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http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/01/24/bes ... -80gb-ps3/

An anonymous Best Buy employee has sent us a scan of an internal letter, which notifies employees that the 80GB system is being discontinued. "The 80GB version of the PS3 is going closeout and won't be replaced at this time," it reads. "It will come off the planogram on Jan. 28. The 60GB version should already be gone from stores. Only the 40GB version of PS3 will be sold in Best Buy stores at this time."

Well done abandoning your legacy. I hope this cost-cutting comes back to bite you in the ass. In the meantime, I suppose I need to start making burnt offerings to the departed ghost of Kutaragi so my 60 doesn't die :/

It would probably be best to wait until Sony makes an official announcement before making kneejerk reactions. Not that this would surprise me, but no reason to jump to conclusions based on an anonymous internal memo.

General Zod wrote:It would probably be best to wait until Sony makes an official announcement before making kneejerk reactions. Not that this would surprise me, but no reason to jump to conclusions based on an anonymous internal memo.

This is pretty much confirmed. BB memos are how the axing of the 20 and the 360 Core were first broken.

I am slightly calmer now, though. For once, early adopters aren't the ones getting screwed, because we will always have the most fully-featured PS3s. I guess Sony is going to abandon their high-end approach and try to build up appeal to the J6P market by slashing prices. The other rumour this week about the $299 price point is now probably true. From a techy perspective it's very disappointing, and honestly kills a large differentiator between them and the 360.

EDIT: Also, maybe it's possible a new high-end SKU with PS2 BC is coming? They have had a large staff working on the SW BC.

Xisiqomelir wrote: The other rumour this week about the $299 price point is now probably true.

Denied.

"We have no plans for any pricing announcements on PS3," a Sony representative told GamePro in an email on Tuesday. "What you are hearing is purely rumor and speculation."

The fact that they've done this everywhere else in the world didn't tip you off to the possibility?

Backwards Compatibility staff for the PS3 are likely employed to work up PS1 games for Playstation Network.

Vendetta wrote:The fact that they've done this everywhere else in the world didn't tip you off to the possibility?

Backwards Compatibility staff for the PS3 are likely employed to work up PS1 games for Playstation Network.

And PS2 games at $14.99 a pop, shame about your discs.

General Zod wrote:

Xisiqomelir wrote: The other rumour this week about the $299 price point is now probably true.

Denied.

"We have no plans for any pricing announcements on PS3," a Sony representative told GamePro in an email on Tuesday. "What you are hearing is purely rumor and speculation."

Pure PR speak. If Jan 28th comes and goes, then it's true, if it comes and they announce white 40s with bundled DS3s @299, they suddenly had plans.

Xisiqomelir wrote:
Pure PR speak. If Jan 28th comes and goes, then it's true, if it comes and they announce white 40s with bundled DS3s @299, they suddenly had plans.

Methinks you're getting your facts mixed up. That article only quashed the $299 rumor. Had nothing to do with removing the 80gb model.

General Zod wrote:

Xisiqomelir wrote:
Pure PR speak. If Jan 28th comes and goes, then it's true, if it comes and they announce white 40s with bundled DS3s @299, they suddenly had plans.

Methinks you're getting your facts mixed up. That article only quashed the $299 rumor. Had nothing to do with removing the 80gb model.

Well, the 40 is currently $399. Dropping it to $299 would be a "pricing announcement".

The tears of a spurned fan are so very delicious.


But then, misery loves company. (I hate you, Paramount.)

Why do I care? I have a PS2, that plays imports at that. My PS3 will be for PS3 games.

Yeah, but some games do look shiny when upscaled, and it does save pissing around with endless AV cables. Those five seconds of your life could be critical!

And wireless controllers. Controller cables are so 2005.

Vendetta wrote:Yeah, but some games do look shiny when upscaled, and it does save pissing around with endless AV cables. Those five seconds of your life could be critical!

And wireless controllers. Controller cables are so 2005.

But I do have a wireless controller for my PS2.

The $299 PS3 is I strongly suspect a reality. Sony PR will of COURSE call it speculation, but if anyone can remember Sony denied the last price drop despite a leaked Circuit City ad, and another retailer receipt that showed an advanced sale. Sony didn't acknowledge the price drop last time until the day that they formally announced it.

One of my contacts at Sony keeps pointing at the rumors and dropping hints too...I'd bet we're going to see a price drop come January 28th.

Brilliant, so I bought a PS3 a week before a price drop. Fuck.

Hope it's not true.

Praxis wrote:The $299 PS3 is I strongly suspect a reality. Sony PR will of COURSE call it speculation, but if anyone can remember Sony denied the last price drop despite a leaked Circuit City ad, and another retailer receipt that showed an advanced sale. Sony didn't acknowledge the price drop last time until the day that they formally announced it.

One of my contacts at Sony keeps pointing at the rumors and dropping hints too...I'd bet we're going to see a price drop come January 28th.

In the odd chance they do drop it to $299, I'll finally have sufficient reason to get one. The price point has been my main reason for holding back.

Vympel wrote:Brilliant, so I bought a PS3 a week before a price drop. Fuck.

Hope it's not true.

Did you save your receipt?

Praxis wrote:

Vympel wrote:Brilliant, so I bought a PS3 a week before a price drop. Fuck.

Hope it's not true.

Did you save your receipt?

Yeah, I'm not sure about Ockerland, but over here we have consumer protections against pricedrops within a month of purchase at the big CE chains. A store has to refund the difference.

What is the difference between the 40, 60 and 80GB versions?

havokeff wrote:What is the difference between the 40, 60 and 80GB versions?

The 60 and the 80 have backwards compatibility, otherwise the size is the only difference. The 40 has no backwards compatibility.

I see. Groovy.

General Zod wrote:

havokeff wrote:What is the difference between the 40, 60 and 80GB versions?

The 60 and the 80 have backwards compatibility, otherwise the size is the only difference. The 40 has no backwards compatibility.

It does have PS1 BC.

General Zod wrote:

havokeff wrote:What is the difference between the 40, 60 and 80GB versions?

The 60 and the 80 have backwards compatibility, otherwise the size is the only difference. The 40 has no backwards compatibility.

Technically, the 60 had PS2 hardware inside while the 80 does it on software.

Functionally, there is very little difference between the 60 and 80. Only a few games have glitches with software emulation.

Best Buy employees, or at least the one at the one I went to, have alread started saying that the 80 gig is being discontinued.

I don't know about pricedrops. Though considering that HD-DVD took a big hit, and the PS3 is a blu-ray player, it seems like they really don't need to lower the price since I forsee an increase in purchases due to that.

neoolong wrote:Best Buy employees, or at least the one at the one I went to, have alread started saying that the 80 gig is being discontinued.

I don't know about pricedrops. Though considering that HD-DVD took a big hit, and the PS3 is a blu-ray player, it seems like they really don't need to lower the price since I forsee an increase in purchases due to that.

AFAIK, due to the rapid drop in price of Blu-ray (doubly so due to the recent news), Sony's actually making a very small profit off of the PS3 these days (Cell also went down in price as PS3's are so widely produced and Toshiba is starting to make HDTVs using the processors).

They might as well drop the price to $299 if they've got the business plan in place to make an overall profit off a loss-leader. It would probably let them finally pass the 360.

Praxis wrote:
Did you save your receipt?

*runs to check*

Yup. Why?

*sees Xis' comment*

Hmmm.