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Sony cuts US PS3 price News
PlayStation 3 News by Games Industry.biz
Sony America has announced a new 80GB version of the PlayStation 3 console to be released in North America in August, complete with a copy of MotorStorm for a retail price of USD 599, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting.
The current 60GB model will retail for USD 499, effective immediately.
"As we move into the next phase of PS3, it's important that we continue to evaluate our product line, offering consumers the technology and features that meet their growing needs for new forms of media and the way in which it is delivered," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA.
"The introduction of the 80GB PS3, the new pricing for the current 60GB model, the availability of more than 100 new software titles this fiscal year and, finally, the expansion of services for PlayStation Network, will provide even more options for users and will help bring new consumers into the PS3 fold."
The price drop, denied last week by Sony, comes on the eve of the E3 Media & Business Summit. There was no immediate word of an 80GB model being released in Europe or Japan.
Sony also stated that between now the end of the fiscal year, the console will benefit from the release of 120 new first and third-party titles in the region.
There's plenty more where that came from over on GamesIndustry.biz.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmBCLtgoTR8
SCEA corporate video: President & CEO Jack Tretton announces the availability of a new 80GB PS3, and a price drop for the 60GB PS3. More info can be found on the official Sony PlayStation blog blog.us.playstation.com
Edited 2 times,
most recently on 09/07/07 @ 09:15
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Mentalist(air)
09/07/07 @ 08:17
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Shouldn't this be headlined SONY KNOCK $100 OFF US PS3!!!
like it is on the BBC? And shouldn't someone be on the phone right now to ask David Reeves when we'll get our price drop? Edit: That's the ticket.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 10/07/07 @ 08:24
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There's no real point in the 80GB SKU, other than provide a transition phase. 95% of consumers will never see the 80GB SKU in stores before all 60GB SKUs are cleared and the 80GB SKU has taken its place. By that time, the 80GB SKU will become 499 again, and who knows there will be a further drop around Christmas.
The reason of the 80GB SKU is that the 80GB HDD will soon become cheaper to make than the 60GB HDD, so you basically want to get that into the PS3 and phase out the 60GB. The two SKU situation is basically just intended for transitional purposes. It is very clear already that retailers in the West aren't the least bit interested in carrying more than one SKU. |
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3william56
09/07/07 @ 08:21
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Sorry, what was that fron Sony Japan yesterday? Ahem. Worthy of Ninty, that denial. There's nothing like joined up PR, and that's nothing like joined up PR. There'll be seppuku all round in SCEJ.
And they're not trying to cash in on MS's woes with the Red Ring of Death debacle, oh no sir. Best free advertising they've ever had. Extra 20gig, and free Motorstorm? Much better deal if you have the cash (and a lot better than the 360 core tardpack). Will be interesting what Bill and his minions do to counter this - if even Billy G's massive pockets can wear a 1.3 billion charge for the repairs *and* a price cut. Price Wars FTW! I suspect that Sony is being very clever. Both (a) trying to drum up sales at the lower price point whilst also getting rid of the old 60gb model, or (b) seeing which is more important to customers - price or spec - before making another strategic move just before Xmas 07. Smart moves all round. Pity it took so long, but such is the life of an early adopter. Now just get those damn games out! |
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AusFreelancer
09/07/07 @ 08:23
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Awesome news! Just the kick the PS3 needs, to make some serious ground. Now, only for the software.....
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Here in Europe, when the first xbox was launched (with Halo, PGR, DOA and Abe, not resistance and uh motorstorm), it faced a similar situation: price cut soon after launch. Early adopters got to choose 3 games published by MGS to get for free as some form of compensation (not enough but surely better than nothing).
What will Sony do for the early adopters? My guess: nothing. Price drop this side of the atlantic? Dont see it happening. After all, they know we suck it up. |
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@3william56
"Sorry, what was that fron Sony Japan yesterday? Ahem. Worthy of Ninty, that denial. There's nothing like joined up PR, and that's nothing like joined up PR. There'll be seppuku all round in SCEJ." Do you seriously not understand marketing at all? Most companies (and this applies to pretty much everything), will deny rumours about anything and everything until they're ready to announce it. |
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What's with this 'Deny then reveal' tactic with Sony at the moment?
They deny a $100 price drop, then announce a $100 a week later!?! They 'Dont buy Exclusives', then immediately after they announce an 'exclusive deal with Quantiac Dream' I hope they Deny a UK price drop soon. I wouldn't hold out for those 120 games though (They haven't denied it yet) |
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I fitted a 160 GB HDD to my PS3 when I bought it in March and it cost me just £65. An extra 20 GB plus a game that likely costs $10 to stick in the package for $100 more just doesn't seem like good value to me, for that it should have been a 120 GB HDD at least, then it would have matched the HDD included with the Xbox 360 Elite. :?
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Yes, it is US-only at the moment.
The PS3 launched over six months ago in the US so I doubt we'll get this price cut until nearer Christmas. That said I think Sony will have to drop it by £100 not £50 here in Europe if they want sales to improve. It's a shame that Sony dropped the 20 GB HDD model really, it could have been very popular in Europe with the more value conscious gamers not bothered about downloading stuff, especially if it had been sold for £300-£325 or thereabouts. |
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Britesparc
09/07/07 @ 08:49
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@ Fairlane:
It was a controller and two games; I know coz I got it. Altogether worth more than £100, which was the price drop. Wasn't a bad deal; I got Dead or Alive and Amped, which I wouldn't normally have bought, but I enjoyed them, especially Amped. That rocked. |
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3william56
09/07/07 @ 08:58
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@zuljin: It was a joke mate. Wakey wakey. But even with marketing considerations, a denial a day or so before an announcement is plain dumb - silence is the smart option.
Interestingly though SCEJ were actually correct, so no Nintynonsense there. There will be no price drop - in Japan - because as we've moaned about before, it was already much cheaper there. Probably Korea too. Details: http://au.ps3.ign.com/articles/802/80229... Can the days of Sony marketing f**kups be over? Say it ain't so! |
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GamesConnoisseur
09/07/07 @ 09:01
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Agreed that European would benefit from having a more value pack such as 20GB and PS3 would sell proportionally more than it does now. However I think Sony made the right move to phase out 20GB SKU as I only have 6 or so PS3 games and several downloadable contents, demo etc. My 60 GB hard drive's free space is already now at 29 GB! So that basically meant if I got 20 GB hard drive SKU, it would have been already full and half!
Though 20 GB extra is likewise very pointless, should match 120 GB as set by 360 Elite, SCEE best annouce something soon, otherwise the USA price cut just aggravate already sore feelings here. |
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MS cut the price of the XBox after 6 weeks, not 8 months. Early adopters know what they're paying a premium to be the first to have the tech.
Sony need to get the price down below £350 in the UK, if they want to build some momentum though, but I doubt we'll see it before November. As for the denials, who would admit to a coming price cut before it happened? It's the fastest way to stop anyone buying your product. |
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I really don't understand people who wait around for a price cut, the way I see it I might have paid £100 more then I would a year from now but that £100 has given me a years extra worth of PS3/X360. That's about £8 a month!!!
I there aren't any games you want at the mo then that's a different matter, but waiting a 6months to a year just to pay less doesn't make economical sence! |
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TheJanitor
09/07/07 @ 10:43
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to the people calling the 100$ more for the extra 20 GB absurd, did you even know what comes with it? get informed before spewing bs
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Psychotext
09/07/07 @ 11:08
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@TheJanitor: Yeah, you get $50 worth of game + $10 worth of extra hard drive. Great value for $100.
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YourMessageHere
09/07/07 @ 11:56
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Isn't the point that you get more for the same money, or you can have what you'd get now for less money? The price is not going up, it's going down. Unless I've completely misremembered US pricing; IIRC the 60gb version was $599 up until now.
@ zuljin "Do you seriously not understand marketing at all? Most companies (and this applies to pretty much everything), will deny rumours about anything and everything until they're ready to announce it." Are you saying this is in any way understandable behaviour? Does it make any sense to you to do this? Isn't this exactly the sort of "fuck you public, you don't matter" behaviour that tends to induce rabid Sony-hating? They don't have to behave like this. How can it possibly harm them to say "yes, we have a price cut planned, details are forthcoming at E3" or whatever? |
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kangarootoo
09/07/07 @ 12:11
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Somehow I suspect it would ALWAYS cost too much for some angry adolescents.
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kangarootoo
09/07/07 @ 12:20
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@YourMessageHere
"Are you saying this is in any way understandable behaviour? Does it make any sense to you to do this? Isn't this exactly the sort of "fuck you public, you don't matter" behaviour that tends to induce rabid Sony-hating?" Its perfectly understandable once people grasp the concept that companies are in business to make profit, and that not undermining their profits by announcing things at the wrong time is not a good idea from a business point of view. "How can it possibly harm them to say "yes, we have a price cut planned, details are forthcoming at E3" or whatever?" Because people would then stop buying consoles at the current price and wait for the price cut, eating into current profits as a result. So there is your hram right there. Truth is, customers are a line on a balance sheet. Every big company is the same. Thats just life, and it always has been, its nothing to get all riled about for any significant period of time. Truth is, "rabid Sony-hating" as you describe that results from things like this is not the fault of the company in question. Its the fault of rabid gamers unable to grasp the reality of the world they live in. You don't see shoppers at Tescos or Audi getting so irate about the concept of profits. A large portion of gamers still seem to live in this fantasy land where they believe their own gaming joy should be the number one driving ambition of every company involved in the industry. In no other part of life do we see such detachment from the facts of life. I recall the OUTRAGE of some gamers on discovering that Nintendo was making profit on each Wii console sold. That was frankly bloody mental and I still shudder when I think that these people will get the vote when they grow up. |
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cthulhu_steev
09/07/07 @ 13:04
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hamflank "Considering 400GB drives go for about 100 dollar these days, it does seem a bit absurd to ask 100 dollar for an extra 20GB."
Get back to me with a price for that non-existent 400GB 2.5-inch serial ATA, yeah? |
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