E3, LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 16, 2008  – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) held its E3 media reception this evening at the Viceroy Hotel, Santa Monica, with David Reeves, President of SCEE, providing a European perspective on the announcements made at the Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) press conference yesterday.

Launching on 27th August 2008 throughout the PAL territories (shortly after in Russia), the new PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) 80GB model will become the mainstay of the company’s hardware line-up. The 80GB model will retail for €399 (£299), and will offer all of the features and functionality of the 40GB model with double the storage to accommodate more games, movies, graphics, music, photos and other entertainment content – all for the same price.

As with its predecessor, the new 80GB model will be a complete entertainment system comprising the highest quality games and films on Blu-ray™, as well as the ability to download exclusive content, play games online and access the internet at any time through an integrated Wi-Fi connection. The multi-functionality of the 80GB PS3, combined with an incredible number of exclusive first and third-party titles, as well as PLAYSTATION®Network, makes PS3 a comprehensive entertainment value designed to appeal to a wide range of consumers from hard-core gamers to general entertainment enthusiasts.

“We have been listening to our customers and are pleased to be able to answer one of their key requests”, said David Reeves, President, SCEE. “There is more downloadable content than ever before, with the emphasis moving towards user generated content, something clearly seen this week in LittleBigPlanet™. When you add this to the already compelling entertainment offering on PS3, where you can store games, music, videos and pictures, the extra storage becomes invaluable.”

David Reeves also confirmed the introduction to the PAL territories of the Platinum range for PS3, launching on 1st August, at a price of €29.99, including numerous blockbuster first and third party titles, such as Resistance: Fall of Man, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and Assassin’s Creed.

David Reeves also confirmed that new bundles would be introduced throughout the SCEE territories on both PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®2, but would vary by territory, continuing the successful policy of providing local content for local markets.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PLAYSTATION®3, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PLAYSTATION®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PLAYSTATION 3 in November 2006, over 12.5 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 129 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 37.5 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, there are over 10 million accounts registered in PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and 180 million items have been downloaded.

More information about PlayStation products can be found at www.playstation.com or visit the Virtual Press Office at www.scee.presscentre.com.
PlayStation, PLAYSTATION and the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks, and PS3 and PSP, are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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Readers are advised that the press releases and other information posted on this site are current only on their original publication date. Please note that such press releases and other information may now be outdated or rendered inaccurate due to passage of time or subsequent material changes in facts and circumstance.