80GB PS3 goes missing from Sony Style site

Look, we're not trying to say anything, but that 40GB model looks real, real lonely sitting there on its own. Could it be possible that all those juicy rumors of a refreshed, resized PS3 package are actually coming to fruition? Maybe -- or maybe Sony is just downsizing big time... but we doubt it.

[Thanks, Jason]

Update: Reader Chris points out that the 80GB PS3 is still on the site, accessible and purchasable through the 40GB model's page. Still, seems a little suspicious to us.

[Flashpoint @ Feb 21st 2008 12:05AM]

It is possible the 80 or a 120 might be added but, the key feature will be the DUAL SHOCK 3 CONTROLLER.


Frankly, if I didn't have a PS3, I'd be waiting for them to package the DS3 so I save $50 (or whatever its MSRP is)

[oGMo @ Feb 21st 2008 1:52AM]

You shouldn't. I imported a DS3... yeah, so it vibrates.

I always reach for the original SIXAXIS just because it's like a feather in the hand. I like the much lighter controller. Vibration adds next to nothing for any of the games currently out there: maybe once MGS4 hits it'll be a bigger deal.

Now, I want to get a second SIXAXIS before they go away.

[cannonfodder @ Feb 21st 2008 5:12AM]

With the slow Blu-Ray games in the future will have no choice but to be installed on the PS3 hard drive so 40 gig is only big enough for 5 or 6 games at the current install size (DMC4). so if sony's current and past stupidity is to be overlooked they need to offer consumers an actual good deal seems hard drive prices for sony amount to less than $1 difference between the 40 and 80gig drives.

then they should stop making backwards compatibility a buy time decistion and introduce the software emulation across the range and not make ppl purchase titles they already own via the PSN.

why don't Sony allow you to time shift i wonder.....


http://blogs.pcworld.com/gameon/archives/006378.html


FTA:

Long time ago, oh, say a year and a half ago, Sony director Phil Harrison called backward compatibility a "core value." Here's what he told GamePro in May 2006.

"Backwards compatibility, as you know from PlayStation One and PlayStation 2, is a core value of what we believe we should offer. And access to the library of content people have created, bought for themselves, and accumulated over the years is necessary to create a format. PlayStation is a format meaning that it transcends many devices -- PSOne, PS2, and now PS3."

I have a copy of Sony's January 23 "PlayStation in Review" press release sitting in front of me. Among other things, it devotes two of six bullet points to "PlayStation total [hardware and software] revenues." Clearly part of this company wants us to see the value of "PlayStation" as a brand, not a singular ailing third generation console.

Another part -- the one making decisions about what configurations of the PS3 ought to be put to market -- would apparently prefer you kindly forget its second generation product. Forget it, that is, despite a library of some 1,500 games, December sales of 1.1 million units (beating the PS3, with 798k) and more software unit sales than any other console on the market.

Why, if an unverified memo turns out to be correct, will Sony really drop its $600 80GB PS3 and the only currently available version that lets buyers play PS2 games?

Maybe they aren't. Maybe they're planning to introduce a $300 model and add PS2 compatibility to the $400 model. Maybe they're in fact planning to discontinue a really dumb idea (making PS2 compatibility a buy-time decision) and add software compatibility to the $400 model. Maybe they'll even offer a system update to buyers of the existing 40GB model that up-flashes their systems.

You know PS2 compatibility is just a software trick in the 80GB model, right?

[Bevon Findley @ Feb 21st 2008 12:08AM]

I think the aliens that the navy blew up stole it off the site earlier.
lol

[Alijah @ Feb 21st 2008 12:13AM]

I see what you did there.

[Mr. S. @ Feb 21st 2008 1:14AM]

Thank god for stargate command

[Rob @ Feb 21st 2008 12:09AM]

Well, maybe they'd work on the design and try to come up with something easier on the eye. I love my PS3, but that thing is plain and simply fugly. Oh, and the Xbox 360 is nothing to brag about either. Maybe they'd come up with a better looking unit too.

[The Aggie CEO @ Feb 21st 2008 12:55AM]

the PS3 is beautiful.........

the Chrome Accents are the shit........

now if U have the 20GB then yeah........that shit is ugly....

[NovaLand @ Feb 21st 2008 1:17AM]

Yeah, the silver thingy looks like shit. Thank god I have a 20GB upgraded to 250.

[Rob @ Feb 21st 2008 9:20AM]

Actually, I have the 60gig, which I've upgraded to 250gigs. Anyway, the 60gig version is probably the best one, it has all the features I need. But, I still think that the cosmetics of the console are lacking.

[teej @ Feb 21st 2008 12:35PM]

Shallow Hal

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 21st 2008 12:10AM]

slow news day?

[Alex Padilla @ Feb 21st 2008 12:14AM]

Low ranked. Why?

1. It's not a slow news day, look at all the Breaking News and Featured Articles that were poasted today

2. This is legitimate news, this could be rumors coming to fruition (has anyone else noticed them using this word an awful lot lately?)

3. Your comment simply wasn't funny given the aforemetioned points of argument

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 21st 2008 12:18AM]

i dont think any comments are funny when you break them down like that.

do you not remember an article on gizmodo a few hours ago saying the same thing but in a less 'zomg i saw something on their site' way?

*cough* 'apple store down'

[Chino B @ Feb 21st 2008 12:35AM]

At least it's not flooded with iPhone News.

[DarkLightConnection @ Feb 21st 2008 1:08AM]

It's Tom Oliveri... he changed his avatar... nothing to see here

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 21st 2008 1:11AM]

wow, i'm honored.

[nh @ Feb 21st 2008 7:44AM]

'he changed his avatar'

About bl00dy time ;)

[ChrisG @ Feb 21st 2008 12:22AM]

80gb wont be lonely any more, I'm pretty sure we'll see a 120gb sku soon

[low tech @ Feb 23rd 2008 10:27PM]

Sony swaps skus like a picky teen girl trying on clothes in the dressing room.

[bob sakamano @ Feb 21st 2008 12:42AM]

why dont they just make it bigger since they don't have anymore HD-DVD competition anymore?

[Brian @ Feb 21st 2008 12:44AM]

Maybe they'll announce a Blu Ray / HD DVD combo drive, in the next SKU.

Lawl.

[The Aggie CEO @ Feb 21st 2008 12:57AM]

riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.......

and then 6 months later Sony & M$ will merge their gaming departments and take over the world

[timesplitter88 @ Feb 21st 2008 1:01AM]

Why is this still being reported as RUMOR?! I know you guys (engadget) and several other news blogs have gotten tips from people working in retail saying the 80 GB SKU was discontinued!!!

I am a 3rd key manager at a Gamestop and i was one of the ones who was on a conference call when it was reported that this SKU was discontinued by the manufacturer, on top of that we even got it in writing via email!

This is real. The 80 GB is done. Dead. Gone. End of story.

[Jagannath A @ Feb 21st 2008 5:42AM]

"in writing via email"

classic

[arty @ Feb 21st 2008 1:17AM]

Can I have a white one like they sell in Japan please?

[~~Tito~~ @ Feb 21st 2008 1:23AM]

"I remember when we used to play shoot'em up, ohh yea!". If you listen to Chicano music you would know why I say this.

[Nate @ Feb 21st 2008 1:30AM]

I think this is the part where Sony, high off of the Blu Ray victory, goes for the XBOX jugular with a little something I like to call "more for less."

[~~Tito~~ @ Feb 21st 2008 1:37AM]

Shiryuken!! Up, down, left, up, up, b, b, b, a, left trigger!

[Garst @ Feb 22nd 2008 1:57AM]

This Blu-ray victory over HD-DVD doesn't do anything between the PS3 and the 360. The only thing it does is allow Sony to put Blu-ray drives in future systems and makes an assessory for the 360 obsolete. That doesn't give Sony much more, if any, leverage of Microsoft. They are pretty much in the same positions they were before the two formats were even announced.

[Nate @ Feb 22nd 2008 9:13AM]

@Garst

You're right. Now that there is only one format and everyone will be looking into a blu-ray player in 2008, and sony happens to have a good profile 2.0 player, video game console, and media center, all for the price of just a player...sure there's no advantage there.

My advice: Take an econ class and/or common sense class.

[Ferny @ Feb 21st 2008 1:50AM]

hopefully new sku while still keeping ps2 backward compatability.

[Andrew @ Feb 21st 2008 2:18AM]

PS2 backward compatibility. right.

this is the case where the early adoptors bone everyone else.

60GB PS3 W/ full PS2 hardware inside FTW.

[hellojohn @ Feb 21st 2008 2:08AM]

LOL, I tried to buy a 40Gb PS3 tonight at Kijiji. Saw the listing and emailed the person. He replied after an hour. Seems it had already been sold. Well, hes happy, the b*****d who got it is happy and after seeing this I'm happy. :)

[hellojohn @ Feb 21st 2008 2:08AM]

Maybe Sony will say something BIG at gdc?

[KyleS @ Feb 21st 2008 2:16AM]

Amazon gas been out of stock of the 80GB version for about 5 days now. I wonder whats coming?

[BEN! @ Feb 21st 2008 2:36AM]

Do they have the 80GB PS3 in stock?

[XDragon @ Feb 21st 2008 6:58AM]

Its obvious that Sony's releasing a PS3 sku with Dualshock 3 so whats with the speculation? Just like we all know that EVENTUALLY all PS3 models will play PS2 through emmulation.

[Zorque @ Feb 21st 2008 7:39AM]

How many SKUs does this make? I lost track sometime last year.

[Jason @ Feb 21st 2008 8:30AM]

We all know that the 80GB sku was discontinued. Usually right before announcing a new product the company will remove any mention of the old version it replaces. (especially if they have pulled a no comment) I would think that this is a good indication that a new sku will be offered soon.
I keep reading about how many ps3's are going to sell this month,quarter but everyone is sold out of the 80GB sku. If they are going to outsell other consoles they will have to be available to sell.
I am looking to buy one but I want BC and the extra ports as well as SACD. I will not buy a 40GB.
I appreciate any clues as to when the new sku is going to be available.
I would say this is a good clue. Then again maybe grasping at straws.

[wrabbit @ Feb 21st 2008 10:16AM]

Guys don't forget to let us know when the sony site goes down before they put the new model of PS3 on... oh wait, I don't think sony takes their site down for trivialities like that, that's really strange because I thought the way apple does things is the only right way to do them... wait, I need to update my blog, I'm gonna take it down for a few hours, I'll let you know when it's back up.

Yes that's right! I went there. For a minute there I thought "Maybe I shouldn't. Do I really need to bring apple up in a ps3 post?", but then I decided to go there anyway. And it feels good.

[Duke 2 @ Feb 21st 2008 11:32AM]

my gosh, whadda whiiiiiiner...

NEWSFLASH! it's THE new super cool thing about internet blogs, man- you can click on headlines you actually find interesting for more detail... everything else just ignore and whiz by. What a concept!

Dude- u make it sound like someone's putting you to some huge, almost insulting inconvenience when you see the 'Apple Store Down' headlines. Get over it. I, for one, definitely want Engadget to continue that practice for the simple reason, when the Apple Store is down, it more often than not indicates a new product offering. And THAT interests us, OK????

[Bryan @ Feb 21st 2008 10:30AM]

Should I wait for the new PS3 or can I buy the 40 gig (backwards compatibility isn't a must for me)

[Alexander @ Feb 21st 2008 12:48PM]

Uh actually you can view the 80gb but when you press add to cart it doesnt add it to the cart so no you can not buy it anymore

[AwlAmericanDawg @ Feb 21st 2008 3:23PM]

I put it this way.

If you just want space, buy the 40 GB system and buy the hard drive that goes with it.If you want the backwards compatibility and the memory card reader and more USB slots etc. but you do/don't care about space, get the 80GB (or 60 off ebay)

[Russell Lambert @ Feb 21st 2008 4:54PM]

I found the link to the 80GB on the site:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=8198552921665225458&catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1

[Todd @ Feb 21st 2008 5:11PM]

Adding that 80 GB to my cart and clicking continue gets me a blank page.

[Dnyce @ Feb 21st 2008 7:08PM]

not sure if someone already mentioned this, but the 80gb has also gone missing from a few of the big box retailers. noticed it about 2 weeks ago.

[tubalcain @ Feb 21st 2008 8:30PM]

Just hit us with a $300 or even $350 model and I'll jump in.4X Blu Ray drives are now $150 I know they can make it happen. C'mon, after all Blu Ray won.

[Bryan @ Feb 22nd 2008 11:12AM]

does anyone know if you can use a usb hub to compensate for the 2 usb ports on the ps3?