In a bit of PS3 news that sprouted legs this weekend, the U.S. Playstation website has confirmed that Sony's upcoming console will not include an HDMI cable in the box. Naturally this sparked a firestorm of controversy over what even the $600-variant would be able to do and by how much this increases the price. Of course most of our readers know that you can easily find HDMI cables on the net for as little as $5-$10 plus shipping, that will transmit the encrypted digital signals to your television without a problem. As evidenced by the reactionary postings across the net, many gamers don't, much less casual shoppers who might want to buy the PS3 as a gift this holiday season who have only seen the heavily marked up $50-$100 HDMI cables prominently displayed at most big box electronics retailers. Even if money isn't an issue (and if you're buying a PS3 either it isn't or we're you're living on ramen to afford one), most don't know if they need it. If you own a 1080p TV that accepts a 1080p input, then yes, it's the only way you'll get movies at that resolution although some would argue whether that is necessary. Despite Phil Harrison's "1080p is the only true definition of HD" statement, Sony knows that only a small number of HDTV owners have that setup and opted to save a few bucks by leaving the cable out. Analog 1080p for gaming is certainly possible but not many TVs support that either. While the lack of the cable probably isn't that big of a deal, if Sony is going to advertise the "Full HD" capabilities of their machine you'd think they would make sure you can use it that way right out of the box, instead many buyers will be confused and possibly gouged by retailers selling expensive accessories.

[Via Joystiq]