Aaron Thomas
Will
the PlayStation 3 include a hard drive? The PS3 has the capability to use a
removable hard drive, but Sony hasn't commented whether or not a hard disk drive
would be included with the system. It's quite possible the unit will be sold
separately, like it was on the PS2, if a recent interview with SCE's chief
technology officer Masayuki Chatani is any indication of what Sony's plans are.
In the Japanese magazine Famitsu, Chatani commented that the issue had yet to
be decided, citing people wanting to increase the capacity of the drive in
the future as one possible reason for not including one with the system.
Chatani also mentioned that people would want to take the drive to friend's
homes to share data, which would certainly indicate any hard drive for the PS3
would most likely be removable. Another reason that nothing has been announced
could be that Microsoft has yet to reveal a price point for the Xbox 360, which
will be the PS3's main competitor.
It's all speculation at this point, but it's curious to see Sony pondering
making the hard drive an additional peripheral, considering how poorly that
strategy worked for them on the PS2.
