Who cares if it's expensive to the average gamer. I don't want an experience that's catered to the casuals. Just look at the Wii. Best selling console ever, and the game line up is mostly comprised of titles only kids and grandmas could enjoy. I'm finally going to eBay the thing once people get worked up over Christmas. Then it's just me and my PS360.

Hey Mr. P., were you still spitting out that FUD when you had a PS2? It had the weakest graphics, the weakest power, and the most casual games of any console last gen. Remember remember huh huh huh??!??

I'm not basing my judgment of a console on it's clock speed or anything like that. I'm basing it on the games. This year I had the most fun with PS3's games (namely Folklore, Heavenly Sword, and NG Sigma). I enjoyed BioShock and DOAX2 on the 360. But on the Wii, the only games I enjoyed were RE4 and Twilight Princess, both of which are also Gamecube titles. Everything else I tried suck, and the rest didn't interest me. PS3's future looks brightest right now, too.

Question? Is that a pyramid on your head or is that your head being shoved up Sony's asshole?

$399 is sort of expensive.
That price tag didn't work for Saturn and every other high priced console that flopped. Don't expect it to work for PS3.

360 FTW! and its only $279 ;)

(yeah its a core, but so what, the PS2 & Xbox was a core at $299, so was Dreamcast, N64, etc.)

the 20GB HDD is dirt cheap off ebay.

tgm - Actually, the N64 was $199. The Wii is the first Nintendo console to launch in the states for a higher price tag than that.

I love how you douches are like "oh, $399 that's too expensive. I'm gonna go play my XBox 360 Elite now." $399 is the same damn price the 360 was. Now the 360 is $50 less and has the same games as the PS3 only without an HD player.

Do you all practice being morons or are you trying to be like everyone else by jumping on the "Hate Sony" bandwagon?

I understand you're pissed about their rootkits, but how can you overlook the underhanded tactics used by Microsoft but not Sony?

Stop being such hypocritical assholes.

dude. whoever said that the PS2 only had casual games, slap yourself please. now go sit in the corner and think about what you said. it had over 8,500 titles! how can they all be casual?

and thank you ForcedSterillationForAll. me and you seed to be the only ones that can Microsoft's underhanded tactics. its the same microsoft everybody loathes normally but they make a console and you fall for it again.

anyway, this is good for Sony. the PS2 sold 120 million units, so basically anyone who wanted a PS2 already has one so BC isnt "completely" necessary. im sure Sony will see a very nice jump in sales. i think $400 starts to enter the buyer comfort zone (cheaper is better but the 360 sold fine at $400 with less stuff)

This is a good deal. You get a PS3 and a Bluray player for $399...and you get a Bluray copy of Spiderman3, which by itself is probably worth $25.

40GB drive and wireless....sweet.

o and the 80GB to $500 is a steal. you get a PS3 and a game. im glad sony is finally starting to wise up and stop making stupid decisions.

Makes sense to leave out the BC; let's look at this from a different angle.

The Xbox 360 core model has no Backward compatibility; you have to spend 100.00 (20gb) or more (179.00 for 120gb)for a hard drive in order to be able to have Backward Compatibility. You have to spend extra money or upgrade to a new model because the xbox 360 core IS NOT CAPABLE OF BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY. 279.99 = 100.00 (for 20gb) is 379.99. For an Xbox 360 with BC. OR you can buy the 349.99 add to that 50.00 to play online.

The PS3 40GB model has no BC (for now)BUT if you spend 100.00 more you get BC with the 80GB model OR you purchase a new lower priced PS2 (which the blog world says is coming)for 100.00

If you already own a PS2 you are not concerned about BC because you will just keep your PS2 to enjoy the library.

This is a razor sharp move by Sony.

399.00 for 40GB, Blu-ray, Wi-Fi, Internet browsing, mouse and keyboard support (via bluetooth or usb), Free online play and expandable non proprietary hard drive storage via internal or USB (where you can add a very inexpensive memory card reader).

499.00 adds double the hard drive space (still expandable) Backward Compatibility and More multimedia options (memory card reader and extra usb ports)

PS3 is the better overall value hands down; it's only 20.00 off from competing Xbox 360 models and All of the 360 models CANNOT play HD-DVD nor do they have WI-FI or Free ONLINE PLAY!

@P

So apparently it's possible to ignore all the shit that the ps2 had(because it has alot of shit, much more than the Wii)yet you can't ignore the crap that's on the Wii?

And Al Sharpton, the 40 gig PS3 will NEVER have backwards compatibility. Sony said so themselves.

Al,

List all the tech specs you want, until the PS3 has exclusives, it will not outsell the 360. Period.

I would love to buy a PS3, and the price is getting into a good territory, but I can't find one reason as a gamer to add it to my collection. Exclusives speak the loudest in this business, and Microsoft has figured that out.

cheap blueray player if you care about that. expensive gaming console with very few good games if you care about that

In other news, the price is the same in Canada and the US, at $499.

FYI, the Emotion Engine (PS2 CPU) was dropped in the 80GB model. It emulates that. The 40GB model drops the Graphics Synthesizer (PS2 GPU), which given all current official statements, will NOT be emulated. As backwards compatability is "not a priority."

Then stop moaning and buy the 80gig model. Jesus. The 40gig model also cost less than the 60gig model.

jon, why the hell would I want to buy the 80 gig model, when it's still had something removed? As I said before, the principle of the thing (meaning Sony removing working elements of a system just to save themselves cash) is what's turned me off to getting a PS3, not just the price.
They just seem very shady to me now. Who knows what's next on their agenda of yanking along gamers?

Somehow i doubt that you've ever considered a PS3.

I have considered purchasing a PS3 and I hear ooo a cheaper version... But instead of following the industry tradition of improving on the technology producing things for cheaper they are instead actually removing parts to make it cheaper... So yeah I'm thinking about it but now I'm playing the game of should I wait for a better price or do I risk getting a version missing things I wanted... And I wanted BC...

"I'd love gamers to rebel and just completely ignore Sony so they'd see that they shouldn't be able to get away with all this. :\"

You want to take down Sony because they took out BC and are trying to make PS3 more affordable....but at the same time, you support a company that has a console with a failure rate as high as 33%. RROD is so bad, M$ won't even give real numbers. Gamers are having to send in their boxes MULTIPLE times.

How about we take a stand against RROD.

Sony's SKU issues, MS's RRoD... People seem to forget about Wii's video card problem. Maybe not so major an issue, but still a problem none the less.

I still am getting a PS3, probably the 60g model though to have the BC. It's better to have and not need then to need and not have...

I agree with FrankTheCrank on that point. I have now sent my fifth xbox 360 to M$, and I haven't even been an owner for a year yet. I bought my 360 when Gears came out, and I've been through 5 systems. I am at the point now where the PS3 is actually looking pretty good.

frankthecrank, I never said I was a Microsoft supporter either. I'm well aware of the hell people are going through with RROD, and haven't bought a 360 either.

Ever consider just keeping your ps2?

I totally agree with you on that. I wonder how many 60 gig systems are actually left?

caramelzappa, don't be naive.

Sure, you can plug your PS2 in... But if you have a PS3, you probably have an HDTV. Most PS2 games without upscaling look like complete ass on an HDTV. I've seen Shadow of the Colossus on an HDTV with a PS2(component cables) and a PS3, and it's well worth paying the $100 extra.

If you want the BC get the 80GB! Sony is not taking away the option, its more expensive because its more expensive for them to put it in!!!

You guys are trying to find something to poke fun at for Sony, but you fail. They never took out BC completely, if you want it...pay for it!

dude...where the hell ya been...the 20GB boxes are all gone. I doubt you can still find one at retail.

It's only 40 and 80 now. I'm sure some 60's are around.

http://www.ebgames.com/productmerch.asp?groupid=635

Funny.....

20gb is still there?

and someone needs to explain those price points to me

The 20GB are still in VERY few warehouses at places like GameStop...

Sony could care less at what price those are, thats up to the retailers who haven't sold them yet.

and its no surprise why they haven't sold them, GameStop is putting the price at 399, nobody wants that, try 199 fools!

Agreed. The deal is very sweet. So what BC is out?

How long after buying the PS2 were you still playing PS1 games? Usually the older games look like shit compared to the new stuff you end up ignoring old stuff all together, with the exception of strolling down memory lane.

Yeah, cause BC was so important to the future of the PS3. Bullshit.

BC means nothing. The PS2 is still selling like hot cakes. Everyone and their brother has a PS2.

The PS3 is so going to overtake the 360 next year. First generation games on the PS3 look awesome...second generation will look insane. Ratchet and Clank looks amazing.

No. Sony KNOWS everyone has a PS2. And Sony KNOWS that the PS2 is still selling at a high rate.

Their going to continue to milk the PS2 at the low end and the PS3 at the high end.

I disagree, I believe the 360 will continue to out sell the PS3 in the US especially, the momentum and games are all with 360 and its still cheaper. Bluray and wifi are simply not on people's radar so those features are irrelevant for 90% of people. Those people will see a premium 360 with a games bundle for $349 with a big library of games and a PS3 with no games nor big hitting games available for $399.

Result 360 continues to outsell PS3

PS3--no games? Sorry but your opinion is irrelevant.

For $50 less than the PS3, you get most of the same games, exclusives like Halo 4, PGR4, Saints Row, games that are actually not sequels (Chromehounds, Blue Dragon, Gears of War, Crackdown, Dead Rising, etc etc), basic XBox Live access, (and all the functionality which comes with it)...

And not to mention all the games I said ARE ALREADY OUT.

Come back when you've a better arguement which I can't replace word for word to make a better counter-arguement.

Americans are known more for their need of instant gratification... They will look at the two systems and go, Sony says buy one now because look at the games coming... (don't get me wrong... I want the games that are eventually coming... Note eventually coming)... Or you can buy a 360 that already has plenty of great, awesome and even some half-way decent games.

I was going to get a PS3 when a version got down to 400 but now I'm going to wait and see because I want the Backwards Compatibility to tide me over till the games I wanna play finally come out... I still have to finish FF12 and God Of War 2.

Halo 4 is already out? How did I miss that one?