Playstation 3 dissected and analysed

AS YOU already know, the Sony Playstation 3 was launched in Japan to huge fanfare and huge queues.

Only 80,000 units were shipped to Sony's home territory causing much furore and an abundance of poor Chinese buying up consoles for re-selling - see this Kotaku.com report for a first hand account of the problems.

This certainly isn't a new phenomenon as previous launches have encountered similar problems, but ensuring substantial stock was on offer on day one would probably have avoided these problems. As it is, every new shipment that arrives will ensure infighting and dodgy dealing until a steady flow of supply is offered.

Unsurprisingly the PS3 sold out in Japan on launch.

If you're interested in what's in the latest Playstation, a team from Japan have already uploaded good documentation on disassembly in this video. To see what's actually inside, see these impressive pics.

Fortunately you won't have to break open the PS3 if you wish to upgrade the hard drive. The manual clearly states how to upgrade the included internal HDD. Pics of the unit and the HDD enclosure, here.

If you're interested in seeing what the interface looks like, considering us Europeans won't get to see it until March, click over to Gizmodo. If you've used a PSP you'll be quite happy, although some people report it's often hard to read on smaller HDTVs.

Something of considerable interest is the mention of upgradeable third party system software within the Sony PS3 manual, stating: "PLAYSTATION®3 allows any desired third-party system software to be installed on it besides its system software provided by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Details will be posted on this site soon."

This backs up previous statements by Sony that other operating systems would be installable, and announcements by Terrasoft that Yellow Dog Linux would be coming to the PS3. This should make it a hot favourite among Tux fans.

Interestingly, the console's firmware has been patched already to version 1.10 which can be downloaded from the PS3 network or, similarly to the PSP, downloaded from the net and copied over via memory card.

Oddly, a week before the PS3 launch, the Xbox 360 has had an incredible upturn in sales. A 320% increase in sales, 6580 units, has surprised industry on lookers, and this is before the special Japanese-focused 'Blue Dragon' bundle has launched.

Now the Japan launch is over, we have the US launch to contend with on Friday. At least they'll have a few more units to go around. µ

See Also
European Wii shortages spread
XBox HD-DVD comes at a heavy price
Microsoft pulls Xbox HD movies from the ether
Sony admits to importing grey market PSPs