First up, remember the low-cost Venturer SHD7000 HD DVD player I first mentioned in August? It was rumored to list for $199.99. Well, Format War Central found a pre-order listing for it at Target.com for $249.99, which claims it will arrive in 2 to 6 weeks. So it looks like it isn’t as cheap as it was thought. And the low-end Toshiba HD-A2 lists for $299.99, but sells for closer to $200 online. I think you’d be better off spending a little more for the Toshiba. (Well, a lot better off not buying HD DVD at all, and buying Blu-ray instead.)
On the other side of the war, there is more evidence that a 40GB PlayStation3 will be landing soon with a list price of $399. Engadget received a tip with a couple of internal Best Buy documents which show a 40GB PS3 with a bundled Blu-ray copy of Spider-man 3 for $399 and an in-stock date of 10/28/2007. While it isn’t official, Sony still has a press conference scheduled for the 12th where they’re expected to announce it.