Ship date set for the new Japanese PlayStation 2 model

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it will ship the new PlayStation 2 model, the SCPH-30000 series, in Japan beginning April 18. Like the North American and European models, the new Japanese unit will have an expansion slot in the back where users can insert the hard disk drive and Ethernet adapter. However, the package will no longer include the remote control and the memory card set. The company has placed an "open price" on the unit at this time, which essentially means that no price has been set.