PlayStation 3 to Launch Without Bundled Hard Disk?

Comments by Sony CTO Masayuki Chatani in Japanese magazine Famitsu indicate that Sony will not make a hard disk unit an obligatory part of the PlayStation 3 launch package. Instead, Sony may offer the hard drive as an optional storage peripheral - raising speculation over the final price tag for the PS3:

GamesIndustryBiz - Chatani also said that he expected people to unplug their hard disks and move them between PS3 units, implying a similar functionality to that of Xbox 360, whose detachable hard disk units appear designed to be portable rather than optional. The biggest question now, of course, will be what impact such a decision would have on the PlayStation 3’s price tag, which is already expected to be higher than that of its rival Xbox 360, which launches this winter. Microsoft’s J Allard recently said the Xbox 360 would cost in the region of US$300.