New PlayStation 3 models for Japan

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Sony have detailed two new versions of the PlayStation 3 for Japanese shoppers with boosted hard drive space and, for one model, a matt white finish.

While the current PlayStation 3 is fitted with 120GB or 250GB of internal storage space, the 120GB version will be phased out pending introduction of the new 160GB and 320GB configurations on July 29.

Both come in the standard matt black of a slim PlayStation 3, and the smaller 160GB is also available in matt white. The 160GB model is to retail for ¥29,980 (€270) while the 320GB model will be priced at ¥34,980 (€315).

It is not known whether these variants will be made available elsewhere - hard drive capacities are on rare occasions specific to a particular country - but there is a general trend for larger hard drives to ship with both the PlayStation 3 and its competitor, the Xbox 360.

Both Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 are to receive optional motion-sensing controllers by the end of the year.

The PlayStation Move controllers are hand-held and work in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye camera. Microsoft's Kinect is an advanced motion-tracking camera, responding to movement and voice commands.

Both companies are playing catch-up to Nintendo, who opted against creating a hi-tech entertainment system but instead concentrated on making the Wii console approachable and intuitive for those new to games consoles.