Sony finally hacks $100 from 'old' PlayStation 3 price, starting today
By Darren Murph 
posted Aug 18th 2009 1:31PM
posted Aug 18th 2009 1:31PM
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will not buy!
why?
It's been almost 3 years since the PS3 has been released. The incentive to own is low. Fanboys have picked their sides and the Wii has gobbled up the casual gamers. Had they included PS2 back-compat, then it might be a different tune. At least, that is what the word is on the interwabs.
ps2 backwards compatibility is only an issue if you didn't sell all your ps2 games with your ps2.
@Lawyer
Actually, when they tried to strip down the PS3 for their first price drop, they took the backwards compatibility from their 40GB console, which became the only comparable console price-point wise to the 360 and Wii.
Only issue? How about the lack of any good first party games that don't end in Etal Gear Solid?
@ robpetrin :: Drop the 'no good games' argument. It just doesn't work anymore.
@ mr.blue umm... yea i think it still works...
"the incentive to own is low?" Really? I thought the lower the price, the higher the incentive gets...
@Levi: Not on a 3 yearold product that every Sony fan and fanboy owns. Had they dropped the price a year in, then they would have steam. Like I said, the Wii, and the 360 to an extent, have the casual market cornered. The PS2 as a great all-around console, the PS3 isn't. *No, I'm not saying it sucks. Everyone here knows my beef is with the Sony bobble heads and their attitude.*
Sony's big problem was trying to make the PS3 be like the PS1 and 2. It is not going to happen. Again, I'm not saying the PS3 will/is a bomb, but this isn't the price drop "savior" that all the fantards make it to be. Anyway, just play what you want and stop worrying about what plastic the other guy warships or how well it does overseas. Japan keeps all the good games to themselves, so why should we care?
Yup, I will be snagging a second PS3 for the bedroom!
...making the radio of PS3s to poon in your bedroom 2:0
@ robpetrin :: Alllllmost got him! How about, ratio?
HA! I meant to say a second PS3 in the house, which will go in the bedroom.
And I'm married, so of course there's no poon in the bedroom.
My fingers have failed me :'(
And touche, Dan, touche
NEVER. GET. MARRIED.
I think this is a step in the right direction. What Sony needs to do is follow up with a good marketing campaign, a lot more exclusives and fix Home....the thing is wack at the moment....(and i mean that in a bad way).
I don't know honestly. I will probably wait for the ps3 slim.
But It'd be a possibility when I buy my 50 inch plasma tomorrow
I could end up picking up one of current ones.
What the hell?
Backwards compatibility is retarded. Why do people care? The games aren't as good as you can play anyways on the PS3, and if you had PS2 games already, wouldn't you also have a PS2??? Thought so, or if you don't have a PS2 yet oddly have the games for one, it is only $99, which is what you are saving with this new PS3, so really for a PS3 and a PS2 it's the price of a PS3 since yesterday.
Anthony, there are only so many inputs on your receiver or TV. Why should you have to keep the PS2 (with the space involved, cables, controllers, memory cards, and all of that detrius) just so you can play your PS2 games? It's especially galling since it's clear the PS3 has every capability to perform decent backwards compatibility in software, on the existing hardware - Sony just chose to remove it (why, I have NO idea).
Meanwhile, good games are good games - it doesn't matter if they're a generation (or two) old.
What really needs to happen now is for Microsoft to drop the Pro price to $150, the Elite price to $230 and eliminate the Arcade. C'mon Microsoft, we all know you're in it for the marketshare and the leg in the living room, and not the profits. Man up. Do it. Do it.
I have both a PS3 and PS2, and in my small apartment, I would LOVE to get rid of a console and some controllers. That, and I play PS2 games less than I would if I could just throw em in my PS3, because I always have to fiddle with my wireless PS2 controller, have no good wired controllers, have to dig it out and plug it in... When we all know there is nothing stopping Sony from at least re-implementing software BC aside from money, it's a fair complaint.
@ Mark - They are replacing the Pro with the Elite, and the Arcade stays. Dropping the Elite to $299 isn't good enough? The Arcade is still the cheapest console this generation, why do they need to drop it again? To cheapen the market and grossly undercut the competition, creating unrealistic expectations from consumers, ultimately hurting the industry even more?
am i the only one that doesn't care at all about the size of the system...the price drop is great to bring in more people, but why didn't they upgrade/add features?
Cause they need money. And I agree, I like my PS3 the way it is, large, intimidating, yet surprisingly quiet.
Well, I'm sure that it has something to do with the fact that Sony is trying to minimize the impact the lowering of the price will have on their profits. I mean, sure the console has become cheaper to produce, but Sony lost a lot of money on the console from the launch and I'm sure they'd like to recover it. And adding features is going to be going in the opposite direction.
I think this is reflected in the fact that they decided to go with a 120gb HDD. I know HDDs are pretty cheap, but I'm sure there was some cost savings over the 160gb.
I would suggest waiting to buy a PS3phat. If they start offering it with 2 controllers, 2 games and a blu ray movie all at the $300 price point I can see a reason not to wait for the slim redesign, however unlikely this is.
And if you're waiting for that, you'll be waiting a long, long time. Those kinds of accessories are just going to bump it back up to $400.
Of course, then the PS3 will someday drop to $200, and you'll be griping that you can't get it for $99...
@Joshua: Whoa dude, whats up with the haten on me? I already have the 80GB Metal Gear Solid PS3 model. I just meant its stupid to buy a phat PS3 now without any sort of incentive to convince me/any new buyer to buy a phat PS3 over a slim PS3 when its pretty obvious that without the incentives the slim PS3 is the better buy.
Hmm, Am i the only one who doesn't really care about the PS3?
@dan davis Jeez i wish i could drop $299 for a console in the bedroom, or a console period. I really want the 360 for all the features coming to it. But money has been tight with the bills and all.
I would rather have a $199 xbox 360 (buy the hard drive later).
No, I don't give a rats butt about Sony or the PiS3. They blew it, as far as I'm concerned, when they said 'people will want to work extra hours to pay for this' back in '06 when the behemoth was announced. And, to this day, the ONLY game I have seen that I would want to buy Motostorm or whatever the hell it was called. Most of the games on the system do not interest me. I'd rather have a cheaper and more reliable Xbox 360 than this.
Um, more "reliable" XBOX 360? Have we forgotten the thousands of stories of the RRoD? I don't think you could argue that the PS3, in general, has been a more solid, reliable machine than the XBOX 360 as a system whole.
did u seriously just say "more reliable xbox 360"?
By 'more reliable Xbox 360', I meant more reliable than the current devices, NOT PiS3. I would only buy the 360 if it were more reliable. Who wants the headache of having to send the damn thing in for repair? No, until PS3 is better priced-and, no, 300 is not better-and Xbox is more reliable, I will stick to PC gaming, last gen games and Wii. I don't care about not being cutting edge...PC games are usually more cutting edge than console games anyway. None of three systems, to me, appear to have many truly compelling games anyway. Nintendo's offerings have been retreads of older games-fun, but retreads nonetheless. Xbox and PS3 games tend to be mindless shoot 'em ups, tired sports franchises or awful attempts at Wii-like games. None are worth what the publishers want, certainly not the fifty to eighty dollars that seem to be the norm.
Well, when you make it smaller you also limit the space for more....
More what? The only thing swapable has been the 2.5" hard drive.
I think he's trying to say that he thinks they've stripped it down to fit.
I'm thinking about it and probably not. My time is strapped as is with work, and family. My wife is due in november with our 2nd child, as well as we're trying to pay down some debt.
Frankly, adding another console in the mix would be a waste of money.
You just bummed me out with reality.
Yep buying a slim as my second unit for my second home.
ps3 slim is 120G and sells for same price ps3 phat 80G, unless there's further cut on 80G phat one, I dont see any point buying it for now.
Ok... can we all agree right here and now not to encourage adoption of the term "PS3 Phat" for the original PS3?
Well the slim uses less power, so...
Is this question even relevant?
Seriously? Freaken hell...blu-ray for everyone! I hope they have twin-packs at Costco.
Er, you know that some standalone Blu-Ray players go for less than half that price, right?
Oh look, here's one for $120: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9245514&st=blu-ray&lp=13&type=product&cp=2&id=1218067604633
And another for $129: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10825995
If this actually sparks a jump in Blu-Ray interest, I'll be incredibly surprised.
I personally won't be purchasing it as there are not enough features that would entice me from not just using the PS3 which sits snugly in my entertainment cabinet. Am I the only one here who thinks that the new PS3 is fugly in comparison to the old-school one?
No, it its...But, but,, it's slim....
It is but Sony is finally making money now. Plus, It shouldn't matter anyway, it uses less power, and it has 40GB more space than the Phat PS3 available now for the same price.
Good deal no matter what. Who cares what it looks like. I think it looks more simple and less show-ey.
Yeah, it AND the original are butt ugly. But, then again, not many game consoles have been all that attractive anyway. The 360 and Wii look OK. The PS2 slim looked OK. The original PS was ugly as was: SNES,NES,Atari Jaguar,Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Gameboy, Atari 5200 and the original Odyssey. Fairchild Channel F in its woodgrain trim was not very pretty, but the later all black one looked like a fine early 80's piece of gear. Intellivision, original Atari VCS, Odyssey 2, Sega and the Atari 7800 are examples of better looking consoles.
For handhelds, DS Lite takes the prize and the nicest looking and least childish looking device. PSP at least looks like it is worth the higher price, even if it is not. GameGear looked cool too. The GBA flip looked nice too, but all of the other Gameboys were just ugly, including the original DS. Style was definitely not a Nintendo or Sony strength. And the original XBOX? It has an industrial appeal and looks like it would be right at home on the bridge of the Battlestar Galactica. I bet if you look closely, you might find one there.
Personally I think the new slim is fugly. I know everyone complained about the fingerprint loving shiny ps3, but the matte finish really makes this look cheap and ugly.
I'll be getting a phat refurb. for dirt cheap. I don't need something new or shiny this time around...and the fact that I have extra HDD to drop in the console and an external for even more storage, and a 360. So the cheaper the better for me.
Already have the original form factor. Unsure about the slim until more pics surface, right ow I don't like the fact that it is no longer glossy. Just plain old matte finish, yuck.
i'm going to get the big ps3 at 100 off because the ps3 slim is ugly with its matte finish and instead of saying playstation 3 with the crome letters it just says PS3 like its carved into it
You should go into politics.
I've been talking about getting a PS3 for awhile and this would be the perfect time to get one. However a friend of mine who is a huge gamer and owns both systems is strongly discouraging it. He sights his disappointment in the lack of content and his dismay over the quality of PSN in comparison to Xbox Live, and as far as I can tell EVERY comment I read as of late is hugely positive for the PS3 and has declared it the winner because of this news. Should I really feel that bad for not wanting to buy a PS3?
Depends on what you are looking for. The Xbox has a better online experience. Which is to be expected when you have to pay for the service. The PS3 is quite a bit more reliable than the 360. As far as content goes, they pretty much have the same games. Each one will have a handful of exclusives of their own, but the majority of the games that come out will be on both systems. And yes, I gotta throw in that the PS3 does play Blu-rays. I use mine for that all the time. Signed up to get the blu-rays from Netflix, and now I can get many long waite new releases the very next day.
Never base your choice to get a console on a gamer. They base their choice on the most stupid things. I had that same problem when i was getting my first ps3
The only thing about the PS3 that fully sparks my interest is the Blu-Ray player. I am interested in some of the exclusives but I really don't like the PS3 controller compared to the Xbox 360 controller. The Xbox 360 failure rate is has me paranoid to the point that i don't play it as much. Guess I just need to let go. My 360 has a three year warranty anyway so why obsess anymore.
I will be buying the slim... no use buying the old one now that I've waited this long. The $300 price point was why I wated. Now I just have to dump $75 on switching my HD-DVDs to blu-ray discs via the Red2blu program.
Treasonous bastard. :-P
I have had an Xbox 360 for over 2 years now and always wanted a PS3. Just couldn't justify having two systems. But better hardware and the fact that Sony updates the OS often shows that they are committed to this system. +Less power being used, sold!
I haven't owned a system since my PS2, but have been eyeballing a PS3 for quite a while now, anticipating a price cut and hoping for some upgrades in the system... I'm obviously not a huge gamer, but am a big movie buff, and would benefit from being able to switch my Netflix to bluray. Anyone have any words of advice as I decide whether or not to take the plunge with the Slim? Games I would play would be mostly sports and some action...
The build quality on this looks very flimsy. Granted it wont be in a display case or anything like that... I'm personally not sold on this at all yet. I want to see what incentives they have in store, such as bundles etc.
Sony youve been all promise, now lets see you deliver.
Yeah the slim quality looks very doubtful, lets see if the thing its better
I'm thinking about it, but I will probably wait for the slim, if I do buy a ps3. Also, people need to stop referring to the older models at phat, right now. Unless you plan on making love to your console, p.h.a.t is completely the wrong way to refer to it. Stop trying to be clever. It is not working.
we should just refer to the old ps3 as the "Wisconsin Singles" edition.
Maybe this will put the price of a used/refurb PS3 around 199 (like a used 360) in which case I'd seriously consider getting one.
FINALLY! Too bad I am saving money for a trip to SE Asian next summer. I'd be all over this.
No won't buy. Don't want a PS3. i'd buy a new 360 as i've got games on it already, and friends on live.
I'll probably by the PS3 Slim. But I'm still glad they dropped the price for the big PS3 :)
Amazon just updated the price...I will be purchasing.......now.
I've got a Wii and a 360, I don't play either of them very often and can't justify $300 for another console.
I use my normal Xbox more than anything, since it's been modded with XBMC.
I'll finally get a USED ps3 just so I can play a $15 game on PSN Fat Princess
It's funny that it gets little mention or actual specs but I would love to know the new power draw. My whole home is very low power and some day could be converted to solar/wind if the price becomes feasible, I have actually held off of the 360 and PS3 due to the large power demands. Not out of some hippy-dippy greenwashing but because it fits my lifestyle, this and the new price are actually the biggest draw for me... although I wish Magic: The Gathering wasn't XBL exclusive.
Don't like it.
Will not buy. Even though the bluray option is what interests me the most, to my untrained eye it seems that the 360 has a better console along with the best Live experience out there. Don't own neither now, but 360 is where I'm leaning even now.
360 = 54.2% failure rate. That's enough to keep me away.
I don't buy that # one bit.... The 2 trouble free 360s I have at home argue against it quite loudly.
flat black all the way... discrete is always good... only prob is gonna be how the heat disapation is affected... unlikely that the smaller consoles gonna run coolers.... the slim ps2 gave the same prob initially... dont know if u wanna be an early adopter when u can get a tried and tested piece of hardware that arguably looks better (to a majority anyway). just wait till they throw in a few more freebies
They said the price drop will start tomorrow not today!
Can anyone tell me if the power supply is now external? I took a look at the rear shots of the slim PS3/phat PS3 and the phat PS3 has one of the 3 prong adapter cord plug ins while the slim PS3 has a different power jack.
When consoles let me use a mouse and keyboard for appropriate games I will start buying them. Till then the only consoles I play are a NES and SNES.
PS3 does have keyboard and mouse support, it's the games that don't support it. Only a few do.
Gah! PSU is still internal and they have removed the ability to install Linux. I just read through the official press release... bummer.
Am I the only man here who think it became ugly?
why the heck would anyone want to still play PS2 games........? I've been a 360 owner since release, and can't wait to pick up the PS3 slim. Friggin awesome
Why would we not want to still play PS2 games? If we enjoy them, we enjoy them.
It's about time. I've wanted to want a PS3 for a long time, but I was unwilling to want it enough to pay $400. I still really wish it had PS2 game support, but at least they've finally gone sane with the pricing. I'm willing to buy a PS3 for $300. But where's the motivation to buy an old one at $300, when very soon there will be the new one at $300? I think I'll go for a slim.
You know, Microsoft and Sony have put up a good fight in the gaming industry, but.... PC GAMIN SHALE RULEZ FOR EVAS!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
The FYE near me started selling the ps3's at the reduced price weeks ago.
Is it true that this thing does not allow you to upgrade the hard drive?
No.
I just got the crimson circle of despair on the old sexbox 180 so I dunno, maybe I'll give sorny a try. Either that or wait around for StarCraft -- I wonder what the world will be like by then. Good thing football's coming up.
One word.....UGLY!
I'll keep my PS3 fat thank you very much
LOL, I wont be getting either. With more options as well as a 3 year warranty PLUS all the best exclusive games, xbox360 is the way to go. I don't giv a crap about the red rings of death simply due to the fact that I don't abuse my xbox HENCE I've never had any...
If you leave your 360 in a nicely temped room not cramped in a corner or in a small space it will be fine.
i will be getting the slim. i just gotta start saving more money (too many game purchases and other purchases recently)
Exciting that slim has BRAVIA-sync. That means I can control it with my tv remote :-)
compared to the "as yet to be seen" PS3's that are undoubtably "coming soon to a big box store near you!" I get the feeling Sony wants to clear out the "old" PS3's... but all considered, what is the "best bang for the buck" version of PS3 on the market today? I don't really need a blueray player for movies (I don't have the technology to copy BR media LOL) but there are a few PS3 game titles I can't wait to invest my evenings & weekends on...
I am lucky to have bought the 80 GB System with PS2 backward compatibility and the Linux option ( I guess it was the Spiderman 3 movie + the F1 bundle ) ; now they're stripping down the parts off of the 1st released console , sort of cannibalizing the parts :) But the good news is that it is still the most powerful game console on the market. Compared to the 360 and looking at how many --good-quality-- games you have available for each one of those two ( 360 and PS3 ) I am sad to see that game distributors had a preference for the xbox and released a wider range of games for the Microsoft Console. Business Model and Market Share reasons. Calendar scheduling reasons too: Microsoft decided to release the game console before the PS3 just to be ahead on the market ( even if the console was not perfect at that time ) and you were required to buy parts to complete the "lego-look-like" microsoft xbox 360 console :)
When the slim PS2 came out and now the slim PS3 ... I don't feel I need to buy one of those (yet)
because I have already a system that can play the role of the two.
Unless probably if I decide to buy the PS3 slim as a blu-ray player and a 2nd game console for the other flat-screen, a chance to have a real LAN party without sharing one flat tv screen ( thinking about CoD 4 on a 32" screen )
If you are worried abiut backwards compatability, you had 2 years to buy one. It's like whining that they don't put tape decks in cars anymore. ALL the popular games are available on BOTH consoles so the backwards compatability argument is just garbage. Plyus why but a 3rd Generation console to play 2nd generation games, that's like buying a HD TV and only watching Basic Cable. As far as lack of good games, do you realize when you say that you are including the XBox and PS2 because for the most part THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME GAMES.
And if the price drop was no big deal, why did the article catch yur eye and even more why did you take the time to comment on something you do not care about? You even waited for the email to show up in your inbox to click and make your comment seen. Time you could have spent doing something you DO care about.
A Price drop is always good, would everyone been happier if they did it sooner, YES. I wish the price of a new car would drop sooner than the yearas a depreciation it takes, and I wish Samsung would lower the price of their super thin 55in 800 series TV sooner too, but that won't happen until sometime next year, but hey that's life. Anyone would be happy to pay less sooner than later.
LOL a 54.2% failure rate that Microsoft won't even dispute, they prob like that's lower than we expected. The people who say I have had no trouble with my 360 thats because 54.2 does not = 100% so you are in the 45.8%, come onn I'm no tthe only one who knows that, am I??????
the 360 to me is 2nd gen, how can you be 3rd gen with 2nd gen technology? DVD, none changeable hard drive. 2nd gen.
The only reason it sells so much is because it's CHEAPER, not BETTER, just CHEAPER. Oh and it's easier and cheaper to rip and burn DVD games than Blueray Games. 15 blank BluRay Disc $40 50 blank DVD's DL $30....LOL