Buffalo Japan sent out a press release this morning, announcing its new external 12x Blu-ray Disc writer, the BR-X1216U3. Based on the Pioneer BDR-205, this USB 3.0 equipped drive is capable of 12x BD-R, 12x BD-R DL, 6x BD-R LTH, 2x BD-RE and 2x BD-RE DL writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 8x. The BR-X1216U3 is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0. However, as Buffalo is quick to point out, its BD-R writing speed is limited to 7x. The BR-X1216U3 comes bundled with CyberLink's Blu-ray Disc Suite and will cost 39,100 Yen ($451US) when it hits stores in December.
