Confirmed: $100 price drop, new 80GB PS3 coming August

by Colin Torretta { Jul 8th 2007 at 9:50PM }

The PS3 is now $499, effective immediately. In addition, a new SKU will come out in August, ringing in at $599. It will include the previously exclusive-to-Korea 80GB PS3, as well as the full retail version of Motorstorm.

While it is interesting that Sony is moving back to two SKUs, the new $599 package doesn't sound particularly enticing. Motorstorm is a fantastic game and the extra 20 GB is nice, but paying an extra $100 for it seems a bit expensive. How does it tickle your fancy?

[Thanks Myke C!]

Tags: 80 gb, 80Gb, dave karraker, DaveKarraker, motorstorm

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

kingofwale @ Jul 8th 2007 9:58PM

I got a feeling that people who will be paying 600 dollars will get a juicy something also, but I guess that will be left to E3.

So, kudo to sony for 2 reasons:

1... countering xbox's extending warranty with an even bigger news. Great PR right there going into E3. now, let's hit a home run with more great games.

2... leaked 1 weeks before the official date, that is sure better than 4 weeks xbox elite held. ;)

Justin @ Jul 8th 2007 10:02PM

heeeelllllll naaaahhhhh

Sean @ Jul 8th 2007 10:15PM

I KNEW IT! And I'll bet the 60 gb is going to lose wireless internet and a few USB ports just like the 20 gb.

GRT @ Jul 8th 2007 10:17PM

Published early? Not according to this quote:

"The announcement comes two days before the E3 Media & Business Summit in Santa Monica, Calif., where dozens of industry heavyweights including Sony rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co. are expected to show off their latest games and related products."

Unless E3 got pushed back a week :) , this was published when intended...

Great news, I can't wait to be d/ling HD movies to my PS3! Yeah yeah, I know the 360 can do that now, but you need to crank the volume to where the neighbors calls the cops just so you can hear the dialog over the 360's fans. Plus no way I'm giving MS $180 for a bigger hard drive.

dradiant @ Jul 8th 2007 10:38PM

80 gig harddrive and a free game,
so that is a 20 additional gigs and a 60 dollar game for a hundred more than the 60 gig. you don't even get to choose which game (Motorstorm of course is upper tier game...) still doesn't seem like a good deal to me. Does anyone think the 80 gig model is a good deal compared to the 60 gig? but i guess the big question is how will Microsoft respond?

kingofwale @ Jul 8th 2007 10:54PM

>I'll bet the 60 gb is going to lose wireless internet and a few USB ports just like the 20 gb.

I will take that bet, how much will you wager?

and no, I will not take your RROD 360 off your hand. ;)

Thaddeus Whithed @ Jul 8th 2007 10:59PM

The 80 gigger will come with the new rumble controller . The 60 giggers will then be phased out. The price cut is basically the only way to unload the 60 gig rumbleless ps3s before the new sku. They will drop the new sku down to 500 bucks before christmas.

WhackMushroom @ Jul 8th 2007 11:00PM

this was totally published as intended .. its been on the wire since friday sans the fairplay xbox 360 bit .. bloggers need to get some AP access ;)

humpty @ Jul 8th 2007 11:01PM

The lower price on the 60gb is to clear inventory so that the 60gb can eventually be phased out.. much like the 20gb version. The 80gb will take its place at the higher price point and lower cost of production (its based on the non-EE Korean version).

Then, in a few months, the price of the 80gb will drop to (1) clear its inventory and (2) make way for a 120gb version. Thats how the PS3 model revision will be phased in.. you've gotta do something with that existing inventory.

no. 3 is a moron

uberwaffle @ Jul 8th 2007 11:02PM

If the 60GB version remains unchanged, I cannot see this selling at all. I wouldn't think anyone would see more percieved value with this than with the 60gig model, especially considering hard drives are user replaceable and dropping in price all the time. (hint: the 60gig is more 'worth it'),

Unless you really, really want motorstorm, I guess.

WhackMushroom @ Jul 8th 2007 11:06PM

ah ... i see this was via engadget .. people getting back from the beach i guess ;)

B1gC72 @ Jul 8th 2007 11:20PM

yea i can only see this selling to uninformed people, who unfortunately wander into a store where the employees don't know jack about what they sell, to buy their PS3's. since the PS3 is already easily upgradeable on the HDD side, i would say there has to be more to it like maybe included rumble controllers like someone else mentioned since i seriously doubt they would downgrade the 60gb SKU. only time will tell. bring on E3 already!

trev @ Jul 8th 2007 11:27PM

I'd like to think it will get rumble as well. I haven't missed it in any of my games so far, but it will shut some people up.

Luckily rumble is all in the controller and games, so anyone that has a 60 now can pick up a new controller if they want it. There will probably be a firmware update to go with as well.

kingofwale @ Jul 8th 2007 11:28PM

>yea i can only see this selling to uninformed people,

no offense, as much as I want everybody to get a PS3, i don't think any 'uninformed people' would throw out 500 dollars for a game console, Heck, I don't even throw out 50 bucks for a game I don't know.

humpty @ Jul 8th 2007 11:31PM

Well! The 80gb arent coming until August.. so, maybe they will announce then that it will have the Rumble controller. just in time for the rumble patch for MotorStorm?

Murry @ Jul 8th 2007 11:32PM

Eh.. I think they shoulda made this part of the price drop really. But then again who knows. I mean Sonys denying the Price Drop right now anywys arnt they? nah.. unlikely. But would be cool if that was the case.

Rivithed @ Jul 8th 2007 11:37PM

Yeah, it is official, and here is the first box shot! : http://www.gamingbits.com/content/view/2292/2/

Se7enwolf @ Jul 8th 2007 11:41PM

dont believe this one. Local news groups like this dont get special info from big name companies like sony before anyone else. Their sources are other news sources. The 80gb sku is only about Korea, the US and Canada was a rumour also surfacing the web and the price drop is from the leaked info from the circuit city ad. trust me local news stations suck at getting straight facts. and their source is directly from them, its from other news sources that they just threw into to make a full story.

Ozyman666 @ Jul 8th 2007 11:54PM

It's real, but the story was supposed to be embargoed until 3 a.m. tomorrow.

Kenneth H. @ Jul 9th 2007 12:00AM

The price drop is confirmed....effective....without being able to read the rest of the WSJ article I suspect the rest is also true....now the only question is should I return my PS3 now (since I'm still within my 30 days at Amazon) and wait for this new one to come out....decisions, decisions....

KEH

Kenneth H. @ Jul 9th 2007 12:01AM

meant to say effective today....

and here is the link:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118394791259560639.html?mod=yahoo_hs&ru=yahoo

CJ @ Jul 9th 2007 12:46AM

All you fanboys think MS is bad? What is Sony doing different? "Lets bring down our price which is still not far enough and then come out with an expensive model again in a couple months." Less than a year and they are forced to cut their price. Bad news for Sony and it should be bad news for Sony fans. They still have lame games, weak online play, and just nothing comparable to what is already out there. There has been nothing shown so far that shows PS3 to be superior.
Even more so, Sony must spend more money on TV ads because most of the TV ads I see are for PS3 games, yet they still are not doing well in sales.
I am sure they will come around and get an audience sooner or later, but by that time, the new Next Gen systems will be on the horizon or out already.
Sony, when you actually think about all this, is just making stupid mistakes constantly. Even better still, the 360 even with having some consoles fail, is still superior and played by more people. I will admit, I have gone through 2 360's. But the turn around time on getting a new one on both occasions was less than 2 weeks. I also have a life and can live with out playing video games for more than a couple days unlike some of you.
Bottom line is that as great as you think the PS3 is and Sony is, this price drop just shows that they are desperate. They also show how ridiculous it is since they are coming out with another non superior 600 dollar model in a few months.

kingofwale @ Jul 9th 2007 12:57AM

>All you fanboys think MS is bad? What is Sony doing different?

how about:
1... making a console that DOESN'T break? Look at the number 1 billion dollars = $100 repair/console * 10 million consoles = all the consoles will break in next year.

2... NOT lie about their RROD? or stop making some changes to the design so the FUTURE owners won't have to face the same problem?

3... don't INCREASE the price on a SKU? In case you are wondering, You don't see Sony's 80GB version goes up by 76 bucks, right??

RangerPrimeX @ Jul 9th 2007 1:06AM

Wow they finally get it that they are too expensive yet they are still releasing another model for more money for just 20GB more and a pack in game. Just stupid. Why?
To sell through the 60GB model then discontinue it like the 20GB and bolster the sagging sales. Tack on 5 free Blu-ray movies makes this such a desperate please buy our system plea.
I will still pass Sony for now.

Sy @ Jul 9th 2007 1:44AM

Hey CJ ...

Shouldn't you be praying that your xbox360 won't get a RRoD the night before Halo 3 launch?

ajax @ Jul 9th 2007 2:11AM

i love it when people like CJ(aka xbots) use the excuse that the 360 is ahead in sales and that the ps3 has a lack of games, am i the only one that realizes that the 360 came out a year ahead of any competition?

sure i bought a 360 but only cause the ps3 wasnt out yet and i wanted to play next gen games. now that the ps3 has a price drop and i have the money i will buy it, its not like ill be playing my 360 anytime soon anyway, it crapped out on me last week..

oh and "CJ" since you apparently are very good at knowing when a company is desperate..does the new 3 year xbox warranty set off any alarm in your head?

will @ Jul 9th 2007 2:19AM

Hey 25/Sy,

Shouldn't you stop the damn fanboy wars? It's pointless. They are fucking video game consoles. It's not like these are religions or political policies or something of that nature.

And before you say anything, the last two consoles I've owned are Xbox and Xbox 360. Guess what? I just shipped my 360 away due to the RROD. So what? I don't care. I had loads of fun playing games on it before it died, and I'm 100% sure that I'll have even more loads of fun playing games on it once I get it back. I can live without it for an extended period of time.

jason @ Jul 9th 2007 2:41AM

@ajax

I know PS2 was last gen but it had its problems and sony eventually offered free repair cuz someone filed a lawsuit against them so just stop saying well 360 breaks and you have to get it fixed and wait for it. Also, people still bought ps2 cuz of the games even though it had its hardware failures just like people are buying the 360 cuz of games.

Kxpuc @ Jul 9th 2007 3:01AM

the extra $100 for the 80GB gives you
Motorstorm
20GB more space
5 Blu-Ray movies
which total more then $100. granted that only last til the 5 free movie thing wears off then it's kinda steep for only 80GB when you can just swap out a 60GB for a 180GB or something

Kspraydad @ Jul 9th 2007 3:13AM

My guess...

New price structure stays until October...to clear out as much 60gb stock as possible

Any remaining 60GB go for 399 and the 80GB will get rumble controller and game for 499.

According to Bloomberg Sony is now making money on a per console basis...you might even see the 80GB down to 450 (with no game) by October.

apease @ Jul 9th 2007 3:13AM

Looks like you get a controller with a red PS button on the 80 GB (coughRUMBLE).

Mak @ Jul 9th 2007 3:37AM

HDD sizes in PS3 are pretty moot anyway. It uses bog standard 2.5in SATA, and the PS3 handbook shows how to replace the HDD with a larger unit yourself, WITHOUT VOIDING YOUR WARRANTY.

160GB disks are $90.

People would be better off getting a 60GB PS3 (or even a 20GB, if they could find one, and could do without Wifi), and fitting a 160GB disk. Much more cost efficient.

I suspect the new 80GB SKU, will also share the PAL software emulation of PS2 games (which to be fair is pretty decent today FW 1.82, and only very slightly inferior to the hardware emulation, something I am sure Sony will fully polish in the run up to August)

apease @ Jul 9th 2007 4:39AM

Mak: I'd almost guarantee it's using software emulation, the side of the box in the ps blog photo talks about limited backwards compatibility. I only hope the older systems can switch to software emulation and back easily. Why? Software emulation has the potential to have vastly better upscaling.

jason: The highest credible number I've seen for ps2 failures was around 2%, in an Australian article about the 360's apparent 30% failure rate. PS3 and Wii are under 1%.

langx @ Jul 9th 2007 4:47AM

20 gb for 399. Now thats a deal.

500 bucks is not going to make that much of a difference. They are going to have to come up with a better bundle. Turn in a PS2 and a few games and you get another $100 off. Turn in your 360 and get 300 off.

Sony just does not realize that there is a certain price these systems need to be at to sell. They've priced themselves out of the market of the average working family.

Sony have laid there cards on the table.

It will be interesting to see MS response. Will they check and wait till halo comes out and announce a pay cut or will they go all in at E3 and attempt to end this before it even started.

A 360 core for 199 or a Premium for 350 with Halo included. It's going to be an interesting end of the
year.

langx @ Jul 9th 2007 4:47AM

My guess...

New price structure stays until October...to clear out as much 60gb stock as possible

Any remaining 60GB go for 399 and the 80GB will get rumble controller and game for 499. by Kspraydad

I believe they will have to lower the price again before this year is out also. I believe they will have to do it because $100 off is not enough.

langx @ Jul 9th 2007 4:47AM

jason: The highest credible number I've seen for ps2 failures was around 2%, in an Australian article about the 360's apparent 30% failure rate. PS3 and Wii are under 1%.

Posted at 4:39AM on Jul 9th 2007 by apease

It's almost crazy that Sony can't defeat a machine with a 30% failure rate. That's embarrassing.

It truly must be all about the games.

Luke @ Jul 9th 2007 5:02AM

4 weeks on elite!
here in Australia its still not out!

Ty @ Jul 9th 2007 5:40AM

Woot waiting has payed off. We all know sony won't crash if it sells at even more of a loss.

Or even if it doesn't make back from game sales.

For those of us who do get this console though, good times will be had.

Alex_p. @ Jul 9th 2007 5:46AM

Korea also got video on demand..... are we going to get video on demand? because i want video on demand!!! i also don't think the rumble six axis is going to be coming out that soon. i read somewhere that its batter life in development was entirely to short for sony's standards so they wont release it until they have somewhat perfected it.

jason @ Jul 9th 2007 6:08AM

@langx

I couldn't find a website that said what PS2's failure rate was but at a certain point alot of ps2 owners had problems reading disc's even if they were new and at that point the failure rate was high for ps2's but overtime ps2's sold 90 million so the failure rate went down but at a certain point they were high had to get fixed for free. So if 360 had no more major problems with there systems since they are coming out with a new chip to run the system cooler and sell the same amount that ps2 did which won't happen but there failure rate would be between 3% and 5% which isn't bad

jason @ Jul 9th 2007 6:10AM

@langx
I meant ps2 has sold close to 120 million

Hatchetforce @ Jul 9th 2007 6:54AM

I would comment but I am laughing too hard at all of the naysayers that said all of the leaked Circuit City price drop ads were fake. How does that fat slice of crow pie taste. Now if Sony can get a decent redesign of the Playstation Store out and hit us up with the rumble we'll have a good start to the second half of the calendar year.

Nevelo @ Jul 9th 2007 7:12AM

bad move on sonys part for releasing a 80gb model becasue now new adopters arent gonna but the cheap system so therefore they are gonna stll look at the ps3 as being 599.99 i own a 60gb and if i want or need a bigger harddrive ill just upgrade myself

Mr. Nevelo S. @ Jul 9th 2007 7:13AM

. bad move on sonys part for releasing a 80gb model becasue now new adopters arent going to wanna buy the cheap version of the system so therefore they are gonna stll look at the ps3 as being 599.99 i own a 60gb and if i want or need a bigger harddrive ill just upgrade myself

WhackMushroom @ Jul 9th 2007 7:18AM

hope all you other fanboys realize that if this is thier pre-e3 press bomb .. whats in store for this week should make alot of people happy eh?

Jak @ Jul 9th 2007 9:20AM

So when is it gonna be effective in Europe?

P @ Jul 9th 2007 9:28AM

Jak - It'll probably be 2010, it'll have a £20/30€ price drop and VAT's will be raised by 5% meaning we'll be paying more.
Its the European way :D

Im buying one this month, full price or discounted. I agree the RRP price is quite high (PS2 came out at £300, 7 years on paying £425 and knowing what you get it doesnt seem too bad) but its not so high it'd stop me from paying for it if i can afford to buy one, only reason to not buy now for me is the fact that there isnt a must-buy game i havent played a lot of already (enough to satify me) so im interested in seeing what E3 has to show and may wait for a EU price-drop but not at the expense of missing out on a decent games release.

jojo29 @ Jul 9th 2007 9:49AM

Ok for those of you saying " paying $100 for Motorstorm is ridiculous" stop it..right now, just stop and think..

Ok at $499 you get, console, wires/cables etc..a controller and 60GBs.

Ok so what do you get at $599? ok lets analyze this:

Starting price $499
-add $59.99 Motorstorm game ( puts us around $460ish )
-add in $10-20 extra for rumble controller( currently $49.99 so 10-20 extra bucks for rumble, puts the system over/at $600 )
-add the 20GB of space (granted its probably less than $20 given currrent HD trends

Jonathan @ Jul 9th 2007 11:11AM

Very nice of you Sony.
I have to admit that my involuntary hate for Sony just got a little lighter all of a sudden. If they show me some interesting stuff at E3(I am sure they will) maybe I will buy one when the price drop effects us in Europe.

So let's say in december?