Sony Shipping Unbundled 320GB PS3 To Stores

Sony revealed today that it is shipping a version of its PlayStation 3 with an included 320GB hard drive as a standalone unit for sale at U.S. retailers. The 320GB edition of the system, which will retail for a suggested price of $349.99, was previously available only in a bundle with the PlayStation Move controller and Sports Champions. That bundle and a $299.99 version of the system, which includes a 160GB hard drive, will continue to be available at retail, according to the company. While current PS3 owners can upgrade their system's storage with any standard standard 2.5 inch SATA hard drive, the increased storage capacity reflects a trend of larger built-in hard drives and decreasing hardware prices since the system's 2006 release. The PS3 originally shipped in two separate configurations with 40GB and 60GB hard drives, which retailed for $499 and $599, respectively. The most expensive version of Microsoft's Xbox 360, which retails for $299.99, currently includes a 250GB built-in hard drive. Microsoft sells the proprietary hard drive for $130 to users who purchase the $199.99 version of the system, which includes 4GB of on-board storage.