From biz.gamedaily.com:
[QUOTE]
This new model does not contain the PS2 chip and will not feature backwards compatibility through software emulation either. SCEE said this reflects "both the reduced emphasis placed on this feature amongst later purchasers of PS3, as well as the availability of a more extensive line-up of PS3 specific titles (a total of 65 titles across all genres by Christmas)."

GameDaily BIZ also contacted SCEE spokesman Nick Sharples who told us, "We have made clear on many occasions that our priority is on developing innovative new features and services for PS3 and not on backwards compatibility. The 40GB model no longer contains any elements of the PS2 chip set which powered backwards compatibility in previous models, and is therefore only compatible with PS one titles."
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Full Story: biz.gamedaily.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From uk.playstation.com:
[QUOTE]
In the UK and Ireland, a Value Pack consisting of a 60GB PS3 with extensive backwards compatibility and two first party titles will be on sale at a price of €499 (£349). Remaining on sale while stocks last, the 60GB model represents outstanding value for the keen gamer wishing to upgrade to the High Definition capabilities of PS3. Once stocks are exhausted the new 40GB model will be the only one available in the SCEE territories.
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Full Story: uk.playstation.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced details of its exciting new PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) model that will launch throughout the SCEE territories on 10th October 2007 at the highly attractive price of €399.

Providing an incredibly appealing entry point to the world of High Definition gaming and entertainment for the holiday season, the new PS3 brings the next generation of interactive home entertainment to homes all across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Australasia.

Along with an ever expanding line-up of PS3 titles (a total of 65 titles tracking across all genres by Christmas), the new PS3 is equipped with a 40GB HDD and includes all the features central to the High Definition entertainment experience; true next generation gameplay, stunning High Definition Blu-ray Disc™ movies, SIXAXIS™ wireless controller, Wi-Fi and HDMI connectivity, all powered by the Cell Broadband Engine™, the digital heart of PS3.

As with the 60GB PS3, the new PS3 features upgradeable firmware allowing new features and functionality to be added to the system as time progresses. A recent firmware update, for example, enabled PS3 to upscale DVD's played on the system to full 1080P High Definition.

The introduction of the new PS3 has been determined following user feedback from thousands of existing PS3 owners as well as research into future potential PS3 owners. The new model features two USB 2.0 ports rather than four and no longer includes the multi memory card port.

The new model is no longer backwards compatible with PlayStation®2 titles, reflecting both the reduced emphasis placed on this feature amongst later purchasers of PS3, as well as the availability of a more extensive line-up of PS3 specific titles (a total of 65 titles across all genres by Christmas).

The existing Starter Pack*, comprising a 60GB PS3 with extensive backwards compatibility, an additional SIXAXIS wireless controller and two first party titles will be reduced in price to €499. Remaining on sale while stocks last, the 60GB model represents outstanding value for the keen gamer wishing to upgrade to the High Definition capabilities of PS3.

"The introduction of the new PS3 has been the result of extensive research into the entertainment needs and preferences of the next generation of PS3 owners," said David Reeves, President of SCEE. "It has allowed us to deliver an extremely advanced, yet incredibly affordable High Definition gaming and entertainment system, configured to the needs of the next generation of European PS3 owners. PS3 has always been the device of choice for the discerning gamer and entertainment seeker, and the new PS3 is more than ever the perfect High Definition entertainment system.

*In the UK and Ireland, the Starter Pack will be replaced by a separate in-store promotion on the 60GB PS3.
[/QUOTE]

The UK price is GBP 349 for the 60GB and GBP 299 for the 40GB version.
No word from SCEA yet...
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From hollywoodinhidef.com:
[QUOTE]
* HiHD: Sony and PS3 detractors dismiss Blu-ray is just another proprietary Sony format that will not succeed any better than previous Sony proprietary CE formats dating back to Betamax.
* HIRAI: In our eyes, we wanted to provide developers with the absolute biggest canvas on which to create their games. We could have gone with the 9 GBs of DVD or the 30 GBs of data on an HD DVD, but why would we, when we had 50 GBs of data on the Blu-ray Disc? I think its success as a delivery vehicle for games has already been proven. As for movies, I think it (is) really hard for any studio or retailer to ignore the fact that there are already millions of Blu-ray players in the world in the form of PS3. That is the kind of installed base DVD only dreamed of when it launched and before we debuted PlayStation®2.

* HiHD: What are the primary erroneous points of information/misconceptions out there in blogger-land about PS3 in general and vs Xbox?
* HIRAI: I have heard many people say our competitors' systems are just as powerful as PS3. That simply is not true. No other next-generation entertainment system pushes the envelope on advanced technology like PS3. I have heard people say that a high-capacity game delivery vehicle like Blu-ray isn't necessary in a next-generation computer entertainment system. You just can't expect that the 9 GBs of storage capacity found on today's DVDs are going to have enough space to hold tomorrow's games. Developers have already pushed the DVD to its limits in terms of space used. We had games like ‘Resistance: Fall of Man' coming in 16 GBs at launch. That game simply wouldn't be possible on any other system without using multiple discs. There is no doubt in my mind that you need more capacity on discs for truly next-generation gaming, and Blu-ray gives us that space.
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Full Story: hollywoodinhidef.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From eurogamer.net:
[QUOTE]
Sony Europe has categorically denied to Eurogamer that it has a press conference scheduled for next week.

Rumours erupted yesterday that the platform holder had a "Big Bang" meeting planned for next Friday, which speculation suggested could be about a new 40GB PS3 model.
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However, a spokesperson for Sony told us it has not announced anything and has nothing of the sort planned.
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Full Story: eurogamer.net
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From dvdtown.com:
[QUOTE]
Reports of people having trouble with the new BD+ copy protection are starting to surface. The movies in question are Fox's Blu-ray releases of "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer."

BD+ is an extra layer of copy protection. With it, Sony should be able to change the keys used to unlock it. In short, this means that if a BD+ disc is hacked and copied, Sony can change the keys that secure future discs from being copied.

Here is what we know so far:
Some Samsung players may be unable to play the discs, but a firmware upgrade should be available or in works. However, other people say they will not play on the latest firmware from the company. Panasonic players will play the discs but load times are high. Again, Playstation 3 seems to be the safest bet when it come to Blu-ray. It seems to play BD+ without problems.
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Full Story: dvdtown.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From pcpro.co.uk:
[QUOTE]
Hitachi has developed a prototype four layer Blu-Ray disc capable of holding 100GB of data.

While companies such as TDK and Panasonic have previously mooted 100GB discs, they have always needed a specially developed optical head in the player to read the disc.

Hitachi, however, claims to have used a standard Blu-Ray drive optical head that's only slightly modified to allow it to read and write data across the four 25GB layers. It's believed this will only require a firmware update to make existing drives compatible.
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Full Story: pcpro.co.uk
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From ps3.advancedmn.com:
[QUOTE]
Epic's VP Mark Rein has given an official response regarding the now possible Unreal Tournament 3 delay. You can read his response below:

"As a public company, Midway felt an obligation to its shareholders to let them know about the possibility of a delay. But our goal is still to get the PS3 version of UT3 in stores before the end of 2007. However, we will only ship it once it's ready and is the best game we can deliver. The PC version is still on track for a November release."
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Full Story: ps3.advancedmn.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From biz.gamedaily.com:
[QUOTE]
Last week, one of GameDaily BIZ's sources close to Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) informed us that there had recently been a "breach of security" in Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN). Our source indicated that one of SCEA's employees was actually tricked over the phone into giving out this important access to the network.

Kimberly Otzman, Corporate Communications, explained, "Just to clarify, there has been no hacking or electronic breach to any of SCEA's electronic security systems. An as-yet-unidentified PSN user impersonating an SCEA IT employee apparently called customer service agents in order to gain unauthorized access to two PSN user accounts not belonging to the imposter. The unauthorized accessing of the two accounts was discovered immediately after it took place, the unauthorized access was disabled, and the account-holders were notified."
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Full Story: biz.gamedaily.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From bloomberg.com:
[QUOTE]
Sony Corp. will design chips with Infineon Technologies AG to reduce development costs at its consumer electronics division, the world's second largest.

Sony and Infineon's Qimonda AG will own equal stakes in a Tokyo-based venture that will design DRAM chips that speed up data processing in cameras and mobile phones, the companies said today in a statement. Elpida Memory Inc., a Sony supplier, fell on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on concern it will lose orders.

The agreement will help Tokyo-based Sony reduce costs as Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer overhauls the chip operations to raise overall profitability to the highest this decade. The semiconductor unit, which makes processors for PlayStation 3 game consoles, posted a 10 billion yen ($86 million) loss last year.
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Full Story: bloomberg.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From engadget.com:
[QUOTE]
Thanks to a helpful tipster, we have a couple of Best Buy documents showing a $399 Playstation 3 with 40GB disk and Spiderman 3 (yes, Blu-ray) bundle with an "In Stock Date" of October 28. However, the more important "Street Date" field is unfortunately empty at the moment. While the docs look legit and don't seem to be Photoshopped, they can still be faked easily enough. So we did a quick lookup on the UPC code and sure enough, while the details are masked, the manufacturer is listed as "Sony Computer Entertainment of America."
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Full Story: engadget.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From ps3fanboy.com:
[QUOTE]
GamePro France is reporting that Sony has plans for a "big bang" announcement set for Oct. 12. While rumors and speculation have been filling message boards across the internet, we feel safe to say this announcement will probably focus on the mysterious 40GB PlayStation 3.
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Full Story: ps3fanboy.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
Sony's recent FCC filing over the alleged 40GB PS3 has gotten us all focusing on the wrong issues. Why do we constantly look at the one feature of the PS3 that consumers can most easily change (the swappable hard drive) to define an SKU?

* It draws less current; Now only rated 3A down from the previous 3.2A
* Bluetooth is the same version as before, however the Antenna gain is increased on Antenna1 from 0.21dBi (max) in the original 60Gb, up to 3.83dBi (max) in the new SKU. Antenna2 also sees an increase, from 4.13dBi (max) up to 4,92 dBi (max).
* WLAN is still 802.11b/g, however there is a difference in Antenna gain too. ANT0 is now 0.69dBi from 0.10dBi previously, and ANT1 is now -0.26dBi from 0.91dBi.
* The controller used in the test had the model number of the original launch Sixaxis, not the Dual Shock 3.
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Full Story: kotaku.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From blu-ray.com:
[QUOTE]
Sony has announced that sales of Blu-ray titles in Europe are exceeding sales of HD DVD titles by a factor of 4-to-1. This decisive lead has forced studios such as Universum Film (Germany) and Studio Canal (France) to plan Blu-ray releases for this important Q4.
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Full Story: blu-ray.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
Surprised that neither a 40Gb PS3 model nor a price cut was announced at this year's TGS, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has said he still expects Sony to release the smaller hard drive model for $399 by the holidays, predicting another price cut in 2008.
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Full Story: gamasutra.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From arstechnica.com:
[QUOTE]
In the meantime, you can see what Sony has done: the company has focused on reducing the cost of building the PS3 while also closely watching how sales of lower-priced units are doing. The time is ripe for a new PS3 model to hit the scene, and we strongly believe that the company is about to launch a $399 PS3 in time for the holiday season. We've been hearing rumors to this effect for some time, but now the evidence of a new PlayStation 3 configuration is almost undeniable: an FCC filing details a new model number for the system.

What this new model number means is impossible to know for sure; the FCC filing leaves out pictures to "avoid premature release of sensitive information prior to marketing or release of the product to the public." The product description tells us that there is no difference in the wireless configuration, CPU, or Bluetooth aspects of this new PlayStation 3. The information that details the differences has been conveniently left out of the released paperwork, for the aforementioned reason.

We also have a date to pin this information to: our sources tell us that the $399 PlayStation 3 hardware will launch on, or before, November 16. We're confident in this information, as our sources in this area have always given us accurate information in the past. The "sensitive information" in the FCC filing will go public 45 days from September 4, unless something changes.
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Full Story: arstechnica.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From bloomberg.com:
[QUOTE]
Sony Corp., the world's second-biggest maker of consumer electronics, raised 320 billion yen ($2.8 billion) in its insurance unit's initial public offering, Japan's biggest this year.

A total of 800,000 Sony Financial Holdings Inc. shares were sold at 400,000 yen each, Tokyo-based Sony said today.

Sony sold the shares at the top end of its range, spurring demand by reducing the price from an original reference level of 415,000 yen, after losses in the U.S. subprime-mortgage market triggered a global rout in stocks. Proceeds from the share sale of Sony Financial, the biggest profit contributor after consumer electronics, will help Sony increase production of Bravia televisions and fund the money-losing PlayStation unit.
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Full Story: bloomberg.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com