Lower-end PS3 to ship with wired controllers, non-upgradeable HDD?
By Evan Blass 
posted May 14th 2006 5:30PM
posted May 14th 2006 5:30PM
Besides the disheartening news that the cheaper version of the PlayStation 3 will lack WiFi, a memory card reader, and most significantly, an HDMI port, we've now learned that the $500 PS3 may also be shipping with wired, and not wireless, versions of that rumble-less, Wii-like controller. While adding separate Bluetooth controllers would only set you back a few bucks -- if, in fact, the lower-end model actually ends up shipping with BT functionality -- boosting your console's storage capacity in the future may be a non-starter, as Sony reps supposedly told Games Radar that the 20GB hard drive isn't upgradeable. With so many significant differences between the two configurations (and let's not forget the snazzy metallic lettering you get on the $600 models), it's not clear how many consumers are going to agree with Sony's Kaz Hirai that the "crippled" version of the console is a "good value" for them.Update: If it wasn't entirely clear, please bear in mind that until confirmed by Sony, the information contained herein concerning the controllers and hard drive falls squarely into the rumor camp.
[Thanks, J and Ameya T.]
You know, i doubt the $600 one has an upgradeable hard drive either. i dont see how they could design it where one is removeable and the other is not. its probably an internal drive, and both the 20 gig and the 60 gig take up the same amount of space, and therefore they are in the same location.
I really doubt the credibility of this article.
Who will want a ps3? People who want to play the ps3 exclusive games.
And suddenly the ps3 became less powerful than the 360? That's a first.
The credibility has already been blown with the OFFICIAL PDF file released by Sony.
50.
Upgrade in terms of hooking up a harddrive via USB I believe.
Why would Sony pass up a chance to market their own branded Bluetooth dongle as an "upgrade"?
A non-upgradeable internal hard drive is just another nail in the PS3's coffin.
All this talk of attaching an external drive via a USB cable is ridiculous, anti-consumer and clutching straws. It's just another perfect example of the PS3s' inherently poor design.
http://gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=55089
That link proves that bluetooth will be in both models. However, the 20GB verison will not have the ability to upgrade the HDD.
AppleFunatic: And yet both Microsoft and Nintendo have proposed the same thing in terms of storage upgrades for their consoles. Nintendo has as much as said that any USB storage device will work with the Wii.
AppleFunatic: And yet both Microsoft and Nintendo have proposed the same thing in terms of storage upgrades for their consoles. Nintendo has as much as said that any USB storage device will work with the Wii.
"36. Im going to buy the P$3 console but they better not make a new one any time soon. If they do make a new one within the next 5 years, sorry but im no longer going to support sony anymore. Money is not free!"
PlayStation -> PlayStation 2: 6 years.
PlayStation2 -> PlayStation 3: 6 years.
XBox -> XBox 360: 3 and a half years.
(based on European launch dates, sourced from Wikipedia)
the ;ps3 will support external hard drives but u can't upgrade the bult in harddrive but 360 and wii for the price of 1 ps3 u do the math ps3 is to expensive i just want a game system not a pc thats why i own a pc
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/708/708601p1.html
Says the 20 GB Hard Drive is replaceable.
Guys, do you remember any console launch in history?
Lets take xbox 360 for example(most recent), 10's of thousands of xbox 360 were sold for way over 600 dollars on ebay.
Although I agree ps3 is overtouted over-rated and overly-expensive....they will sell out.
People/parents are willing to spend that much money for a system. Don't you realize we live in a society where debt is the in thing, and all it takes is the swipe of a credit card to 'keep up with the Jones.' Whether parents can afford it or not they will buy something or not...they will. Look it all the people driving around with audis/bmw w/20inch rims, and a brand new pair of timberlands, but they live in section 8 housing, have energy assistance, receive an earned income tax credit, and collect welfare checks and foodstamps....and sell drugs on the side.....is my point proven?
Heck...when I walked out of eb-games with my 360 some guy offered me 3k cash for my system.
I walked home that day a much richer man.
Dekaritae says "AppleFunatic: And yet both Microsoft and Nintendo have proposed the same thing in terms of storage upgrades for their consoles. Nintendo has as much as said that any USB storage device will work with the Wii."
No MS has not proposed that, and what a daft thing to suggest. They allow the consumer to load music off an external device via USB, or pictures off a camera via USB. It doesn't replace the *REPLACEABLE* hard drive in function for storing games/videos etc downloaded from Live. I can't believe you would suggest MS would go to all the effort to design a REPLACEABLE hard drive for the 360, and then turn about and tell their customers to go grab any old USB hard drive to upgrade it. When MS choose to release the rumoured 100 gig hard drive (soon apparently) all the user has to do is slide off the old one and install the new one as easy as they currently install memory modules. Less cables and clutter. Far more consumer friendly. This is a world away from what Sony is proposing.
Nintendo isn't even in the same boat. As far as I am aware they have not decided to allow their consumers to download memory hungry high-definition files such as movies to their console. Just the virtual console downloading tiny emulator files which could easily fit onto a 1gig SD card without having to worry about slapping a 100 gig+ external hard drive to it. It is also disingenuous to compare them to the typically half hearted design effort Sony is proposing.
#62 an average person/family that doesn't sell drugs not everyone does the you know. I don't believe u that someone but ur 360 for 3k cause they were going for tops 2k tops on ebay but u did come out with alot richer i bet. I will get a ps3 to sell on ebay for 2k and up cuz ps3 has no game i am really looking forward to on lauch let alone the rest of there games r not that great either except ont mgs3 and possibly killzone. Also, the system is $600 i hope i can come up with enough money for it to sell over the price and $600 is alot for game system even if it has blue ray and internet browsing and all that sh*t . Thanks nintendo and microsoft for give us options. I will wait 3yrs to get a ps3 hope fully it will drop to $300-$400 cause it will take ps3 a while for it to drop cause blue ray players buy themselves cost $1000 and they won't drop for 3-6yrs cause it took 5yrs for dvd players to drop to $100. Sony will lose so much money from the ps3 cause the psx was $1000 and got discontinued cuz no one willing to pay that much for a system and the system is costing them over a thousand dollars to make it with what u get in it. hardcore gamers will buy it but not normal families/people's
and when a kid(age 12) ask hisparents for a ps3 they won't get it for him/her on less they r rich. tell me what u think of all this refer to me by my number comment
POST Number 12
Of course it'll support wireless controllers, this article is saying it won't ship with them. Make sure you read both articles first.
I think Sony might be using the cheaper version as a springboard to highlight 'how much good stuff' is in the $600 version. There's no doubts we'll end up seeing comparision matrix's showing the wii controller equal to the ps3 controller (lie), and comments around how 'good value' the $600 version is (lie). The $600 will drop to $500 by release time anyway.
Now lets all say a prayer for the Wii becoming the Apple Media Extender)
Post 24:
Do some research on the XBOX360's Symetrical Processors compared to the PS3's Cell Processor. Don't make yourself look more stupid by posting another message like that one. And about Blu-Ray vs DVD, talk to me when you see a game that actually uses more than 9 Gig's of data (you might have to wait about 3-4 years). Also, Microsoft has a compression method patented that actually increases the space available on the DVD. It's a 4:1 or 5:1 data compression technology.
Personally I think Sony has blown it:
1) Too expensive for either version of the PS3.
2) Most initial games probably won't take advantage of the controller's motion sensitivity that they ripped off of the Wii, plus no vibration & they already look outdated.
3) The lower cost version won't play HD movies in HD so the bluetooth drive is a waste.
4) Hasn't it been announced that GTA4 for the XBox360 will have multiple stories/downloads that will NOT be available for the PS3? - If so, another drawback for the PS3.
5) As has been mentioned, the number of cores, processors blah blah blah are irrelevant - the only two factors are:
A. Will the graphics on the PS3 look that much better than the 360
B. Will the games that are released solely for the PS3 be enough to motivate people to spend the exhorbitant price(s) for the PS3 (not to mention the less motivated sub-set of this group) "parents" buying one for a Christmas present
I think when it's all said and done the answer will be a NO!
As far as hard drives go, there's no need to worry too much. Anyone should be able to pry the thing open and attach a bigger one, provided it's a standard 2.5" or 3.5" drive and it has a standard SATA or IDE connection. Some modification might be necessary but it shouldn't be too painful; Sony has to use fairly generic drives to keep their cost down, I'll bet.
However, I think that Sony was way too ambitious in the design, driving up the cost with technology that the average consumer doesn't need.
You might want to check your sister site's front page before you post something like this oO
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/14/clearing-up-some-ps3-confusion/
Isnt the blu-ray drive just supposed to be for DVDs? Didnt they announce a while back that the drive would not be used for blu-ray disc games? Or am I mistaken?
looks like many sony fans start to accept Wii at least. And start losing faith on PS3... This is only what I think comparing threads before E3 and after (less Wii bashing)..
to 'kfernandes'
Obviously there isnt a game over 9gb, there isnt even 9gb disc's out you diddy! The whole reason they will be over you're so called '9gb' is that they will hold hd content they will be able to break free of their constraints. And most importantly blu-ray is going to be used for the games because sony said so sony wants to win this hd war.
@47.
If Sony's gaming industry dies, it'll be because of people like you who don't know what they're talking about.
I'm not going to lie, I love Sony products. I've got a Walkman MP3-Player, a TV a DVD-Player, the PS and PS2 and I want the PS3. I knew from the start that I was going to buy the $600 version, but I don't like the way Sony is handling the $500 version. It seems like it's just out there to be able to say only $500 when really you'll only be getting shit. The controller with it's movement sensors is going to be crap with a cable, entangle yourself. I could live with the missing card reader and WiFi, I can save to the HDD and I like network capables they are just that much more stable. Now no HDMI port was already the big down fall, but how in hell could you justify this move? No upgrade capability?
Why did they use the crappy spiderman font type for the "playstation 3"???????
The true problem between the PS3 and the Xbox 360 is not the power of the system, but the way the chip artitecture is set up. John Carmack (One of the Gods of Gaming, IMO), said in his interview with G4 while they were covering E3, that while the PS3 indeed has more power, it is set up impossibly hard to program games for. All the workload is on one single cell processor, and if you want something else done on another processor, it's near impossible. You'd have to sweat blood and tears to get the full power out of the PS3, and with most developers not willing to do that, the quality level between the PS3 & Xbox 360 will most likely stay on a level playing field.
He went on to say that the only reason the 360 has a better shot from a developer standpoint is the 3 chip, symetrical design of their processor.The PS3 has a 7 processor, asymetrical design of their processor.
I cannot currently find a link to a video of his interview, but if I do, or someone else does, please post it up. Very interesting from a developer's standpoint (and really, they are the one's who matter, cause if it ain't easy to make games, there won't be many games made)
Oh well. Sony had a good run. We'll miss you.
Maybe Sony can send us a postcard or something - ya know, from the console graveyard.
OK, so let's say blu-ray fails to become the next best thing(format). Now several years later the PS4 comes out.
Will it be backwards compatible with all the PS3(blu-ray) games you have??
lol..sounds bad for ps3 fanboys...
i already got my money ready for ps3, whether it be 600 or 800
and that 40" bravia HD
Sony will come through in the end,
every person who bought a ps2 is a potential customer for sony, with 100million shipped...thats atleast 20 million ps3 buyers...
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I hope all of us are as rich as you are to shed 500-600 plus 40" bravia just for the ps3, if we were all that rich then sony will come through in the end, thr problem ? - NOT OF ALL US IS THAT RICH
Official specs for PS3 from Sony's site:
http://www.us.playstation.com/E3/Systems/PS3
Both will have Bluetooth 2.0 and I remember a CNBC interview with the president of Sony Kaz Hirai saying the hard drive was upgradable. So yeah, the article is dead wrong for the time being(but I agree the $500 still kinda suckz without the memory card reader). As for HDMI, has anyone asked Sony if its A/V multi-out can output HDMI with HDCP encrytion or add it to the cable itself? I dont think so, and I think there's a possibility where the consumer will be able to buy the HDMI cable for the multi A/V out just like we can buy different cables for PS2 and Xbox. BTW, did anyone know both versions of the PS3 can play SACDs as well? Says so on the official spec sheet.
Regardless what anyone says, this thing will be a great addition to any decent home theater system. If u bitch, well u probably dont have a decent setup to begin with and still use a regular TV and/or have a crappy sound system. In that case just by a Wii and be happy. Without a decent setup 360 or PS3 is a waste of money in my opinion(my sound setup is pretty good, but I gotz to buy an HDTV before I buy 360 or PS3). I'll be saving up to get a 360 and PS3 along with a LED DLP HDTV (whenever one is released...whats taking so long?) to satisfy my Halo 3 and Final Fantasy XIII needs.
Can someone please answer how 3 cores make it symmetric? I did read from somewhere symmetric is the way to go in terms of # of cores, so currently AMD and Pentium is doing 2 cores and soon 4 cores. So, 3 core is by definition asymmetric. But of course only 2/3 cores in X360 is utilized right? So it IS symmetric. LOL
Both the harddrive and wired controller rumors have been proven false. Both the 20gb and 60gb versions have a door to remove the harddrive. Also, both systems have bluetooth and support wireless controllers.
Its funny how factual information takes forever to get around, but the false stuff and unfounded speculation spreads like wildfire.
Bobeotm,
I believe it was Mark Twain who once said, "A lie can make it half way around the world before truth can even its shoes on." - or at least something like that.
SonyFangirl: "I'll most definately get the PS3 regardless of price because my image and pride is always at stake whenever I buy a system. $500 and $600 should be enough to hide my demons, so Sony, I'll ride your di*k AND throw you money for your thrown together system and you throw together controller because the name Sony and graphic mean SO MUCH to me!! Forget how the games play, I just want graphics!! Don't worry Sony, I'll fight blindly with you against your bad publicity and harsh rumors that most likey are true. Don't worry Sony! Dony worry!!" ---bluntly, I don't care what ANYONE else thinks, from me reading ALOT of things about Sony on multiple sites/blogs/journals ALL Sony fans look EXACTLY like this. But ya know, Sony fan are IN THE MOST DENIAL STATE EVER as well. Anything thats not proSony is blastromy(sp?). Deny that, and you're proving me right. I'm not an fanboy of ANY company.
Ps3 is not going to be better than 360 I don't give a damn what anyone says theres just no way I mean some games are a little better but still even most aren't
and sony is just charging so much cause there losing so much money in other areas exspecially all the record deals they lost to apple and there computers aren't do to well either
360 !! all the way
"Post #6 by will z
this is fucking rediculous this info made up my mind.
IM NOT buying this system.
I am a huuge fan of sony but they cant make us spend 500$ and not even get a card reader."
then dont BUY THE FUXKING MACHINE! Cell and Blu-ray already cost more than your shitty little 500 bucks.
stop whinning and play your shit box990
I dont see the issue - one option is a game machine only the other is a PC. So if you just want to play games like the xbox get the low grade version, if your looking to get as much as you can you get the up version - its no different from a car you get the base for driving or the GT for all the luxury but its still the same car basically...? Why are people moaning about it?
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