Sony, the Japanese electronics firm, on Wednesday celebrated the upcoming launch of its PlayStation 3 gaming console in Beverly Hills, Calif., with the likes of such stars as David Arquette, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Nicky Hilton and Diddy, according to a Nov. 9 press release on Yahoo Finance.PlayStation 3 will launch in Japan on Saturday, and its nationwide release is set for Nov. 17. Sony PlayStation 3 At the Beverly Hills invitation-only shindig, David Arquette demonstrated such PlayStation 3 titles as Resistance: Fall of Man, Genji: Days of the Blade and NBA ’07. Sigler, of The Sopranos fame, got to test drive the system’s built-in Blu-ray next-generation DVD player by watching Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, featuring Will Ferrell. In October, Sony said the first half-million U.S. gamers to purchase PlayStation 3 would receive a free copy of the film on Blu-ray. Hilton watched the PlayStation 3 console surf the Web, rip MP3 files and upload digital videos at the event.Diddy also put on a performance for the crowd that included such additional celebs as Lindsay Lohan, Chris Rock and Paris Hilton, among others. When Sony releases PlayStation 3 in the United States, it will be available in a $499 low-end version with a 20GB hard drive, as well as a $599 model with 60GB of storage space and built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, according to the release.Sony also said in October that more than 20 first- and third-party games will be available upon the console’s release, and that its online gaming network will offer many free features.Sony also held its Sony Expo 2007 in Honolulu, Hawaii, last weekend, and the majority of gamers who were able to get their hands on the console seemed pleased with their first experiences.In related news, Nintendo is expected to launch its next-generation Wii game console in the United States two days after PlayStation 3 is released, and the two firms will then compete with Microsoft and its Xbox 360 in a battle for supremacy in the next-gen gaming console space.Related Links: Console War: Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 Experts: Nintendo Could Beat Sony in Console War Queues Forming for Sony PlayStation 3 Launch Nintendo Wii Available in U.S. on Nov. 19 for $250 Sony PS3 to Get Launch Day Software Update PlayStation 3 a Hit at Sony Expo 2007 Sony PlayStation 3 Details RevealedCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 13 essential skills for accelerating digital transformation IT leaders too often find themselves behind on business-critical transformation efforts due to gaps in the technical, leadership, and business skills necessary to execute and drive change. By Stephanie Overby Jun 05, 2023 12 mins Digital Transformation IT Skills tip 3 things CIOs must do now to accurately hit net-zero targets More than a third of the world’s largest companies are making their net-zero targets public, yet nearly all will fail to hit them if they don’t double the pace of emissions reduction by 2030. This puts leading executives, CIOs in particul By Diana Bersohn and Mauricio Bermudez-Neubauer Jun 05, 2023 5 mins CIO Accenture Emerging Technology case study Merck Life Sciences banks on RPA to streamline regulatory compliance Automated bots assisted in compliance, thereby enabling the company to increase revenue and save precious human hours, freeing up staff for higher-level tasks. By Yashvendra Singh Jun 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation Robotic Process Automation feature Expedia poised to take flight with generative AI CTO Rathi Murthy sees the online travel service’s vast troves of data and AI expertise fueling a two-pronged transformation strategy aimed at growing the company by bringing more of the travel industry online. By Paula Rooney Jun 02, 2023 7 mins Travel and Hospitality Industry Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe