PlayStation 2 hard drive details revealed

No doubt as part of the same X03 spoiler campaign that saw fresh PSP details released to an eager world, Sony Computer Entertainment has seen fit to release new details about the hard drive US gamers can expect.

And indeed, the news proves more interesting than X03 to the power of 10, seeing all manner of unexpected goodness about to be unleashed.

As we reported yesterday, Final Fantasy XI will not be a stand-alone game in the US. Instead it will only be available as a piece of pre-installed software on the PlayStation 2 40GB hard drive, the first game of its kind. The bundle will cost a mere $99, which is not at all bad.

Other goodies PS2 owners can expect include a Personal Jukebox which will store music in MP3 format on the HD ripped from CD's. There is also a photo manager, which will enable users to upload snaps from digital cameras via USB.

Finally, SCEA promised new content for a slew of games, including SOCOM and Syphon Filter.

It is widely expected that the European HDD for PlayStation 2 will closely mirror the incentive-driven offers made to US gamers, and may just be announced in the coming weeks.

And who knows, Final Fantasy XI may also be confirmed for Europe at long, long last.

Stay tuned.