Official Specs: Hard Drive Separate on the PS3

[bapenguin]

The Official Playstation Page (http://www.playstation.com/products.html) has been updated with the official specs of the PS3. Everything looks quite impressive boasting tons of input and output options. A few interesting things to note is under the controller section it lists the PSP as an option. Also at the very bottom it mentions that Storage Media is sold seperately.

Storage Media (HDD, memory stick, Sd Memory card, compact flash) Sold Separately.
It's not known yet whether or not there will be a bundled version with the HD or not.

Honestly I'm pretty impressed Sony kept all those options there that were unveiled at E3.
Thanks Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com) for the tip.

[Dr Quincy]

If previous press releases are correct you'll just be able to use any 2.5" HDD you fancy, which will certainly be cheaper than the competition's alternative.

[Morratut]

Looking good at the moment. Keep going Sony, come on you can do it :cool:

[bapenguin]

If previous press releases are correct you'll just be able to use any 2.5" HDD you fancy, which will certainly be cheaper than the competition's alternative.

I haven't read that. Got a link?

[Dr Quincy]

An old one (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23878) here care of The Inquirer (http://www.theinquirer.net/). I've since read articles categorically stating that the PS3 will not come with an HDD equipped. Says something along those lines here (http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-15015-2178-4-4-x) (care of Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/)). I guess its all just conjecture on my part really. But when high capacity HDDs with Linux on are mentioned together with the opportunity to replace these at the user's discretion I can only be optimistic.

[Yeti2005]

I'm surprised Sony is allowing you to use Compact Flash and SD for storaging saved games and such. I thought they would try and pimp their memory sticks. Or is this going to be the case where you can read off the Compact Flash and SD but can only write to the HD (similar to the 360 when you hookup a USB storage device).

[Dr Quincy]

Sony seems to be really pushing the PS3 as more than just a games console, with functionality to match. I'd imagine for all the OS stuff to work memory would have to work much like on a standard PC with few imposed restrictions. The flipside to this could be all sorts of ghastly DRM on the games. No idea how it'd work mind.

[Chandler]

hope they keep it simple if they support the various flash media. I dont want to load metal gear solid 4 and see

"would you like to save"
I click yes
"compactflash, SD, usb, hard drive, or sony memory stick?"
ah!

it would have a nice computer feel and I would be ok with it myself but I can see the trouble arising from casual gamers and young toddlers who will be confused.

[TheEpicOfTyler]

I hope save files aren't huge, I have a few unused SD cards laying around from various digital devices.

[bapenguin]

An old one (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=23878) here care of The Inquirer (http://www.theinquirer.net/). I've since read articles categorically stating that the PS3 will not come with an HDD equipped. Says something along those lines here (http://hardware.gamespot.com/Story-ST-15015-2178-4-4-x) (care of Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/)). I guess its all just conjecture on my part really. But when high capacity HDDs with Linux on are mentioned together with the opportunity to replace these at the user's discretion I can only be optimistic.

Very interesting. The only reason I doubt this is because of security concerns. We've all seen how Sony has reacted with the PSP, allowing the user to use ANY hard drive in the system opens it up immensely.

[Dr Quincy]

Still, its a nice dream...

[Vandenh]

If previous press releases are correct you'll just be able to use any 2.5" HDD you fancy, which will certainly be cheaper than the competition's alternative.

Ha yes.. nothing beats a nice cheapo external HD next to the PS3.

[Royal Fool]

Ugh, so I guess the Spidey logo is final then.

[Borys]

Hey guys, new, sad official info:

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2270&Itemid=2

Playstation HUB = Xbox Live!
NOT FREE
PS3 launches in September in both JPN and US

[Dr Quincy]

Ha yes.. nothing beats a nice cheapo external HD next to the PS3.

External? The PS3 sports a slot for loading 2.5" drivers internally. And last time I checked for the £70 you will have to spend on Microsoft's 20GB 360 HDD you could easily get your hands on a conventional 100GB 2.5" laptop drive.

Flame on.

[AspectVoid]

Hmm...I can just use my PSP memory stick for the PS3. That saves me money. Good news indeed.

[bone_matrix]

Hmm...I can just use my PSP memory stick for the PS3. That saves me money. Good news indeed.

Yeah, I have a lot of unused space on mine, along with an SD card, I just hope for sure you can save to them. Plus, if there isn't a Live like service, or there is but without the downloads, I wouldn't need a hard drive for the PS3, the flash cards would do just fine. 3 ethernet ports? 1 in and 2 out, I thought the router function was gone? But still 2 HDMI ports? Jeez, just jack up the price. :D

[Wraith]

re: 2.5" HDD bay
- I like the idea of having a choice in the matter, but I wonder how it will play with the less tech-savvy gamers, who have never even opened their PC / don't know what a hard drive even looks like. Will they be able to go to Walmart, buy a Sony-brand PS3 HDD, pop it in, and everything work? It has to be this simple, if the non-technical gamers are expected to use the option at all.

re: possible worldwide PS3 launch in September?
- Launching before the holiday rush could allow them to work out the kinks, and hopefully have less supply issues. But then, IIRC, the PS2 launched in October and still had supply problems.

[Dr Quincy]

re: 2.5" HDD bay - I like the idea of having a choice in the matter, but I wonder how it will play with the less tech-savvy gamers, who have never even opened their PC / don't know what a hard drive even looks like. Will they be able to go to Walmart, buy a Sony-brand PS3 HDD, pop it in, and everything work? It has to be this simple, if the non-technical gamers are expected to use the option at all.

I like the idea of there being a choice. Sony could provide a PlayStation branded variant, perhaps at a slight premium, but the alternative would be there for people to simply plug in a standard 2.5" job and the console's OS would autoformat it for them or whatever. I can't imagine the system not being plug and play.

[Vandenh]

External? The PS3 sports a slot for loading 2.5" drivers internally

Dream on man...

That is PC territory... plug in any HD into an internal (ATA?) slot? Not on a console....

USB yes... anything else almost certainly not.

[jacktion]

Honestly I'm pretty impressed Sony kept all those options there that were unveiled at E3.
Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com) for the tip.

Woah woah woah woah woah, Bapenguin. I think you are getting a wee bit ahead of yourself. You are congratulating Sony for having options on the final version that they advertised previously? Have you played this PS3? Is it in your house right now? We all know that Sony lies. They are big fat liars who will hype till the last second and then reveal the truth only when they are forced to by reality. So please take this with a healthy dose of salt. Sony WILL cut features before it comes out. Recent articles say that they haven't even designed the final case yet! So come on.

[Dr Quincy]

That is PC territory... plug in any HD into an internal (ATA?) slot? Not on a console...

I can't tell if you're joking or not. I mean, it's listed on the official website.

[Serapth]

OK, WTF?

When MS announced the split SKU the bitch and moaning on this board was like someone just kicked your mother. Also, I dont know if I have gone a day of reading posts here where someone didnt bitch that you have to pay for XBox live.

Then today its announced the hard drive isnt included and that their XBox Live competition is going to be fee based and all I hear is "woot, good job sony".

OK, WTF double standard anyone? Is this just because you have such low expectations for Sony to deliver in the first place?!?!

[Dr Quincy]

Is this just because you have such low expectations for Sony to deliver in the first place?

Well... I for one expected a repeat of the PlayStation 2 online system this time around so to find that there will potentially be the chance for a Live-beating service and the chance to have cheaper, far higher capacity HDDs in my PS3 than my Xbox 360 was quite the pleasant surprise.

[bapenguin]

OK, WTF?

When MS announced the split SKU the bitch and moaning on this board was like someone just kicked your mother. Also, I dont know if I have gone a day of reading posts here where someone didnt bitch that you have to pay for XBox live.

Then today its announced the hard drive isnt included and that their XBox Live competition is going to be fee based and all I hear is "woot, good job sony".

OK, WTF double standard anyone? Is this just because you have such low expectations for Sony to deliver in the first place?!?!

I think because Microsoft sort of took a step backward with the split SKU thing.
Sony is kinda taking a step forward with a more standard HD and an actual online service.

[Vandenh]

I can't tell if you're joking or not. I mean, it's listed on the official website.


It says detachable HDD... just like 360. It is a pipe dream that it will be just *any* drive you pick up in an electronics shop. Sony doesn't want that from a helpdesk point of view, security wise and from a profit point of view. Please name me one consumer device that allows that? (PC doesnt count ;)

Sony is kinda taking a step forward with a more standard HD and an actual online service.

Hu? By "standard" you mean "made-by-Sony" and by "actual" you mean "imaginary" I presume?? :)

[Dr Quincy]

Vandenh, why make the HDD *slot* an industry standard 2.5" size if you're not looking for at the very least ease of upgrade? I mean... you can understand why people are assuming you'll be able to use standard 2.5" discs right? It's not some custom job Sony have whipped up Microsoft-style to explicitly state "we only want you using our own overpriced, branded hard disc". This is very much a progressive looking move.

[Immaculate Simian]

Here (http://andrew.i.ph/albums/ps3/playstation3_d.sized.jpg) is a picture of the left side of the PS3 if it was in a horizontal position, showing the the PS3 HDD bay.

[EternalGamer]

There's a pretty easy anser to that, Quincy. Sony makes it a standard so it is cheaper and more profitable for them when they sell you their proprietary harddrive. All they have to do is find a vendor that is willing to work with them, slap on their proprietary software and special made ports in the back and they are good to go.

Dan

[absolut taco]

External? The PS3 sports a slot for loading 2.5" drivers internally. And last time I checked for the £70 you will have to spend on Microsoft's 20GB 360 HDD you could easily get your hands on a conventional 100GB 2.5" laptop drive.

Flame on.
Laptop drive, WTF?
Is the PS3 portable? NO!
Besides, aren't they usually 5,400 RPM?
So make it big enough to swallow a real 3.5" drive. They're cheap, and huge! Come on, Sony. Give the consumer choice!

Quick look at newegg.com
WD 100GB 2.5" = $170
WD 400GB 3.5" = $195

[Dr Quincy]

All they have to do is find a vendor that is willing to work with them, slap on their proprietary software and special made ports in the back and they are good to go.

Meh. You're probably right. Still they'll be no worse than the alternative if they do.

[51|RandoM]

Laptop drive, WTF?
Is the PS3 portable? NO!
Besides, aren't they usually 5,400 RPM?
So make it big enough to swallow a real 3.5" drive. They're cheap, and huge! Come on, Sony. Give the consumer choice!

Quick look at newegg.com
WD 100GB 2.5" = $170
WD 400GB 3.5" = $195

Three words: heat, size, power.

If the slot and connection is really standard, you'll be able to use any drive in there you want, I imagine, even if you might have to preformat it and lay down some software first with a computer. Sony might do that with their drives just to make it harder to use any drive, but you know the 'net will have a program to setup any drive for you pretty quickly.

[Wraith]

Laptop drive, WTF?
Is the PS3 portable? NO!
Besides, aren't they usually 5,400 RPM?
So make it big enough to swallow a real 3.5" drive. They're cheap, and huge! Come on, Sony. Give the consumer choice!

Quick look at newegg.com
WD 100GB 2.5" = $170
WD 400GB 3.5" = $1952.5" drives = less heat, less noise, less space than 3.5" drives, which is optimal for consumer electronics devices / HTPCs. If you're cramming a hard drive into an enclosed space with little airflow, a 2.5" drive is a good choice.

[Vandenh]

BTW do any of you guys have a laptop where you can slide in a new HDD?

[AbinSur]

BTW do any of you guys have a laptop where you can slide in a new HDD?

My old Dell Inspiron had that feature, with two bays in the front. However, you had to put the drive inside a plastic shell with the correct proprietary connection to fit in the bay. You could swap out the hard drive for a CD-ROM, a floppy, or a second battery.

[bapenguin]

Vandenh, why make the HDD *slot* an industry standard 2.5" size if you're not looking for at the very least ease of upgrade? I mean... you can understand why people are assuming you'll be able to use standard 2.5" discs right? It's not some custom job Sony have whipped up Microsoft-style to explicitly state "we only want you using our own overpriced, branded hard disc". This is very much a progressive looking move.

Just because its based on a standard size doesn't mean they want it to be easily upgradable accessible. Most likely they did this as a cost measure. Production costs of a proven 2.5" drive system available for multiple platforms etc vs create something new from scratch and manufacture it and produce it.

[rein]

Do you guys not remember how the PS2 hard drive worked? Sheesh, you guys are getting all bent out of shape over a hard drive argument when Sony has already been down this road.

[thegameguru]

there is zero chance Sony will simply make it possible for an end user to purchase their own 2.5" HD and insert it into the PS3.

What you may end up being able to do is PURCHASE a 60gb(or whatever size) official PS3 HD and then remove that said 60gb drive to replace with your own purchased drive.

In no way will they simply sell a blank removable enclosure for end users to connect their own HD.. that is like consumer based electronic suicide.

[Major Dan]

Honestly I'm pretty impressed Sony kept all those options there that were unveiled at E3.
Thanks Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com) for the tip.

Bapenguin, I think it will be impressive if they can keep all the options and can sell it for $400 or less, but honestly I am not sure they can do that. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. If they keep everything my guess is $500. But either way you will still have to buy a HDD so add that to the overall price and at least one other controller and a game. I really don't like memory cards so I wont buy one of them.

[Grimmjow]

Laptop drive, WTF?
Is the PS3 portable? NO!
Besides, aren't they usually 5,400 RPM?
So make it big enough to swallow a real 3.5" drive. They're cheap, and huge! Come on, Sony. Give the consumer choice!

Quick look at newegg.com
WD 100GB 2.5" = $170
WD 400GB 3.5" = $195


yeah moajority are 5,400rpms which is slow as shyt but there are a few that are 7200 VERY FEW

[Grimmjow]

there is zero chance Sony will simply make it possible for an end user to purchase their own 2.5" HD and insert it into the PS3.

What you may end up being able to do is PURCHASE a 60gb(or whatever size) official PS3 HD and then remove that said 60gb drive to replace with your own purchased drive.

In no way will they simply sell a blank removable enclosure for end users to connect their own HD.. that is like consumer based electronic suicide.

i agree with you on this point but one thing to keep in mind maybe thats sony's way of having the consumer "customize" there ps3

[Mason]

I think because Microsoft sort of took a step backward with the split SKU thing.
Sony is kinda taking a step forward with a more standard HD and an actual online service.
Both of which are unvalidated up the whazzoo. If someone has lied badly on a topic before, it isn't an anti-them bias to defer judgment on their future claims until evidence is shown. I'll clap as hard as anyone if they have a great service, I just want to see it first.

Plus, this is not a "more standard HD". This is an absence of a HD, same as with PS2, with speculation that you'll be able to hook one up on your own. Yeah, developers are going to support the hell out of that!

Personally, given how Sony has been wrangling with PSP hackers, I find it way, way hard to believe that they'll have such open hardware. Not to mention miss out on the overpriced-accessories plum by letting every get off-brand storage. That'd be uncharacteristically benevolent if true, a hacked PS3 with a market-value 300 gig drive could make for some pretty fun times.

[51|RandoM]

BTW do any of you guys have a laptop where you can slide in a new HDD?

Almost none of them are as simple as just sliding in a drive. Not because they can't do it, but because if you make it easy to slide in, you make it just as easy to slide out(think: stolen laptop drives).

There is just one screw holding the 7200rpm hitachi drive in my laptop, and the connections are standard. Replacing/swapping that drive is trivial. The one screw is enough to prevent somebody walking by my desk and surreptitiously sliding the drive out of the laptop and into their pocket.

The ps3 can be exactly the same way.

[SMES]

I'm a digital photography geek, and as such I have more than a few gigs in SD cards. If I can use SD cards for save games that would be pretty awesome.

[bobbler]

For anyone wondering, the X360's HDD is also 2.5inch (it just has a plastic shell around it). For the size of spaces they are dealing with, 3.5inch wouldn't make much sense.

I also have my doubts that Sony would allow any 2.5 inch drive to work... unless you had to buy the software to format it or something (that'd be a pure profit stream for them if it cost like ~30 dollars or something). The memstick/sd/cf slots seemed natural seems likely (although I still wouldn't be surprised if only Memsticks of various types worked for game saves... even though other formats are supported for reading off of). I'd love to be able to buy any 2.5inch drive and use it, but I have a feeling Sony will want to make some amount off of it (it wouldn't surprise me if they offered a drive that was cheaper than MS', forcing MS to lower its price -- I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate that)

[BenSkywalker]

I think it depends on Sony's broader PS3 goals. They are using the PS3 as a Trojan Horse for Blu-Ray- we all know that- allowing any 2.5" drive would have them set up nicely for a Win MediaCenter competitor- buy the software upgrade for $90 and install it on to any HD and have yourself a monsterously powerful AV rig for $500. With all of the connections available, the platform seems like it would be well suited for it.

Not saying that Sony WILL be allowing any 2.5", but I can see why they WOULD.