Sony Gives Details of New DVD PlayStation

Sony Computer Entertainment announced technical specifications for its next-generation video game console--the company’s latest effort to maintain its lead in the video game market. The Foster City, Calif.-based company, the video game unit of Japan’s Sony Corp., would not discuss the look or price of the unit, known unofficially as PlayStation II, and scheduled for U.S. release in 2000. It will be four times more powerful than the current PlayStation. The enhanced computing power of its processor will allow more realistic games, said Sony Computer Entertainment executive Kazuo Hirai. PlayStation II will store data on DVD-ROM discs; the current PlayStation stores data on a CD-ROM disc. All games sold for the old system will be compatible with the updated console.