...and to round out the trilogy of console news this morning - it has come to my attention that the PS3 "Starter Pack" deal, only launched in Australia at the start of the month, will be removed by the start of next month.

The deal, which included a 60GB PS3, two controllers and a copy of both MotorStorm and Resistance for the same price as the standalone console, is due to end on August 31st.

This follows the furore at this year's E3, which saw Sony singing and dancing about their price cuts to the 60GB version of the console in North America, and the introduction of a new 80GB model. Instead of a price cut, European and Australian audiences were given this new starter pack - and no sign of a bigger HDD. A day or so later, the 60GB PS3 was confirmed to no longer be in production, meaning the 80GB incarnation would be the only SKU on the market in the US. So... would PAL territories (Europe, Australia, etc) be left without hardware? Were we in line for a bigger drive at any stage?

Well, right now - local Sony reps have confirmed that yes, the Starter Pack offer will end on August 31st (or earlier, while stocks last), but haven't made any suggestions as to what we can expect to replace it.