PS3 60GB doesn't represent a price drop, it's a clearance sale
Anger, frustration, confusion, denial, shock ... these are all words that can be used to describe the emotional state felt by the gamer community after Sony went from officially announcing a price drop on Monday, to essentially making it all a moot point by Friday because the 60GB is being discontinued. The mainstream media still hasn't picked up on the story and we haven't seen anything from the Associated Press or Reuters* yet. You know, this may be considered a price drop, but the real phrase is "clearance sale."
That's what it is. We'll be right back to the $599 price we started at in a few months once the 60GB units sell, only with some "added value" thrown in (with a little something taken away). Is going back to the old price worth it to consumers for an extra 20GB and Motorstorm? Is that what Sony executives really think is going to move units at the magical $599 price? Of course, there is also the possibility that once the 60GB units sell out, the 80GB model will drop down to that price after Sony squeezes a little bit more cash out of having a premium model. If the 80GB takes the place of the 60GB the moment stock runs out, there will still be a PS3 model at the new $499 price.
As the story played out on Friday, there were many people at E3 scrambling to get what the real story was and comparing notes on the madness we had heard the night before. Most conversations regarding the subject started with, "There's no way it could be true." But here we are -- if the 80GB model doesn't receive a similar price drop, we'll be stuck with a new package for the PS3 at the old price of $599.
*Update: Reuters caught on and impresses with proper attribution.
