Sony to discontinue 60 GB PS3

[BlindSight]

I am kinda shock that a CEO for Sony is saying all this stuff thought.ANd Evil you relaly not reading anything I posting all signs point to it will not say the same, you making poeple more worry for no reason.

Probably because he can't understand you. X_x

You might have an awesome 98 rep points, but damn read what your typing.

Cheers bro.

[Shibbysloan]

See read this, now do you guys get it?

Yeah if thats what they actually do but thats not what he said though was it? Thats why we need some sort of clarification, which werte unlikely to get as people will just wait till septemeber time when the 60gs have gone and get an 80g for the same price?

[Slashlen]

Sony exec 1: We finally cut the price, sales are through the roof!
Sony exec 2: How are we going to fix this?
Sony exec 1: We could raise the price back to $600.
Sony exec 2: No, that would be too obvious.
Sony exec 1: Get rid of the cheap one and make everyone get the pointless bundle?
Sony exec 2: That could work...
Sony exec 1: We could blame it on low sales, like we did with the 20 gig.
Sony exec 2: Brillant!
Sony exec 1: Brilliant!
Sony exec 2: Now that that's done, I need some help with my golf game. I keep getting scores in the 80s, how do I get in the 100s?

[Loudninja]

Probably because he can't understand you. X_x

You might have an awesome 98 rep points, but damn read what your typing.

Cheers bro.

Sorry, i am very scik right now, and I have nothng else to do

[BlindSight]

Sony should clarify this sometime soon...

Sorry, i am very scik right now, and I have nothng else to do

I know how it is man.

[BlitZ9200]

People have already made up their minds so don't waste your breath (or fingers?)

Right now Sony sucks in their mind and until someone else from Sony says what's really going on nothing will change that.

Funny how this made people so angry and saying their going to MS when MS just said that every 360 out there right now has a design flaw.

Oh well, I'm not gona waste typing in this thread anymore.

Or the fact that there new members who probably joined a couple of hours ago.

[Shibbysloan]

awwh get well soon ninja

[Sarick]

I'd rather pay $600 for a 60gig ps3 with EE then pay $499 for an 80gig ps3 with an with no EE. With the 60 gig you can upgrade at your own pace. Your screwed if Sony decides 35% compatibility for games with no known glitchs is good enough.

Don't believe this line that firmware will fix problems. Sony will drop software emulation patchs faster than a your old girlfriend/boyfriend after a highschool breakup. Then you'll be stuck with a limited BC PS3 or running a ps2 on the side.

In my case if my ps2 HDD breaks because sony discontinued the ps2 hdd I'll have to get an xbox 360 or hunt down an EE chipped ps3 because Sony keeps doing things to make FFXI incompatible with PS hardware.

Research to make games backwards compatible cost $money$. Apparently that's why EE chips are being removed. In the long run the only money being saved is on Sony's side. Emulation isn't ever going to be 90%. Look at that EU list the 88% they include stuff that has major issues in it. Why make a product and promote it as being backwards compatible then yank it away while charging more?

[Vampirtc]

WTF, is thus guy for real?So they will sale like 3 million systems in stock bu hte end of this month?Somethign does not add up

Thats because you think USA is the only country. There are PS3 consoles in stock worldwide. He was talking about USA btw.

Btw nice touch about putting a price cut on discounted console.

[Wearevenom1]

Yeah I am gonna have to say that the 80 gig will probably come down when the 60 stock is gone. I thought I read somewhere that it was starting to become more costly to track down 60 GB HDD's anyway as 80 was the new standard.

I hope Sony drops the price of the 80GB for everyone else but personally I could care less I have my 60 I paid 600 for and I still have to upgrade the HDD, sorry even the 120GB in the elite isn't enough memory, I would love to see them release a 250GB model for 600 and drop the 80 to 500.

Also I noticed this wasn't on Gamespot, IGN, or any other sites I visit, just ramblings on messages boards.

[Alpha2]

the 60gb was more expensive to produce close to 750 bucks EACH. The $500 price tag clears out the stock of the old systems for the cheaper made system to come a long with an extra added value of the pack in game and extra large drive that makes it easier to not have to buy a new drive anytime soon.

This is a fair move and means that it's possible for them to drop the price again by Xmas.

[GunTeng]

Well, no one ever said buisness was a friend maker..

Im starting to see what Moore was getting at with his statement ( especially where the EU is concerned), but I dont think any of this is a bad thing.

Seriously..its all good.
Whether or not its cheaper to get isn't so bad. At least you are getting more for the money...so I dont really see the problem.
Although I know a few expectations will have taken a knock.

Personal Note*
To all those I argued with in another thread, I retract my arguement & apologise.
( Arn't I the mature one.)

[Croyles]

No one listens at all:

the 80gig have a cheaper HDD and a Game with no EEC.Are you gusy tellign me you rel-aly think it will go back to having one $600 after thye made such a big deal.They said it over and over, and not people think one guy debunked all this. Peopel uses your heads

Exactly. It will be a 80gb bundle until all 60gb units have sold out, which probably wont be long (im thinking at least a bit longer than a month though), then 80gb ps3 will ship without bundle at $500, maybe even a little less.

[Roth]

Horrible move by Sony if its true, i'll believe it when its confirmed by Sony though

[Riskbreaker]

i beginning to believe that the ps3 will never be below $500. SCEA needs to put out a statement quick because this one announcement derails any momentum they built up at E3.

continuously changing the skus will only lead to more confusion.

i wonder what it is going to take to get sony to realize that most people do not want to pay even $500 for a ps3. the longer they linger at this price, the worst it will be in the long run.

i intially thought sony was being kinda smart by releasing the 80GB because it did save them money because it is slightly cheaper to produce than the 60GB. By the time MGS4 and maybe Killzone 2 come out in early 2008, they could lower the price of the 60GB to $400.

now it looks instead of moving the 60GB to $400 they are just going to move the price of the 80GB to $500 and get rid of the 60GB

[Dasimpse]

SO basically, this is obvious guys!

Sony couldnt afford to just start putting a 60 gig ps3 into the Amercas supply chain (confusing the buyer) that didnt have the EE inside it. So to stop confusion they make the 60 gig obselete and sell it on the cheap, Introduce an 80 gig to replace it. Which seems like a whole new model that doesnt have the EE in it.

Very clever move by sony. Makes it look like they are doing a price cut when really they arent, and it is the perfect cover to hide the fact that they are dropping the EE equipped ps3. and just adding an 80 gig hard drive thats cheap as chips and losing a part hat costs them much more (EE)


great move sony, but it is a little dodgy becuase it did look like the 60 gig was gonna exist forever at 499. So infact there is no price cut, its more a price slash to clear the supply chain.

[Wearevenom1]

They need to hurry up and make an announcement today. They won E3 so they need to not come off looking like completey idiots the day after, first I would fire the idiot that started this then I would clarify what is going on.

Still isn't horrible though some people are getting a deal.

[sibbo]

Its a bundle that would have worked great if they had released it from the beginning.

It's a bit weird policy really. He states that its not coming to Europe cause 20gb extra is not much, so why release it the States.
To be dropping the price in America which pound for pound is cheaper in the first place just annoys people even more in my book.

There are alot of mixed messages going on here.

If they were introducing the bundle at the existing price they could have at least increased the drive to 80gb just to have a bit of uniformity between pal and the states.

I didn't like his speech, standing up and hold up games and boxes made him look like an Arthur Daley (reference to a TV buyer/seller of dodgy goods in the 80's). 'We're not only giving you this, but this too...and this. How much for all of this, not 799, not 699 but only 599!'

[dannyphantom105]

I like the idea, when i bought my ps3 i had to buy an extra controller and 2 games, which cost 170 bucks. so if i got all that stuff for free, it's basically like a price cut on the console for me. so i voted yes.

[testiculus_maximus]

was there an official announcement from Sony? Link please?

[Aleman]

This is an incredibly stupid move if the 80 GB doesn't get dropped to $499 after the 60 GB gets phased out.

C'mon Sony, the majority of people don't care about how much hard drive space there is, especially since you can put your own in. The core functionality is gaming and the bottom line is that a lot of people are going to need the price in the $299-399 range before buying one to play all those great games you've shown.

[DBX00]

People need to understand the manufacturing side of this; it's easier to offer two SKUs that are almost identical with the exception of games/controllers included. It will save you money in the assembly process which could translate in offering the 80GB at the $499 price point once the 60GB is sold out. It will also give them the opportunity to get back in the news and say hey, we are doing another price drop right before the holidays and when you're heavy hitters come on the shelves. This is probably the reason they haven't introduced the 80GB to Europe or the core pack. This is the same strategy they've taken for the last two years with the PSP; you have the same system but one comes in a bundle and the other one doesn't. As a result, we'll see the introduction of a single 80GB PS3 with two SKUs separated only by the software included and controllers.

In addition, the retailers and consumers have control over which system sits on the shelves. If people are really pushing for the $499 console, they'll find a way to get it on the shelves b/c they want to continue the momentum until the holidays to reach that 11 million consoles number.

[Lirion]

This guy must be the worst that could hapen to SCEE and the PR for the Playstation 3.

Somone should fire him.

[Croyles]

Ok I know this interview was posted in another thread about how europes getting screwed. But im actually interested in the part about the gaming market.

What did you think of Sony's E3 press conference this year?

I wasn't here; I arrived this afternoon and I'm leaving tomorrow. I've heard reports that it was a bit humbler, with more humility than last year, which I think was needed, that it was quite slick, that it was focusing on games... So it seems to have been fairly well received. But it's not for me to judge, is it?

Was that humbler approach taken because you think Sony has appeared arrogant in the past?

I think they have. Not deliberately, but at E3 last year and maybe the year before, the presentations they did to a European and a Japanese perspective - yes. To an American perspective - no, because the difference in cultures is you have to go, 'Ra-ra, I'm the best.'
We in Europe, and especially the Japanese, don't necessarily accept that. You have to say, 'We're doing our best, but we're not the best.'

So you'll have missed the Microsoft conference as well... Peter Moore seemed to be saying they're in a tight race with the Wii, while PS3 is lagging behind. What's your perspective on that?

Globally, I can't really comment. I would say that in the UK, Xbox 360 is doing okay. I would say in Continental Europe it's about dead. In Japan it's dead. I think it's doing very well in the US.
Wii is doing very well. Hats off to them; not only have they done well, they've got back in stock. They're marketing the console and the games extremely well. Two years ago the industry was writing them off, but they've come back. We owe a debt to Nintendo for keeping the industry going in the last couple of years; they're the ones who have kept it going.

Would you agree that Sony is no longer the market leader?

I don't think it's to do with market leadership, it's to do with growth. If we are to look back in five years' time, what we have to say is we have to double this industry in five years. It's not necessarily who's the market leader.
I think it will be cyclical. It's the same with Adidas and Converse and Puma and Nike; they all bring out new models, but in the end they have such store presence and so much marketing they have trebled that industry in the last eight years. That's what we have to do...
We've now got to appeal to families and to older people; that's where the growth is going to come, broader franchises. They're not going to be all Killzones, they're not going to be all God of Wars or Metal Gear Solids. They're going to be LittleBigPlanets, Calling All Cars, localised SingStar versions. We're doing a Bollywood version of SingStar; we'll probably do one in Russian as well.

Microsoft placed a big emphasis at this year's E3 on titles that are out this year, whereas yours featured more about titles due out in the longer term future, and Peter Moore said it's about winning this holiday. How are you going to compete?

I honestly don't think that just having the games on Xbox 360 is enough. I know it's nice to focus on one year, but he said the same last year - 'We're going to win the holiday season.' But they didn't; they missed that opportunity.
I don't want to criticise them, but they can't say the same again. PlayStation 3, you will see, will be far and away the winner when you look at it by March '08. They really, really will. It's something that is going to be a slow burner, and suddenly it's like a tsunami; it will just overtake you.

What will cause that tipping point?

You can't take a scattergun approach of putting all the games out. The Metal Gear Solids and the GT franchises - you don't have to put them out in November and December. You can put them out in January, March, April, whenever you like. A big game will move the platform.
In fact having a window of silence sometimes in those months is very good - that's what we've found. Metal Gear Solid always does well in March.

As you say you've got Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo, and then Microsoft's got the likes of Halo. Then there's this murkiness around titles like GTA IV, where extra content is coming out on 360, and Microsoft is saying 360 is the only place where you can get the full GTA IV experience. Why didn't you get that content?

It's just a question of money. If Microsoft wants to pay USD 50 million just for that... Then I would say they're quite desperate. But as Jack Tretton said, we're really not in the business any more of buying exclusivity. We're more in the business of developing, from Phil Harrison's area, new IPs. We want to move on.
It's too easy to look at and say, 'We must get the GTA franchise.' By the time you've got it the world's moved on, and they'll be talking about some other game. I've got children who are 11 to 15 years old, and those kids are looking forward and not necessarily looking back.
They're the kids who are going to be buying it - the new franchises, but not necessarily the old ones that we signed up to E3 four or five years ago. They're not going to drive the market in the future; it's going to be the new ones.

Where do you see PlayStation, and the industry in general, in five years' time?

It's going to be a lot more network based, to start with. I have absolutely no doubt about that. That will bring in people who are more PC-oriented, people who are more music-oriented and downloading through iPod.
I think there will be much more focus on shorter games, episodic games, instant gratification; less emphasis on a hard console or a hard laptop. The concept of a console eventually will disappear.

Are you still looking at PlayStation 3 as a ten year machine?

Yes, we are. We think with the capacity in the hard drive to update the firmware, that's certainly possible. We're in year eight of PlayStation 2 and I think we can still get to ten years on PlayStation 3.
That doesn't mean to say that something else might come out. I don't think it will be a PlayStation 4; it will be something completely different. But something will come out before we get to ten years on PlayStation 3.

So let's say it's not a physical machine, that physical media goes away - where will that leave retailers?

Retail, as they have in the music industry, will be left with something - but not everything they want... I think eventually they will struggle. Some countries like France are adjusting. Certainly in Japan they are adjusting. Unless UK retailers move in that direction, they are going to struggle.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=26702

I thought that was very interesting. What do you think about him saying Sony will be the leader by March 2008?

[PS3fluKe]

Interview with Kaz Hirai on norwegian newspaper: http://atvs.vg.no/player/index.php?id=10235
At 01:40 into the video he states that the PS3 60GB will be $499 until it's sold out. Then it's back to $599 angain with the "Value Pack" (80GB & Motorstorm)