Sony Computer Entertainment America Announces Limited-Edition Uncharted: Drake's Fortune(TM) PLAYSTATION(R)3 Bundle Featuring New 160GB PS3(TM) System
PS3 Bundle Includes Uncharted: Drake's Fortune(TM), PLAYSTATION(R)Network Voucher for PAIN and DUALSHOCK(R)3 Wireless Controller, Offering Tremendous Value to Consumers

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced plans to introduce a new 160GB PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) computer entertainment system in North America as part of the limited-edition Uncharted: Drake's Fortune(TM) PS3 system bundle. The increased storage size enables entertainment enthusiasts to store even more movies, television shows, and games downloaded from PLAYSTATION(R)Network, as well as more videos, music, and photos from their personal collection. Slated to launch in November for $499.99 (MSRP), the 160GB PS3 system will come bundled with the hit game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune(TM), a PLAYSTATION Network voucher for PAIN, and a DUALSHOCK(R)3 wireless controller. The previously announced 80GB PS3 system ($399.99 MSRP) has started shipping to retailers.

"As PLAYSTATION Network continues to evolve with our recently launched video delivery service and more exclusive games, PS3 owners are demanding more storage capacity," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "Consumers also are utilizing PS3 as an entertainment hub for their digital media, placing content such as their entire music collection on the hard drive. The 160GB PS3 system addresses this growing consumer demand in a compelling bundle that delivers significant value."

he Uncharted: Drake's Fortune PS3 bundle includes the following components:
— 160GB PS3 system — The 160GB PS3 is a complete entertainment system comprising a Blu-ray(TM) Disc player, HDMI output, an integrated Wi-Fi connection, and Cell Broadband Engine(TM).
— Uncharted: Drake's Fortune — A 400-year-old clue found in the coffin of Sir Francis Drake sets a modern-day fortune hunter, Nathan Drake, on an exploration for the fabled treasure of El Dorado, leading to the discovery of a forgotten island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The search turns deadly when Drake becomes stranded on the island and hunted by mercenaries. Outnumbered and outgunned, Drake and his companions must fight to survive as they begin to unravel the terrible secrets hidden on the Island.
— PAIN PLAYSTATION Network Voucher* — PAIN boldly tackles a rarely explored area of video-gaming ... comedy. The unique mechanic of the game allows the player to load a character into a human-sized, ultra-powerful slingshot, and fire the character into an active, physics-controlled environment, filled with precarious and humorous situations. Download PAIN from PLAYSTATION Store (http://store.playstation.com) to your PS3 system with the included voucher.
— DUALSHOCK 3 Wireless Controller — DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller provides the most intuitive game play experience with pressure sensors in each action button and the inclusion of the highly sensitive SIXAXIS(TM) motion sensing technology.

The additional storage space of the 160GB model will benefit consumers, as several highly anticipated PLAYSTATION Network and PS3 games along with add-on content will be available for download soon, including PAIN Amusement Park, Ratchet & Clank(R)Future: Quest for Booty(TM), SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, and The Last Guy(TM). The bundle is also a great option for consumers who want to utilize PLAYSTATION Network's video delivery service, which offers new blockbuster movies and popular TV shows for download on an ongoing basis.

PS3 momentum has soared in 2008, starting with Blu-ray becoming the
high-definition standard and following the launches of key franchise titles, including Gran Turismo(TM) 5 Prologue, Grand Theft Auto(TM) IV, and Metal Gear Solid(R)4: Guns of the Patriots. That momentum will continue into the holidays and beyond, as PS3's software lineup will offer the most depth and breadth of any platform across the industry, delivering highly anticipated exclusives such as BUZZ!(TM): Quiz TV, LittleBigPlanet(TM), Resistance(TM) 2, MotorStorm(TM) Pacific Rift, and Killzone(TM) 2.

The form factor is the smaller 2.5" standard. The HDD comes bundled with Transcend's Point to Point software, which promises speeds of up to 1.5Gb/s, as well as the OneTouch program; a complete auto-backup solution. Powered via USB, the 160GB StoreJet is USB 2.0 compliant. Release dates and pricing information are not available as yet. [Mobilewhack]

Pricing has not been announced, but the 120GB Spinpoint N2 costs $249, so the 160GB version will be higher still. And from what market research Samsung has done, there's no reason to lower prices just yet:

"The 1.8inch HDD market will grow at a tremendous pace with annual sales expected to increase up to 65% by 2010 as consumers demand smaller, more compact technology devices," states Andrew Higginbotham, director of hard drive sales and marketing, Samsung Semiconductor Inc.

According to TSR, the market research institute, the HDD camcorder segment of the camcorder market will grow from 4 million units in 2006 to over 8 million units by the end of 2011.

Full press release:

Samsung's Tiny 1.8" Hard Disk Drives are Giants in the Exploding Mobile Market
New Higher-Capacity Drives from Samsung Help Lead the Industry

San Jose, CA, Aug. 20, 2007 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced that its new highest-capacity-yet 1.8inch Hard Disk Drives (HDD) are playing a dominant role in leading the growth of the mobile storage market. IT and consumer product companies are building new multimedia products built around our 1.8inch HDD storage medium, which is smaller than a business card but packs 160 GB capacity at 4200 RPM.

"The 1.8inch HDD market will grow at a tremendous pace with annual sales expected to increase up to 65% by 2010 as consumers demand smaller, more compact technology devices," states Andrew Higginbotham, director of hard drive sales and marketing, Samsung Semiconductor Inc. "Samsung is leading the pack with its new Spinpoint N2 Series drives that offer a best-in-class combination of reliability, capacity, performance, and value."

Camcorders - The New Storage Medium for UCC Generation

User Created Content (UCC) has become a major hit with consumers and businesses facilitated by the arrival of Web 2.0 era and the explosive growing of the HDD camcorder market, which makes it easy to record and upload moving pictures onto the Internet. The new generation of 1.8" HDD storage provides many benefits to users, including higher storage capacities than existing tape or DVD devices that enable the design of camcorders that are smaller and lighter.

HDD camcorders sales have skyrocketed. According to TSR, the market research institute, the HDD camcorder segment of the camcorder market will grow from 4 million units in 2006 to over 8 million units by the end of 2011.

1.8"HDDs are Expanding into the MP3 Player and PMP Markets

The 1.8" HDD has gained momentum from the mobile consumer markets as the storage medium of choice by providing high volume solutions at the most economical price points. Devices such as MP3 players and personal media players are using the 1.8" HDD as the storage medium to support music files, video and Internet access.

Recently, Samsung Electronics unveiled its Spinpoint N2 Series, the first 1.8" HDD to offer the ultra high 160GB capacity. Taking the mobile storage market to new heights, the Spinpoint N2 has the capacity to store more than 40,000 MP3 files or 100 HD quality movies.

Through market sensing and customer collaboration, Samsung will continue to develop breakthrough storage technology for the evolving, feature-rich demands of the mobile consumer and entertainment markets.

Press Release [Apple]

All that data is packed into this tiny disk by using perpendicular recording technology, and it's the first 160GB pocket drive we've seen that can deliver 7200rpm speed. We have a 100-gig drive in this same enclosure from Other World Computing, and find it to be a speedy and versatile performer. Plus, we like its spiffy blue LED inside, lighting things up just for fun. If you're looking for lots of capacity and could use that 7200rpm speed, this might be well worth your $279.99. – Charlie White

Product Page [Other World Computing]

Press Release [Fujitsu]

Hitachi is making an effort to change that, and it's first out of the gate with a 160GB SATA drive aimed at notebooks, its Hitachi Travelstar 5K160. Sure, Seagate is shipping a 160GB 2.5-inch drive, but it's only available with a parallel ATA connector. That's not going to play ball with the swankiest of new notebooks from Apple, Dell and others which feature SATA connectors. Seagate said it would ship a 2.5" SATA perpendicular drive last month, but now Hitachi has beaten them to the punch. The Travelstar 5K160 160GB SATA drive is available now for $279. – Charlie White

Hitachi ships 160GB SATA notebook drive [APC] (Thanks, Adam!)