PlayStation 2 gets hard disk, broadband slot
Sony will begin selling the upgraded PS2 in Japan next week
Reaffirming its plans to have PlayStation 2 users in Japan on a broadband network by 2002, Sony have announced a new version of the console to go on sale next week, featuring support for a built-in hard disk and broadband adapter. This will mean that anybody who buys a PS2 from now on will be ready to accept high density storage and a broadband adapter, whenever Sony is ready. This addition isn't as big as Sony would like to make out. Most of the PS2s shipped in Europe and North America feature the expansion slots, but until next week Japanese units will not. Sony didn't have much to offer in terms of detail on the new hard disk and broadband adapter, apart from the (now fairly repetitive claims) that it will be several times the speed of current connections and that the hard disk will allow users to download data and and programs, and allow for more interactive video games. All of this won't be terribly helpful to PlayStation 2 owners who end up with consoles that don't feature the functionality. Sony has announced no plans for their benefit. Sony still wants to ship two million PlayStation 2s a month for the rest of the fiscal year. Related Feature - Sony plans made public