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PlayStation 3 will use the Blu-ray Disc format, while a new, slimmer PlayStation 2 will go on sale internationally early in November, Sony Computer Entertainment says.

Sony is considering making the PlayStation 3 compatible with the dual-layer 54GB Blu-ray Disc ROM and also smaller versions, for example the 25GB capacity disc, according to a Sony spokesperson.

The use of Blu-ray Disc will help push the format, touted as a successor to DVD, into the market, according to Sony spokesperson Taro Takamine.

"Historically, PlayStation helped DVD penetration, and the new PlayStation using the Blu-ray Disc format means that there is very, very strong support for Blu-ray," he says.

While the release date of PlayStation 3 has yet to be officially announced, analysts and industry watchers believe the game console will be in shops by the middle of 2006.

Smaller and Lighter

Meanwhile, Sony is releasing six smaller, lighter versions of its PlayStation 2 game console. Two versions will be available in North America on November 1, as will one version for Europe, one for Australia and New Zealand, and one for the U.K. A Japanese version will go on sale on November 3, Sony says. The retail price for the U.S. market is $149.99, according to a company statement.

The internal volume of the PlayStation 2 has been reduced by about 75 percent for the new versions, and its overall weight has been halved. The new models are 9.1 inches high, 6.0 inches wide, and 1.1 inches thick (compared to 3.1 inches thick for the current PlayStation 2). They use the same DVD discs as the existing models, but now each has an Ethernet port for network gaming, the company says. The North American models also have a modem port, but the other versions don't.

Sony expects around 80 online game titles will be available for the PlayStation 2 in Japan, with 120 titles in the U.S. and 65 titles in Europe.

Sony Computer Entertainment America claims to have sold more than 27 million PlayStation 2 units in the U.S.