PlayStation 3 upgrade won't void warranty

Daniel Long | Apr 30, 2008 2:59 PM
Retailers are offering hotted up versions of the PS3 with bigger hard drives at cost premiums in anticipation of Sony's new PlayTV. The good news? DIY jobs won't void your warranty.
Sony say they have no firm plans to extend the capacity of the current 40GB bundled drive on the PS3, citing market research which told them that consumers aren’t willing to pay a premium for a bigger drive. But, retailers aren’t seeing it that way. Sony gave us an example of a Harvey Norman franchise that is already selling PS3’s with 320GB hard drives over $1000, installed by the actual store. And while that might seem expensive, it’s obviously something that customers are demanding and retailers are going to deliver on that demand.

The best part is that customers who take on the onus of upgrading the system’s hard drive will not void the warranty, something Sony reps confirmed with us. In fact, Sony also said that customers would be able to receive help through their customer support line for those seeking assistance with their hardware upgrades. It’s hard to remember the last time a console company encouraged customers to improve their machines without paying dearly for it. The truth is, hard drives are getting cheaper and DIY jobs are going to get more and more popular as the price drops.

All this comes as Sony let fly this week with details one of the worst-kept Sony gaming secrets - PlayTV service for the PS3. We were given exclusive hands on access to this little black box, which is due to launch late in 2008, and we were delighted with what we saw.

The PlayTV device is about the size of a small purse and works in the same way as a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) might. It will come equipped with dual tuners (which is great for being able to record one show while you watch another), provide HD tuner connectivity straight from your home aerial source and connects through the PS3 in a couple of easy steps. Sony has integrated a simple menu system with dynamic television programme guides which look similar to the current Foxtel IQ guide offering.

Unfortunately it won’t work with Foxtel (yes, we asked) and will only allow you to record free to air channels.