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Bye Bye 40 GB PS3
July 16, 2008

Sony executives are being quoted out of E3 that they will be phasing out the 40 GB PS3, in favor of solely supporting its 80 GB model. Starting in September, Sony will launch a $399 80 GB PS3, representing about a significant price drop from its earlier tag.
According to this Seattle newspaper blog, Sony senior VP Peter Dille said the company wanted to make PS3 a simpler purchase for consumers. And at the $399 price, matching the smaller-capacity 40 GB tag, the 80 GB should represent a good deal for people.
But those hoping Sony would eventually discount the littler 40 GB PS3, to coincide with a $399 80 GB PS3 seem to be out of luck. Also to the dismay of some, the new $399 80 GB version, will not feature backwards compatibility with Playstation 2 games. That matches the capabilties of the current 40 GB console. But today's more expensive 80 GB PS3 boasted PS2 game playback.
One has to wonder if any of these moves will help PS3 compete with the Wii, which has stayed at $249 since launch and continues to far outsell both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 each month.

Posted by Susanne Ault on July 16, 2008 | Comments (0)