PS3 Price Cut Confirmed, New $599 SKU Announced (Updated)

Why do so many of you fail at math

$599 - $499 = $100 = less money = price cut

The fact that there was a 20gb model that was $499 is irrelevant to the fact that they are -----> cutting <---- the price of the 60gb model by $100.

Seriously, you guys are smarter than this.

So the PS3 dropped from $500 down to $500. Enjoy the savings...

This price drop is a welcomed thing, but I kind of have a smaller pet peeve with these multiple SKU's.

When a price drop occurred in the past, generally the only benefit you got from it, hardware-wise, was an aesthetic redesign/smaller form-factor. (NES -> NES Top Loader, the 3 Sega Genesis revisions, PS1 -> PSone, etc.) While your system "looked" cooler, everyone was on the same level playing field with the same hardware, just the price of admission was lowered to allow more people to participate.

Once MS introduced that Core/Premium SKU, it kind of threw everything off for the consumer. It's understood that a lot of 360 consumers have not taken their consoles online and such, and for that target audience the Core system is fine. Premium owners had to contend with the Core inadvertently when XBLA was introduced since games were only allowed to be XXMB (I think it was 50MB) to allow Core users to participate in purchasing games. Only when MS offered the 512MB memory card did they relax the restriction for some games. (i.e. Castlevania: SotN)

And even Premium users got the shaft when the Elite came out. A HD with 6 times the storage capacity and HDMI? Consumers thinking they bought the best model were now the middle child, and, you can't buy an HDMI upgrade and the 120GB HD cost WAY too much to warrant an upgrade.

I guess I'm saying this because, as someone who's still sitting on the fence, I can see why gamers are pissed about price drops, now moreso than ever. When a price drop occured in the past, it didn't come with new hardware features that enhance your gaming experience, it was just smaller, cheaper hardware capable of performing the same task. (Not always more reliably, given the amount of recalls) Because the bottom line, they still have to develop the game for the lowest common denominator to maximize the number of game units sold. So, even with all your snazzy upgrades and things that make you go, "Oooooo," your experience won't be any different from the cheaper model. [Unless you have a badass home theatre system and speakers that make you feel every since action on the screen.... then I guess it wouldn't be the same :D]

And as an aside, (and I guess directly on topic with this article) this price cut is very welcomed, but they need more exclusives. With a lot of publishers either jumping ship or doing mutliplatform releases, the PS3, in my eyes as a consumer, is on shaky ground. littleBIGplanet and Home look awesome and I'm behind them 100%, but not $499/$599 behind them, it needs more cowbell.

Hahaha, lame - http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/09/80gb-ps3-has-limited-backwards-compatibility/ Looks like they're rolling out the gimped euro PS3s to the rest of the world now.

What can be said is that this new price cut will not do any good in getting "new customers" to buy the console. The price cut probably means that a few more hardcore gamers who were previously on the fence will shell out the money to get a cheaper 60 gig version, and there will be a few elitist gamers who will want the absolute best version of the ps3 just to say that they have one, and are probably the very same gamers who rushed out to get the elite 360 when it came out. What this won't do is change the figure that every casual gamer and normal person sees when they look up ps3 pricing, $500 and $600. We all follow the gaming industry here, but we are enthusiasts. We aren't normal nor do we claim to be. Average Joe on the street still doesn't know what a blu-ray is, and doesn't really understand why a playstation needs to be priced so much higher than the 360, which still has multi platform game superiority and xbox-live at this point.

Recent example:
My gf's mother, on a whim, went to Gamestop and had to pick between the 360 and the ps3 for her boys, (they already have a Wii in that household), and you know what she saw? game machines. 300, 400, almost 500, and 600 dollars a piece. She ended up buying a premium 360 because "the guy said it had everything we needed to play, and I still had some money left to buy some games". The price cut will not effect those people that don't know hard drives from controllers, because they won't understand the value. Long story short, Sony would have been far better off simply dropping the 60 gig ps3 altogether and selling the 80 at 499.99. Still expensive, but a value that starts to be more understandable in the face of the established 360 and wii presences on the shelf.

they can cry all they want about loss per system, but if people don't end up buying their system at all, thats an even bigger loss, which would probably kill the chances of a ps4. They don't have the pockets that Microsoft does, and Nintendo, at this point simply prints money, so they will continue to do what they want.

For those cursing and saying sony did not do a price cut, be realistic please, IT IS A PRICE CUT

The 20gb was a rare Item, and it got discountineud within 3 months into its launch, hence making the 60gb the only ps3 on the market.

Yesterday I could buy a ps3 for 599 .... in the near future its gonna be 499. Meaning it is a price drop.

Furthermore the 20gb was missing wifi and smart media ports, meaning you now get more than what you paid for had the 20gb still existed.

On a positive note blu-ray players have dropped in price over the past month, and due to this announcement the ps3 will still be the cheapest blu-ray player AVAILABLE on the market. Plus Ive heard you get 5 free blu-rays movies if you buy a player, and this includes the ps3.

What boggles me is why ppl are Complaining., its is a price drop and its healthy competion to help encourage a price drop in all consoles. It just sounds more like microsfot or nintendo fanboys bickering.

Hmm not sure what to think about this, Sony is removing the Emotion chip and going with software emulation. Probably the reason they could cut the price.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=26520

Wake me up when they stop fucking Europe in the ass.

It's been said before, but PS3s cost over $850US in Australia. It's going to require more than a $100AUD price drop over here to start regaining momentum.

Toys R' Us is already selling the 60gb version at the new price:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2549778&cp=2290624

Still not interested at all...give me some games then we'll talk.

I've been wanting a Blu-ray player and at this price I'm all over it.

What's that you say? I can also play games on it if I want?!?! BONUS!

So there really isn't a price cut. Less for the smaller HD more for the bigger HD. This is no different than the 360 and the Elite. Not really a big deal. It took too long, and I'm sure they have to do this, losing even more money per PS3 sold. Sucks, but it has to be done if they want to get anywhere.

So the 60GB model did technically get a price cut. However, in my eyes the PS3 didn't. I always choose to get the better model, like a Premium over a Core for the 360, so I would have to get the 80GB if I were to purchase a PS3.

We'll see how sales go since they are still holding at a price of $499 that is $100 over the 360 and $250 more than the Wii. If Sony can cut the price of the PS3 with Blu-Ray, I wouldn't be surprised to see Microsoft cut the 360's price.

people seem a little on-edge in this post. everyone take a deep breath and go to your happy place.



and release. aaaaahhhhhhhh...

There is rumor that the 80gb version comes with the new rumble enabled touchsense controller... I still think the price should be lower though, unless they include 2 controllers.

http://www.psu.com/node/11984

lol, that Chubachi fellow lied his ass off

$500 makes it more tempting, but still too expensive. Needs more exclusives too.

I wonder if the new 80gb model comes with gimped backwards compatibility or not. Didn't they say they were going to introduce it in North America too?

Any word on Europe? I'm not holding my breath, seeing how Sony seems to hate us.

Is this a US-only pricecut?

Can Jack Tretton speak English, or will he always spout corporate gobbledegook?

20gb is really worth $100 and a crappy game?

Who cares if there's another model? It doesn't change the fact that the same model is 100 dollars less than it was before. Just because there is a better one out doesn't mean you have to buy it. $100 seems like a waste for a game and an extra 20 gigs, but ,hey, maybe some people will want to buy it. Can't the hard drive be replaced with a standard PC HD ala xbox, anyway?

most brilliant non price drop ever

Hmm, so like nevermind I guess.

so $600 for a larger hdd and includes a game many people dont want? lol

Now I just want to hear Remo and Warcrow saying "FourhundredandninetynineUSDollarsFourhundredandninetynineUSDollarsFourhundredandninetynineUSDollars"