In the wake of Fujitsu’s introduction of the Deskpower TX95 Blu-ray enabled wide-screen computer yesterday, Sony’s apparently decided it needs to keep its foot in the door it helped build by teasing it’s forthcoming VAio RC300 desktop PC with Blu-ray support and “screaming-fast performance.” To be sure, the Vaio RC300 isn’t looking like some ninny PC barely creaking through Windows Media Center functions. Sony looks to be delivering the goods here; it’s just that no one knows when.
The Vaio RC300 will sport a Pentium D dual core processor, high-speed Serial ATA hard drives offering up to 2 TB of storage and an optional RAID 0 configuration, DDR2 memory, a PCI Express x16 slo for graphics support. Sony’s also throwing in its Giga Pocket video recording application, plus the capability to burn 1080 resolution HD camcorder video. And although Sony doesn’t say so in its RC300 tease, potential customers can probably expect HD and analog television tuners, HDMI and DVI output, at least 1 GB of RAM, gigabit Ethernet, three or four free internal expansion bays, a couple free PCI or PCI Express (x1) slots, half a dozen USB 2.0 ports, SPDIF output, Sony’s four-pin iLink, assorted analog video inputs (composite, coax, and S-video), and some sort of memory reader which supports Sony’s wacky portable storage formats like Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO/Duo, Compact Flash, SD/Multimedia Card, and maybe even Smart Media.
When will the Vaio RC300 be available? How much will it cost? Sony isn’t saying, although Sony’s previously estimated its Blu-ray equipped Vaio line would make their debuts in the U.S. and Japanese markets around “mid-year.”
