According to trade site MCV, Sony will release a redesigned, cut price PlayStation 2 in early 2008.

The MCV report says that the new ‘compact’ model will feature an in-built power supply and will hit US stores in the New Year. It will be priced at $99, $30 less than current PS2 models. A similar price cut in the UK could see the model retail for around £75.

The in-built power supply will allow the platform holder to reduce manufacturing costs and retail price, which could help drive sales of the seven-year-old console way past its current lifetime sales figure of 120 million units.

PlayStation 2 sales have been impacted by the release of Microsoft’s and Nintendo’s next-gen consoles, but the ageing system still sold 215,000 units in the US during September, according to the NPD Group. In comparison, Xbox 360 and Wii sold more than 500,000 units apiece during the month, while PlayStation 3 sales lagged behind those of its next-gen rivals and its predecessor, the system selling just 119,400. units.



News-Source: Next-Gen

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced plans to introduce a new PlayStation 2 model this fall, commensurate with the system's seventh anniversary.



The new PlayStation 2 will be released in early November for. It will come in "Ceramic White," a distinct styling departure from past black-clad PlayStation 2 models, and will be bundled with SingStar Pop, a karaoke-style music game, along with two USB microphones. The system sports DVD and CD playback, digital surround sound, two memory card slots and Ethernet networking.Sony announces new PS2 bundle in 'ceramic white'
Tuesday 30 Oct 2007 - 10:15



Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced plans to introduce a new PlayStation 2 model this fall, commensurate with the system's seventh anniversary.

The new PlayStation 2 will be released in early November for. It will come in "Ceramic White," a distinct styling departure from past black-clad PlayStation 2 models, and will be bundled with SingStar Pop, a karaoke-style music game, along with two USB microphones. The system sports DVD and CD playback, digital surround sound, two memory card slots and Ethernet networking.

PlayStation 2 first saw its entry into the North American market on October 26, 2000. Since then, Sony has sold 120 million PlayStation 2 consoles and more than a billion PlayStation 2 games. Sony says there are nearly 1,500 titles in the PlayStation 2 software library, with more than 160 new games expected in North America by the end of March, 2008.

It may seem odd that Sony is releasing a new PlayStation 2 as much of the market (and, indeed, much of Sony's marketing) focuses on the new PlayStation 3 model instead. But Sony said the move demonstrates the company's commitment to a ten-year product lifecycle for the PS2 -- something they're also emphasizing for the newer PS3, whose sales have been trounced by Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii, both of which are less expensive but lack features found in the PS3, such as Blu-Ray Disc support.



News-Source: digitalartsonline

More than 120 million consoles sold worldwide Sony Computer Entertainment America is celebrating the seven-year anniversary of the launch of the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

Since its release in North America on October 26, 2000, more than 120 million hardware units and more than a billion units of software for PlayStation 2 have been shipped worldwide, making it the best-selling gaming platform ever released.

The PS2 broke the record for the fastest game console to reach 100 million units shipped, accomplishing the feat within 5 years and 9 months from its launch. This was faster than its predecessor, the PlayStation, which took 9 years and 6 months to reach the same milestone.

In this current fiscal year, 30 million software titles for the PS2 have already been sold, and 10 million additional PS2 consoles are expected to be sold worldwide by the end of March 2008.

"Never before has an in-home game system experienced this type of worldwide success on such a long-lasting scale," said Peter Dille, SCEA's senior vice president of marketing and PlayStation network.

"PlayStation 2 is a perfect example of our ten year product lifecycle promise and is a testament to the design and technology that continues to be at the core of the product. While today's anniversary celebrates PlayStation 2' past, we’re very excited for its future." SCEA is still committed to a 10-year product lifecycle for the console, with 160 new titles expected in North America throughout the holidays and by the end of March 2008. Currently, there are more than 1,400 titles in the PS2's software library.

The company plans to release a limited edition ceramic white PlayStation 2 bundled with SingStar Pop and two USB microphones in November for a suggested retail price of US 149.99.

The top-selling PS2 titles worldwide are: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (13 million) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (12 million) Grand Theft Auto III (11 million) Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (11 million) Gran Turismo 4 (8.79 million) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (7 million) Kingdom Hearts (5.6 million) Final Fantasy X (5 million) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (3.7 million) Final Fantasy XII (3.68 million) News-Source: GamesIndustry

Sega US president Simon Jeffrey believes that the PS2 will have a longer lifetime than any previous console, and says that the firm will back the system for a number of years to come.

Speaking to MCV, Jeffrey said that PS2 hardware would continue to do the numbers for “two to three years at least”.

“This generation of hardware will have longer legs than any previous generation, and that’s definitely healthy for the industry,” said Jeffrey.

“We expect Sony to price manage the PS2’s shelf life for another two or three years at least. PS2 high profile titles, especially ‘wide market’ and licensed titles, will absolutely be part of the Sega portfolio going forwards,” he added.

Sega of America is set to release PlayStation 2 versions of multiplatform titles such as The Golden Compass (pictured) and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity before Christmas.

News-Source: http://www.next-gen.biz

Depicting a white woman grappling with a black woman, a recent series of Sony PSP ads in the Netherlands have caused many to engage in some grappling of their own, mostly with issues and allegations of racism. After defending the images and claiming that they had "no other message or purpose" besides flaunting the white PSP, Sony has now confirmed that they have yanked the ads and banished them to a mysterious marketing misfire graveyard.