Sony cutting 80GB PS3 price to $400 in September, ditching backwards compatibility
By Nilay Patel 
posted Jul 15th 2008 3:46PM
posted Jul 15th 2008 3:46PM
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And I quote cartman "Sweeeeeet".
Shut up fata$$
Oh my God - they killed Ken...ummm....Backward Compatibility!!
You B@$tards!!
Engadget: Sony IN NO WAY said that they were ditching backwards compatibility, that's a bad inference.
RATHER, the current 40GB non-BC sku is getting a hard drive bump to 80GB. That is all the announcement said.
It's much more likely to assume that what is now the "big" system" (80GB) will get a hard drive bump as well (120GB or even 160GB). Otherwise, why would they call their new version the "Core" system?
'Come on, gang.
How's Xbox360 gonna catch up. I expect low ranked :)
my guess would be charging $100 less.
ps3 was never ahead, so your comment is just dumb. 360 costs $279 for the tard pack and $300 for the normal version. ps3 costs $400 for the tard pack and $500 for the normal one.
point is ps3 is still just a bluray player. software sales are crap, dominated 3:1 by xbox and 5:3 by wii
Tard pack. Best way i've seen that put. Good thing I have a 60gb PS3 and a 360 Pro as well as XBL Gold. I've found out once you've purchased all of them, (yes I have a wii as well) then there is no need to bicker and fight about which one is better. Just go buy them all or be quiet.
360 still has WAY more exclusive games.... My PS3 is a glorified Blu Ray player.... my 360 is battle scarred and well worn from use. Sony is not yet a threat
When you can fill up your PS3 with80 gb of data email me, until then I will be using my 360 120gb to download movies, tv shows and upload games onto oh and stream netflix movies onto. I have to say, Microsoft kicked everybody elses ass at E3 in terms of major announcements.
PS3 "tard" packs are still more worth it than 360's unless you have your cable modem right next to your main TV in your living room. Personally I don't want to have to pay 100 dollars for wi-fi when both PS3 and Wii have it built-in. PS3 is for people who can afford the whole package and not have to wait for add-ons to come out and slowly drain their wallets. Though the way the economy is, the US dollar is worth less and less, so maybe it's smarter to buy things in pieces until Bush is out of office. Also, can anyone clarify the backwards compatibility differences between the models? I thought the current 40gb and the 80gb PS3's still have backwards compatibility, just software-based, meaning less supported games, not none at all...?
@Jonas
Well I saved myself the $100 dollars by running network line to my entertainment center. Put a switch up there and that way I can run my sat box, 360, and laptop of ethernet. Faster and a lot easier to setup.
Also good thing you prefaced your last comment with "I think" because the 40GB PS3 does not have backwards compatibility and the 80GB soon will not either, which is the whole point of this posting.
@JerkfacedFed
If you buy the add-ons required to match the PS3, it comes out to about the same cost as the 40GB model. When the price drop goes into effect the 360 is probably going to have a little more competition.
@Jared You can download TV shows and Movies on the PS3 as well, from the PSN.
No price cuts eh? Too much MS pressure?
"Too much MS pressure?"
...wha? So much pressure that.. they DIDN'T respond? I don't get it.
@Pochi
MS already cut prices BEFORE Sony.
MS was and still is WAY less expensive.
Is the 360's wireless adapter still $100?
@Dave
Good point? No wait, that makes no sense.
He was referring to the fact that Sony was saying that they won't cut prices.
Awesome!
Rockin.
so whats the new premium SKU going to be? 160GB with BC?
Maybe they could add IR to the package... :/
IR is a dinosaur. its a shame the industry hung on to it for as long as it has. with bluetooth availability everything developed from this point on should be BT or at the very least dual compatibility to encourage eventual drop of IR entirely.
Or, they could add IR to the package.
If IR is such a dinosaur, why are all TVs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, stereos, and such shipping with it still....
Hmmm... looks like have a little Jurrasic built-in would go a long way in making people happy... isn't that the end result of a company's efforts with products... making their consumer's happy?
Get off of the BT high-horse, and come down here with the rest of us and sniff a little reality.
Besides... I'm more than a little choked my Harmony and my PS3 don't like playing nice with each other... and in no way do I blame my Harmony for that situation. :P
Yeah.. I wish both the Wii and the PS3 both had IR inputs. They're drop-dead cheap and of course, they'd be compatible with my Harmony 550... love that damn remote.
@jaws, that is why i mentioned dual compatibility.
At least this would encourage evolution. current method if including IR hinders that.
Ideally there should be a BT device positioned in view of the IR-only gadgets, receive the commands from the forward-thinking BT remote, and then relay them in IR accordingly. with this you could trash all those extra remotes AND improve effectiveness of your one controller. technology is available to make this possible.
Memory reader? USB slots?
Thats what I wanna know. I'd consider buying a newer ps3 (ie- if it ran cooler and the fans werent so loud) but I want the memory cards and usb ports. otherwise I'll keep my 60gb. (I dont need BC).
So glad I bought the 60gb last September when I did. Memory card reader, the backwards compatible chip plus all of the PS3 and Blu-Ray that current models have. Best. Decision. Ever.
and that's about the best Sony has to offer.
have to say I've been underwhelmed so far too....nothing really big announced yet, other than the price cuts and the movie store.
The big stuff always comes at the end :)
...like I said, and that's abou it. Nothing really cool. Maybe next year 8(
Sigh...every time I hope for a price cut [even $50 would get me to purchase one!] so I can actually buy a PS3 they drop backwards compatibility. Why Sony? Why?
I still play some of my favorites on my PS2 and I play Xbox titles on my 360 why does Sony want the PS2 to live forever?
suck it up and just get the damm thing. They still make the ps2 so what the big deal.
I mean xbox360 backward comp suck too, because it is software power.
Or be like me an find a first gen ps3 like the 60 gb that has the full backwards comp.
I personally will not buy a PS3 without backwards compatibility. I don't have room for a PS2 and a PS3 and I still play most of my PS2 games that I haven't beaten yet, or that I really like. Same with my 360...sometimes, they just baffle me.
I guess they think if they drop BC, I'll buy more PS3 games, but unfortunately for them, I'll be buying less..as in none, since I don't want to keep 20 systems under my TV.
Like they say "if Sony denies the rumor, then assume the rumor to be true." It's been proven time after time.
So the 40gb will cut price too?
I think this 80 GB SKU is replacing the 40GB one. Its basically the same system with a bigger HDD
The 80gb "core" ps3 -is- the 40gb version with a 80gb harddrive
I think what he's asking is if they will drop the price of the 40gb model to clearance them out.
The curious thing here, is that they're cutting backwards compability while saying they're wanting all the ps2 people to upgrade.
They want PS2 users to upgrade to the new 'old' slim models, and also get a PS3! :P Come on now!
Yeah, those tiny little PS2s could fit right on top of your PS3. :P
What happened to no price cuts sony?
Hey Sean Ross, I'm not sure. How's your face doing today?
O.o Buh?
I don't know about other parts of Northern America, but here in Alberta in Canada there is not an 80GB PS3 to be found. All the stores have 40GB models. I have a good collection of PS2 games I would rather not have sit in a box in storage just so Sony can save a penny by releasing the 40GB and the soon 80GB models.
Either release more expensive PS3s with the ability to play more than PS1 games, or just take the damn hard drive out of the 40GB models and put in the damn EE chip! I can put in my own damn hard drive! I'd even settle for software emulation at this point.
I crave MGS4 goodness. (And yes I forgot about the MGS4 PS3 bundle and they were sold out within a day. :( )
They can't remove the HD, there are games that depend on it.
Cheaper SKUs is why MS made it mandatory that all 360 games NOT require the hard drive.
Off topic but to reply to your comment HMV in Downtown Calgary had 8 MGS 80GB systems in stock at 4:45pm Tuesday.
I got mine there the preceding saturday. I'm afraid you're just not trying hard enough. No PS3 for you!
Just got mine this morning.
Thanks for the tip, KW. I got the last one from the HMV in Southcentre. :)
So does this mean that the 40GB PS3 in stores now will be reduced from $400?
Either that, or it'll be a really slow Summer!
Umm, you mean the 80GB PS3 that is no longer in stock at any retail or online outlets? Why don't they drop the price on the 60GB PS3 while they're at it, or maybe the price on the PS1?
you guys at engadget rush to assume. They never said they are ditching backwards compatibility. They are just changing the 40 gig to 80 gig.
It's a safe assumption since memory prices tend to rarely go higher but instead go cheaper as time goes on. I'm sure the price to make the PS3s backwards compatible is higher than a hard drive upgrade so they give us that instead.
Sony figure they better off stay same price, but do a hard drive upgrade is much cheaper, for 100 bucks this day you could get a 320GB notebook hard drive that fir you ps3 perfectly well. Don't blame sorry too much are not willing to go under 399.99 The system itself cost sony more than why they sell to you, PS3 cost Sony 3 billion in loss for the system it self. Mainly cause of Blu-ray, and the main reason no backward at all, cause of the hardware cost, just look around is 360 gave you a good deal? answer is big No for the system, you forgot that 60gb 360 still has no blu-ray, no wifi, and microsoft don't accept third party accesories, yes 360 video game libary still gonna hurt and might and kill sony slowly. But for system sell, 360 wasn't never out sell ps3 or the wii, always way behind them, is just the game show strong sells.
your post makes my eyes bleed
For $300 you get an Xbox 360, 20GB HD, the ability to play some of the original XBox games and at least $100 more in your pocket since you didn't buy a 40GB PS3. Which, yeah, has Wifi and other bells and whistles but for people that just didn't get into the gaming world backwards compatibility is an important feature.
Plus I just plug in my network cable to my 360 and it's golden. And last I heard Wireless-G is still slower than a wired connection. :(
Don't think I'm a MS fanboy - I've been drooling over a PS3 since they came out! I even camped for a PSP. Shut up. :(
What?
@Jonathan Tyler
last I heard wireless-G was still faster then a broadband connection, negating any differences between wireless and wired speeds.
Just one thing to note: wireless adds extra latency, especially if it is encrypted. Gamers really should avoid it if possible.
re: PeterF
You heard wrong. Wireless G's throughput may be higher but the latency doesn't hold a flame to ethernet. FPS gamers like me can tell you the difference (sometimes) of having high pings means instant death. The single hop to your router IS important.
@parki:
Actually, even with the latency of a wireless g connection the speed of broadband is still slower. You are right that with encryption your connection would be slower, but never slower than broadband.
If in doubt, just do what I do, no encryption at all. But, I set up my router to only accept connections from MAC addresses I provide it. I don't broadcast my SSID, and I have my router and modem on a switch so I can turn it off when no one is using it. I have never had anyone hack into my network this way, it's nearly impossible.
399 US DOLLARS.
Lawl :O
Go eat some bangers. damn you.
This isn't a price cut, this is a bigger hard drive. It has no backwards capabilities (which isn't important to me because the only backward game I have is FFXII, but I still want it) and it might not have memory stuff. More importantly, it does not include an extra game, which means the current 80gb might have a new refresh as well
thank you for actually getting it right. wtf @ engadget
I went to a Best Buy (in Toronto) last weekend and the rep there said that they were expecting to get another large shipment of MGS4 80GB PS3 Bundles (backwards compatible) in a couple of weeks.....can anyone else confirm this???
I don't know about in Canada, but in Oklahoma we received a new round of MGS4 PS3s in a few weeks after the first round. I lucky that I found one.
still waiting... sigh.
changing the HDD on the $399 model from a 40GB to a 80GB (because manufacturers stoped making 40's): does not constitute as a "price drop".
what, no PS2 price drop to $99, milking the cow too much?
Backwards compatibility was not a huge selling point for me. If i had that many ps2 games i cared to play chances are i would have a ps2 as well. I haven't played the first ps2 game on my ps3 yet, and i might not ever. Most people that cared for that feature probably have a ps3 already
It's a good thing that the Wii isn't competing for their business or they would
be in real trouble.
This is terrible news from Sony! Where's my bc PS3 Slim?! If your PS3 has backwards compatibility you can play homebrew games and emulators like the SNES/Sege Genesis using SwapMagic!
Will it drop SACD support, as well?
I know there are probably lots of people who don't even use their PS3s to play PS2 games on, but seriously, Sony--how much does the EE chip cost extra to put in a PS3? And emulation costs nothing except programming time. Cost to make gamers happy: Priceless.
I have a launch 60 GB model, but I feel bad for the new adopters out there who want BC so they can put away their PS2 to save shelf space and cord-clutter behind the TV. Anyone else married to a neat-freak like me--holler back.
Dual-Shock 3 included? Don't think so.
There's a nice little DualShock logo on the box and it was stated on the playstation blog that this one has DualShock.
WTF wouldn't they tell you that? If true, then DUH Sony.
Actually I think the current 80GB with PS2 compatibility will still be available. This is just an upgrade of the 40GB model to a higher capacity drive, hence why they call it a "Core" model.
It wouldn't make sense to name a product "Core" without having one with more features that is not a core.
god some people are either ignorant or just dillusional.
http://vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?reg1=America®2=America®3=America&start=39040&weekly=1
#1 microsoft has consistently outsold ps3 every week since the ps3 was released except a few around the time mgs came out. www.vgcharts.com might not be the end all, but its more accurate than a random kid saying ps3 sells the best and making up figures.
#2 to the idiot who reposted back saying wireless g is faster than "a broadband connection", your comment makes no sense at all. and even if it did, which would be changing "wireless g is faster than ethernet" you are still dumb and wrong. wireless g fastest theoretical throughput is 54mbps, thats the absolute fastest with no interference (impossible unelss the router is right next to the unit) in which case, why are you using wireless to begin with. next, every ethernet based device uses at least 100mbps with gigabit running at 1000mbps, which is at least double to 20x faster than wireless g.
do the research noobs. its called wikipedia.
Ummmm, a broadband connection is the connection between your DSL line and the phone company or the connection between your cable modem and the cable company. A Broadband connection NEVER reaches 100mb/s, thats a T1 category, unless you pay close to $600 a month you do not have a T1 connection.
The average broadband connection is 3mb/s sometime reaching 6mb/s if you pay for a premium connection.
according to your site, if you're looking at worldwide monthly sales and not cumulative, the ps3 has outsold the 360 every single month since xmas 07 except for maybe june....
As others have stated, as long as the wireless-G connection is strong enough to support whatever speed your broadband connection is (in my case Verizon FiOS at 20MBps) then both Ethernet (CAT-5 or CAT-6) will be equally as fast as Wifi 802.11g. Why is this? Because both would connect to the same Internet connection, and since both have a higher bandwidth than the connection it does not matter, you will be accomplishing the same speeds on either connections. The extra bandwidth goes to waste on Ethernet. Sure, there may be a tiny, tiny bit more latency on wifi, but it's actually very small if you measure it. Also, the Ethernet bridges on most cheap routers and modems contribute an equal amount of latency due to poor build quality. So therefore, you sir, are wrong.
my DSL ethernet is ALWAYS at 100mb/s
this is misleading as hell
the 80gb isnt getting cheaper!!!!!!!!!
the 40gb is getting a bigger drive, they said it confusingly but thats what their doig, so you get the 40gb which lacks most of the "extras" with a bigger hard drive.. hence the 40gb is getting an upgrade not a 80gb getting a downgrade....
whats going to happen is the 40gb is probably being forced out much like the old 20gb 360
who would buy a 40gb at this point without a price cut.
Why would you announce a price cut (HD upgrade) and destroy your current sales without offering a good deal on the current model.
I wonder - is the 80GB really just a 40GB with a bigger HD? Is it only gonna have 2 USB ports and no memory card reader?
Hey Engadget/Joystiq "Experts", how can they be "ditching backwards compatibility", when the even the 40GB PS3 plays PS1 games just fine...
Seems any old moron can be a clueless reporter these days...
I was doing some business in Fishkill, NY on June 11th (staying overnight, driving back to NYC the next day) and I needed something at the local Walmart. It was open 24 hours and I got there about 10pm. I knew about the 80GB MGS4 PS3 bundle and asked the manager. He told me that they probably got about 6-8 and would sell them at midnight with a $100 gift card. I waited in my car, spoke with this cute girl and about 11:30pm I went to the back of the store. It's good I didn't wait longer because I got the 7th PS3 bundle out of 8 total. It would have been perfect had I scored with the girl, but it was still a good night.
Now, to be honest I only own about 5 or 6 PS2 games and I probably only play them once in a while, but just to know I can play them makes me feel a little better. I did get the $100 gift card, so basically I paid $400. I'm curious if the memory card reader & 2 extra USB ports will also be dropped to help keep costs in check for Sony. I would miss that more than the BC. Oh well, unless Sony announces a new 160GB BC model in the coming months, it looks like my 80GB BC PS3 will the second most valuable PS3 after the 60GB.
Sony probably should just keep one SKU (the new 80GB at $399) and next year introduce a slim version with a higher capacity hard drive, 45nm CPU/GPU, lower-cost blu-ray drive at $299, in MATTE black, silver & white. BC is not as important as I thought it would be, but I probably should have known better based on how many Gamecube games I play on my Wii every month - zero.
Thanks for telling us you nearly got laid, it was really vital information.
I also don't get where they pulled 'no backwards compatibility' out of that... In fact it seems conterintuitive. If the specified quote is the only point of reference, then it seems that endgadget might have read it wrong? I don't understand how dropping all backwards compatibility could even vaguely be considered keeping 'current functionality.' Just a thought, though, and I'm too lazy to research so perhaps I'm wrong.
Hi, i was on my way to Gamestop to get the MGS4 bundle ps3 that i have on hold, This will be my first ps3 ever good thing stumble to this tread before i bought it .
But im confused with the Engadget above "we have a feeling launch consoles are about to get a little more precious."
Should i tried to find the launch ps3 and how do i know if i got the right one.
why is it that the very first launch ps3 are better? i thought the bigger the hard drive the better for ps2 backward compatibility. Please help me with this or if you have a better way to find out or a site with this info i would really appreciate.
Thanks
This is why some are better than others.
http://forums.n4g.com/upfiles.aspx/323/4AB8F3690E684BB6B756CF9BE85C2E1B.jpg
So does that mean current 40GB boxes will be pulled, or will stores sell remaining stock at a cheaper price? Wouldn't the best option be to get the cheapest PS3 around and slap your own HD in?
so im assuming this new ps3 wont have the 2 extra usb ports or the card readers.
But will it still play SACDs? I don't care if it can no longer play PS1 or PS2 games, but I would care if SACD support were removed.