PS3 60GB doesn't represent a price drop, it's a clearance sale

Hiroken you are spot on. unfortunately these Sony haters cant think straight due to their "must bash Sony" trance state.

""Maybe one day when the PS3 drops to $200 I will get one, maybe."

Really, this shows that either you are not a gamer anymore or you are just another sony/ps3 hater"

Or you know, maybe I liked Sony and their games but they dropped a ball on their overpriced system with no killer app and not enough good games and I don't care about blu-ray or hd-dvd... since I buy a system for... you know... games.

Get off your Sony high horse. They f'ed up. They are continuing to do it. Find a damn way to make the system cheaper and come out with enough games for everyone that are great.

Stop all the extra crap Sony.

People will buy the system if they feel they get their money's worth with the games.

ENOUGH SAID.

"Just cuz you own more than one console doesn't mean you're not a fanboy. Also you could be lying. This is the internet. I don't know you. And I have no reason and theres no evidence to show that you're telling the truth. Please note that I'm NOT requesting a picture of you with your Wii and your 360. I could care less and besides that would be completely wierdo."

way to take the easy way out of course i must be lying.

"As for my comments regarding all those games. Yes they're highly anticipated...for sony fanboys."

so i guess they can't be highly anticipated by anyone else at all by that logic.
"As for my comments regarding MGS4 I have no regrets and I was just be honest. I want it on the 360 because I think that lots of people want to play it."

not what u first said which was just to piss off fanboys.

"LOL its funny how you won't respond to any of my valid comments regarding lilbigplanet or Goddess of War. Killzone 2 doesn't look that good graphically. Especially given all this hype over the ps3's graphics."

i didn't respond to those because instead of finishing defending each individual game i wanted to sum it up by saying that you're so critical of all those games by merely what you've seen and heard without any being released yet or able to play. if you really want me to i think LBP looks charming in my opinion and sure sonyfanboys would laugh if it were on wii but that doesnt automatically make it a bad game. and heavenly sword: as if no game on 360 were similar to another and still a good game.

instead of being greatful to a company that has risked billions of dollars on PS3 research and development


if this doesnt scream "sony defence force" i dont know what does...roflmao someone quickly give this guy something too cure his insanity

"The easy way out? Are you fucking serious? Just because you say something on the internet doesn't make it automatically true. IF that were the case then I'd have to believe EVERY single piece of info that I read.

I give you credit for admitting what I said about lilbigplanet. But I also think you're one of those sony trolls who would also be shitting on the Wii if it were on the Wii. Theres no doubt the game looks great graphically. And the storyline/game looks interesting. But I could care less since its on the ps3 and I don't plan on buying a ps3 just for lilbigplanet.

As for copycat games on the 360 they occur. But thats not the point. The point is that Goddess of War is the female clone of God of War. And its not on the 360 so why should I be remotely interested in it? Cuz its on the ps3 and therefore its gotta be great...I don't think so.

Anyways I'm off to bed. Don't hate Joystiq cuz they're reporting the facts

oh i'm hating joystiq now? all u do is twist people's words and i'm not even going to begin to delve into how much u just did that. you're a piece of shit that's not worth responding to anymore and i'm out.

360 fanboys eat it up. enjoy it. robbie bach is a moron. admission that every 360 unit is flawed is pleading no contest to a class action lawsuit. if you think the 3 year warranty prevents that, it doesn't. i guess bach is too worried about being investigated by the sec for his crooked stock deals to realise they should have been more careful in that phone conference.

a seasoned trainer can tell when a racing horse is on its last legs. too bad people don't get it that the 360 will go out with a bang this fall. did you see all of those 2008 games for the 360 at e3? cricket cricket cricket.

anyone that thinks heavenly sword is goddess of war is an idiot. yeah you the guy up there that is so jealous he can't see straight. i'll say it again. idiot. it's one thing to slam a game every publication has railed on but slamming a title that every previewer is gasping at makes you look like the butthead that you are.

itty bitty disc disease is about to start kicking your ass. just in time for the ps3 to hit its stride. everyone of these people slamming sony including the ms employees that run this site are going to have some serious crow to eat in the near future.

no wonder capcom said there was going to be another price drop.

I think that everyone has missed the point of this piece.

Fact: the PS3 has had trouble selling. By having this clearance sale, Sony may receive a boost in sales going forward, but it will only be temporary. Once the 60GB PS3s are gone, they still have a serious problem: how to get people to buy PS#s. And on this point, I agree with the author that an extra 20 GB plus a game (minus the EE that allows me to play my PS2 games) ain't gonna do it. Sorry. (As far as I'm concerned, all three consoles are overpriced to hell).

The author's not flaming Sony for dropping the price of the 60 GB; he's flaming them for thinking that this is all Sony needs to do to solve their problems selling the PS3.

Oh, and to Curmeo: "Be grateful?" Fuuuuuuuuuuck you. Gratitude is not, nor should it ever be, a selling point. You know what's a selling point? Good gaming at a worthwhile price.

@morganfell:

its nice to see someone listen to reason and respect the good things that others offer and not be completely cynical about everything and be stubborn about it.

@FM

"Cuz if you read my response I clearly stated I'm a Wii fanboy and a MS supporter currently."

Gee then I guess I've never seen someone defend MS to the death,I must be retarded after all. It's been nice talking to you,kid."

So now you're claiming I'm the ONLY one who has defended MS on this website to death? And I haven't even defended MS that much in this thread. And the only reason I've even talked about MS is because YOU and the other sony trolls are insisting on making this about MS and RRoD instead of what this post was ORIGINALLY about: sony and its horrible decision.

So continue to lie yourself that I'm being overzealous when the truth is you're trying to shift the discussion away from what it was originally was.

What the hell is wrong with you people??

Do these consoles matter that much in your lives?

If so, go do some thinking.

PS3 = teh sux
360 = teh sux
Wii = teh sux

Now Sega 32X, THAT my friends is what gaming IS!

Sam G. hit the nail on the head. Conversation over.

Go Sammy! Sam G. is correct.
And I gotta feel somewhat cheated 'cause I wasn't planning to get a PS3 till 2008 when they have games worth playing. Sorta a bait and switch with the missing EE chip to lower production costs I don't think it is compensated by the 20 gig HD space (HDDs are so cheap these days anyway and I was planning to put my own 100+ GB inside it in the first place) and the game I don't want.
Keep your 20 gigs, keep the crappy game. Give me back the EE and show me a real price drop and come 2008 when you got games worth playing I will gladly display my PS3 side by side with my Wii, 2x 360s (Pro & 65nm Elite) by my 40 in HDTV.

I have a Xbox 360 since july 2006 and I've never had a RRoD yet. I'm getting a Wii in 2 months becuase it has AAA games that I want to play. I will also get a Playstation 3 when Sony decides to f---ing drop the price to $399, and when it has real 3rd party support.

Yeah....real 3rd party support. That's something I've notced was missing from this discussion. Notice Sony lost so many exclusives...some that automaticly made you think "playstation" back when the PS2 was crushing the competition. Not anymore. People who has money for alot of things...and that's pretty much the vast majority of you (myself included) will NEVER spend $500 and $600 for a videogame system. You Sony fanboys can't comprehend that.

You also can't comprehend that Microsoft cares about their X360 customers...by replacing their consoles as long as they are on the 3 year warrenty plan. Sony has no such plan, and never did during those PS2 hardware poblems. Instead, they told their customers to "drop dead". See the difference? HUH....YOU SEE THE F---ING DIFFERENCE??

Bluray HAS NOT won the HD war. HD-DVD is very well alive and kicking, but I could give two s---s in the bucket about ether. I hope they both fail..yeah what do you think of that? Last I checked, typical bluray DVD movies are still over $20.

"Sixasses" is not innovatve. It feels cheap, and gamers want rumble. The motion sensing wasn't announced until after we hear about the Wiimote doing the same thing....and I wonder why, hmm?

Making "Afirka" into this huge epic game...just tells me that your licking something extremly well and just waiting for the creme to pour out from Sony. And it's not a twinkie.

You sony fans can keep telling the rest of us that your Playstation 3 is a god, but you can't deny facts like little 3rd party exclusives, telling you to die when you ask to get your system fucked, using a bait tatic to get the spotlight on them at E3, making half your PS1 and PS2 collections worthless, and oh yeah....still $599 U.S. dollars.

As I told you...I will pick one up when the price lowers to $399 and with some real 3rd party support. But if Sony contuines to go the way they are going now and not fix this crap by 2008....then they really will become their own version of Sega post SegaCD era.

Now ether you sony fans will think about these words, or 1 minute later...go back to licking Sony's behind as if my words went in one ear and out the other. And if you don't believe I'm not a fanboy at this point EVEN AFTER TELLING YOU I WILL GET A PS3 EVENTUALLY, then the egg droppings of a insect has more crediblity and relevance than you ever will.

I just went through these comments, all I have to say is "wow"

"The key is they haven't pissed anyone off who didn't already want to be pissed off.

If you had nothing against Sony you wouldn't be bitching about being able to buy the 60GB for $100 less than you could last week.

Please, those of you who are looking for reasons to be angry at Sony, stop trying to portray that these things you use as excuses to be annoyed are things that the everyday, reasonable person would be annoyed about."

This is a forum filled with mostly insecure, introverted video game playing folks. Stop being rational and logical. If they want to channel their hatred and rage at the real world via irrational lothing of a video game company, so be it. It's kinda like their therapy.

If I could theorize what frustrates most people about Sony's move, it's this: $499 wasn't a price point that they wanted to buy the console at, but it was certainly closer than $599.

The strategy they're in the process of executing makes that eventual price point ($399, $299) further away, if not potentially impossible. There are a lot of people who would like a PS3, but want one at a cheaper price. Personally, it's something I'd easily pay $250 or so on, but with a price drop coupled with a price increase followed by another price drop, along with the change in hardware, the forced bundle and everything else Sony's done pretty much has a lot of us non-PS3 owners convinced that they're doing everything possible to get us to not buy the system.

We don't owe Sony anything. They are a company and we are consumers. It is their job to convince us to buy their products.

I think the real issue here is anger and vitrol over the loss of the emotion engine despite the all of the price variations.

Look, either way this is a lot of money to swallow down. I understand the underlying reason for the great fanboy wars is simply because they believe the console war "winner" will shape what kind of games we'll be playing in the next 5-10 years. Either you want to invest in the PS3's future on not. I'm not just let some screaming fanboy say what I can and cannot buy regardless.

Me? In spite of wanting to have the emotion engine on my rig I'm waiting for Oblivion GOTY edition before I buy anything.

How about we wait and see guys? I have a feeling that when all the 60GBs are gone the 80GB will go down to 499 and sony will introduce another sku for 599.

That would be the non-retarted thing to do.

I am a little confused at the outrage in this news story. So, before E3 you could buy a 60GB PS3/Blu-Ray player for $600. After E3, you can buy an 80GB
PS3/Blu-Ray player w/ 5 free Blu-Ray Discs and Motorstorm for $600. Like you weren't going to buy a $60 game with your PS3 anyway, or try out that new Blu-Ray player with a $30 movie purchase.

Maybe the problem isn't that Sony is pulling a "bait-and-switch", but that they couldn't control the message. The gaming media proclaimed this a "price-cut", when in actuality it's something of a "SKU-shift". This also leaves open the possibility of a price drop before the holidays once the 60GB sells out. Would anyone complain with a $500 80GB PS3 w/ Motorstorm in 3 months? Depends on how well the 60GB sells at $500.

Honestly, this was a move I expected from Microsoft, switching the "Premium" down to $300 and packaging the Premium with pack-ins (Gears of War, extra controller, etc) at $400. When that happened, I was planning on jumping on the 360 train.

Thanks Joystiq for editing out my comments.

My comments weren't more offending than any other comment on here, but you chose to pull it.

Your new comment system SUCKS. Bring back the old comment system PLEASE. It was much better, more linear than this new comment system. Now any mob can literally get your comment pulled if your not in agreement with them. How's that better than your old system?

I think the really sad part is that the average gamer won't be on a website like this and will have no idea what's going on. I mean, if it's not in the news or reported at all on TV, Sony just left customers in the dark on this whole fiasco.

I'm sorry Curmeo. But all that you see is REAL consumer reaction. The masses of consumers (at least most) will not favor Sony this generation mainly because of many many reasons. The PS3's market performance will be bad most of the next few years because of Sony's "mistakes" for as long as you can deny and spin the facts everyday of our life as you spend your time on the internet along with other supporters of Sony.

You are not completely off seeing that there ARE some people out there who hate Sony, But you are not very smart to assume everyone hates Sony. What you see is consumer reaction, and people thinking Joystiq is against Sony are pretty ignorant. Do you really think Sony did everything right and that people are wrong to make negative opinions about a company forcing everyong to bleed money for video games? GAmes are just a commodity, and it's very plain and obvious people justify their purchases because money does not come easy for the masses whether you believe or not. This is why we call people having lives (people do work and have to live a life you know?) IF you admit to having no life and saying Video games ARE your life, then feel free to complain about other things not good enough for you (these are the people who don't get enough satisfaction out of the Wii because they think their demands for gaming is big and require the high graphic systems).

Joystiq is the media, just like Kotaku. All this talk from people saying negative stuff about not just Sony (also MS) is ALL FOR US CONSUMERS. The media supports the consumers even if they do manipulate us. Joystiq isn't about supporting the company they love or hate. This is all for our immediate attention so they can get more hits on their website. You people are manipulated too easy about news and people talking shit about other companies or people. You should just sit back and enjoy the console war.

And please don't just assume I hate (paste first party company here). I'm a consumer and I only decide what's best for me. I'm in it for games. Extra features on a system doesn't mean squat to me. I just want my franchises and enjoyment with less effort and money to get my satisfaction. A first party company who designs and markets their system economically gets the win in my opinion (that's just how business works with consumers and third parties). If things come cheap for everyone (game development, cheap software like cds over cartridges or just plain cheap prices for consumers) then people buy them. It's that simple. If you're not satisfied with what's given to you at retail, then simply don't buy it.
\

After nearly two decades of gaming, I think it's safe to assume that it's only good to be loyal to a brand that is a third party company or a game maker, not a first party. I think Nintendo has years of success based on their games, not their systems. If Sony is recognized by their systems instead of their games, I don't see them surviving the console races in the future. This is why you now see them investing lots of money on their first and second party titles.

I don't want any company to fall. It's sad to hear that some of you actually want some to fall just for your benefit of arguing in a forum about which company is better. But competition is really the greatest benefit of the consumer because the companies strive harder to get your money. There is nothing better than getting more bang for your buck.

What are people crying about, this is done everyday in all retail sectors.

- end of model year sales on cars; to clear out the existing years inventory to make room for the new models... they're not going to make '07 models FOREVER when the '08s are coming
- end of season sales on clothing
- iPod sales when new iPods come out... to clear inventory of old models
- computer price cuts when new models are released

This is the standard pricing scheme for consumer products (esp. electronics) thats are routinely upgraded over short periods of time (< 1 year). They need to do something with the inventory and they dont want to lower the price of the new model significantly. The price will gradually go down over time though.

...so, shut up and go each your cereal. M$ will do exactly the same if they decide to phase out the gimped core model.

It's a clearance sale, any way you look at it.

The 60GB for $599 did not sell in the numbers they expected it would. Sony had to lower the price for a number of reasons.

1. Inventory buildup. Sony has to move units to clear the inventory buildup. How else would they be able to sell units at $499 and claim they would be able to provide them for months to come at that price if they did not have a huge inventory sitting on shelves and warehouses, when they claim the SKU in question is discontinued?

2. Installed user base. Sony has to move units to prove to publishers that they would be able to recoup their investments even if their game remained platform exclusive. This may be the single most important aspect of the reduced price for the 60GB version.

3. Make way for the 80GB version.

Yes, it is true, you can buy the 60GB version for a $100 less than you could have 2 weeks ago, but what you buy will not be manufactored anymore. That's a clearance sale.

However, I am a little bit buffled by the claim the 60GB version is discontinued. How would they be supplying these in Europe, when they don't manufacture it anymore?

Also, those who claim the price point will remain $499 for the 80GB version purely speculate. Kaz Hirai's statement in that video was to the contrary. Also, if this is a permanent price reduction, as some claim here, when the 80GB version becomes available, and it is $599, would that be a $100 price increase? :)

I think people are making mountains out of molehills here (Joystiq and other blogs included).
Unfortunately its fashionable to bash Sony these days. Cynicism aside, the story is:

Sony anounces price drop of 60GB sku to $499 @ E3;
They introduce a new, more cost effective (to them) 80GB bundle, retail $599 with bundle;
Euro Sony Exec says 60GB production has ended in North America, price drop is basically a sale;
Hirai-San confirms demise of 60GB and 80GB is replacement (the 60GB PS3 wont sell out anytime soon though);
Sony anounce once 60GB sku clears, they will look at the cost of the 80GB sku (official anouncement).

When you cut out the bullshit its clear that Sony are working to lower the production cost of the PS3 (cheaper produced 80GB sku) and are offering the older sku at a Sale Price to clear. Because of poor communication within Sony people are trying to turn it into a huge scandal.

The 60GB it $499. thats $100 cheaper than $599. That's a DROP IN PRICE, End of Story!

At the moment people have a choice, they can buy a PS3 for $499 or $599. Does this hurt anyone?

The 80GB will not be cut until the 60GB is sold out because basically many people would get confused and it could potentially hurt 60GB sales: The 'One is better than the other but costs the same' perception if you know what I mean. Sony feel that bundling the 80GB with Motorstorm at a higher price is the best solution to avoid this confusion without losing more money by cutting the 60GB further.

Though Sony wont ever say it now (they would be retarded if they did) they will drop the price of the 80GB to $499 or $450 before xmas (when 60GB clears).

I think people should calm down and wait until the 60GB sells out before crying foul. The important thing is if you want a PS3 for $499 you can get one (with 5 free movies) in the next 2 months. Speculation beyond that is meaningless.