Sony sets date for PlayStation2 debut
By Ian Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
May 10, 2000, 2:05 p.m. PT
URL: news.cnet.com
update Sony said today that its PlayStation2 will hit U.S. stores Oct. 26 with a suggested price tag of $299.
The U.S. launch of the PlayStation2 should help rekindle the console wars, as the new machine competes head-to-head against Sega's Dreamcast. Nintendo's Dolphin and Microsoft's X-Box are expected in 2001.
Sony plans to crank out 1 million PlayStation2 units for the launch, with 2 million more units to ship through March 31, 2001.
The machine will work, as shipped, to play DVD movies and audio CDs. Sony announced the launch in Los Angeles in advance of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) trade show there.
As expected, the PlayStation2 does not include a built-in hard drive but can connect to one through the console's USB (universal serial bus) and "iLink" ports.
The PlayStation2 will not ship with a built-in modem, as many had expected, but it will contain an expansion bay designed to handle the modem. The modems will be sold separately and will not be available at the launch. A company representative said they should be available shortly thereafter, however.
"The overwhelming success of the product launch proves that the market is ready for PlayStation2, as we chart a path toward the future of networked digital entertainment," Sony Computer Entertainment chief executive Ken Kutaragi said in a statement. |
