Buffalo touts 500GB external PS3 drives

Buffalo has confirmed that it will be launching two external hard drives for Sony’s Playstation 3 console in March.

According to AndriaSang, both licensed units have a capacity of 500GB and connect to the PS3 via an included USB 2.0 cable.

“The ¥14,800 ($163) Piano Black HD-AV500U2/SC sits horizontally and has a meter on its front showing remaining space, [while] the ¥11,800 ($130) Black HD-CL500U2/SC stands vertically but lacks the meter,” explained AndriaSang’s Anoop Gantayat.

“They’re both pre-formatted in a FAT32 format, allowing for immediate connection to the PS3.”

Gantayat noted the drives can be used as an external recording device for Torne, backups, and playback of videos, pictures and music.

“Of course, the PS3 is technically compatible with general external hard drives, so it’s unclear if official licensing carries any real merit here,” added Gantayat.

As TG Daily previously reported, Microsoft has also announced that it will be releasing an expanded, 250 GB hard-disk drive for the Xbox 360 on March 11, 2010.

However, Microsoft spokesman Kei Iwasaki confirmed the expanded ¥15,540 ($172) drive would only be released in Japan.

“Microsoft has no current plans to put it on sale as a stand-alone unit outside of Japan,” stated Iwasaki.