Playstation fanatics will not have to wait much as Sony has announced the release of Playstation 3. The PS3, successor of PS and PS2, is due for release this November in United States, Japan, and Canada. However, the release in Europe and Australia has been postponed reportedly because of the limited production of Blu-ray disc diodes. These diodes are key components of the PS3. The people in Europe and Australia would then have to wait until March 2007.

In the initial release, Playstation 3 will be offered in two configurations: 1) Basic, and 2) Premium. In the Basic, the PS3 will come with a 20 GB hard drive, wireless controllers, Blu-ray drive, and HDMI port. The premium version has a 60 GB hard drive and has additional features that include built-in Wi-Fi and flash card readers. The hard drives of both configurations are upgradeable. Flash card readers can be installed in the Basic version by using extra adapters.

As to its physical features, the Playstation 3 weighs about 5 kg and measures 9.8 cm x 32.5 cm x 27.4 cm. Moreover, the PS3 is designed with heat pipes to control the heat output. The PS3, as Sony claims, is developed to operate quietly.

Sony has also listed titles of PS3 games that are under development and may be available upon release, or within a few months after the release of the game console. The game list includes: Call of Duty 3, Fatal Inertia, Genji: Days of the Blade, F.E.A.R., Madden NFL 07, Resistance: Fall of Man, Need for Speed: Carbon, NBA 07, NBA 2K7, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire, Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Sonic the Hedgehog, Full Auto: Battlelines, Call of Duty, and Blazing Angels: Squadron of WWII. Other main titles consist of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, Resident Evil 5, Armored Core 4, Battlefield: Bad Company, Unreal Tournament 2007, Killzone PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII, White Knight Story, and many others.

In the United States, the 20 GB PS3 will be retailed for $499 while the 60 GB will be sold for $599 on the release date. In Japan, the 20 GB will be set at US$420. Meanwhile, Sony has adopted an open pricing strategy for the 60 GB version; that is, Japanese sellers are free to name their price. In Canada, the 20 GB and 60 GB models will be sold for US$480 and US$480, respectively. On the other hand, Australian retailers will sell the PS3 units for US$570 (20 GB) and US$680 (60 GB).

Based on some statements by the President of Sony Computer Entertainment, the cost of the PS3 games is suggested to set at US$60 up to US$100.

So what are you waiting for? Pre orders are now being offered by various websites. Sign up now to have your own seventh generation era game console.

But practice caution. Sony Corporation has confirmed the issue of rampant misleading offers. A lot of internet sites have been posting pre orders on bulk or discounted deliveries of the game units without the authorization from Sony.

Although Sony chose not to name the websites who are engaged in such scams, the consumers are advised to buy the Playstation systems only from legitimate retailers. This is to avoid scams and other unwanted consequences.