay? Perhaps.

[Thanks, diare331]

Play.com continues to do its best to make the PS3 as affordable as possible, despite Sony's refusal to cut price. Two new bundles allow you to pick up an 80GB PS3 along with a whole load of extra goodies for no additional cost. The first bundle sticks a £300 price tag on an 80GB system, Batman Begins Blu-ray, Quantum of Solace, LittleBigPlanet and a Blu-ray remote. The second bundle swaps out Quantum of Solace for Grand Theft Auto IV and Batman Begins for 300.

Quality bundles, we're sure you agree. A great improvement on the "PS3 + 1 game for £310" bundles that we're so used to. So if you haven't taken the PS3 plunge yet, now might be the perfect time.

Just how can the PS3 compete with this new product called Sonilex? It's lighter, it's thinner, it can even play Nintendo titles! It can even play the unofficial NES port of Tekken, plus 40 other NES games. What Sony machine could do that? Believe it folks, PS3 is doomed. With an asking price of only $32, just who could say no? We're already registering "Sonilex Fanboy," so watch out!

[Via Engadget]

Famitsu has already spoiled one of Sony's TGS surprises, but don't worry. You probably won't be that interested anyway. A couple of Japanese hardware bundles were revealed via Famitsu. The 80GB model will be hitting the region in two flavors. The first bundles Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III with an 80GB system and a DualShock 3 for 39,800 yen ($398/€292). What's Spec III? Again, don't get too excited. It's a Blu-ray release of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, including all the patched in features and content. Because Japanese people hate connecting their PS3s to the internet.

The second bundle will be known as the "PlayStation 3 LittleBigPlanet Dream Box" and will obviously include LittleBigPlanet along with an 80GB (in either black, silver or white) and two DualShock 3s. The box will also be covered in artwork of Sackboy. The Japanese will be able to pick this up for 44,980 yen (450/€329). LittleBigPlanet will also be bundled with DualShock 3 controllers, saving customers almost $35 in comparison to purchasing the items separately. Early copies of the game will come with a code to download an Ape Escape monkey costume. Hopefully, this isn't the extent of Sony's announcements at TGS tomorrow. We'll be there to bring you any interesting info from the show.

The current PS3s already have efficient functionality with the shrunken 65nm Cell processor, but now things are going to get even smaller. Sony and Toshiba have plans on mass producing a 45nm Cell processor starting in 2009. The plan is to integrate them first into PS3s. The result of which will allow PS3s to save power up to 40 percent.

As usual, smaller chips mean less heat, less space, and more reliability. Engadget suggests that this new hardware revision could usher in a price cut and a PS3-slim model. All seems logically sound, though -- even if the chips were produced early in the year -- we still wouldn't see the end product until late 2009 at the very earliest. So if you've been holding out for a PS3 until the slim comes into town ... you've still got a long wait ahead of you buddy.

[Via Engadget]

Sometimes it's hard to keep track of what's "official" and what's not -- especially because Sony continues to contradict itself. (Case in point: PSP Brite's battery life.) When we first heard the Euro-exclusive PlayTV box would allow users to copy recorded shows onto the PSP, we all said "yay." The convenience of recording TV and taking it with us wherever we go sounded swell. Then, we found out that the files would be restricted.

Well, with PlayTV in the hands of reviewers, it appears Sony has switched back to the original plan. You'll now be able to copy DRM-free versions of your recorded programs to your PSP, or any other compatible MPEG-4 device, at least according to CVG.

Our European readers may want to check out CVG's review. The rest of us will just sit here in the corner, waiting.

[Thanks, benny boy!]

There's been some confusion about all the various PS3 models that are available. Sony has introduced, and discontinued, so many different SKUs over the PS3's relatively short lifespan so far. Did you know, with the discontinuation of the Metal Gear Solid 4 model, there will only be two SKUs on the market? And did you know that neither will have backwards compatibility? Check out Joystiq's handy reference guide to see the stats of each SKU -- and if make sure you've nabbed the system that fits your needs exactly!

Looks like the 80GB Core PS3 may be more energy efficient than ever. A user at the Slickdeals forum connected his brand new 80GB Core system to a Kill-a-watt and discovered a slight energy savings. For example, the 40GB model used 155.2 watts when playing MGS4 -- the 80GB model used only 130 watts. The 40GB used 125.8 watts when idle on the XMB, while the 80GB used 111.9 watts. The popular theory is that Sony has secretly switched to new 65nm RSX chips: these are cheaper to manufacture, and are considered more reliable. Sony has not yet responded to these claims, but we wouldn't be surprised if each new SKU introduces new savings for the costly PS3 manufacturing process.

[Via Joystiq]

It looks like the 80GB Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle really was "limited edition." The $499 bundle has been deleted from the Wal-Mart databases, to make way for the 80GB Core and upcoming 160GB Uncharted pack. Considering the current MGS4 pack is the only system to support PS2 backwards compatibility, this may be your last chance to get your hands on a PS3 that can play PS2 games. Neither the current $399 80GB Core nor the upcoming $499 160GB bundle will support PS2 games at all.

Stay tuned for Sony's official response.

The 160GB model announced at Leipzig today will also be coming to America in a new bundle featuring last year's blockbuster PS3 exclusive, Uncharted. For $499, the 160GB system will include the new 160GB system, a DUALSHOCK 3 controller, a voucher for PAIN and a copy of Uncharted. It will be available in November.

"As PLAYSTATION Network continues to evolve with our recently launched video delivery service and more exclusive games, PS3 owners are demanding more storage capacity," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "Consumers also are utilizing PS3 as an entertainment hub for their digital media, placing content such as their entire music collection on the hard drive. The 160GB PS3 system addresses this growing consumer demand in a compelling bundle that delivers significant value."