Memory Stick

EE Times and IGN report on the introduction of a new gaming console by Sony. Not, it’s not the much vaunted PS3, which is still supposedly on track for 2005 but something much more interesting (at least to me): a PS2 gaming box that also includes a progressive DVD player and recorder, a 120Gb Hard Drive, TV tuner, an ethernet port, USB 2 connection, and a memory stick reader. Looking at the back of the box, it looks like it will also include telephone connectivity, DVI out and a way to get component video and Svideo both in and out of the system. To run all this, they seem to have developed an innovative interface that shows their intent to play in the music, video, game, television, and more space. That’s a lot of things, if you think about it, for a single device but it points to a variety of possibilities. For starters, it makes it pretty clear that gaming consoles are growing up. With this device, Sony is signaling its intent to take its leadership in the gaming world and extend into a more widespread all/media space, serving as a home server for any bits that gets into…