Australia to miss out on 160GB PS3

Overnight at the Leipzig Games Convention, Sony made a batch of announcements, including the introduction of a new 160GB PlayStation 3 version. Although the latest hardware revision to the PS3 will be made available in North America and Europe, Australians hoping to pick up the console will be bitterly disappointed.

A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Australia told GameSpot AU that the new PS3 was a "limited edition SKU across all PAL territories that we haven't been able to make available for Australian consumers." He also added that, "Any consumers who want more space, the option's still available to purchase a notebook drive and upgrade."

In the US, the 160GB PS3 will ship in November for US$499 and will come packaged with a copy of Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, a Dual Shock 3 controller, and a voucher for the PSN game PAIN. Those in Europe will be getting the bundle on Halloween for an RRP of €449, and it comes with €70 worth of "additional downloadable" content.

For the time being, Aussies will have to make do with the upcoming 80GB PS3, which was dated last Friday. The 80GB PS3s, which will replace the 40GB units, will go on sale on 28 August for AU$699 (US$609) and will ship with a Dual Shock 3 controller.

The PS3 wasn't the only console to get a hardware revision overnight, given that Sony announced the long-rumoured PSP-3000. As well as packing the slimmer build of the current PSP-2000, the 3000 will feature a built-in microphone and updated LCD screen, which will allow for crisper colours when used outside. The PSP-3000 will be coming to Australia on 16 October and will retail for AU$299.95 as a stand-alone. Interestingly, the new PSP will retail for AU$20 more than the current PSP-2000, which is currently selling for AU$279.95.

In other Sony Australia news, it's been confirmed that LittleBigPlanet will be getting its local release on 28 October, a week and a half after the European launch on 19 October. There's no word from Sony on whether Aussies will be receiving a pre-order pack similar to the US, which features in-game SackBoy Kratos (from God of War) and SackGirl Nariko (from Heavenly Sword).

Sony's PlayTV add-on for the PS3 has also received an updated local-release period, with Sony now saying that it's due out in "early 2009". The service is expected to arrive in the UK on 19 September, and the rest of Europe can expect it later in the year.

Although Aussie PS3 owners have been able to download music videos for a while now, they've been restricted to Sony BMG Australia artists such as Shannon Noll and TV Rock. From "early 2009", Sony will be partnering up with one of the largest online music-video providers, VidZone, to bring music clips to the PlayStation 3. VidZone will be accessible via the XMB and can stream music clips to the PS3 for free.

The final hardware announcement confirmed by PlayStation Australia is that Aussies will also be receiving the new wireless keypad for the PS3. Unfortunately, no firm release date has been given, other than "before the end of the year".