PS3 price drop is for clearance.

[meStevo]

PS3 price drop is for clearance - 60gb discontinued in US

Turns out the price drop is for clearance reasons, not to offer a SKU at a more reasonable price. Only the $599 version will be available likely by the end of the month with many outlets selling out of their dusty PS3 stock.

E3: No more 60GB PlayStation 3 in US after July, says Reeves // GamesIndustry.biz

This would make a 360 price drop even more compelling IMO. Larger difference, and a kidney shot to Sony's mixed messages (we have no plans for a price drop ... yay look a drop! ... here buy the $599 again now).

 

[korsjs]

so is sony saying it costs 100 dollars more to make the 80 gig version or are they bundling a game with the new 80 PS3?

 

[meStevo]

It comes with Motorstorm, which means the rest of the PS3 users can probably wait even longer for any kind of bargin pricing on it so that the bundle remains a 'deal'.

 

[Tom_P]

Yeap, this is Sony we're talking about, expect the unexpected.... I stopped buying Sony products(only the PS2) several years ago for many reasons, all of them involve an expensive crappy product . Their markerting machine will need to works a lot if this is true, so many Ps3 can be sold.

 

[meStevo]

Nobody knows what is going on - PS3 60 Gig Phase-Out ‘False’ Claims SCEA : Next Generation - Interactive Entertainment Today, Video Game and Industry News

Confusion surrounds the future of the $499 60Gig version of PS3. SCEA has denied 'inaccurate' reports that its $100 price cut on the 60Gig PS3 is simply a move to clear stock before offering solely the higher priced 80Gig version. But different stories are coming of of the company all the time. Kaz Hirai seems to think the $599 SKU is a goner.

Everyone at Sony really needs to drink a great big cup of shut the f@#$ up and let their PR people do the talking.

So based on the 'there is no price drop planned' stuff they just put their customers through, we can expect an official '60gb discontinued' press release in about a week, no?

 

[meStevo]

So they are in full backpedal mode now... from the Playstation blog this indicates what we already knew - there are a lot of 60gb PS3s out there - but does not indicate they will continue to be produced so that way this statement never becones 'wrong' when they change their tune.

PlayStation.Blog » Another E3 Winding Down, Plus a Quick Clarification

As we announced this week, SCEA’s product offering in North America consists of a 80GB PS3 available in August and a 60GB PS3 available now for $499. We will have ample supplies of both models to meet the needs of consumers for the foreseeable future.

For a nice roundup of the spin merry-go-round read this: Deeko News - Your Daily Dose of Media News Unfiltered

 

[mikley28]

this is un f-ing real...LOL.

This is going to be interesting to the exclusivity of MGS4 since Konami thinks the PS3 price is too high.

A couple quotes from the other link I posted in the MS press conference thread...

Speaking with Reuters, Konami North American and European operations head Kazumi Kitaue expressed doubt. "I wonder if Sony can win back user support by the price cut of just $100," Kitaue said, adding, "I don't expect a substantial impact...With $500, you can buy a personal computer."

and

"Since Metal Gear Solid was born for the PlayStation, we would like to keep it a PlayStation game," Kitaue said. "But we might have to take some steps."

 

[thowe21]

I think someone screwed up at E3. Obviously this was planned ahead of time, and of course there were going to save the news till after E3. Better to just build positive buzz during the show. But somebody let the cat out of the bag, and now E3 is going to wind down with "Sony is BS-ing everyone". Whoever let this out early is going to be in the dog house for quite along time at Sony. Now all the reporters are finishing their recaps on E3 with this news. Bad move for Sony.

On the flip side, from a profit stand point, not too bad of an idea. The people that are on the fence to buy a PS3 will hear the news and go pick-up a 60GB for fear of them being out of stock, which will be a boost to Sony's numbers. From a business stand point, not too shabby. People just have to face the music, the PS3 is a high end machine. If you want the best, you have to pay for the best. Now if they would just start producing "high end" quality games (Killzone2 is a start), they'll be back in the loop in the no time. You have 115 million PS2 owners that will upgrade eventually to a next gen platform (PS3, 360 or Wii) and maybe Sony is thinking that this will get the ball rolling.

 

[korsjs]

i have mixed feelings right now. you really can't trust sony, but if i knew for sure bluray was going to win the format war, i would buy the 60 gig version now. but since it is up in the air, i will hold off.

 

[Neutron]

i have mixed feelings right now. you really can't trust sony, but if i knew for sure bluray was going to win the format war, i would buy the 60 gig version now. but since it is up in the air, i will hold off.

Same here.

Seems like the only sane video game company right now is Nintendo.

 

[hpman247]

I would say this is a STUPID move on the part of Sony. It's fine that they have a bundle pack with MS and 80 GB for 600, but at lease give us the option of the 60 GB for 499. That would be much better. One cannot compare that to the 60 GB vs the 20 either, becasue the 20 gb was a stupid buy because there was no chome, card readers, or wireless, so it was pointless to buy. Now with only 20 gb extra with all the same features the 60 GB is a GREAT buy. But who knows, sony had a great E3, all except for this!

 

[mikley28]

Just like what other people on other boards said... they had a positive E3 this year then had to balance it out with something negative. I knew the price cut was too good to be true. My opinion of Sony is strengthened because of this! I wish Microsoft would cut their prices and put Sony out of its misery.

 

[mike123abc]

Well I took advantage of the price drop, sale, clearance, whatever it is going to be. I got the PS3 from Amazon with BD remote (nice bluetooth not IR) and a lame movie for $497 delivered (am amazon prime member). The PS3 does do a better job with movies than my Toshiba X1 machine, much more polished movie controls (things like step back, display of information, etc).

I ordered a second controller, but did not order any games. I will just be watching movies on it, and when my nephews visit, I will rent games for them. I figure that is better than trying to figure out what game is hot for a 9-10 year olds.

It would not surprise me that they sell out of the 60GB only to reintroduce it back at the end of the year, but this time minus the PS2 chips. This would make the 80 and the 60 the same except for the disk space.

 

[Derwin0]

It would not surprise me that they sell out of the 60GB only to reintroduce it back at the end of the year, but this time minus the PS2 chips. This would make the 80 and the 60 the same except for the disk space.

I wouldn't doubt it. After all, it's no big thing to make some with 60 and some with 80.
Personally I'll just stick with the 60 and put as big a drive as I can on my own.
I wish Micro$oft allowed that on the 360.

 

[CochiseGuy]

One cannot compare that to the 60 GB vs the 20 either, becasue the 20 gb was a stupid buy because there was no chome, card readers, or wireless, so it was pointless to buy. Now with only 20 gb extra with all the same features the 60 GB is a GREAT buy.

Except when you wanted a PS3 only to play BD movies, then the 20GB made a lot of sense. I can do without a piece of fake chrome, download anything to it I need instead of using a card reader, and as it sits 4' from my router so no need for wireless.

But Sony is making me nervous changing out parts on new SKU's of a product with the same name. If they change out the HDMI 1.3 chipset on newer models so TrueHD & DTS-HD MA audio can be sent to a receiver for decoding while leaving the original 20GB & 60GB models without this feature, I will be royally p!ssed off and say goodbye to the PS3 & Sony for good.

 

[JoeSp]

First of all, TrueHD can be sent by the current HDMI chipset. Second, if Sony wanted to they could simply allow the PS3 to send the undecoded DTSHD MA to the receiver for decoding (they might still do that). All these codecs get decoded into PCM anyway before they are transfered to the receiver and the current PS3 HDMI 1.3 chip has no problem passing PCM at all.

I think there will still be a price drop before XMAS. Especially when Sony tallys up all the $499 sales that they are currently racking up in the US. This can only be a good thing for Sony.

 

[hpman247]

Except when you wanted a PS3 only to play BD movies, then the 20GB made a lot of sense. I can do without a piece of fake chrome, download anything to it I need instead of using a card reader, and as it sits 4' from my router so no need for wireless.

But Sony is making me nervous changing out parts on new SKU's of a product with the same name. If they change out the HDMI 1.3 chipset on newer models so TrueHD & DTS-HD MA audio can be sent to a receiver for decoding while leaving the original 20GB & 60GB models without this feature, I will be royally p!ssed off and say goodbye to the PS3 & Sony for good.

Well as good of a Blu-ray player that it is, and even considering the fact that i have used it more for BD than i have games, it is a game machine first and foremost and will always be directly marketed as so.

 

[meStevo]

Their marketing has always bugged me actually, most of their commercials are just showing the box levitating, melting, exploding, whatever, only to have a wall give way or something and finally show a few seconds of the game the ad is focused on.... only to end with you starting at the box again.

 

[meStevo]

Sony has run out of 60GB PS3s -- get one while you can - PS3 Fanboy

Oh look, Sony is out of 60gb PS3s.