Sony considers beefing up PS3 for hardcore gamers

A PlayStation 3 (PS3) with a bigger hard disk may soon be launched to cater to the needs of hardcore gamers, according to a spokesperson at Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan.

The PS3 currently comes with a 60GB hard disk. A low cost version of the PS3 with 20GB hard disk is being phased out in the US, though it is still available in Japan.

“20-giga is probably going to be too small, and even 60-giga may not be big enough eventually,” Sony Computer Entertainment spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka told Reuters.

Fukuoka left the door open to other, limited improvements to the PS3 hardware.

While Fukuoka said that the core components of the PS3, including the Cell processor, RSC graphics chip, and Blu-ray DVD drive, were unlikely to change, other improvements were “quite possible”.

The withdraw of the 20GB PS3 form the US market, which came after the 60GB model shows that gamers are willing to pay a little extra to get the model they think will give them a better gaming experience.

With increasing hard disk capacities, and lower per gigabyte hard disk costs, it’s not surprising that Sony is already considering a minor upgrade that will make a significant difference to hardcore gamers.

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