Rumor: 40GB PS3 releases in US on Nov. 2 -- same issues as Euro model
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Oct 8th 2007 at 10:00AM }
Now that it looks like the NA 40GB PS3 will have the same issues as its Euro counterpart, we can't wait to hear Sony America's rationale on this, considering the European explanation was a bit lacking. Aeropause had a strong piece this weekend on their issues about this new PS3. They said, "So why is this the worst idea to ever come from Sony? Because it basically brings the PlayStation 3 back to its absolute zero starting point with its biggest unserved fan base -- the PS2 owners who have held out because of price ... It's no longer an 'upgrade' or a 'replacement' for the PS2, giving them pride in their brand loyalty, it's a brand new machine that stands alone and doesn't replace anything at all." Now we wait for the official announcement from Sony America and watch how they'll craft the message that gamers should focus on the "65 titles" for the PS3.
[Via GameDaily]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Bigfoot @ Oct 8th 2007 10:10AM
I'll do it for this one too I guess. :P
This is living.
CaptainAmericaX @ Oct 8th 2007 10:18AM
VOTE UP!
FrankTheCrank @ Oct 8th 2007 11:34AM
Too all the fence sitters: HAHAHAHAHA....
I got a 20GB PS3....with FULL BACKWARDS compatibility for $499. It's now 160GB full of demo's, games, trailers, photo's and music...still have 110GB left.
Thanks Sony!
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 8th 2007 12:10PM
yeah, "thanks"
ill trooper @ Oct 8th 2007 2:32PM
I'm starting to think 'who cares this much, really?' when I see all these posts. I went on record as thinking 'removing BC is a mistake,' and I still do, but I think Sony needs to bring a cheaper PS3 console to the people and this is their way to do it. PS2 compatibility did not prove to be as important as they thought it would be at these higher price points.
Let me put it this way: The 360 doesn't play PS2 games either, and it's done well, so it is possible to proceed in a Post-PS2 world. Sony needs to move things forward and get devs to stop thinking of the PS2.
I'm not trying to argue with anyone, but there is a certain smell of hypocrisy that I see in many posts complaining about a 'lack of games for the PS3' but an over-concern for backwards compatibility being removed... The PS3, while slammed for having 'no games' could still play all the PS2 games that have come out since the release of the PS3, like God of War 2 and others, but no one counted that until now, when Sony announces no BC and you can't play them. Personally, I don't really care what company said "HDMI wasn't important," "bu-bu-but PS2 compatibility is key," who has "Toy Story" graphics, "Rumble is last-gen," etc., nor do I bring that stuff up in arguments because frankly that stuff changes weekly. That's all bitchy fanboy stuff that people love to dredge up, and every company quote you love can be met with a quote or move that will embarrass you - that's stuff you argue about with your high-strung girlfriend, not some gadget. This Is The Way It Is Today™.
And I don't see many of those who type those concerns as people who like the idea of the PS3 anyway - I think we're seeing a lot of posts by the same people every few days, complaining about something that doesn't really affect them. Meanwhile, I think hundreds of thousands of people with move on this unit for the holidays, and more in the months following. If you like the 360, go buy one, I did. If you think upcoming PS3 stuff looks cool, you like blu-ray, or you want to play some Heavenly Sword or Warhawk, buy a PS3, I did that too.
While I think it's mistake to remove the BC, this price reduction will still prove to be a move in the right direction for Sony and the PS3, even if 200 rabid videogame fanatics like all of us who haunt Joystiq don't think so.
upz @ Oct 8th 2007 5:53PM
Very well said.
CaptainAmericaX @ Oct 8th 2007 10:12AM
Wasn't it 399 in pounds or euros over in Europe? Which means the price might be higher here?
Either way though its a complete joke sku.
Unlike MS adding HDMI sony is going backwards with their sku's...yet sony fanboys stupidly try to rake MS for saying things like "HDMI wasn't needed" when in fact they were absolutely correct.
But w/e BC is so last gen anyways right?
samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 8th 2007 11:33AM
"But w/e BC is so last gen anyways right?"
Well, but definition, yes...
oriel @ Oct 8th 2007 10:13AM
who cares about ps2 games ... give me ps3 games
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 8th 2007 10:41AM
Ok, here's your resistance, motorstorm, and warhawk. After you get bored with those in 2 weeks, what are you going to play?
oriel @ Oct 8th 2007 10:53AM
OK AFTER THOSE 2 WEEKS I WILL PLAY HEAVENLY FORKLORD , Heavenly Sword AND AFTER 2 MORE WEEKS I CAN PLAY Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction PLUS ALL THE 3RD PARTY GAMES ... SO THERE .. I WANT PS3 GAMES .. I DONT WANT TO PLAY PS2 ...
FrankTheCrank @ Oct 8th 2007 11:31AM
After playing Resistance and Motorstorm...you can move onto Virtua Fighter 5 and Ridge Racer....then get NBA Homecourt.....then Warhawk and DiRT.
by the time your through with those, you can get Ratchet and Clank, along with Sega Rally Revo.
Shinobijutsu @ Oct 8th 2007 10:15AM
This shouldn't come to a suprise to those outside of the gaming industry. Sony has been moving their system towards a media device for a while now, away from gaming. They are failing in the gaming realm but the PS3 has been driving support and blu-ray sales since day one. Adding to that DVR abilities at some point in the near future, it's a system for media, that plays games on the side. Sad thing is, it really should be remarketed that way to save face in the eyes of the gaming community.
Farseer (GDI) @ Oct 8th 2007 10:14AM
How many times can one shoot oneself in the foot?
Poisoned Al @ Oct 8th 2007 10:47AM
The foot is long gone. They are now pumping slugs into bloody stumps.
Metaphyzxx @ Oct 8th 2007 10:15AM
do you think they'll give a coupon for a free tub of vaseline with purchase?
rdj75 @ Oct 8th 2007 10:16AM
I mean seriously what is Sony thinking. It seems like they are doing everything in their power to fu(k things up for themselves. How can this be good for Sony and for gamers?
megaStryke @ Oct 8th 2007 10:17AM
Does this mean that the 80GB model will vanish as well?
CaptainAmericaX @ Oct 8th 2007 10:20AM
I doubt it...however you never know. Perhaps all ps3's being made now are only 40G? If thats the case they're probably gonna announce that as well.
I think they're still trying to clear out all the 20G and 60G's...
Its comical how sony has managed to go thru 2 sku's in about a year after launch...
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 8th 2007 10:45AM
Its a possibility. To take out BC completely, they have to make a new MoBo. Its counterproductive and counter intuitive to produce 2 or 3 different lines of mobos. All new 360's (out of the factory) now have the same mobo (65 nm falcon chips, hdmi, new heat sink). It would be stupid for sony not to follow suit.
So its definitely possible that this will become the standard PS3 feature set (with the HD being scalable for different skus). Its equally possible that this sku will fizzle just like the 20 gb did, so the 80gb mobo will become the standard.
Future is cloudy, ask again later.
samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 8th 2007 11:36AM
"Does this mean that the 80GB model will vanish as well?"
Eventually, I'm sure, it'll become the 100GB.
It's guaranteed, however, that the 80GB with limited BC will be going the way of the dodo soon enough, though. Soon it'll be the 80GB with NO BC.
ukickmydog (NDF - Earth) @ Oct 8th 2007 10:17AM
LOL
GG SONY GG
nook @ Oct 8th 2007 10:23AM
You know I am a big Playstation Fan. But I also have a 360 that I do enjoy. I hate being such a pessimist about this, but really I feel this is a big mistake. Personally BC is not a big deal for me. But it just looks bad, and I am afraid of the consequence of this being tremendeous. This fall was looking so good with all the games coming out and this decision is just...ugh, Makes me want to slap someone. Wish I had the faith of all the other PS fans, Guess I'm just not that big of a fanboy.
Geez you know what this is a depressing post, but I just needed to vent. Still gotta enjoy these sweet games on all platforms.
Korova @ Oct 8th 2007 6:12PM
slap phattie
I think everyone will enjoy that
NATO_Duke @ Oct 8th 2007 10:23AM
Its pretty damn lame to make a sku without backwards compatibility - but I guess they want to have one more model to sit and keep the shelves warm.
I dont get it when they see all the PS2's that have sold and continue to sell. A lot of those people will want to upgrade eventually, and will be screwed out of using their PS2 games. Seems current PS2 buyers are investing in games they will be openly robbed of once they want to move to the PS3. (This all assumes folks dont want a PS2 and PS3 both hooked up.)
phattie @ Oct 8th 2007 10:24AM
So, how are you Core XBOX 360 owners enjoying your BC... did you pony up for that $180 HDD to access that feature?
Zertoss @ Oct 8th 2007 10:26AM
People actually bought the Core?!
megaStryke @ Oct 8th 2007 10:29AM
And when all future PS3 SKUs lack backward compatibility, don't come crying your lard-ass to me.
jsn @ Oct 8th 2007 10:39AM
I don't think i've ever had the desire to play an xbox game on my 360, but being that the core systems I have are used as MC extenders in other rooms of the house, it doesn't really matter. If I want to play an xbox game I just go downstairs and use the premium system.
Funny thing is that my core systems, despite not being used for games, have seen more action this year than your ps3 has, I guarantee you that.
kinshadow @ Oct 8th 2007 10:43AM
A Core plus a 20GB HDD is still less than the new PS3
phattie @ Oct 8th 2007 10:44AM
lol.. looks like i hit a nerve... for $180 you can buy an original xbox that come with an HDD..
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 8th 2007 10:49AM
Phattie, don't be a tard. The people who bought the core didn't buy it for BC, they bought it for price. Conversely, they can add BC to it for as little as 50 dollars for a used HD, as little as 99 dollars for the 20 gig HD, and 180 for the elite 120 gig HD.
PS3 owners who purchased the 40 gig model can NEVER add BC unless they buy another 500 dollar PS3. Which guy seems more retarded now?
SKI @ Oct 8th 2007 10:51AM
It's much more important for the PS3 to have BC because the PS2 had hundreds of AAA games that people will still want to play and the original Xbox had Halo1 and 2.
Laaaa @ Oct 8th 2007 11:31AM
lol it seems you did hit a nerve with that one. It's ok for Microsoft to do it not Sony, so just shut up and move along. I do know this though it's time for me to buy a PS3 only PS2 games I care about are God of War 2 and Soul Calibur 3. So I guess I'll have to do without them.
I can use the saved $200 on games, just have to figure out which ones to buy hmm lets see...
Warhawk, Resistance, Ratchet, will Kayne and Lynch be out?, get Haze for xmas, been wanted to finish Rainbow Six Vegas, might get GRAW.
Point is down with Sony how dare they let me save $200 on a PS3 damn them to hell.
phattie @ Oct 8th 2007 11:29AM
@Crono ... anyone who pays $100 for a 20gb HDD in 2007 is a moron.
FuddyDuddy @ Oct 12th 2007 10:27AM
I'm a recently converted PC Gamer. The 360 is the first console I bought since the PS1. As I never owned the first Xbox, I like to get some of the old games I never played for cheap. So yes, BC is an issue for new customers.
FoxHoundADAM @ Oct 8th 2007 10:25AM
I used to think that Sony just said the wrong thing at the wrong times even though they had the best intentions. However now I know it was because they are a bunch of idiots who don't have a clue on what they are doing.
Seriously is there a company more out of touch with its userbase?
Zertoss @ Oct 8th 2007 10:32AM
*cough RIAA/MPAA cough*
:P
samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 8th 2007 1:35PM
Thank God for Radiohead!
http://www.inrainbows.com
jsn @ Oct 8th 2007 10:32AM
The last years worth of botched moves is what you get from a Japanese company that thought it ruled the industry, never had any real competition and suddenly has to face a competitor that KNOWS how to fight a product war.
Microsoft may take a lot of shit (deservedly) for the crap they've pulled on customers over the decades, but they know how to study a market, learn what it takes to succeed and then enter it with that mindset. They went to the source (developers) to find out what they wanted and they built a console around that. They knew they couldn't just focus on what was best for Microsoft if they wanted to not just survive, but win.
Sony on the other hand said "what's best for Sony" when to every aspect of the PS3. Games don't need Blu-ray, but Sony does, so lets put in a blu-ray drive. Games don't need the Cell processor, but Sony does, so lets put a CELL in there too. Developers don't want quailty tools that make development easier, so lets just keep doing things the way we always have. Combine all that with horrible marketing and you get what you've got, a lame duck console that's falling further behind every month.
ukickmydog (NDF - Earth) @ Oct 8th 2007 8:42PM
one of the better posts, good job
Bdub? @ Oct 8th 2007 10:41AM
Okay guys, stop kicking Sony in the balls. They are releasing a cheaper ps3 with things taken out simply because it's the only way to keep their losses down. Yes this would be a mistake if they were getting rid of the 80 gig but they aren't, sooo what's the big deal? BC just isn't necessary because most of the people getting this already have ps2's and if they traded it in what they would get is not worth it, so they should just keep it.
jsn @ Oct 8th 2007 10:49AM
Following that logic, why buy a ps3 in the first place then? If you've been told for a year that the PS3 will play your PS2 games, and you know there really aren't many (if any) ps3 games that you want, your primary reason for buying it is to play your PS2 favorites, upscaled, until the PS3 gets good games. So much for that concept.
Bdub? @ Oct 8th 2007 11:01AM
Um, I'm pretty sure that most people get next gen consoles to play next gen games...the PS3 has some good games that are already out, the game argument is really getting old. BC never should have been a big selling point anyway. Hey guys i just spent 400 on a 360 so that i could play halo 2 until 3 comes out, and i just paid 500/600 for a PS3 so that I can play mgs 3 and ff 12 until the sequels come out...pointless
jsn @ Oct 8th 2007 11:04AM
It's not pointless for parents who have kids with 100 PS2 games and they still play them. As I said, if they know there aren't any games for the PS3 that their kid wants and they were going to get the ps3 so that he would have it when games come out and as a plus, he could use it for his ps2 library, buying a ps3 is now completely pointless.
Bdub? @ Oct 8th 2007 11:10AM
A parent shouldn't throw down that kind of money for a system if the kid doesn't already see a bunch of games that he likes. Simple solution, buying for the future is nice, but not when it cost a lot, that kid would just have to hope that his/her birthday is close to the time that the games that they want come out and just get a...oh god i'm going to say it...WII
ShaggyB @ Oct 8th 2007 12:11PM
Wow.....
Ok first off You dont think BC is a big deal because you think all ps2 owners should keep there ps2 and not trade it in. You ever been in Gamestop before, they offer more money sometimes for trade ins to UPGRADE your console.
Thats what this is about anyway Sony spent years maken the best product in gaming PSone. Then they sold you PS2 on the idea that Ps2 was a logical UPGRADE to PSone. It played PSone games and new Ps2 games. It also did Dvd.
Ok lets compare. Ps3 does Blu-ray (an upgrade of dvd) it plays new ps3 games and it use to at launch play most all ps2 games without problem. Then later that deal got gimped a bit and now it doesnt play all PS2 games (80 gig or 60 gig UK version). Still not as big a deal but it made me jump on a US 60 gig.
Now enter the 40 gig. This gimps away all BC. (In Europe the 60 gig is being phased out too, meaning if you dont have it you dont get BC and sence its software I doubt they will continue to fix/add titles to the list of working BC games)
Lets examine why thats a Bad thing.
1) PsOne to Ps2 was an upgrade. Ps2 to Ps3 originally was just this. Now it is a stand alone new product that no longer has ties to its past. Not good as it requires the gamer to keep valuable connection on the tv tied up and outlets used to continue enjoying the previous Gen.
2) Wow did sony ever give M$ some crap for not having full back compat. Now i guess we should all forget about that and pretend that BC is last Gen just like Rumble.
3) Early adopters should not feel cheated but often do by new features being added. See the 360 and HDMI on the newer premiums..... But now sony has reversed that. Early adopters rejoice you got the original best product. New users now get an inferior product and most GAMERS know about it. I know they want to sell a blu-ray player that will play ps3 games, but to a GAMER (see well informed net user that plays games, can be fanboys, can be owners of all 3, will be knowledgable about all things gaming) This is nothing more than a rip off and Gimped box.
Doesnt matter if you like it or not, this 40 gig model is a step backwards in design and does nothing but alienate sony from its glorious past. Glad i got mine when i did because no full BC was a joke, now no BC is an even bigger joke.
Joe @ Oct 8th 2007 10:42AM
I have to say as much as I like the PS3. I have to say Sony is just being stupid. Why do they not allow this new PS3 to play with PS2 games. So what I am saying is there are still new PS2 games coming out and now if you buy a PS3 you will not be allowed to play them. So Sony needs to allow the new PS3 to play PS2 games or this 40 gig will sell like crap.
Seeing as of right now there are only two great PS3 only games and they are Resistence and Warhawk. Lair got bad reviews and Heavenly Sword got ok reviews. Sony needs there PS2 games to help sell the PS3 but this way they are just shooting them selfs in the foot.
Plus games that are ported to the PS3 suck. So the big thing that can help sell the PS3 will not be in the PS3 any more is just stupid. So Sony you need to start being smart over being stupid.
Tom @ Oct 8th 2007 10:48AM
If you don't like this idea, then the system is not marketed to you.
Me, I have no need for B/C. I still have my PS2, and trading it in isn't going to give me enough money to justify its trade in for it. So I'll keep it.
This PS3 model is geared to people like me. People who really don't give a rats ass about B/C. People who would rather have a cheaper system available to them.
I'll buy this model and be very happy with my purchase. I have a 360, and only once in my life have I put a Xbox game into the system. And that was Halo.
So, for me. This is a great move by Sony. They went after MY democraphic of people. And I doubt my demograhpic is very small.
Maybe not the best Idea Sony made, put it surely isn't the worse. They will get console sales from this move. I am sure of it.
sectionz @ Oct 8th 2007 10:50AM
... how are these issues? Joe blow does not even know they can play blu-ray discs they are going to care about no BC? nope. only us blog nerds with way to much time to care.
and did you know that BC CAN BE 100% software driven in the future kids?