It’s already been discussed, but I guess it’s time to discuss it some more, since it’s coming up in the press again. The PS3 probably won’t come with a hard disc drive (HDD). Sony will sell one separately, maybe around 80GB, with Linux installed.

The HDD never caught on for the PS2. One reason is that it came out so much later than the PS2 did. Another reason is that there was no compelling reason to buy it – few games supported it. I never bought one, nor did I ever feel like I missed out.

Sony needs to avoid this problem with the PS3. The HDD greatly improves the gaming experience. Game saves are faster, you can listen to your own music while gaming instead of the in-game stuff, you can download and upload content, etc. There are so many things you could do, and many haven’t been thought of yet. I want this for my PS3, and I want Sony to make it happen.

So if you come home with a HDD-less PS3 you should feel like you’re missing out. A HDD should become the next thing on your list of gaming-related purchases. How will Sony do this? The HDD needs to be made available immediately upon the PS3’s release. Bundling deals should be varied and attractive. No price gouging, like on the current memory cards. They could have a deal where a PS3 and HDD gets sold together. Or a deal where the HDD, an extra controller, and two games get sold together. I’d like that! I like having people over to my place to play video games, so I’ll need extra controllers. And I want to actually use my HDD for something. So Sony: get on it this time!

Link: PS3 IGN – PS3 Hard Disk Sold Separately
Link: EuroGamer – PS3 HDD to be sold separately?

I’m on vacation as you read this. I posted this article using a time-delay feature. Because I am on holidays, I won’t be able to respond to you if you reply, or to moderate any comments.