Best Buy closing out 80GB PS3
by Justin McElroy 
{ Jan 24th 2008 at 11:20AM }
What does this mean for the PS3 exactly? We've checked with our team of experts and are now able to report that we have absolutely no clue. It's worth noting that in Japan, the 20 and 60 GB SKUs of the system were dropped to focus all efforts on the 40GB model, but we don't know if that's what's happening here. The only facts now seem to be that something is up, and Sony's saying it's business as usual. We'll let you know when we hear more.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
samfish @ Jan 24th 2008 11:25AM
Of course. It was just a matter of time before the 80GB came into line with the 40GB.
They'll probably release a 40GB version with a 100+GB HDD, no backwards compatibility.
...more than likely it'll be the white PS3 with the DS3 controller.
Zon @ Jan 24th 2008 1:55PM
God I love your avatar you can even see some nipple in it, where can i get the full pic?
GRANTED @ Jan 24th 2008 3:38PM
zon, there's nothing i can say that will describe the depths of pathetic-ness you have reached. in fact, i'm going to have to give up on the word "pathetic" and just use "zon" instead.
samfish, i dont think sony will restrict the market to only one PS3 version sans at least software ps2 emulation.
zon, once again, shame.
Kendall B @ Jan 24th 2008 11:26AM
This makes me all the happier that I found a 60 gig Ps3 right after Christmas.
DCBlack @ Jan 24th 2008 12:46PM
I'm with ya, Kendall, only I got mine last summer following a price drop. The 60 gig has served me well so far, with no issues. I still got my PS2 library with some upscaled graphics and plenty of room for my gaming, though I'll likely upgrade the HDD when the time comes. I also managed to jump on a 2nd Sixaxis at half price during Christmas sales.
But if backward compatibility isn't important to someone, I guess 40GB is the way to go, especially if it gets another price drop.
jorojoserojas @ Jan 24th 2008 3:57PM
Me too.
Bert @ Jan 24th 2008 11:30AM
I wonder if this may have any relation to the price drop rumored on January 28th. If they are discontinuing this model maybe the rumor of a 100 drop in price will come true.
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 12:06PM
Yeah I think you are right, although I think the price cut is still a ways off...not quite the 28th...but I think March 1st..ish...personally.
Eggviper @ Jan 24th 2008 11:31AM
Way to confuse the heck out of the consumers sony.
Personally I decided to buy a ps3 (aka blu ray player) about a week ago (planning to do it somewhere in the summer or after the new dual shock starts getting bundled with it). And then I thought to myself which version do I want and whats the difference? After which I had to spend about a day gathering information on whats what and which version is missing which features and so on. It was a lot more confusing than any console I've bought so far.
I finally settled on the one with the ps2 chip in it but found out they don't make it anymore. So now I'm trying to decide if i want to buy one of those used or wait and see.
paragraph @ Jan 24th 2008 11:46AM
It looks like this is happening, Sony desperatly needs to sell these things, the only way they can do that with good enough results is to drop the price (in the Xbox 360 Range, $399 would be a start). That means cutting corners, that means no PS2 support.
Sony is caught in an interesting situation, the current generation machine dosn't sell good enough, despite it being compatabile with the last generation and having great technological advances over the competition. The last generation machine is still selling like hotcakes, something that is very rare (imagine the original Xbox outselling the 360).
Sony needs to do the impossible, they need to put out a product with all the bells and whistles (Blu-Ray, PS2 Support) for a price that is equal to the competition.
The numbers don't lie, only about 25% of american households with Televisions have HDTVs, and most people who don't have an HDTV arn't ready to buy into an HD media player (eg: Blu-Ray). So Sony could probably succeed in making a non BD PS3, however, since all PS3 games are BD, this will never happen...
I really think the PS3 is suffering from ahead-of-the-times-itis. The 360 is going to shine for a while now, it's the perfect system for most people, it supports HD, but dosn't push it, it also has a decent price ($349 or $499, what would you pay?)
This dosn't come as a suprise to me though, it looks like Sony will push the 40gb version til the time is right and costs go down, then they will re-release an 80gb (or bigger) version... or not, you never know with Sony...
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 12:00PM
@paragraph
Sony isn't desperate. They don't care what winy xbox fanboys say. The system isn't going anywhere. It will last the entire generation, and it will sell just fine.
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 12:04PM
You never wanted a PS3. Don't lie.
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 12:04PM
Sorry my second reply about lieing was intended for Eggviper.
FoxHoundADAM @ Jan 24th 2008 12:11PM
Good points Paragraph. The PS3 could be a little liek teh Dreamcast. Great system but just ahead of its time. Also, both with equally dumb management at the time of there release.
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 12:15PM
Except Dreamcast WASN'T ahead of the times which is why it failed, and Sega had 2 (arguably 3) failures prior to the Dreamcast...so actually its not alike. At all.
Ignatius @ Jan 24th 2008 12:16PM
I just enjoy remembering that Sony was laughing at Microsoft for being fickle about SKUs and we've already seen four PS3 SKUs coming and going like the tide.
FidliousWong @ Jan 24th 2008 12:36PM
Ignatius, that's because you know what version you're getting with Sony SKUs. Hardware revisions have ALWAYS gotten new SKUs. Nintendo, meanwhile, has already changed the Wii three times and my reinvestment in 360 is largely dependant upon whether or not I can tell the box in my hand has a Jasper inside.
Luke @ Jan 24th 2008 1:54PM
You can buy one used, just make sure it is in good condition.
Eggviper @ Jan 24th 2008 2:45PM
"You never wanted a PS3. Don't lie."
----
You know what you're totally right. I don't want a PS3.
In fact its just like I said in my OP, I want the blu ray player. Quite frankly there aren't many games for it that interest me enough yet to justify the console by itself (just uncharted). And there won't be enough exclusives to justify it (for me) for a very long time. My 360 (and wii..) will fill in that role just fine.
I am however a movie fan. With what can be deemed as the conclusion to the HD format war (WB announcement) my reaction was to finally get a high def player.
So no, I don't care about the PS3 at all atm. It just happens to have what I need, and comes with a little bit of extra "potential" attached to it.
Sidepocket @ Jan 24th 2008 3:14PM
@ FidliousWong
Uh, dumb ass when the fuck did they change the Wii hardware?
That and that no matter which one you get, they all do the SAME FUCKING THING.
Thus you ask for a Wii, you get a Wii and it runs everything. No add ons. Nothing taken away. Just plug and play.
So WTF are you smoking man?
Moofree @ Jan 24th 2008 3:43PM
Sidepocket: Apparently you've never heard of a mod chip.
Nintendo has released Wiis with DMS, D2A, D2B, and D2C drive chipset revisions.
Four in total. DMS and D2A are nigh identical, so it's more like three.
What it boils down to is whether you want to solder 5/6 wires to the drive to mod it (DMS, D2A, and D2B), or 13-31 wires (D2C).
Don't call someone a dumb ass when you're actually one yourself.
FoxHoundADAM @ Jan 24th 2008 11:35AM
This is so stupid. I simply will not buy a PS3 without BC. I'm sure as hell not going to have 4 consoles sitting in my cabinate at once. And yes I still play some PS2 games (can't give up Texas Flood).
Whoever Sony has sitting around deciding which models to make and sell needs to be fired.
Also, when is Sony going to take the "Backwards compatible" bullet point off their web page?
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 11:54AM
Theres a solution to your problem. Don't buy the system. Well there ya go...
FoxHoundADAM @ Jan 24th 2008 12:17PM
Good points Paragraph. The PS3 could be a little liek teh Dreamcast. Great system but just ahead of its time. Also, both with equally dumb management at the time of their release.
Van Faulk @ Jan 24th 2008 11:36AM
What a dick move by sony. Force new consumers to buy the gimped version of the hardware so they can't play ps2 games.
Night Elve @ Jan 24th 2008 11:42AM
Shame on SONY for forcing people to buy their system those bastards...
FidliousWong @ Jan 24th 2008 12:39PM
Who's to say the replacement SKU isn't some other bundle or something? Likewise, who's to say the current 20GB models aren't about to become 40GB DS3 models like Japan has?
Many possible answers... not everything is "FUCK SONY! GRAWWWR!"
Princess Skittles @ Jan 24th 2008 11:38AM
Sony is at war with backwards compatibility.
deaftly @ Jan 24th 2008 11:42AM
You have to wonder how many people are gonna pick up a 40 gig and think that it plays ps2 games. I have the 40 gig and no where does it state on the box that it doesn't play ps2 games as far as i know of. Oh well I dont have any ps2 games so it wasn't a deal breaker for me.
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 11:52AM
I work at Best Buy, I have sold several PS3's...more than 360 for the record, but anyways...I have never had a consumer think that the 40GB has backwards compatibility. NEVER. In fact, if anything I have had more people ask if the 80GB had it or not.
Its not that big of a deal.
Killjebus @ Jan 24th 2008 11:43AM
The DS3 is coming right? So, it makes sense that Sony wants to discontinue the PS3's with the Sixaxis. My guess is that the white PS3 and the as yet unannounced new sku PS3 will come with the DS3.
Sony will discount the current 40gb Black PS3 to $299 until they and the current 80gb (discounted also?) are gone. After that, they will lower the price of the white PS3 with DS3 and lower the price of the unannounced successor to the 80gb PS3.
At least, that is my guess and if I were Sony that is what I would do.
From the moment the white PS3 drops, ALL future PS3's will come with the DS3.
Dick @ Jan 24th 2008 1:41PM
Whatd you say about DS3M?
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 11:50AM
haha you guys are hilarious. If taking backwards compatibility away makes the system cheaper ($299 possibly) then who cares, with the extra money you would have spent you could just buy a used PS2 (or not used).
Stop trying to say they forced it on you. If you don't want it, don't buy it.
Knight Marquise @ Jan 24th 2008 12:13PM
CGamble20 said...
"If you don't want it, don't buy it."
Interesting. I believe that's exactly what is happening right now, and I also believe that is exactly what Sony is trying to change.
CGamble20 @ Jan 24th 2008 12:17PM
Interesting. Sony wants to sell more systems so they removed BC. and it sells more. Wow.
Ignatius @ Jan 24th 2008 12:18PM
Didn't they remark that it was merely to 'urge' PS3 consumers to buy more PS3 games? It wasn't a cost factor...
Pixelantes Anonymous @ Jan 24th 2008 12:52PM
I've been reading your comments and personal attacks on anyone criticizing Sony and I couldn't figure out why you'd spend your time doing that. But then I read you work for BestBuy. That certainly explains the bad spelling, arrogant attitude and straight up douchebagness. Do you get a bigger commission on PS3s or something?
Nevertheless, it'd probably be a good idea to consider the fact that different people prefer different things. So what if you and the clueless horde that still shop at BestBuy don't consider backwards compatibility to be a selling point. Others do. There's no freakin' need to teabag them in a video game blog over that.
Ryan @ Jan 24th 2008 5:34PM
BC on the 80gb PS3 was software based. I don't believe it saves them any money to take it out. It would seem that removing the BC from the 40gig PS3 was more to make sure the 40gig model didn't make the 80gigger obsolete. It was more a justification of the lower price than a reason for the lower price.
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Jan 24th 2008 7:44PM
BC on the 80GB is software and hardware based. It still has the graphics chip from the PS2, it just doesn't have the CPU from the PS2 like the 20/60GB did.
They did save money taking it out.
cc123 @ Jan 24th 2008 11:46AM
Let the flood of hypocrites commence!
"I had totally decided to buy a PS3 the very second that all the 20GB, 60GB, and 80GB systems were off the market but then I realized that I wouldn't get BC so now I won't!"
"I will NEVER buy a console without proper BC, Sony sucks! But I love my launch 360!"
deaftly @ Jan 24th 2008 11:48AM
what?
cc123 @ Jan 24th 2008 11:49AM
I figure we'll be getting those two kinds of posts in this thread...
Worst Review Ever @ Jan 24th 2008 12:02PM
Maybe we need to use smaller words or something when explaining this to the Sony trolls or maybe we should just give up, but I'm gonna give it one last go. The difference between the 360 not having full bc and the PS3 not having full bc is that, unlike Sony, Microsoft was never touting the awesome full-backwards-compatibility-ness of the 360. When a company says one thing and then does another, that's not good public relations, especially when they don't fess up to the fuck up.
Remember the Exxon Valdez? The PS3 is the Exxon Valdez of consoles.
cc123 @ Jan 24th 2008 12:11PM
They did release a PS3 that was fully backwards compatible. The 20GB and 60GB had a freaking PS2 inside of them for all intents and purposes.
And nobody gave a shit cause of the price. So they cut some features and dropped the price. If BC is so fucking important to you go buy one that does have it.
DG @ Jan 24th 2008 11:50AM
I think that because Blu-Ray is winning (well, has won), the PS3 is ultimately the best value. However, they simply have too many purchasing options and I, as a consumer, don't want to get screwed. No thanks, Sony.
DCBlack @ Jan 24th 2008 1:16PM
How are you getting screwed as a consumer? If Sony is finding ways to bring down the cost of their console while sacrificing only BC and HDD space (which is easily upgradeable), what part of that is screwing you?
Scotto @ Jan 26th 2008 12:10PM
Because they haven't just done that. Their current collection of SKUs also have a different number of USB ports, for example. And for a game like Rock Band, which uses four USB ports (and doesn't come with a hub on PS3), that can be a big deal.
I am a 360/Wii owner, and would like to buy a PS3 sooner or later, but I'm not going to until they settle on a couple of consistent SKUs (seriously, four in the first year is insane), so I can choose intelligently without a superior one coming out at the same price point or cheaper a month later.
For now, it remains a good Blu-Ray player with the potential to be a great game system.
Of course, idiots like "CGamble20", who defend this console as though it were family, will disagree with me.
- Scott
TomCo @ Jan 24th 2008 11:52AM
I can't really remember, but doesn't it have software based backwards compatibility?
Worst Review Ever @ Jan 24th 2008 12:03PM
If that were the case, wouldn't they technically be right?
Trev @ Jan 24th 2008 12:19PM
Unfortunately no. The 40GB model doesn't play PS2 games at all and they've said they have no intention of adding it. If you feel like reading, further explanation can be found here: http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-40059.html
"What we realised at launch is that there was a big requirement for it, but the next group of people that we are approaching at this sort of price point, from the feedback that we've had, is that PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility was not such an issue"