Electronic Arts has just released predicted hardware sales for the coming year, with the Xbox 360 predicted to sell between 6 to 8 million units in North America and Europe, while the PS3 is expected to shift 9.5 to 11.5 million units.

The software giant expects the two consoles to be neck and neck in North America, with estimates for both the Xbox 360 and PS3 coming in between 4.5 and 5.5 million. It's in the European territories that Sony looks to steal a lead in the console race, with a predicted 5 to 6 million units sold as opposed to the Xbox 360 with 1.5 to 2.5 million. Nintendo's Wii is predicted to maintain a clear lead over the opposition, with combined European and North American sales of 12 to 14 million.

February 5, 2008 - Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced today that a new "Silver Satin" 40GB PS3 model will be available in Japan on March 6 at the recommended retail price of 39,980 yen. This will be the third available color option for Japanese PS3 owners, along with the previous options of Clear Black and Ceramic White.

Furthermore, a Silver Satin Dualshock 3 will also be available for purchase on the same day for 5,500 yen, though it will not be included in the new PS3 package. We contacted SCEA for a comment regarding this recent announcement and whether there were any plans to bring the model outside of Japan. Their response: "there are no plans for a silver PS3 in North America at this time."

Hopefully we'll see more information in the future, as well as new colors for stateside PlayStation fans.

February 26, 2008 - For months, Metal Gear Solid fans have eagerly been looking forward to a release date of the upcoming title from Kojima Productions, Metal Gear Solid 4. Since its delay last fall, the only thing fans have known is that the game is expected to be released later this year. Earlier today at Destination PlayStation, a retailers only conference for Sony products, Sony announced that a Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle pack will be released in Q2 2008.

The bundle will include MGS4, an 80GB PS3 and a Dual Shock 3 included for an MSRP of $499.99. It will also include an Metal Gear Online "Starter Pack. For players that pre-order Metal Gear Solid 4, there's an added bonus: they'll be guaranteed access in the multiplayer beta of Metal Gear Online in late April.

"Working closely with our retail and publishing partners and sharing our hardware and software roadmaps at Destination PlayStation gives us a great opportunity to outline some key milestones for the year. In response to incredible demand, we will be manufacturing more 80GB PS3s for North America and the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 80GB PS3 bundle is an ideal way to offer that continued value to our consumers," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA. "With Blu-ray having won the format war, our stellar software line-up and a broad product portfolio, we will continue to drive the incredible momentum we've been generating since last fall."

February 26, 2008 - Most PS3 gamers have been looking forward to the DualShock 3, the redesigned Sixaxis controller that sports motion sensitivity as well as rumble. However, while the peripheral was released in Japan, North American players have been waiting for word on when they'll be able to go to stores and pick up a controller for themselves. That day has come. Announced at Destination PlayStation today, the DualShock 3 will be released in North America on April 2008 for $54.99.