Rumor, continued: $399 PS3 to launch November 16th

by Andrew Yoon { Oct 1st 2007 at 4:00PM }

The $399 PS3 "rumor" won't go away. And for good reason, too. The evidence clearly shows that something is going to happen ... soon. While most rumors from "industry insiders" we'll shrug off, this one from ars technica has caught our attention. Why? Well, ars technica is certainly far more reliable than some other rumor-mongering websites.

According to the report, a new $399 PS3 will be available on or before November 16th. This is part of the crucial holiday buying season, and a $399 PS3 will be far more attractive than the current $499 60GB model. In fact, some may argue it would be approximately 20% more attractive to the average consumer.

It won't be too long before we find out the truth. Stay tuned.

[Thanks, Ruibing!]

Tags: $399, 40gb, price-drop

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Anghel @ Oct 1st 2007 4:09PM

I will buy one for sure the day it goes down to 399.

ruibing @ Oct 1st 2007 4:18PM

Btw, when I found that article, I also found another one, not as well sourced though, that states it will also be made using a 65nm Cell processor and higher gain wireless b/g chip.

Who knows, it might be the reverse of what we are all thinking, since the only thing really unsure is the HDD size. The 80GB might drop to $399 and then a larger size migt replace it at $499.

Arno @ Oct 1st 2007 4:25PM

About time, this should have been out at launch.

JKPierce @ Oct 1st 2007 4:32PM

Twenty percent is honestly kinda low. With only a minute fraction of the PlayStation 2's userbase investing so far in its successor, and only half of the Xbox's userbase moving to the 360, gamers looking for a long-term console are waiting.

JKPierce @ Oct 1st 2007 4:33PM

Well, most, I should say. I'm quite content with mine.

Deviation @ Oct 1st 2007 4:43PM

Anything that sells more units is a good thing as I don't want to see the platform lose any more software support.

hovan316 @ Oct 1st 2007 4:44PM

Good for Sony!!!

A 40G version and 80G version is all that is gonna be left after the 60G version is completely sold-out.
Hopefully the 80 will go down to the price of the 60.
So, to sum it up, this is what we should have in the next couple of months:

40G: 399.99$

80G: 499.99$

Pretty damn good to me...especially with MSG4, Killzone 2, Ratchet and Clank, Haze, Uncharted, GT5, God of War 3, Heavenly Sword 2, UT3, Jak and Final Fantasy on their way...

Strike Man @ Oct 1st 2007 5:06PM

Oh god, you people have already added "Heavenly Sword 2" to your list of games you blindly cut & paste on why you believe your ePenis is bigger than someone else's?

*insert large rolling eyes gif*

Two things strike me based on this rumor. One, the fact that companies almost never announce a price drop ahead of time for the simple (and obvious) reason of how it'll impact sales. So if they were to announce this drop October 12th, sales of the PS3 between then and November 15th would be quite light, as many informed consumers might simply wait for the cheaper model. It's fair to assume that one of the two dates being thrown arround is accurate, but I highly doubt both of them will be about a new model and/or a price drop.

The second thing that hit me, about a 11/16 launch of a newer and cheaper model, is that it's a fairly good time to do so, since Uncharted and Rock Band will both be out within a week or so, and COD4 will have just come out.

kingrottenboy @ Oct 1st 2007 6:04PM

you know who must be really happy! all those companies that licensed the blu ray technology from Sony to make stand alone blu ray players, when the ps3 drops, and sony starts losing around 200 dollars for each console sold. guess what those stand alone blu ray players won't come close to selling. cause guess what those companies can't cut thier prioe below manufacturing because they don't get royalty checks on blu ray movies sold. sad

Michael C. Sherrin @ Oct 1st 2007 6:13PM

Please stop the madness and just announce this already. I want my PS3 to last forever and this cheaper PS3 is vital to making that happen. Some games just only work on a Sony platform (it still hard to see a Shadow of the Colossus being made on the Xbox 360).

********

Michael C. Sherrin
http://www.prodigeek.com/

Strike Man @ Oct 1st 2007 6:21PM

"Some games just only work on a Sony platform (it still hard to see a Shadow of the Colossus being made on the Xbox 360)."
On the outside chance that you're referring to that specific title, obviously it can't happen as Team Ico is a part of SCEJ.

But more likely, if you're referring to an artful game along those lines, then how exactly does the system matter? How exactly does the brand name of Sony on the controller or console make a game any more or less a piece of art?

kingrottenboy @ Oct 1st 2007 7:26PM

will someone please name all the exclusive first party titles sony owns that are good ( not that they are putting out) it seems to me they are holding back!

I mean I heard the next socom will be a very stripped down online game. wtf.

don't they own everquest? where is that?k

shadow of colosus, not even a press buletin on that.

it seems to me the people running sony entertainment are not gamers.

Next_Generation @ Oct 1st 2007 8:44PM

Is it me or has the PS3 gone under more changes than Michael Jackson?!?

L @ Oct 1st 2007 9:16PM

lmao at 13 ...... ...look at the Wii just one system for all ... it really should be like that =(

still i would get a PS3 for £200 =D

ruibing @ Oct 1st 2007 9:20PM

@12

See for yourself whether PS3 exclusives are good:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:PlayStation_3-only_games

Malarkey @ Oct 1st 2007 9:51PM

I love the PS3 system I bought in August. It's well-designed, more quiet than my 360, looks cool...the only problem is, I've only been compelled to buy one game for it, MotorStorm. I honestly haven't played my PS3 in two months. I'vve been playing Crackdown, Bioshock and Halo 3 on my 360 since then. And the PS3 online presence seems clunky and weak compared to Xbox Live. I think they need to drop the price to $299 before it sees any significant action.

ruibing @ Oct 1st 2007 10:07PM

@16

I doubt $299 will ever happen in the near future, since that is way too low. The 360 Elite, which doesn't have HD-DVD, costs $449, why in the world will a PS3 with Blu Ray cost $150 less than that? I really think we should all count our blessings when the $399 (or even $449) gets released.

JKPierce @ Oct 1st 2007 10:51PM

"...if you're referring to an artful game along those lines, then how exactly does the system matter?"

Demographic. Despite Microsoft's age-old chant that the Xbox and its successor is for everyone, it isn't. The demographic is still 20-35 year old males, hence the instant gratification action-related titles being the largest grossing.

The PlayStation 2 had an installed userbase of 120-some million; naturally, the types of gamers vary to extreme degrees within such a large number. This made it easier for developers, such as Team ICO, to express themselves in ways that those developing on a Microsoft platform couldn't afford to allow.

JKPierce @ Oct 1st 2007 10:55PM

And Malarkey, that's entirely subjective. Between Heavenly Sword, Warhawk and Rainbow Six: Vegas, my PS3 is rarely off.

Dewy9 @ Oct 1st 2007 11:43PM

Is it true that this version won't be backwards compatible? If so, that's a big drawback for me, even though I do plan on getting a PS3 this winter.

ruibing @ Oct 1st 2007 11:46PM

@20

I doubt it will have backward compatibility since Sony has already been hard at work providing backward compatibility improvements to the 80GB with the last few updates. I don't think its a big concern since every other console uses software emulation and I've tried my favorite games (mostly RPGs except MGS) and they all work pretty well on my friend's 80GB here at college. If it is a big concern, go ahead and get the 60GB while its still available, don't expect that to drop in price.