Sony confirms UK launch for PlayTV

PlayTV allows users to record TV while playing games

Sony has announced that the PlayStation PlayTV service will launch in the UK on 10 September.

PlayTV allows users to record TV while playing games, and offers live television broadcasts to handheld PSP consoles via the internet.

The arrival of the digital TV recorder for PS3 and PSP was confirmed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves at E3 this week.

Reeves said that PlayTV is primed for rollout across Europe "from September to December" starting with the UK launch.

PlayTV will cost €99 at launch leading to speculation that the UK retail price will be £79.99.

Sony has also given a European launch date for its upcoming 80GB PlayStation 3 console.

Priced at £299 the PS3 80GB will go on sale on 27 August as part of a wider simultaneous rollout across the PAL markets.

Reeves said that Sony "will be doing promotional bundles from the middle of September to the end of December at various prices".

The new 80GB version of the PS3 will offer a larger hard drive than previous versions, but gamers will lose the backwards compatibility available on the company's existing 40GB console.