Sony fesses to "considering" larger capacity PS3

It's the small moral victories that count, and after Sony ruined all of our fun the other week with that "we don't have any plans at the moment" non-denial denial of an 80GB PS3, it's nice to see 'em fess up to "considering" a larger drive for the console. That's really all the dirt we have at the moment, though. The comment was made by Satoshi Fukuoka, a Sony Computer Entertainment spokesman, and he didn't seem keen on elaborating. It could mean a new, higher-priced SKU (think the Elite) or a price drop to the 60GB model, which now stands alone in the USA and Europe, and insertion of the new, larger model at the current 60GB price point. It's anyone's guess, so take your best crack at it in the comments.

[Via Joystiq]

[anonymouspimp @ Apr 16th 2007 5:21PM]

"Fukuoka" might be the greatest last name ever.

[boku @ Apr 16th 2007 5:22PM]

Elite package. 2 hdmi + 3 ethernet ports + 80 gig hd and maybe throw in a bd burner. Remember the initial ps3 specs?

[Payam @ Apr 16th 2007 5:34PM]

I would only think dual HDMI ports would make sense for split screen gaming. PS3 only supports split screen within one monitor, not two.

Here is what I suggest Sony does:

*$599 or $549 price point
*80 GB, 120 GB or even a 160 GB
*HDMI cable
*DVD burning

*$499 or $349
*60 GB
*Component cable


Keep the 60 GB as is and

[kingofwale @ Apr 16th 2007 5:22PM]

wait...

adding a higher SKU into the lineup while lowering the price of the older SKU??

is that even possible?? Can you really do that? Somebody better inform Microsoft.

[Jonathan Keim @ Apr 16th 2007 5:34PM]

So we go from a lousy 60 GB to a little less lousy 80 GB?

250 GB are selling for under $60

[Moff @ Apr 16th 2007 8:29PM]

@Payam

Wow.. 349 or 499.. that's a huge price jump . :)

[js @ Apr 16th 2007 5:36PM]

-Free PSP
-8GB memory stick DUO
-2 wireless controllers
-HDMI cable
-BRAVIA XBR KDL46XBR2 46" LCD TV
-200GB hard drive
-built-in bread warmer

$599 price point and we're all sold.

[James Mack @ Apr 16th 2007 10:51PM]

Yes I agree with that. Warming my breakfast and playing Resistance:Fall of Man. Better not get food in the controller, it could start vibrating. Wait a minute....

[eddy_88_nite @ Apr 16th 2007 5:50PM]

theres no point in just making a larger hard drive so they have to add something else and maybe a bread warmer isn't that bad.

[StevO @ Apr 16th 2007 6:00PM]

Add in a George Foreman grill. Then I'm sold

[Brent @ Apr 16th 2007 6:08PM]

I think dropping the 60GB down to either $499 or $549 and then adding a 120GB (with HDMI cable) at $599 wouldn't be a bad idea. The nice thing about PS3 is that you can upgrade your PS3 hard drive whenever you want, so the early adopters aren't screwed over, unlike the early 360 adopters (me included).

[ccastro42 @ Apr 16th 2007 6:28PM]

That thing is a breadwarmer/foreman grill. Watch a Blu-ray movie and tyy putting your hand back there...

[Craig @ Apr 16th 2007 6:37PM]

Not entirely true...When Microsoft releases the Elite they're releasing the 120GB HDD as a separate product, complete with the cable that'll transfer your data. Of course, I'll wait to hear the reports of how well the transfer works, but I'm considering uprading because 20GB just isn't enough ;)

[Ekauq @ Apr 16th 2007 6:24PM]

i'll just wait till 2078 :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1FpuLcn8f4

[lorderk @ Apr 16th 2007 6:26PM]

Slow news day...much.

[h0mi @ Apr 16th 2007 7:21PM]

Predictions?
Lots of "LOL Sony is the only console maker to ever kill a SKU in its first 6 months" followed by "LOL Sony beat MS by updating their 'future proofed' SKU only 6 months into its shelf life".

Lots of people expecting a sub $600 PS3 will be disappointed.

60 gb will go away, replaced by 80 gb. Sony will not and has little reason to sell the 80gb HDs themselves for people to upgrade.

If sony makes the mistake of introducing a new 2nd SKU, they'd better have more than just 20 additional GB on board to justify any price differences. (Lose the chrome).

[KC @ Apr 16th 2007 7:39PM]

I think the disk size is driven by the HDD manufacturers. I don't think it's cost effective to continue producing the 20GB (or even the 60GB) drives when the factories are geared to produce the higher capacity drives.

Anyway, I also would like to think that the next PS3 would add a re-writable BD. Now that would be a cool way to store your downloaded content (and also possibly edit and burn AVCHD movies, if they made an AVCHD editor for the PS3).

[Andrew Baisden @ Apr 16th 2007 8:09PM]

Why you can put a 400gb drive now probably a lot cheaper than another sku of ps3

[jsn @ Apr 16th 2007 8:12PM]

Brent:

You're an assclown. You WERE an early adopter, but not anymore. It's been a year and a half since the product was released. Releasing an updated version that does everything the old one did, a full 16 months after the fact is hardly screwing anyone over.

Now.. releasing a new model less than 6 months out is both a screw job and a sign of desperation. You can forget about a price drop too.... it won't happen any time soon.

[charlie @ Apr 16th 2007 8:14PM]

Sony really doesn't need 2 SKUs since the 60GB SKU pretty much has every valuable feature and since upgrading the hard drive is so cost effective (just slip in a commodity 2.5" SATA drive)

I also doubt they'd have a SKU higher than $599.99. If they were going to price-drop the 60GB SKU to $499.99, perhaps minus the chrome trimmings, and still want a more profitable (or I guess in this case, less unprofitable) SKU, they could upgrade to 120GB and then maybe include something like a bluetooth keyboard/mouse and/or a media remote.

[Rink @ May 30th 2007 5:36AM]

Unless I am horribly mistaken, the PS3 uses 2.5 inch 'laptop' drives. This is significant for two conflicting reasons:

1. You cannot simply put in a 400gb drive - as far as I am aware no such drive exists in this size at present.

2. You can purchase less high capacity drives than this, but this would definitely be cheaper than a new PS3 for 20gb extra, AND, I'm guessing, cheaper than any separate drive Sony would attempt to push on us.

If an 80gb PS£ is what's being 'considered' here, then this is all completely irrelevant to those who have already bought the console, considering the ease with which you can switch drives.

[Moff @ Apr 16th 2007 8:32PM]

If I were Sony.. I'd go back to the drawing boards and release a PS 2.5 (Not quite a PS3.. but still the size of a PS2)

Too bad you can't remove that expensive Bluray drive.

[janvitos @ Apr 16th 2007 8:46PM]

Two words : PS3 Slim.

[h0mi @ Apr 16th 2007 10:05PM]

400 gb? What 400 gb 2.5" sata drive exists?
Largest size for sale I've seen was 200 gb.

[w00fd06 @ Apr 16th 2007 11:00PM]

If Sony goes about doing this, won't the fate of the 60GB be the same as the 20GB, because the only people who buy the PS3 want to get as much as they can so that they can brag to the Micrsoft fanboys about how great their PS3 is, even though a ten year old could pwn them at any FPS. JSYK I have a Wii, so don't call me an MS fanboy. Then, Sony would sell even less PS3s because their only model would be $650.

[Neptune5 @ Apr 17th 2007 12:25AM]

who hell said a 400GB HDD ? PS3 & X360 both use laptop hard drives which the maxx you can get on the market now is 250GB which is not cheap for a laptop HDD

i have a 60Gb Ps3 and its perfectly fine , it will take me a few years to fill it up


they should just lower the price by $150 for the premium model

and sell a PS3 Ultimate Gamer Package for $950

-200GB HDD
-HDMI Cable
-PSP for remote play
-BT remote
-2 controllers
-1 game of your choice
-zero load times

other than that PS3 is a pretty perfect system i couldn't imagine needing anything else until PS9 Comes out

[Neptune5 @ Apr 17th 2007 12:27AM]

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THERE IS A BT GUN CONTROLLER AVAILABLE FOR THE PS3 TO PLAY RESISTANCE WITH ?

[JBDragon @ Apr 17th 2007 3:24AM]

Sony can't drop the price down on the current system, either they still stick with 1 system with a larger HDD, and just charge even more money, because $600 just isn't enough already, maybe $650 with the 80 gig drive. This is SONY after all and this generation they have gone WACKO. The PS3 will NOT have a price drop anytime soon. Maybe the end of the year, a little one, but I wouldn't count on it. It's to early, and Sony is loosing to much money on them already.

They see the 120 Gig Elite system for $479, and a 60 Gig PS3 system for $600, and one starts to wonder what they really plan to do. Blu-Ray really isn't a big deal. Unless you have a HDTV, The Movies are worthless, DVD will keep being #1, Way, way, way ahead of either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, Games? I haven't seen any PS3 games make any use of the Space to improve the game.

If Sony and MS going to just release more Expensive Consoles, the Wii will continue to do really well.

[Rasp @ Apr 17th 2007 8:19AM]

The PS3 uses a 2.5" notebook drive which is a little more expensive, but swapping it out is rather easy and the console even formats it for you.

[S4Rs @ Apr 17th 2007 8:55AM]

First off I think it is really crappy when a video game console gets better hardware a year out of the box like the xbox 360 did, but Sony admitted that the current consoles out are dubbed Rev 0, and are adding the latest version of the cell processor to the system. The new processor is smaller (65 from 90nm), and runs at 6Ghz vs. the current 2.8. the cheaper processor with an HD that hardly costs any more. 60GB vs. 80GB. Thats nothing on newegg.

Anyways. Prediction.
The new PS3 will be 80GB HD with a 65nm Cell in it for the same price. All the 60GB one's on shelves will drop to 500 bucks. (who the hell wants one with a faster processor on the way).

[Randomness @ Apr 17th 2007 9:26AM]

How about a ps3 with no harddrive, and you can add your own cheap one of any capacity you see fit? Since lots of people are already changing out the harddrive with all sorts of mods, have a SKU for this model. Eh?

[whiskey @ Apr 17th 2007 9:54AM]

Dear Mr. Miller...

Consider revising the use of the word SKU.

I know that you are a really busy person and that my inquiries in such matters may even bother you. But i respectfully offer you an alternative:

It could mean a new, higher-priced SKU (think the Elite) or a price drop to the 60GB model...

It could mean a new, higher-priced model addition to the line (think Elite) or a price drop to the 60GB model...

SKU's (if you still would like to use that word) differ from country to country (because versions tend to differ too)... so if any, the addition would bring several SKU's to the line (one for each region).

Respectfully, whiskey.

[Alex @ Apr 17th 2007 10:43AM]

I think what Sony will do is put this 80gb out for the same price the 60 and lower the 60 to what the 20gb was or they will just get rid of the 60gb and leave the 80gb at $599.

[CosterMonger @ Apr 17th 2007 11:10AM]

make it cooler, and quieter than 360 will ever be.

{add more ram}

Hard Drive: make it fat, get praise from around the globe, switch to 3.5".
Base unit 80 GB 3.5" {dime a dozen}.
Imagine selling 160 GB HD 3.5" for $60 USD.
{320 GB for $90, 500 GB $170}

Smaller is not equal to better.

add ESATA port as well

While M$ is selling 120 GB 2.5" 'upgrade' for $180 USD.

or you can do your own
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/11/ps3-manual-details-hdd-battery-replacement/

and finally, up convert {games}, up convert {DVD}, just plain up convert.

[Silverfrog @ Apr 17th 2007 3:59PM]

Instead of adding cables to the box, include a gift certificate for a free cable of your choice. That way, Sony wouldn't have to have needless cables in the box, wasting space and money.

[GiovanniMcAdoo @ Apr 17th 2007 6:14PM]

You guys who think that SONY will not drop the price because they cant are wrong.

- SONY has already mention around GDC that they predict breaking even by the end of the year.
- They are finally switching to emulation software over EE Chips.
- They have began producion on the 65 NM which are cheaper to produce.
- Blu Ray Diode are becoming less expensive to mass produce.
- Plus a price drop in holiday season to sale more consoles and software will not hurt a multi-billion dollar company if they are thinking about the who picture and the long run.

[Final-Fan @ Apr 25th 2007 7:53PM]

Mr.Red - Actually, cheapo computers come with anywhere from 80GB to 160GB. I make them.

Making a whole new model just for a 20GB larger hard drive would be lunacy. Why is everyone talking about 80GB anyway? Who made up that number? And I do think some random blogger just pulled that number out of his ass and it spread like a virus.