LADYDRAGON.COM - SONY BRINGS ADDED VALUE TO MASS MARKET CONSUMERS WITH PLAYSTATION®2 ONLINE PACK

Friday May 23, 2003

SONY BRINGS ADDED VALUE TO MASS MARKET CONSUMERS WITH PLAYSTATION®2 ONLINE PACK

PlayStation 2 Enhances the Entertainment Experience and Encourages Expansion of Online CommunityLOS ANGELES, May 13,2003 - Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced plans to launch the PlayStation 2 Online Pack propelling the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system as the in-home entertainment center. The introduction of the PlayStation 2 Online Pack demonstrates the company's continuing commitment to providing consumers with the highest quality entertainment experience while bringing online gaming to the mass market. The PlayStation 2 Online Pack fuses media content, enabling consumers to play the latest in online games, view DVD movies, and listen to audio CDs. The PlayStation 2 Online Pack will be available at North American retailers in June 2003, for a suggested retail price of $199.

The PlayStation 2 online community is now the largest online console community with over 2,500 new members joining each day. To date, over 600,000 Network Adaptors (Ethernet/modem) (for PlayStation®2) have been sold through to consumers, and gamers across the country are playing their favorite online titles, such as SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs, which has sold over one million copies to date. With strong consumer demand for online gaming. Sony Computer Entertainment America is introducing the PlayStation 2 Online Pack to make the entry into online gaming even easier for consumers, by including all the necessary tools and technology to go online with PlayStation 2 all in one complete package.

"The PlayStation 2 Online Pack offers a compelling value proposition to the consumer, and enhances the PlayStation 2 gaming experience by making it even easier to play games online." said Andrew House, executive vice president, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "At $199, consumers are presented with an enticing offer for a complete entertainment experience including, games, movies, music and connectivity at an incredible value."

Since the launch of PlayStation 2, the DVD video market has expanded explosively, making the DVD capabilities of the PlayStation 2 even more relevant in the digital entertainment age. Extending those capabilities, the company has also announced today that it will make available additional new features for the PlayStation 2 Online Pack, including new DVD functionality and a built-in IR receiver.

Consumers can view discs with content that has been recorded or edited on other DVD recorders, while the built-in IR receiver removes the need for the "IR Receiver Unit (for PlayStation 2)", and makes it convenient to view DVDs using the DVD Remote Control (for PlayStation 2).

Consumers can also playback recordable DVD media (DVD-R/-RW+R/RW), and enjoy high quality, high-resolution images with the new DVD progressive scan playback capabilities. Also, fan noise has been dramatically reduced through new design and improved control of airflow, enabling PlayStation 2 users to enjoy games and DVD videos in a more comfortable environment. With these enhanced features, the position of PlayStation 2 as the in-home entertainment system of choice is further solidified.