(Credit:
Kotaku)
A leaked internal memo shows that Blockbuster will be lowering the price of the entry-level 40GB model PlayStation 3 this weekend. Kotaku was able to get a screenshot of the memo, which clearly shows a new price of $360. Also, the store-exclusive Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray/Transformers video game and HDMI cable bundle will drop to $460.
This may seem like a decent bargain, but remember that $40 more will double your hard drive capacity to 80GB. (Confusingly, the "old" 80GB model, which had four USB ports and flash media slots, has mostly disappeared from store shelves. The new "Core" 80GB model--two USB ports, DualShock 3 controller, and no flash media slots--has replaced the 40, which is why the old one is being discounted.)
In addition, we can't really advise anyone to opt for the HDMI bundle either, as we all know how cheap you can find one of those cables online.
A Sony-initiated price drop does seem likely in time for the holidays, especially after Microsoft recently lowered the prices of the entire Xbox 360 product line.
Note: this post was updated to clarify the difference between the old and new 80GB PS3 models.
(Credit:
Sony)
A 40GB PlayStation 3 is coming to Asia on November 11, following a similar move on the European market last week. Retailing at around $380, the Blu-ray-loving game console is the first to be equipped with a 40GB hard drive and will be available in white, as well as black. However, there's an important catch: You might still want to stick your guns with the earlier 60GB version of the PS3 because latest model is not compatible with PS2 games.
(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET Networks)
For the longest time I've yearned for a desire to want to purchase a PlayStation 3. Like many other gamers, the hefty price tag and lack of blockbuster exclusive games has kept me far away from the big black box and enjoying my Wii and Xbox 360. And yes, even the lack of rumble had me second guessing a purchase.
The latest rumor-turned-reality comes from Europe and has a 40GB PS3 priced at $400 (when this deal inevitably comes stateside). Sure, there's an argument to be made that $400 is a great deal for Blu-ray player, but apparently this thing is intended to play games, as well, and that's what my decision-making process is based on. But after learning that the newly discounted PS3 has absolutely no backwards compatibility with the PS2, I've officially given up hope in waiting for the perfect PS3 to arrive. What's my solution now? Either grab one of the last remaining 20GB models with the original PS2-compatible Emotion Engine hardware inside and easily swap out the drive for a bigger one, or continue to wait for a perfectly tailored model that will most likely never exist.
Sorry Sony, you've left me with no choice. I want to play Uncharted, I'm dying to try out LittleBigPlanet, and I'll figure out how to experience Metal Gear Solid 4 one way or another. But why take out PS2 compatibility? It's no secret that the console is still selling incredibly well and will continue to do so throughout the holiday season. Plenty of PS2 games are still rolling out, not to mention my huge existing library of games--many of which I still have yet to play all the way through.
I'm just sick of all of these cost-cutting measures that take away from the originally envisioned console. If you told us from the get go that the PS3 would have no support for PS2 games, we would have laughed right in your face. And now, less than a year after the system's launch, this will actually become a reality.
Let's not forget this isn't the first time we've had our minds played with as we all remember the E3 price-drop debacle. To me, this doesn't look like a company trying to give the consumers what they want. What it does look like is a bunch of scrambling, mixing and matching hardware till the end result is a Frankenstein PS3 with no soul. And I think it's safe to say that a model with no backwards compatibility is not the answer.
The new 40GB PS3: Are the compromises worth the reduced price tag?
(Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)
The rumors were true, almost to the letter. Sony Europe has confirmed the existence of a new entry-level PlayStation 3. Scheduled to hit stores on the Continent on October 10, the new PS3 has been stripped down to hit a lower price point: it's got a smaller 40GB hard drive, no built-in flash media reader, and two (rather than four) USB ports. But the biggest change appears to be the loss of backward compatibility with PS2 games. Sony's release specifies that "[t]he new model is no longer backwards compatible with PlayStation 2 titles, reflecting both the reduced emphasis placed on this feature amongst later purchasers of PS3, as well as the availability of a more extensive lineup of PS3 specific titles (a total of 65 titles across all genres by Christmas)." That seems to counter conventional wisdom, since the newer PS3s were already said to be using software emulation (rather than an actual PS2 Emotion Engine chip) to play older games. In brighter news, the new PS3s retain Blu-ray playback, HDMI output, and onboard Wi-Fi.
The 40GB PS3 will retail for £300 in the U.K. and €400 across continental Europe. The existing 60GB PS3--which retains backwards compatibility--remains on the market with a price cut and a new bundle as well. There's no official word for those of us outside Europe, but it's a safe bet that PS3 sales in North America will crawl to a standstill as consumers wait for the other price-cut shoe to drop on this side of the Pond. The expected price tag will be $400--a huge bargain, considering the current weakness of the American dollar.
Of course, the PS3 had already seen a de facto price cut to $500 just a few months ago, but the PS3 has yet to generate a Halo-like hit for hardcore gamers or connect with mainstream audiences like the red-hot (and much cheaper) Nintendo Wii. Despite a couple of recent hits (Warhawk, Heavenly Sword), With keystone exclusives such as Metal Gear Solid 4 and now Unreal Tournament III pushed back to 2008, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune seems to be the only hotly anticipated PS3 exclusive slated to hit this fall. In short, Sony needs to generate some excitement in the meantime, and the prospect of a $400 PS3 just in time for the holidays sounds like a perfect recipe. Whether or not the backward compatibility issue will sour the deal remains to be seen.
What do you think: is the (presumably imminent) PS3 worth $400, or is the dearth of backward compatibility a deal breaker?
- prev
- 1
- next
