Sony: New hues on PlayStation 2

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By Martyn Williams

(IDG) -- Fresh from celebrating the sale of its 20 millionth PlayStation 2 console, Sony has used the Tokyo Game Show -- which closed Sunday -- to unveil versions of the PS2 game console in a range of colors other than the traditional black.

The company, facing a looming battle against the just-launched Gamecube from Nintendo and Microsoft's Xbox, will launch versions of the PlayStation 2 in "super red," "metallic silver," "astral blue," "snow white" and "light yellow."

The consoles are expected to retail for 50,000 yen (US$417) per unit -- a healthy mark-up on the usual price of 35,000 yen.

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Asking consumers to pay more money for a different color case is a gamble for Sony, especially when Nintendo's Gamecube -- available in blue, orange or black -- carries a price tag exactly half that of the color PS2 units. Microsoft hasn't revealed the local price of the Xbox, which will go on sale in Japan in February, but the console carries a price of $299 in the United States.

Sony's sale of its 20 millionth PS2 comes just over a year-and-a-half since the company first launched the machine and around six months after it sold its 10 millionth unit.

In Japan -- where the console was launched on March 4, 2000 -- Sony says it has sold 6.86 million units. Sales in North America, where the PS2 first went on sale on Oct. 26, 2000, are higher at 8.55 million. European sales have totaled 4.63 million units since the console first went on sale on Nov. 24, 2000.