Sony To Launch PSX As Console Hybrid

Sony Corp.'s PSX, touted as a crossover between a video game console and consumer electronics gadget, is trying to be too many things at once and falls far short of expectations.

The PSX, seen ahead of its launch Saturday in Japan, sounds like a good deal. It combines a DVD recorder, analogue TV tuner, CD player with music file and digital photo album, and the PlayStation 2 game console in one sleek box.

The machine, planned for overseas sale next year, costs 99,800 yen ($920 U.S.) for the 250-gigabyte hard disk version, which can record about 25 movies. The 160-gigabyte version costs 79,800 yen ($740 U.S.).

But the deal begins to sounds less attractive if you are one of the nearly 63 million people in the world who already own a PlayStation 2.

If you’ve already bought PS2