Quote:RUMOR #1: The new, 1.1-inch wide PlayStation 2 doesn't have a hard-disk drive bay.

Source: Just look at the thing.

The official story: see below.

What we heard: When the slim-downed unit was revealed, keen-eyed observers asked, "where's the hard-disc drive bay?" We posed the question to Sony, which confirmed new unit would not have an HDD bay. However, Sony assured gamers that the lack of an HDD bay "was NOT a sign of Sony Computer Entertainment’s change in philosophy regarding the hard disc drive" and that the company is looking into "other memory options." So where does that leave PS2 players of Final Fantasy XI, which requires the HDD? According to Sony, there's no problem, because "consumers who want and use the hard disc drive are typically the more ‘hard core’ gamers, and with more than 27 Million PlayStation 2 units already sold in North America, we feel that a majority of those HDD interested consumers already have their PlayStation 2 units." However, a statement by FFXI producer Hiromichi Tanaka to a British game site didn't sound nearly as upbeat. "We're still preparing, and looking into perhaps even changing platforms, because once the PlayStation 2 is phased out, [the FFXI] population will have to move somewhere," he said.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not Bogus.

RUMOR #2: The new PS2 is top-loading.

Source: A photo that initially surfaced on Swedish game site Game Reactor before being pulled.

The official story: SCEA reps said they had not yet seen an actual example of the new PlayStation 2, so they could not confirm or deny anything about its physical characteristics.

What we heard: When the new PS2's slender design was revealed, minimalists everywhere drooled over the prospect of sliding the unit into a tight slot in their multimedia centers. However, it looks like that won't be possible. As first evidenced from the photo from Game Reactor (pictured), the unit will be top-loading, meaning it will need at least an inch of space above it for the disc-compartment door to open. Though SCEA reps said they were unable to confirm the feature, GameSpot operatives at the Tokyo Game Show saw it for themselves, closing the case.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus.

Quote:This is a PS2 OB1, not a PS3, so that is kind of irrelevant... as for the PS3 I doubt that this shows for sure which way the PS3 will go. But I certainly hope that if they expect to compete in the online arena they have some kind of mass storage device... it's pretty much a necessity.

Quote:Oh right, for a second there I thought you were talking about the PS3.

And could you tell DJ that it's not composite, it's component. Composite is the standard red white yellow cables. So current GC models don't support progressive scan or the superior picture quality that component offers. Basically, anyone with a nice tv is screwed.