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July 9, 2007 6:59 AM PDT

PlayStation 3 price cut official: 60GB PS3 now just $500

by Will Greenwald
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Last Friday, we reported a rumor about the PS3 getting a $100 price cut, based on a Circuit City flier that's been circulating the blogs. Well, it's not a rumor anymore. Sony just confirmed that the PlayStation 3 is indeed getting getting a fair bit cheaper.

Starting this week, the 60GB PS3 will retail for $500, the same price as the now-defunct 20GB PS3. If you had your heart set on spending $600 on a PlayStation 3, have no fear; the price drop makes room for the new 80GB PS3 bundle Sony also announced today. Taking the 60GB PS3's old price point, the new high-end PlayStation will sport a larger hard drive and come with the grimy-but-pretty racing game Motorstorm.

At $500, the PS3 is still just a bit more expensive than competing consoles, including the Xbox 360 Elite (Microsoft's high-end console comes with a 120GB hard drive, but lacking the PS3's built-in Wi-Fi, media reader, or Blu-ray support). On the other hand, with many Blu-ray players still running over $600, this price cut could still be a good deal for home theater buffs, even if they don't want to play video games. The price cut is effective now, so you should be able to go to your nearest game/electronics store and find a PlayStation 3 at its new, lower price.

[Source: Joystiq]

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (41 Comments)
WAT!? That's still expensive.
by jreid187 July 9, 2007 8:48 AM PDT
It still doesn't cut the fact that the damn thing is still the most expensive next gen console ever. If $450 than maybe i would buy it.
Reply to this comment
A Step in the Right Direction
by jeric2k5 July 9, 2007 9:01 AM PDT
Well first of all the PS3 now at its current price point, $500, or the previous price point, $600, has never been the most expensive home console. When you adjust price points of previous consoles for inflation you will notice that the PS3 is not the most expensive console to be released, it just happens to be the most expensive right now.

Still the lower price still doesn't make a difference unless you are planning on watching Blu-Ray titles because there still are not any games out besides one or two titles. Its a good start though because games are coming and if the PS3 does continue to have its 10 year life cycle like Sony promised then this hiccup at the beginning will not be thought of when its in its 7th year and people who had 360s have to buy the 720 or whatever Microsoft puts out afterwards.

I'm definitely interested in the PS3 and I knew this price drop was coming so I waited and will make my purchase soon. Especially after Blockbuster is backing Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray is topping sales charts because of its movie studio support, and also with Blu-Ray prices dropping, Blu-Ray looks like its here to stay and so the PS3 looks like a good purchase to me.
Not quite true, but still not that great for Sony
by ackmondual July 9, 2007 2:23 PM PDT
NeoGeo was MSRP for $600 and 3DO for $800 while Dreamcast was kept at $450. All 3 came out around the late 90s to early 000s. The first 2 parallel and rival PS3 Prem's MSRP while the last may be equal given inflation.

Also take into account Wii doesn't have the features and graphics prowess while 360 needs around $150 to $300 to match the PS3 Premium in features. However, these are other arguments, with many shades of gray at that. If ppl wanted power and another computer, they would've gotten the PS3 instead of a Wii. And not every will want an HD optical player, wifi, card readers, and other extras the PS3 prem has over the 360 prem/elite
A Step In the Right Direction
by jeric2k5 July 9, 2007 9:02 AM PDT
Still the lower price still doesn't make a difference unless you are planning on watching Blu-Ray titles because there still are not any games out besides one or two titles. Its a good start though because games are coming and if the PS3 does continue to have its 10 year life cycle like Sony promised then this hiccup at the beginning will not be thought of when its in its 7th year and people who had 360s have to buy the 720 or whatever Microsoft puts out afterwards.

I'm definitely interested in the PS3 and I knew this price drop was coming so I waited and will make my purchase soon. Especially after Blockbuster is backing Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray is topping sales charts because of its movie studio support, and also with Blu-Ray prices dropping, Blu-Ray looks like its here to stay and so the PS3 looks like a good purchase to me.
Reply to this comment
PS3 Needs Some Games!
by colmaboy July 9, 2007 9:11 AM PDT
Until there are more great games, this system will not sell. Thank heavan for the download demo feature. What a great way to save $60 on a piece of crap game.
Reply to this comment
NOT good at all
by hardrockguru July 9, 2007 9:39 AM PDT
So they pretend that people will pay $600 + Tax for the SKU with just 20GB more and a game like Motorstorm???? What a silly idea. Sony shot themselves in the foot again. I mean, the Xbox360 Elite with a 120GB hard drive is just $479. Jeez Sony... how do you pretend to compete against that?
They are asking $100 more for a game that can easily be found in eBay for $20 so it's like paying $80 more for 20GB more! Nobody will buy the 60GB version now. Bad, bad move from Sony. It's like no price cut at all. Because nobody will want the 60GB model anymore, and then $600 + Tax will still be a lot of money for almost everybody. And for a console without good games at all.
So they still have a $499 SKU and a $599 SKU, just like at the beginning hahaha. They should have just one "premium" SKU. They are doomed now.
And early adopters are getting the shaft. They paid $600 + Tax for the 60GB version with no game at all. Sony is disappointing even its own fanbase.
Reply to this comment
in response to "hardrockguru"
by baseballa2489 July 9, 2007 10:08 AM PDT
did you even read the article? sure the elite is cheaper and comes with a larger hard drive, but it also doesn't come with wi-fi, a media reader, or blu ray/ HD DVD support. Want wi-fi on the xbox? Add $100. Want HD DVD? Add $200. Combine that with the $479 base price of the Elite, and you are at $779 plus tax, with no games and no media reader, plus you still have to pay for XBOX live. And the ps3, at nearly $300 cheaper, comes with a game and free online support.
Let's see Microsoft's response
by exjoburger July 9, 2007 10:10 AM PDT
At $499, the PS3 is really close in price to the XBox 360 Elite. Although the Elite has a larger HDD (120GB versus 60Gb), the PS3 does have built-in Wi-Fi (come-on Microsoft - $99 for a Wi-Fi adapter!) plus the Blu-Ray drive (for anyone with a HDTV and tending towards Blu-Ray this is a major selling point- add the HD-DVD to the Xbox 360 and you are well over the PS3 price). Support for Media cards only adds about $10 to $20 more to the cost of the the XBox 360, so it's no big deal.

So, the gap in much narrower, although the pricier PS3 seems a bit pointless, $100 extra for an extra 20GB HDD and a game : not much of an incentive.

Can Microsoft drop the price of the XBox now after announcing their major loss due to extending the warranty and reimbursing repairs? This should be interesting.
Reply to this comment
Is everyone so stupid?
by brandonh33 July 9, 2007 10:20 AM PDT
Ok people look into the details of the ps3 compared to the new version of the xbox 360. First of all the drive still isnt updated to hd-dvd so you cant fit hd programming in 1080p on a normal disk. you could buy an hd-dvd drive but that already makes the new xbox more then the $600 ps3! your left with one other option, download 1080p content to your system, well that is at least 40 gb of your hard drive! And that download would only take o lets say, a month. Now your thinking, but the hard drive in the xbox is 120gb now! well without a proper disk like bluray or hd-dvd, that is going to fill up fast. Also, if you want to buy a hard bigger for your new xbox you have to buy it from microsoft themselfs, which of course is going to be outragously priced. If you want to update your hard drive in the ps3, you just need a laptop drive, which is very cheep compared to the custom xbox hard drives. Now to the processor, the 360 has a 3 core processor. Well the ps3 has an 8 core processor operating at basicly the same speed! plus the 6 axis controllers for 10 bucks cheeper... Come on people even if sony left out blu-ray the system would still compete between knowledged people at $600 with the xbox360. The reason sony had to lower their price was because people like you who make up 90% of the gaming community dont look at the details past the title of the system.
Reply to this comment
and some more...
by brandonh33 July 9, 2007 10:26 AM PDT
I forgot a couple things... microsoft just invested 1 billion for repairs! The xbox series has always been very unreliable compaired to the ps series. The only clear downside to the ps3 that i see is that there really arnt many games yet, about to change in 3 months...
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reply reply
by ackmondual July 9, 2007 3:15 PM PDT
We can hope that M$ irons out the defect rate in its 360s just like how we can hope Sony gets more (good/exclusive) games for PS3 months from now. Besides, last I heard, while Sony's vid game, camera, and media divisions are doing well, all its other divisions are in the red. With M$, it seems they still have the cashflow to roll around with $1bil of warranty repairs
some people don't know anything...
by tgpumpkin July 9, 2007 10:50 AM PDT
BrandonH, I cannot believe you just said that the Playstation/sony brand is more reliable than XBOX. I cannot count how many times over the past 2 generations of console gaming hearing about burned out "Playstations". In each generation, I had to buy 2 PS1's and 3 PS2's. They wouldn't last longer than 2-3 years before they quit on me. Though I agree with you on SOME of your other points, you have no standing on PS quality. The only console that has had a near perfect reputation has been Nintendo in that department.

In terms of this, I think it's good that Sony is dropping the price. I'm still not going to get one until they come out with games. What good is a video game console if they don't have games for it? It may be bigger, badder, and stronger, but it means nothing if it serves as nothing more than a glorified stereo/movie player.

I'd pay $500...if only they had more games than Resistance.
Reply to this comment
PS quality is proven, despite your protests
by oxtail01 July 9, 2007 3:30 PM PDT
Millions of PS1, 2, and 3 in use has proven its' quality. Don't remember Sony having to extend their warrantee to cover the defects. I just gave away PS1 still working great and my kids still have the PS2. Yes, it IS more reliable than X-Box, which isn't a surprise since X-Box is from MS. Let's face it, all the stuff is probably made in China anyway.
Look it up
by brandonh33 July 9, 2007 10:57 AM PDT
The only ps model that has ever had wide spread problems was the ps2 thin version, and that was a simple fix that most people still havent done and have been fine. I have had my ps2 from the day that they came out and it is still working great after much abuse and hours put into it. and the ps1... almost no problems for anyone! I think your problem is that you need to be more kind to your electronics, because out of my dozens of friends that own ps2/ps3's none of them have ever had any problems with the systems that i know of.
Reply to this comment
You also get 5 FREE Blu-Ray movies with the PS3
by natejohnstone July 9, 2007 11:20 AM PDT
By making the PS3 $500, it's now a very tempting treat for home-theater buffs. $500 is the cheapest Blu-Ray player there is (plus it up-converts dvds) and it comes with a rebate/mail in for 5 Free Blu-Ray movies too. Add to that the fact that this device is sure to get frequent firmware updates and support, that makes this the best Blu-Ray choice on the market...oh yea, and I hear it's also a video game system. Seriously, now when the GOOD games start coming out this summer/fall, the PS3 will get pretty hot.
Reply to this comment
HAHAHAHAHA that means a 40 $ price cut for
by matelovescomics July 9, 2007 11:22 AM PDT
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HAHAHAHAHA that means a 40 $ price cut for CANADA
by matelovescomics July 9, 2007 11:23 AM PDT
hahah man we always get the short end of the stick www.bestbuy.ca
Reply to this comment
CDN Price cut
by Sean8888 July 9, 2007 11:57 AM PDT
matelovescomics - I don't think BestBuy.ca has updated their site yet ($659.99 was the old price). Futureshop has though - $549.99.
Actually, it's a $150 price drop in Canada
by santoshpmd July 9, 2007 12:25 PM PDT
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?sku_id=0665000FS10075271&atab=&spviewed=&newlang=EN&logon=&langid=FR
The initial cost is nothing.
by oxtail01 July 9, 2007 11:28 AM PDT
The $100 drop is good for new buyers but the people moaning and groaning about how expensive the unit is are totally missing the point. The PS3, just like X-Box and Wii is nothing without the games. At $50-$60 a pop, most console owners will be spending $200 to $500 a year (or more) on games. If PS3 comes out with compelling games then the price for the unit will be fully justifiable. All you geeks should stop crying about the price, when you're already spending thousands for all kinds of crap. The argument for or against PS3 really is worthless. It's all about what each buyer wants.
Reply to this comment
5 Free movies????
by brandonh33 July 9, 2007 11:30 AM PDT
Reply to this comment
Does it still come with 5 free Blue Rays?
by jasonkinnard July 9, 2007 11:40 AM PDT
I just looked all over bestbuy.com and I couldn't any information about getting 5 free movies with the purchase of the system. I also looked at playstation3.com and found no information. They probably did away with that offer even if they shouldn't have...
Reply to this comment
Yes you still get the 5 free movies...
by extirpator July 9, 2007 7:59 PM PDT
It's a Blu-ray association offer for several blu-ray players including the ps3. here is the official link for the 5 free movies: http://www.bluraysavings.com/
Welcome to reality
by brandonh33 July 9, 2007 11:42 AM PDT
Just look, ps3 has all the numbers, just look at my previous posts. Its better. The end. O and by the way, almost every game that is just for xbox is avalible for your computer, and xbox 360 controllers connect to your computer. So rather then me buying some lame overpriced 360 i play halo(yes, the whole series is avalible pc) on my computer with a controller i bought and if anything the performance is better. Basicly i support computers, not xbox
Reply to this comment
Bad, bad, bad...
by hardrockguru July 9, 2007 1:14 PM PDT
So they pretend that people will pay $600 + Tax for the SKU with just 20GB more and a game like Motorstorm???? What a silly idea. Sony shot themselves in the foot again. I mean, the Xbox360 Elite with a 120GB hard drive is just $479. Jeez Sony... how do you pretend to compete against that?
They are asking $100 more for a game that can easily be found in eBay for $20 so it's like paying $80 more for 20GB more! Nobody will buy the 60GB version now. Bad, bad move from Sony. It's like no price cut at all. Because nobody will want the 60GB model anymore, and then $600 + Tax will still be a lot of money for almost everybody. And for a console without good games at all.
So they still have a $499 SKU and a $599 SKU, just like at the beginning hahaha. They should have just one "premium" SKU. They are doomed now.
And early adopters are getting the shaft. They paid $600 + Tax for the 60GB version with no game at all. Sony is disappointing even its own fanbase.
Personally I say "no thanks". With my Wii and Xbox360 there's no need of anything else.
Reply to this comment
Did you not read anything i said?
by brandonh33 July 9, 2007 1:19 PM PDT
ok you just reposted that comment, and if anyone cares i had a comment specifically to this one near the beginning of the list, go have a look.
Reply to this comment
Get a life
by brandonh33 July 9, 2007 4:05 PM PDT
There is no point in pasting your input of the same thing 4 times man.the only thing you are doing is not letting others voice their oppinion by pushing their post off the screen.
Reply to this comment
Just stop!
by brandonh33 July 9, 2007 6:24 PM PDT
Did you think changing the title would make me stop... You need to stop posting that on here it is full of inaccurate informations and fairly embarrasing opinions so do your self a favor and lay off.
Reply to this comment
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