No More 60GB Playstations in the U.S. After This Month?
By Jonathan on Friday, July 13th, 2007 at 6:03 PM PST In Gamer Life, Sony, Sony
Get ready for some bad news, Sony fans. According to GamesIndustry.biz, it looks like that PS3 model that was recently made cheaper is about to be taken off the market entirely. At a recent press event, SCEE president, David Reeves responded to criticism concerning Europe not getting a price cut for the 60 GB model, similar to in the U.S. His response:
“‘All they’re doing is taking their stock in trade that they’ve got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.’
When asked to clarify if this will mean the end of the 60GB model, Reeves answered, ‘In America, yes.’”
Well thanks, Sony. You get us all excited for a more reasonably priced console and then you take away that option just as quickly. Guess you forgot to mention that little detail in the midst of all the price cut hype. If this is true, that means American consumers are still left with only two options come August: the new 80 GB bundle that retails for $599, and the 20 GB that most retailers have stopped carrying. So essentially we’re still stuck with paying $600 for a PS3. Yes, they’ve increased the hard drive capacity and thrown in a copy of Motor Storm, but that’s not what people were asking for. It’s like going to an ice cream shop, asking for a scoop of vanilla, and being told, “Oooh, we don’t carry vanilla anymore, but we can give you Rocky Road at the same price. It’s got more stuff in it.” Well I didn’t want Rocky Road; all I wanted was vanilla.
I feel used. Used and dirty. And a little hungry for ice cream.
<Thanks to reader G B for the tip>
[UPDATE] Apparently there’s been a lot of strange talk between execs from Sony concerning Reeves’ comments. Several people were quick to call it a misunderstanding, effectively dispelling this news as just rumor. That is, until Kaz Hirai, the main man from Sony, was recorded in a video interview saying basically the exact same thing as Reeves. I’d hate to say it, but that’s pretty definitive. Hopefully we’ll get more clarity on the subject later, but for now I’m assuming the original news still holds some weight. Besides, is it really that hard a stretch to think that Sony doesn’t have the consumers’ best interests at heart?
So from next month for the same price you were paying a few weeks ago you will be getting a bigger hard drive and a free game?
And this is ‘bad news’?
It’s like the people over here in the UK who are complaining because we are only getting $200 worth of extras instead of a $100 price cut.
Just remember if this were Microsoft they would have renamed it the PS3 Elite and charged more than the original launch price;)
Anyway the people at Sony US seem to think the 60gb isn’t being phased out at all. It will all be made clear in time.
BTW if people wanted ‘Vanilla’ why didn’t anyone buy the 20gb version that was pulled for poor sales?
You know, and I was just starting to like Sony. I was thinking ‘well maybe I’ll actually be able to afford a PS3 in a couple of months!’
But, no. Sony you’ve lost this customer for another round.
And here I was looking forward to picking up a PS3 later this year to play the new Ratchet and Clank game. Oh well, I guess Sony doesn’t want any of my money.
Unbelievable.
lol The people who flood boards with comments like the two above me crack me up. They seem to be under the impression the PS3 is never going to drop in price.
The extra 20GB won’t cost Sony much, if any, more money. However, they seem to be taking away the 100% reverse compatibility, the expensive part of the PS3, which is why they aren’t offering the 80GB version in Europe.
If this is true, waht Norbit says is totally off, because people won’t be getting a bigger hard drive and a free game. They’ll be getting a bigger hard drive (I seriously doubt I would be able to use 20 GB, let alone 60, or 80!) a free game that they may or may not want to play, and possibly the loss of being able to play their PS2 games that they love.
Sony is just shooting themselves in the foot. Let’s face it, games are what decides the winner of these “wars,” which is why PS2 won last generation. They had a lot of good games, and a nice variety. With all of the PS2 games working for PS3, at worst, you got a blue ray player that could play PS2 games for just a little more than you could get without the PS2 gaming ability. That’s not a bad deal for someone who really believes in blue ray. If Sony really does take away that expensive chip, not allowing all of the old games to work on the PS3, the deal isn’t as nice anymore, with the games comming for the PS3 mostly questionable.
Let’s recap what Sony has/is doing:
called Euope/Australia stupid (they would be confused by 80 and 60 GB models), annouced a price cut that wasn’t really a price cut but a clearance sale, is taking away the expensive part of the PS3 and passing none of the savings on to the costumer which leaves their console at an unreasonably high price.
Good job Sony. This will only push more of your fans from last generation to the more promising Xbox 360, and the cheaper, innovative Wii.
This is the most important point Matt:
“and possibly the loss of being able to play their PS2 games that they love.”
That’s ‘possibility’ and that ‘possibility’ is becoming less likely with every firmware update.
On one hand I am offering hard facts about the improvement of the new deal and on the other you are attempting to negate those positives with a criticism which may have no merit at all.
“to the more promising Xbox 360″
lol
I actually read somewhere that I thought whilst the newer 80gb model wouldn’t have the tech already, you could download the update onto your harddrive and carry on playing older games. Hardly the nicest of things Sony could’ve done, but it’s better than a kick up the backside.
Still, until this ship gets to £300, I’m not even thinking of buying it. Even though the 360 Elite is very expensive, it still has a crap load of features that make it seemingly worth the amount.
Mr. Norbit appears to be a Sony apologist. Nothing wrong with that, but let’s admit that that is what is going on here.
Of course the PS3 will drop in price, eventually. And of course I’m willing to wait for it to do so. What is annoying me is that Sony’s much bally-hooed “price drop” is, as Matt said, a clearance sale. This isn’t about what Sony is or isn’t putting into the box. It’s about their sleight-of-hand and the disingenuousness with this so-called “price drop.”
Bitch-slapped again. Thanks Sony
Craig Wagner I’m not apologising for Sony at all because they have nothing to apologise for. I’m defending them against completely unfair criticism.
Where did Sony say how long the discounted 60GB version would be available for when they announced the price cut? I didn’t see any mention of that but I assume you must have seen them say it otherwise there is no reason for you to think Sony have gone back on it and should be ‘apologising’.
If they promised a price drop but didn’t follow through with it I would be criticising them myself but Sony said they were dropping the price of the 60gb console and that’s exactly what they did. According to Kaz Harai for stocks are high enough for it to still be available for months to come so what exactly is the problem? I would be willing to bet that the 80gb version will drop to the current 60gb price after all the 60’s are gone.
Craig, what they are or aren’t putting into the box is important as well, because the price drop is for the more expensive version. If you went to buy a car, and 2 versions of the exact same thing existed, one like any other car, and one without any seats but the drivers seat, but with more room, wouldn’t you expect the one with only a seat for yourself to be cheaper?
Sony has said the difference in price for the extra 20GB is almost nothing, yet they take away something costly, yet the PS3 will be just as expensive? Not only was there no real price cut, just a fire sale, but they’ll be saving money on making the new PS3, and not passing any of it on to the consumer!
Backwards compatibility isn’t everything. All I have is FFVII and Legend of Dragoon, and the old Playstation of my friend gave me still works, but the price is far over my head, so I got a Wii and won’t even consider another console until I see it at a garage sale. I have friends who would be willing to pay any amount of a PS3, but were waiting until some good games came out, but to them, the Emotion Engine chip was important, with how some of those without it complained, and how Sony felt they needed to give something back for it.
It seems they’re just pushing as many people away as they can. The price is still too high for many, though the cost to Sony is lower, and after seeing how people without the little chip reacted (if you look around you can see some very upset people for the number of games they can’t/couldn’t play), backwards compatibility is an issue for some people.
Norbit, I’ve seen that someone in Sony said that they expected the $100 price cut to make the 60 GB versions sell out by the end of the month. They may be right with how quickly some people are flocking to get it before its gone.
“We’re going to drop the price of the 60GB PS3, and then discontinue it so that in short order it will no longer be available.”
And you think that criticism of this particular move is unfair?
As for whether the 80GB will drop in price, that’s pure speculation, not you “offering hard facts.”
you know i have to comment on this one. Sony can u give us the shaft anymore? What a stupid game u play. They have more models, feature changes, Hardware changes etc, Price changes i can keep track of. …. what is next? I would be happy with a $100 savings than getting an extra 20 GB and a game I probaly didnt want in the first place. What a let down. they get us excited and then take away the only good thing they did since its realease. Its things like that which turn people off from the PS3.
The problem that people were complaining was the price. not the lack of HDD space. so why do they do this? man im glad i didnt waste my money on the PS3 thats all i can say. Sony get your act together. Listen to your customers and possible future customers. I was even thinking of getting one, but i still wont pay the price for the 80GB model and some stupid game. again the shaft.