New Playstation 3 in the US this November?

No games, no card reader, fewer USB ports, and a smaller hard drive. With only 60 or so PS3 games out there, most available on other systems, it seems like this is the only way for Sony to get a cheap Blu ray Disc player on the market, because I don't think this system will save the PS3, it looks more like an act of desperation.

Well, there's that and the fact that the Nintendo Wii has kicked their @ss in the game consel market. Least not forget that the PS3 is a game playing unit first and formost.

And considering the PS2 game support has become software emulation [if that's the case] then I think it's awfully cheap of them not to include backwards compatibility.

They could save even more if they didn't include the casing - $349 for a pile of chips and circuitboards sounds like a great deal.

This looks like a desperate attempt by Sony to try and stay competitive with the HD DVD player market. They know they are going down in flames due to pricing, functionality, and consumer preference - mainly from the lack of extras. A bare-bones machine with even less extras is definitely not the answer...