R.I.P. PlayStation 3 20GB is officially no more

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 11th 2007 at 4:45PM }

Straight from Sony: The 20GB PS3 will no longer be offered to retailers for sale in North America. The decision was made based on consumer and retail demand favoring "the 60GB model 10 to 1."

Dave Karraker of Sony America states, "At launch, we offered two separate models of PlayStation 3 to meet the diverse needs and interests of our PlayStation fan base. Initial retail demand in North America was upwards of ninety percent in favor of the 60GB SKU, so we manufactured and shipped-in accordingly. Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America. In addition to the larger internal hard drive, the 60GB PlayStation 3 features added storage media slots and built-in Wi-Fi not found in the 20GB system. Based on retailer and consumer feedback, we have decided to focus our current efforts on the more popular 60GB model."

This follows mounting evidence that the 20GB was on its way out the door at Best Buy and even the Sony Style store. And so we say goodbye to the PlayStation 3's 20GB model. Goodnight sweet Prince, we hardly knew ye.

R.I.P. PlayStation 3 20GB
Nov. 17, 2006 -- April 11, 2007

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Ken @ Apr 11th 2007 4:49PM

That sucks. If I were to get a PS3, that would have been the one.

Oh well..

arrrgh @ Apr 11th 2007 4:50PM

So how long till the 60gb model is toast too? :P

jason w @ Apr 11th 2007 4:52PM

So that gets rid of the $499 to 399 comparisons. I have my 20 gig collectors edition already so I guess it doesnt matter.

JDuB @ Apr 11th 2007 4:53PM

Wow Sony sold 10 Playstation 3s?

fffunfarm06---xbl @ Apr 11th 2007 4:53PM

:( i feel sad cause i would have bought the 20 gb, just cause it was cheaper. and i dont like crome on my consoles. I know im gonna have to be buying a ps3 sometime late this year cause of mgs4, but dayum. they could have made it orderable or something.

Jason @ Apr 11th 2007 4:55PM

Does this not play into the 360s plan of the $199 HDDVD and the $399 console debate. Now they are equal if you dont need wifi like I dont. My tv has a card slot.

vidGuy @ Apr 11th 2007 4:58PM

So when is the Super-Uber $799 PS3 taking the place of the 60GB model? ;)

Really, this is to be expected since the 20GB was a chump's buy, but it was nice to give gamers the OPTION with it, anyway. Now Sony can no longer say: "PS3! Starting at $499!"

fffunfarm06---xbl, you might want to stick around and hold off your purchase, based on the way developers have been jumping ship I wouldn't be surprised if MGS4 ends up only a timed-exclusive on the PS3 and finds its way to the 360, no matter what Kojima says.

starnos @ Apr 11th 2007 4:59PM

DOES ANY ONE KNOW IF THE GEORGE FORMAN GRILL IS STILL AVAILABLE?

Paul @ Apr 11th 2007 4:59PM

There it goes... Sony just needed the $499 model to show it wasn't that expensive. Now everyone is used to paying a ****load of money for this supercomputer, it just lost its use.

Now if only Microsoft did the same to the Xbox Core and forced developers to make games with the hard disk in mind.

D Clark @ Apr 11th 2007 5:01PM

So as a mainstream consumer who knows dick all about next gen optical media formats, what do I pick? The 120 GB XBOX 360 Elite for $550 CAN or the 60 GB PS3 for $700 CAN?

Paul @ Apr 11th 2007 5:02PM

Now let's wait for the PS3 Elitist, adorned with Svarovski crystals. I can't even speculate on price.

jojonyc @ Apr 11th 2007 5:04PM

that just makes it 100% certain i have to wait for a price drop to get ps3...

Aex @ Apr 11th 2007 5:04PM

I wonder if they are doing this because they are planning a price drop and a $500->$400 drop would have been to much of a hit...

Either way this makes my decision of which PS3 to buy easier. Looks like I'll be getting the 60gb... In a year or two...

pete @ Apr 11th 2007 5:09PM

@10. ps3 still the way to go, the elite with does have the larger hd but after buying the wifi adapter, $100 here in the states and the hddvd player, $200 here in the states, you end up paying more. so if youre looking at it from features right out the box and overall cost the ps3 is the way to go. but since your a gamer at heart, i assume, you will buy the system that has the GAMES you want to play.

Game Artist @ Apr 11th 2007 5:07PM

Cool. So now you can officially pick up a 360 for HALF the price of a ps3.

sheppy @ Apr 11th 2007 5:08PM

"So as a mainstream consumer who knows dick all about next gen optical media formats, what do I pick? The 120 GB XBOX 360 Elite for $550 CAN or the 60 GB PS3 for $700 CAN?"

The Wii. Since, to a mianstream consumer, both are too fucking expensive. But looky there, PS2 and DS still selling like hotcakes.

Twinkie @ Apr 16th 2007 10:20PM

i was hoping for a price cut. now they got rid of my only price cut option. ill get a ps3 in 2010.

T @ Apr 11th 2007 5:14PM

It's a good idea to not produce a system nobody will buy...however it leaves me concerned that Sony no longer has any other option but to hope that people buy into the $600 price tag of the 60GB.

At least they caught on twice as fast as MS and the 360 Core.

Ken @ Apr 11th 2007 5:13PM

What's with all the PS3 price drop talk? How long did it take Sony to do a pricedrop of the PS2?

And how long has the PS3 been out?

Case closed. If you're planning on buying one when the price drops. Plan on waiting a while.

mccomber @ Apr 11th 2007 5:14PM

"Cool. So now you can officially pick up a 360 for HALF the price of a ps3."
Yep, and it what a deal it is. It has wifi, and wireless controllers, and a hard drive... oh wait.

I'm hoping this means that Sony is streamlining the production process, and brining the 60gb down to $500. That announcement would have to be more than welcome to those of you that "were gonna buy one, but now..."

ssuk @ Apr 11th 2007 5:14PM

So, usually it's the early adoptors who are being screwed over when it comes to game consoles. However, Sony has to ensure it's backwards for the PS3 by screwing over later adopters. The older PS3s had chips in them to emulate PS2 perfectly (well, nearly) now it's left down to software emulation... Yet the price of the console remains the same and they had the chance to get a 20GB cheaper model of the PS3, of course, this makes no difference to Europe since we've only got the over-priced 60GB unit here with the botched software emulation. So I'm not sure wether to be happy that we're not the only ones being screwed around now, or to be angry, that you lot are in the same predicment as us but we're being charged more. Ah fuck it, I don't even care.

Todd @ Apr 11th 2007 5:15PM

I think we all knew this was coming. Been months since stores stopped carrying stock. Apparently the public isn't that stupid to buy the lesser model when you can get all the bells & whistles for a few hundred more.

synce @ Apr 11th 2007 5:16PM

The PS3 is a waste of money either way. You don't know next-gen until you're playing on Xbox Live, private chatting with friends, sending out game invites, and streaming music from your PC all at the same time! I could never get used to the PS3's last gen architecture. Extra disc space means nothing to me.

MooseMuffin @ Apr 11th 2007 5:16PM

I guess it makes the 360 elite make a little more sense, since it can take over the 20gbs price point.

Kye @ Apr 11th 2007 5:18PM

Should we tell Sony hat the vast majority of their early adaptors were fanboys/technophiles?

The majority of sales would probably (IMHO) have gone to people who just want to use their PS3 primarily as a games console. People who would have wanted the cheaper SKU. (emphasis on the word cheap)

Should we tell them that they shouldn't stop selling sparking wine just because a few connoiseurs were raving about champayne?

Nah.

Let 'em die.

NoHitHair @ Apr 11th 2007 5:18PM

At the very least on a fundamental level, it is completely impossible to ignore this failure. The 360 offered two models over a year before the PS3's launch and continues to sell both to this day. Sony's 20GB model discontinued after less than 6 months on the market.

Currently, I only have a Wii and will most likely not be purchasing either a PS3 or 360 until their prices drop a significant amount. That said, however, it may take me a much longer time to acquire a PS3 considering the additional $100 drop I would need now.

http://blog.myspace.com/nohithair

sheppy @ Apr 11th 2007 5:21PM

It's sad to see it go. But maybe I'm a hypocrit considering mine is a 160GB with plans to be 300GB next summer....

Ihya @ Apr 11th 2007 5:27PM

"Does this not play into the 360s plan of the $199 HDDVD and the $399 console debate. Now they are equal if you dont need wifi like I dont. My tv has a card slot."

For the 100 or so angry 360 owners who champion this argument and write about it on the internet incessantly with their calculators at their sides, it really does.

mccomber @ Apr 11th 2007 5:23PM

"At the very least on a fundamental level, it is completely impossible to ignore this failure. The 360 offered two models over a year before the PS3's launch and continues to sell both to this day. Sony's 20GB model discontinued after less than 6 months on the market."

Or we could view it as Microsoft's failure to realize that having 2... er, 3 different choices for consumers is retarded to begin with. I think Sony just said "well, we're not selling that many 20gb models, why spend money making, shipping and stocking them?"

I honestly think this is the first half of what we'll see resulting from this decision.
And no, I don't think the second half will be the removal of the 60gb from the market as well. I'll go ahead and toss the quip out there now myself...

blamecanada @ Apr 11th 2007 5:23PM

Wow, as soon as MS tries to make a console the same price as the PS3, Sony goes and axes it. Leaving only the more expensive model.

Kye @ Apr 11th 2007 5:26PM

Wow, Microsoft now decided they need a third SKU and Sony have decided they only need one. I wonder whose right?

I love you Nintendo. As online-phobic as you are.

haywood jablomey @ Apr 11th 2007 5:32PM

It's only a matter of time before the 60gb PS3 follows suit.

AssemblyLineHuman @ Apr 11th 2007 5:33PM

Ihya: I don't see why Microsoft fanboys would make that argument anyway. How about the much more convincing "I don't WANT an HD movie player until penetration is high and price is low." Seriously, the demand for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is going up, but it's still nowhere near high enough for it to be worthwhile for the mainstream consumer.

john @ Apr 11th 2007 5:34PM

C'mon Nintendo! Get with the program. Obviously people want their consoles to get more expensive over time.

DVD-enabled Wii for $299 anyone?

sheppy @ Apr 11th 2007 5:38PM

"It's only a matter of time before the 60gb PS3 follows suit. "

Personally, I think at E3, we'll see the 60GB take the 20GBs price point and a larger version emerge. Or that 80GB version will take over the 20GBs spot, remove the EE, and we'll see an even larger PS3 introduced.

Oh wait... darn, Damn Sony! Doom and Gloom! They could only sell over 2 million in a matter of under 6 months. Clearly PS3 is teh failed!

*goes back to DJ Max Portable 2*

charlie @ Apr 11th 2007 5:38PM

"Really, this is to be expected since the 20GB was a chump's buy, but it was nice to give gamers the OPTION with it, anyway. Now Sony can no longer say: "PS3! Starting at $499!""

I disagree completely. If you didnt need 802.11b/g wifi (say you have a hard ethernet wire going behind your TV, which is always preferable, or if you need to use a new wireless product that has MIMO or is draft-n), the $499 SKU was a better deal. You could upgrade the 20GB drive to 60GB for under $60, but what I would have done is bought a 120GB or 160GB drive for $80 or $110 respectively.

In fact, all the analyst predictions of what it costs Sony to build the units had them losing significantly more on the $499.99 SKU than the $599.99 one. Makes sense, since adding flash memory card slots and an internal wifi chip couldnt cost more than $15 altogether and the price difference for Sony between 20gb and 60gb 2.5" sata drives could not possibly be more than $40. Thats a whole $45 that Sony doesn't lose on each $599 SKU compared to each $499 SKU.

If I had to guess, I would say thats the real reason they dropped it. Hell, do you think MS sells a lot of $299 X360 SKUs?! probably even a smaller ratio than what Sony sold of $499s since the "X360 Core" doesn't even have any hard drive.

And so thats the real reason I predict them dropping the $499 SKU. Also possibly if they're planning a price break, $399 is probably too low to go for any device that includes a Blu-ray drive and a hard disk. I wouldnt be upset if they dumped the 20GB SKU to coincide with a price break.

This also raises the question- is Sony going to create a higher SKU with more storage to compete with the X360 Elite, and if so, what other new features (besides probably a 120gb or 160gb hdd) will it have? My idea: include a bluetooth keyboard/mouse system designed for ergonomic use on peoples laps, a la Phantom Lapboard. Except without the vaporware.

hegemonyhog @ Apr 11th 2007 5:55PM

Here's the difference between the PS3 and the 360's dual-model strategies.

The PS3's lower-end model was $500. The 360's was $300. In general console pricing parlance, the $300 barrier is standard - the PS1 and PS2 launched at that price, every Nintendo console's launched under that price (in non inflation-adjusted dollars).

The base-level PS3 is already at a premium price...and at that point, why bother skimping? There was no real value offered by it, except that you just got less for a lot of money. It's like offering the BMW with the manual locks and windows - sure, it might be cheaper, but when the difference is $55,000 or $57,000, why the hell would you hold out?

You make a product defined as the premium, the best imaginable, and then you offer a hobbled, slightly worse version. Way to stick with the brand identity, guys.

Digi Smalls @ Apr 11th 2007 5:43PM

so long 20gig. i'll personally miss your non-chrome, and your (relatively) reasonable price for a gaming console.

latest money saving move by Sony, but honestly i hope it makes MS think again about all their SKUs.

.

DBX00 @ Apr 11th 2007 5:49PM

A price drop later this year is very possible; the PS2 didn't have bleeding edge technology therefore it didn't have nearly as steep of a production cost decline as will be seen with the PS3. As blu ray sells more software units and hardware, the cost to manufacturer the drive will dramatically decline. In addition, the cost of the laptop HDD will drop over time because of the PC market and the hardware upgrades as a result of the Vista release.

I anticipated that they would drop the 20GB when it wasn't made available in Europe. However, the real question is whether they'll slowly decline the price of the system or wait until they can drop the price $100 or so. They are already selling it at a further discount in Japan; most b/c of shipping savings and currency rates.

Sidepocket @ Apr 11th 2007 5:52PM

@ synce

Wow erm, if you think that that is Next-Gen, then PC gaming has been next gen for about...*counts...10 years now.

Mitochondria @ Apr 11th 2007 5:53PM

Some of you ppl are stupid, lol. First off, I'm sure that if the 360 core was doing badly, MS would have done the same. Second, you keep bringing up the WiFi and HD-DVD player, but those as said thousands of times before are all optional, and on top of that how many ppl actually own a HDTV? I do and still haven't gotten an HD player, why should I when I can download movies straight to my system?

Michael @ Apr 11th 2007 5:57PM

But I thought Sony simply told consumers what they want instead of listening to what they want. Which would suggest the 20gb is actually still in high demand.

ed @ Apr 11th 2007 6:01PM

I'd say this bodes HORRIBLY for SONY. The way I look at, the 20 GB model was made more for the folks "on the fence" about the purchase, and perhaps not as rabid a gamer as many of us are. For SONY to admit that the 60 GB model is favored by a "10 to 1" margin is essentially admitting that the only folks interested in buying their console are the hardcore, diehard SONY gamer. This would seem to say that they've already conceded this gen's war...and have moved on to the next...hopefully.

Pete @ Apr 11th 2007 6:03PM

Sony just made the Elite a decent value. Well played!!

John @ Apr 11th 2007 7:12PM

Well that and only retarded rich people care about the PS3

Everybody else doesn't care.....they have a Wii60

Vegan @ Apr 11th 2007 6:07PM

I don't know whether to chalk this up to admitting when they did something wrong, or them having no confidence in their own products.

OrganicShadow @ Apr 13th 2007 10:04AM

#35

Is adding a larger hard drive at no extra cost to the SKU not an option? It's "name" isn't really 60gb anymore now is it- it's "PS3" and that's it. It comes with a 60gb hard drive now, and if Sony decides to ship them with larger hard drives in the future they don't have to add SKU's or anything, just signs that say "PS3: Now with 120gb HDD".

I don't see why anyone hasn't considered that option yet.