Sony recently announced the Japanese pricing for its PlayStation 2 HDD (hard-drive unit). The internal unit will come with an Ethernet adapter and is scheduled to ship July 17 for $153 in Japan. An external unit will retail for a slightly cheaper price of $145. The pricing has raised the suspicion of video game players everywhere. The hard-drive will include 40GB of storage space, but many have been left wondering why that much space is needed. Others have been left to rationalize buying a PlayStation 2 and an HDD for at least $445 when the same features will eventually be found in the Xbox for $299. As one of the most popular Talkback news stories ever, the pricing of the PlayStation 2 HDD has solicited a number of varied responses.

　　The overwhelming majority of posters seems to think that any add-on for a console is doomed to failure. Many cite Sega's troubles with the 32X and Sega CD as proof. But one reader believes that an add-on is not required to enjoy a PlayStation 2 when he states, "They are add-ons-meaning you don't have to buy them. The PS2 broadband adapter will only be $39.99." Others believe that people are jumping the gun by becoming upset with the pricing. Flammigena feels there's nothing to worry about when he explains, "Why pay $145? Sony usually has higher prices overseas anyway. Besides, the price will come down anyway."

　　But not everyone has managed to rationalize the situation. In fact, the majority of respondents are upset by Sony's pricing for the HDD. Mike Gradisek thinks people would be selling themselves short by supporting the PlayStation 2. "Why would anyone put down $150+ on a PS2 hard-drive when they could get a Nintendo Gamecube for a little more? Looks like Sony has failed to learn from Sega. History always repeats itself. No one is going to buy the hard-drive in Japan or over here. I also seriously doubt that anyone will buy the LCD screen to surf the net on PS2. Did anyone see that picture of the whole set up? What the heck was that? Was it a computer or a game system?," he stated. Eman Edoc wholeheartedly agrees when he writes, "Sega showed us that releasing high-priced hardware upgrades (Sega CD, 32X) doesn't work. Who is going to buy this thing? To have the complete system, you'll have to get the system, hard-drive, and ethernet adapter. This makes the total money required way too much. And what game companies are going to support these features? Not many can afford to utilize them, when less than half the user base upgrades. Sony should have packaged a small hard-drive and ethernet card in a package that everyone can afford. Or, give them away with some sort of bradband service offer. The Xbox has one up on Sony here. Everyone with an Xbox will have the drive and adapter from day one." While Americans are singing the blues, players in other countries feel even worse. One of our Canadian readers, TDB, is feeling the pricing pinch. "Here in Calgary, I would have to pay $450 Canadian just to get the PS2. Now, add on approximately $200 Canadian for the hard-drive and $75 for the broadband adapter. That's $725 for a machine that has no must-have games. For that kind of money I could put together a computer that is at least twice as fast, has four times as much RAM, and has a better GPU," he explained.

　　Even some PlayStation 2 supporters are disappointed by Sony's decision. "First off, I'm a pissed-off PS2 owner. First I had to buy a Multi-tap. Now they are asking me to buy a 40GB hard-drive and a modem. I didn't want to buy an Xbox, but it's looking like a better deal. I'm sure that Sony will outsell the other systems combined. But heck, Britney Spears and Nsync outsells most good rock bands too," stated This is BS. Pandolfo, another self-proclaimed PS2 supporter, couldn't hide his anger when he wrote: "By the time we buy all the PS2 add-ons (PS2, Multi-tap, hard-drive and modem) we could almost buy an Xbox and GameCube. You do the math! I'm mad at sony too."

　　While most were quick to bash Sony for its decision, some managed to offer solutions to the problem. DJ believes the strategy could work with a few tweaks when he writes, "Is SONY out of its mind? How can you charge $300 for a system and then try to make us pay another $150 for the hard-drive? That's just plain crazy! If the hard-drive becomes a required accessory for some of the better PS2 games, that $450 could cause a lot more people to buy an Xbox. Sony may want to rethink their pricing strategy. They may want to even consider some sort of bundle, where you get the system and the drive."

　　What many of our readers seemed to forget is that the HDD will not be required to play PlayStation 2 games online. You can buy the network adapter separately for $39 and play games online using your PS2. While many of the advantages the hard-drive facilitates will not be available, the core online experience will be there. The big question is why Sony decided it needed to release a 40GB hard-drive for a video game console. In most cases, 10GB is more than enough storage space to download new levels, rip your own soundtrack, or play massively multiplayer games online. Another thing to keep in mind is that Sony has not announced its plans for the US release of the HDD. Sony could alter the price, pack it in with the system, or decrease the size of the hard-drive. Regardless, it will be interesting if Sony's reputation is enough to make consumers support products they have traditionally ignored.