Datel has been around for more than 20 years now making some amazing peripherals for just about every console to date.  They were the same people behind the Action Replay cheat devices, the Freeloader which made the GameCube region free, as well as many other accessories.  It should come as no surprise that Datel has some great things in store for the PlayStation 3 as well.

We were lucky enough to be able to interview Ian Osborne, the Co-Cordinator of Public Relations for Datel.  He had a lot of very interesting comments in regards to the gaming industry, Datel products, and where he sees the gaming market going.  Anyways, enjoy the interview and check out the details on Datel’s products below.

First off on behalf of PCN I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions and take part in this interview.

For our readers’ sake can you give a little background information on yourself as well as your position in the industry?

I’m Datel’s PR Co-Ordinator, and have been for around three years. Before that, I was a videogames journalist, writing for and editing titles such as G-Force, PSi 2, GBX, Extreme PlayStation and Game Boy Power.

Working for an innovative company such as Datel has to be both rewarding and exciting.  Which product on the horizon have you most intrigued from your company?

Our forthcoming PS3 range is already looking great, with some exciting tools to help you squeeze the most from your new console. Check them out at http://tinyurl.com/2vda9j (Europe) or http://tinyurl.com/35uapb (USA). These products are all due over the next few weeks, so there’s not long to wait.

We’ve some great projects coming up in the future too, which have yet to be announced.

Is there any product out there currently which makes you say, “Damn, I wish we thought of that first!”?

Are there any products Datel didn’t think of first? :) 

One product which has us very interested is the MAX Drive160.  How exactly does this work in expanding the PS3’s hard drive capacity by 160GB?

MAX Drive 160 is an external hard drive that connects to the PS3’s USB port. It’s ideal for storing your media, such as MP3s, movies and digital pictures. Because it’s an external device with plug-and-play functionality, you can easily transfer your media from your PC onto the MAX Drive 160, then play it back on your PS3 – no need for a network. And with all your digital media on your MAX Drive, there’s plenty of room on your PS3’s hard drive for saves.