Sony Corp said on Tuesday that it plans to launch a PlayStation 3 game console in September with an 80-gigabyte hard drive for 399 dollars, the same price as the PS3 with a 40-gigabyte hard drive.
Sony plans to phase out the smaller hard-drive PS3 machine and make the 80-GB version its mainstay as it focuses on making the console a home entertainment hub capable of storing downloaded movies and games.
At a news conference at the E3 video game industry trade show, the company introduced a video distribution service on its PlayStation online network that allows users to rent or purchase movies or TV shows, taking aim at a stronghold of Microsoft Corp's Xbox Live platform.