There may be a Playstation 3.5 on the horizon, according to a promise issued by Sony Chairman Ken Kutaragi. But this new iteration of the PS3 may not be aimed for gaming as much as it will be offered as an "AV-centric PS3", which will put video and audio functions ahead of game capabilities. Sounds fairly reminiscent of Sony’s PSX.
According to an interview conducted by Japanese website Impress, Kutaragi stated that the new high-end home entertainment apparatus will be expensive, with Impress estimating that the unit may clock in at approximately $2,500. The Sony chairman said that the device would be "… a standard AV component sized box with a more powerful, power supply unit, anti-shake insulator, twice the main memory, and 2x HDMI to split sound and video output." The unit will be developed under the Computer Entertainment division of Sony–the same division which is responsible for the production of the PS3.
The announcement by Kutaragi flies directly in the face of the newly launched PS3. With the PS3 attempting to gain market share in the game console races, releasing news of a new PS3 entertainment system is puzzling. Apparently, now Sony will be trying to win the next-gen console race by marketing the PS3 as a computer, a gaming machine, and as a multimedia entertainment console, as well.
