Sony has a history of coming up with hardware bundles that come with blockbuster gamers. This time they have announced hardware bundles for the PlayStation 3 as well as the PlayStation Portable. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has sent word about the MGS 4 PS3 as well as a limited-edition God of War PSP.
The Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 bundle will have an 80GB PS3 along with the game. It will also feature the eagerly awaited DualShock 3 wireless controller. As for the God of War PSP Entertainment Pack, it will have a Deep Red PSP that features a silk-screened Kratos on the back of the console. Of course, it will have God of War: Chains of Olympus and gamers can even expect Superbad UMD and a PSN voucher to download Syphon Filter: Combat Ops from the PlayStation Store.
All these announcements were made at Destination PlayStation. SCEA also confirmed that Metal Gear Solid 4 will be out late, in the second quarter of 2008. They revealed a Metal Gear Online Starter Pack that will allow gamers to choose a single player experience or take the action online with up to 16 players. Gamers can also expect a pre-sell promotion where they will be able to pre-order MGS 4, which will also guarantee them access to a multiplayer beta test for Metal Gear Online that is scheduled for late April 2008.
Jack Tretton is the president and chief executive officer of SCEA. He quoted, “Working closely with our retail and publishing partners and sharing our hardware and software roadmaps at Destination PlayStation gives us an enormous opportunity to outline some key milestones for the year. In response to incredible demand, we will be manufacturing more 80GB PS3s for North America and the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 80GB PS3 bundle is a perfect way to offer that continued value to our consumers. With Blu-ray having won the format war, our stellar software line-up and a broad product portfolio, we will continue to drive the unbelievable momentum we have been generating since last fall.”
SCEA has also mentioned that they will be rolling out the DualShock wireless controller in North America in April 2008. It will cost $54.95 (approx. Rs. 2200). The Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle will be released at the same time as the game. The PS3 bundle will come with a price tag of $499 (approx. Rs. 19, 950). The God of War PSP Entertainment Pack will be launched in June 2008 for $199.99 (approx. Rs. 8000).