Konami announced today that the "gun metal gray" special edition PlayStation 3—described as being "very, very limited" when confirmed for a stateside release—bundled with Metal Gear Solid 4 and a DualShock 3 controller will only be available for purchase from Konami's web site. Priced at $599.99 USD, it will sport 40GB worth of hard drive space in addition to it's unique, flat finish.

Don't confuse it with the regular MGS4 PS3 bundle, which will ring up at $499.99 and comes with an 80GB hard drive. Yes, you're paying $100 for gray pride.

Pre-orders open May 19 at Konami.com. Considering how swimmingly the Metal Gear Online beta sign up process went, we'd suggest having more than one computer at the ready for what may be frantic pre-ordering action.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition PLAYSTATION 3 Bundle [Konami]

What Konami event would be complete without a healthy dose of Metal Gear Solid 4? And a healthy dose it was! After a short talk about the series in which Kojima proudly announced "Metal Gear Solid 4 is Complete" we watched as he played through the first forty-five minutes of the game which, while fascinating, was a bit lengthy given the time of night and the non air conditioned room.

During the announcements we were told about the PS3 MGS4 bundle which has been confirmed to contain a gunmetal gray PS3 with matching Dual Shock 3 controller and the MGS4 limited edition version of the game. Once the gameplay started we were treated to the most fantastic MGS news of the evening, a brand new secret weapon. CAUTION: If you make the jump you will hear about this new secret weapon. If you don't want to know about it, read no further!

Announced during the MGS4 party earlier today, Konami have teamed up with Japanese label Uniqlo to release a range of snazzy new MGS shirts. There are six designs to choose from, with each design coming in two colours, for a grand total of twelve shirts you can view on the internet, dream of buying then - whether due to lack of finances or lack of Japanese language skills - never buy.

That Ubisoft/Kojima April Fool's joke was pretty elaborate! Snake running around MGS4 dressed as Altair, looking for all the world like it was actually in the game...so would it surprise you to hear that it wasn't really a gag? Yeah, that's right. It was announced at the MGS4 wrap party today that MGS4 players will indeed be able to unlock an Assassin's Creed outfit for Snake (we won't tell you how), which were it not for the silver moustache and trademark cigarette would have you thinking Altair himself had time-travelled his way into the final Metal Gear title. How's this happening? Why's this happening? Who knows, the mind boggles.

A buzzer just sounded! Literally. The lights have gone down and I'm in the dark. Good thing I have an illuminated MacBook Pro, amirite. There's an ad for Sony phones and now Uniqlo. Just like before a movie. There's a funny no smoking ad with MGS theme exclamation points. Hahaha, now there are a bunch of phoney MGS themed ads like for guns and stuff. Great stuff.

Minutes away! We're in a movie theater in swish Roppongi Hills, waiting for the Metal Gear Solid 4 press conference, marking the official completion of the title. Hideo Kojima will be on hand to talk about the game as well as Sony's Kaz Hirai. Kojima will be playing through MGS4 as well. For forty minutes. On a giant movie screen. Wowzers.

Check out the liveblog for all the action!

Europe dwellers, listen up! Konami is launching a special pre-order campaign as well as rolling out a limited collector's pack. Those who pre-order the game at selected retailers get a Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 documentary DVD. The limited edition collector's pack includes a soundtrack CD, six inch Snake figure and a making-of Blu-ray disc. Hit the jump for the full press release and pricing info. Oooooh, pricing info. How exciting!

Reader Tony writes it to show off this Metal Gear Solid 4 Old Snake action figure he made by heavily customizing a Dark Knight movie Batman figure. Pretty cool, though it does look a little Thunderbirds are Go! to me. More shots on the jump.

The latest issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine has more info on what-looks-like playable Metal Gear Solid memories in MGS4. According to the magazine, cut scenes at the beginning of the missions refer to the franchise's evolution. What's more:

...as characters talk and reference other stars of this universe, you may see an X or L1 button icon quickly flash on the screen. Hit the right button while it's highlighted and you'll be treated to a very brief context flashback. Basically, the system uses images and moments from the past Metal Gear games to help visually rekindle your own memories of the who, what, where, and why.

Thanks, T.G. for the tip!