Sony has finally announced the launch date for the new PS3, which is November 17, 2006. Soon after their big announcement at E3, Sony also dropped a bombshell; the prices. At $499 for the stripped down version, the PS3 becomes one of the most expensive gaming platforms in history. Did I mention this is the stripped down version? If you decide you need the top level PS3, be prepared to shell out $599 for it.

There are some very notable differences between the two systems, besides the $100 price point, which include an extra 40 gigs of memory, and an HDMI port. While the $499 20 gig system is fine for the vast majority of the TVs in households right now, can the same be said for two or three years down the road? Sony knows the future is in HD, even if the average consumer does not.

The real issues involving the new PS3 are the future of Blu-ray, which is just one of two competing new DVD formats, supply problems, and Sony