European Sony rep reportedly confirms that the next-gen console will come with 60GB hard drive, dispelling dual-SKU fears. At last week's PlayStation Business Briefing in Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi revealed that the PlayStation 3 would have a 2.5-inch, Linux-based, 60GB hard drive. He also made it clear that the hard drive will be required, as Sony is telling developers to create PS3 games that will run on a console with a HDD. "We view the hard drive to be mandatory for the PS3," he said.

However, Kutaragi danced around the question of whether or not the PS3 will come with a hard drive. "We might end up installing it in all PS3s, though that depends on the market," he said. His comments raised the prospect that the PS3 could be sold without a piece of hardware needed to play PS3 games--in effect forcing consumers to buy a peripheral for basic functionality. It also raised the prospect that, like the Xbox 360, the PS3 would have multiple SKUs at different price points.

Now, though, reports have surfaced claiming that Sony has confirmed that the PS3 will indeed come with a hard drive. Along with a number of European sites, GamaSutra is reporting that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe PR Manager Jonathan Fargher has officially said that the next-gen console will be packaged with a detachable 60GB HDD. He also said that higher-capacity HDDs will be available as premium add-ons, though he did not list any specific storage sizes.

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