Sony killing 80GB PS3, introducing 120GB or 160GB model with Dual Shock 3

[e²Studios]

According to Ars Technica, Sony has some big plans for a PlayStation 3 refresh, starting with a phase-out of the 80GB model. According to an "inside source" -- which Ars claims has been consistently right on video game-related predictions -- the console-maker's new plot is starting to take shape, holding fast to a two-SKU approach on packages, upping the hard drive capacity on systems, and including the Dual Shock 3 controller. The new bundles will take the high / low road, with the source stating that the 40GB model will remain on shelves, while the 80GB, Spider-Man 3-inclusive system will disappear, only to be replaced with a 120GB or 160GB configuration. Of course, right now these are just words on a screen, though in light of Best Buy's recent stock changes, there certainly is an air of movement over at Sony.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/28/sony-killing-80gb-ps3-introducing-120gb-or-160gb-model-with-dua/
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thu...ps3-dead-120-160gb-with-dual-shock-3-incoming

This makes more sense than just killing off the 80GB machine and having no comparable SKU to replace it with. The 80GB SKU sold very well, and at a lower price point or even the same price point I am sure these will too.

This may however lengthen that Monday (today) rumor of the price drop as the DS3 had a US shore date of "Spring 08". Who knows though considering how secretive Sony is with price drops and SKU/Bundle changes. We won't be able to say anything 100% until Sony decides its time to let the cat out of the bag officially.


Ed

 

[2nyRiggz]

I was just reading this....damn you are quick on the button. They should of introduced the 120/160 along time ago and leave that 80gig in the ideas department...good to know they are including the DS3 into the program....guess I'll wait until this come into reality.

BC won't be in these SKU either so lets not get into that...

Bless

 

[gkarris]

What's with all the refreshing?

The Wii has been out for over a year and hasn't been refreshed. How long was it until the XB360 was refreshed?

After this PS3 fiasco, I'm going to wait a long time (like at least 2 years) after the PS4 launch to get one.

Who trusts Sony after this?

The same is going on for Blu-ray - they are on what spec?

 

[e²Studios]

I was just reading this....damn you are quick on the button. They should of introduced the 120/160 along time ago and leave that 80gig in the ideas department...good to know they are including the DS3 into the program....guess I'll wait until this come into reality.

BC won't be in these SKU either so lets not get into that...

Bless

PS3 manufacturing costs have come down substantially, while I agree with your statement I think this machine would have been too expensive to release any sooner than right now.

DS3 is awesome, I'll be buying another once it hits US shores. Till then I'll stick to my DS3 from Japan

But you know MS is going to have to play "me too" and introduce the super duper halo elite master chief SKU Xbox 360 in order to say "hey we can do that too, we excell in copying other companies".

 

[Mike Teezie]

PS3 manufacturing costs have come down substantially, while I agree with your statement I think this machine would have been too expensive to release any sooner than right now.

DS3 is awesome, I'll be buying another once it hits US shores. Till then I'll stick to my DS3 from Japan

But you know MS is going to have to play "me too" and introduce the super duper halo elite master chief SKU Xbox 360 in order to say "hey we can do that too, we excell in copying other companies".

I don't see how on one hand you can defend Sony having umpteen SKUs, then blast Microsoft in the next sentence. The argument could be made that Microsoft released a hdmi/120gig 360 when manufacturing costs permitted it.

That said, I'll get the 40 Gig PS3 post hate if it's $299.

 

[e²Studios]

I don't see how on one hand you can defend Sony having umpteen SKUs, then blast Microsoft in the next sentence. The argument could be made that Microsoft released a hdmi/120gig 360 when manufacturing costs permitted it.

That said, I'll get the 40 Gig PS3 post hate if it's $299.

Because MS did that as a "me too" to the PS3 having HDMI and a larger HD. The elite wasn't about prices coming down, nor was adding HDMI to the premium it was about following and trying to one up Sony (key word there is trying). HDMI was something that MS said wasn't needed in a gaming console, had they not made that statement then I wouldn't blast them as much.

Ed

 

[UltraNEO*]

Hell... They should go the whole hog and whack in the 250GB!!
or the latest 320GB!! I know we'll eventually chew it all up anyway!!

 

[2nyRiggz]

^Its not the HDD this time but the DS3 bundled with the console at the same price as the 80gig...thats the good thing.

If sony include this at the same price as the 80gig then this is great news...the user can always swap out the HDD to whatever size he/she wants thats the good thing about the PS3.

As long as that price point stays the same people will eat this up...its a good deal.



Bless

 

[greatdevourer]

Because MS did that as a "me too" to the PS3 having HDMI and a larger HD. The elite wasn't about prices coming down, nor was adding HDMI to the premium it was about following and trying to one up Sony (key word there is trying). HDMI was something that MS said wasn't needed in a gaming console, had they not made that statement then I wouldn't blast them as much.

Ed

Just like how dual-shock is last gen

 

[e²Studios]

Just like how dual-shock is last gen

That was a legal fiasco, they really couldn't make much of a comment due to laws about speaking of a case when its currently open. That wasn't Sony trying to follow and one-up a competitor as MS does, and usually in a child like tantrum fashion.

Next poor comparison please?

Ed

 

[twoodcc]

well, 120/160 sounds good. hopefully the price will go down a little as well

 

[Jovian9]

^Its not the HDD this time but the DS3 bundled with the console at the same price as the 80gig...thats the good thing.

If sony include this at the same price as the 80gig then this is great news...the user can always swap out the HDD to whatever size he/she wants thats the good thing about the PS3.

As long as that price point stays the same people will eat this up...its a good deal.



Bless

It's always good to see consoles get better and cheaper

However; since when is adding a dual-shock controller a bonus to a "next-gen" system? Regardless of the legal-issues Sony has had with this the Wii and 360 have had proper controllers since release and the PS3 has not. This is not a bonus.....it is a necessity for this console. They need to add this to all "however-many" sku's they have now. They all should have the DS3's in them immediately

 

[MRU]

Because MS did that as a "me too" to the PS3 having HDMI and a larger HD. The elite wasn't about prices coming down, nor was adding HDMI to the premium it was about following and trying to one up Sony (key word there is trying). HDMI was something that MS said wasn't needed in a gaming console, had they not made that statement then I wouldn't blast them as much.

Ed

What so upping the 80 to 160 isn't sony doing the same thing ?

Ed... your argument is a little all over the place there.

That was a legal fiasco, they really couldn't make much of a comment due to laws about speaking of a case when its currently open. That wasn't Sony trying to follow and one-up a competitor as MS does, and usually in a child like tantrum fashion.

Next poor comparison please?

Ed

Err even worse Ed. The six axis could in one light seemingly be seen as Sony copying the motion axis movement of the wii, simply because they were too tight to settle the lawsuit and implement Dual Shock from the outset.


I don't think in any shade of light Sony are any better than Microsoft and to start saying they are whilst clearly ignoring the similarities is defiantly the pot calling the kettle black.



The reality is they all introduce models and SKU's because they believe they will sell, and seemingly they are right. We might moan, but people are buying them so who can blame either Sony or Microsoft?

 

[e²Studios]

What so upping the 80 to 160 isn't sony doing the same thing ?

Ed... your argument is a little all over the place there.

If they did this right after the Elite was introduced I would agree with you, however the Elite has been around for a while now. Sony is doing this now based on the fact that component prices are low enough to offer it to consumers at a reasonable price.

My points are right on, not sure if you like it or not

Ed

 

[MRU]

My points are right on, not sure if you like it or not

Tbh I don't really care

At least we can upgrade our PS3's HDD ourselves, but I still have so much room left on my 60GB HDD (USA) and 40GB HDD (Euro) that I doubt I will need a bigger HD in either for a long long time.

But do agree with you about the dual shock.. it is a lot better than the normal six axis pad.

 

[2nyRiggz]

They all should have the DS3's in them immediately

Oh I agree completely but as of now we don't have them so for the people getting these rumored bunddle are getting a better deal than the early buyers that didn't...well except for the people wanting BC that is



Bless

 

[spyker3292]

I just got an 80 and I like it. I figured when the DS3s are announced they would introduce new SKUs with the DS3s in the package. I'll buy 2 DS3s when they come out so I'll have 2 w/ rumble and 2 w/out.

 

[GFLPraxis]

What's with all the refreshing?

The Wii has been out for over a year and hasn't been refreshed. How long was it until the XB360 was refreshed?

After this PS3 fiasco, I'm going to wait a long time (like at least 2 years) after the PS4 launch to get one.

What's wrong with it? They're adding more at the same price, or lowering the price. It's ridiculous to complain about price drops IMHO. It's not like they're changing inherent functionality- they're increasing storage space.

It's important to note that if you had bought a 60 GB PS3 on launch day you could easily upgrade the drive to 120 GB and it would be just as good as one of these new ones (if not better due to the hardware compatibility with PS2 games).

You're not getting ANYTHING out of a brand new 80 or 120 GB PS3 that you couldn't get out of a launch 60 GB PS3 with an upgraded drive bought off of Newegg.

Meanwhile, Microsoft went and added HDMI to the XBox 360 Premium; you have to buy a whole new system for a port.

Who trusts Sony after this?

Man, you were one of the guys who complained when the iPhone dropped in price, weren't you...

It's not like they added any features that you couldn't get out of an existing PS3 with a drive upgrade.

I don't see how on one hand you can defend Sony having umpteen SKUs, then blast Microsoft in the next sentence. The argument could be made that Microsoft released a hdmi/120gig 360 when manufacturing costs permitted it.

That said, I'll get the 40 Gig PS3 post hate if it's $299.

There's a quite simple difference, actually.

Sony's only ever had two SKU's at any one time.

First it was 20/60. Then it was 40/80. Now it'll be 40/120. Additionally, every revision lowered the price.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's revisions have continually upped the price. First Core/Premium, then Arcade/Premium (Arcade costing more than Core did), then Arcade/Premium/Halo Edition/Elite.

They keep adding pricier and pricier models. Plus the early models lacked HDMI; you had to buy a whole new system to get it! Even someone who bought the cheapest launch PS3 (20 GB) could have upgraded it to match a modern high-end one. And on top of that, Sony's systems have been very reliable, no red rings.




I still don't get why everyone bashes Sony for introducing lower-priced, higher-spec models, and no one gets on Microsoft about the ever-increasing price of the 360 and horrible failure rate.

 

[asxtb]

This is not a bonus.....it is a necessity for this console.

It's a necessity? My PS3 works the exact same with a normal Sixaxis conroller as it does with a DS3.

 

[MRU]

I still don't get why everyone bashes Sony for introducing lower-priced, higher-spec models, and no one gets on Microsoft about the ever-increasing price of the 360 and horrible failure rate.

What ? But were always bashing the 360 on this forum section because of those very things... do I need to dig a list of threads


At least in Europe there has always only ever been 1 PS3 SKU as they phased out the 60GB (when they are gone, they are gone) when they introduced the 40GB.

 

[sikkinixx]

^^^
Same reason MS doesn't get annilihated for their WiFi adapter being $100, or ~30% failure rate, or charging $50/year for Live...


but anyway, this news could be a double-edged sword for Sony. To some it looks bad because it's starting to appear more like a computer, more and more options (because let's face it... there are still 60gb units around... so many stores still have 3 SKU's maybe soon to be 4) and the lowering price pisses off some users who just shelled out the bucks a little bit ago (never mind those of us who paid $659.99!!!)

But it's good because it maintains their superior specs to the 360 and bigger numbers look better to stupid...er...ignorant people who don't know that a bigger hard drive is cheap and takes about 15 minutes to install...

 

[GFLPraxis]

What ? But were always bashing the 360 on this forum section because of those very things... do I need to dig a list of threads


At least in Europe there has always only ever been 1 PS3 SKU as they phased out the 60GB (when they are gone, they are gone) when they introduced the 40GB.

I'd better clarify before someone shouts "The 360's not getting more expensive!"

The ever increasing price of XBox 360 SKUs. They keep adding higher more expensive models instead of bettering or dropping the price on the standard.

Oh, to the guy who's saying "Well the Wii's only ever had one SKU"; that'd be great if they'd bring the price down. Nintendo's making so much profit off the Wii it's not even funny.

 

[ReanimationLP]

I'd better clarify before someone shouts "The 360's not getting more expensive!"

The ever increasing price of XBox 360 SKUs. They keep adding higher more expensive models instead of bettering or dropping the price on the standard.

Oh, to the guy who's saying "Well the Wii's only ever had one SKU"; that'd be great if they'd bring the price down. Nintendo's making so much profit off the Wii it's not even funny.

Yeah, the profit margins are quite huge because of the technology it uses.

The Broadway CPU is an offshoot of the PowerPC 750CL, aka G3.

Then again, why bother, since its selling like hotcakes anyhoo at the current price.

It'd be neat of Sony though if they made a model that you can fit more RAM into, for those who want to use it for Linux, and for the universities building clusters out of them.

 

[Ubuntu]

Because MS did that as a "me too" to the PS3 having HDMI and a larger HD. The elite wasn't about prices coming down, nor was adding HDMI to the premium it was about following and trying to one up Sony (key word there is trying). HDMI was something that MS said wasn't needed in a gaming console, had they not made that statement then I wouldn't blast them as much.

Ed

But you could argue that Sony copied Microsoft with the hardware options, as well as the hard drive.

 

[Jovian9]

It's a necessity? My PS3 works the exact same with a normal Sixaxis conroller as it does with a DS3.

My NES works without rumble too but we're not talking about 8-bit here. What year is this?