Best Buy to receive new 80GB PS3 SKU after E3, will cost $399

by Andrew Yoon on May 26th 2009 2:10PM

Click to see the big picture.

It looks as though Sony is planning to introduce yet another PS3 SKU in the coming weeks. A reader has tipped us to a new addition to Best Buy's product database -- a "limited edition" PS3 bundle that includes a 80GB system and two games. It sounds similar to Target's post-GDC PS3 bundle, which included MotorStorm and Resistance.

According to the database, this new SKU is scheduled for release on June 9th, one week after the start of this year's E3 Expo. The listed price for the bundle is $399, the current price for a PS3 system now. Analysts have repeatedly stated a PS3 price cut is in the works, but this new SKU may suggest otherwise. Conversely, Sony may opt to drop the price on a "bare bones" bundle, while offering this new "elite" package at the now-standard price.

For now, this new bundle may be exclusive to Best Buy, similarly to Target's post-GDC bundle. The UPC listed uses a prefix that is typically used in Best Buy's PlayStation products. If Sony packages some newer high-profile games with the system (we have a few in mind), the $399 price point might be a bit more attractive. Oh, and Sony, please don't bundle Lair and Haze with the system, kthanks.

Tags: best-buy, bundle, price-cut, ps3, sku, sony

Reader Comments (67)

They Actually put Infamous and KZ2 in a bundle I'd buy it release day.

Not a doubt. That would make the $399 price worth it.

And Backwards compatibility. That would be nice.

I'm right there with you. I've wanted a PS3 but just can't really justify spending the money when I only want to play about 2 or 3 games for it and already have a 360 and a blu-ray player.

But at $399 with 2 awesome games included, I would be there.

Yeah, give me 2 good/great exclusive games with my purchase of a PS3 and I am finally in the "PS360&PC" club like I always wanted to be.

Give me 2 crappy/old games in this deal and I continue to wait.

question, what is SKU?

SKU = stock keeping unit, a model of a product. For instance with the Xbox 360, the Arcade, Pro and Elite are different SKUs.

@Unclejesse
Why do you already have a Blu-Ray player? I'd assume any gamer looking to get a BD player would grab a PS3.

sounds like a response to the 400 dollar 360 with Halo 3 and Fable 2. Sony would have to do something big to top MS big dogs plus the 360 has a bigger HDD in it. it can be done tho.

is anyone surprised at the price? Sony has said "no price cut" so to see it at that price point isnt a shock

the idea is tho if they put 100-120 dollars worth of games in with it that many people would get anyway, it now makes the system price essentially go down by the value of the games you would buy anyway.

Exactly.

I buy a PS3 right now I'm spending a minimum of $60 to get something new and shiny to play.

My magic price for a PS3 has been $299 for a long time... it's what I'm willing to pay without a question for the product. Throw in 2 games that to me, are worth at least $100 (KZ2 Infamous without a doubt, even LBP and MGS4 would be close) and it makes the value hit my magic point and I buy.

Easy as that.

Throwing in a couple games I have no interest in playing doesn't add value for me. $399 is still $399 Sony, sorry. No sale here.

The box dimensions (7in x 17.17 x 13.75) are the same as the regular box. This isn't a new slim box.

i still am under the impression that was a fake, why would a Chinese law firm contact those websites. dont you think Sony being a japanese company would use japanese law firms?

If a supplier is in China then they would likely use law firms that are authorized to act in their court system. This is all guessing games though.

"Out stock date: 06-09-2029"

That's a long life-cycle lol...

Sony: "PS3's 10 year cycle has been changed to the new 23 year life cycle"

"Oh, and Sony, please don't bundle Lair and Haze with the system, kthanks."

BURN!!

killzone 2 + inFAMOUS = win on so many levels

As a former BB employee, I'm very familiar with that inventory screen. So I'm curious as to why the "Status" in the top right is whited out. That usually denotes whether the item is Backordered, In Transit, On Order, or Available. So it makes me a little suspicious. Plus the fact that the In Stock date is the same as the Street Date makes me a little weary that this is a limited bundle of any type. Limited hardware bundles usually come in atleast a week before their scheduled to be released.

man i hope it's backwards compatible, a stretch I know, but now that KZ2 and Infamous are out, and with GoW3, Un2 are out Im might finally buy one, but i dont want to have to keep my fucking PS2

Amen to that, I hate your goddamn ps2 also!!!

Keep the Cave Clutter free Sony... you Bastards.

Just a tip: Gamestop is offering $100 for your PS2 and any 3 games (as long as they're worth more than $2) towards a new PS3 this week.

im telling you The Dark Wayne a BC PS3 is not worth if you already have a PS2. I spent $500+ for a MGS4 BC PS3 and I rarely use BC and when I do it's only for 5 mins. If you get enough good PS3 games you'll forget about BC all together. I havent used BC on my PS3 for months now because I'm to busy playing PS3 games.

@infamous

Yeah but a lot of us could careless about every PS3 exclusive out there. Seeing as I already own a 360, the only reason I would get a PS3 is for Blu-Ray awesomness, BC, and PS3 exclusives. Furthermore I only want 3 games on the damn system.

BC is a huge selling point for me. My current PS2 is broken and I have a huge catalog of PS2 games I'm dying to play. I'm still holding out on Sony being totally cool and throwing backwards compatibility back into the PS3.

Also, I don't know if any of you have noticed, but multi-platform games on the PS3 take a long ass time to go down in price for some reason. It usually takes just a few months for a 360 multiplat game to drop 20 bucks, but on the PS3 that time frame is much longer. Is there any reason for this?

The PS3 is a superior machine to both the Wii and 360. Everyone knows it. But I own a Wii and a 360, not the PS3.

Part of it is the PS3's price. Part of it is in general when a game is released on the 360 and PS3, it runs better on the 360.

With exclusives like Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Demon's Souls (US release) coming out, the PS3 can move serious units with a price drop. Bundles won't cut it though.

Please drop the price already. Until then I'll keep collecting dust on my Wii and wishing Fable 2 wasn't such a disappointment.

Dang, you really thought Fable 2 was a disappointment? That is a shame. I probably put more time into that than any other game last year, and am still playing it to this day.

Then again, if you took every bit of hype that Peter Molyneux vomited out as gospel truth, you were probably setting yourself up for some serious disappointment.

You have just proved the point I try to make to a lot of people:

When it comes to games made exclusively for the PS3, there's no question as to which system has more muscle. Compare the likes of Resistance, Uncharted, and Killzone to Gears, Halo and Fable and it's no contest that the PS3's graphical and audible prowess is unmatched.

But in every other category? It's not so one-sided.....

I feel for you

I'm sorry, but Resistance is far from a graphical powerhouse, not by a long shot. Killzone is the best looking game now, but the PS3 and 360 have been trading places as the system with the best looking game every six months. It might be because Killzone 2's art design is so average, but I think the 360 can produce something that looks better than Killzone 2. Though Sony fanboys have been claiming the 360's reached it's graphical peak almost every time a PS3 exclusive is released, so I'm pretty jaded toward your comment already, and things like "no question" and "Resistance" really smudge my benefits of the doubt towards any objectivity or reason.

real sad to see how Sony dropped the ball with PS3. The PS2 was a great system with a bountiful amount of great exclusives...what the hell happened?

The PS3 has some great exclusives and its young in the projected life span that Sony has given it.

How have they "dropped the ball"? It's a fantastic system with fantastic games. Comments like these get so tiresome.

Again,........four....hundred....dollars???

Hmmm.. You could almost view this as confirmation of a price drop, even if it's a "soft drop". This could pave the way for a cheaper non-bundle PS3 with a smaller HD. But you push the value proposition with a larger HD and games.

Also, how about a second god damn controller, companies. ><

And yes, I am well aware how long it's been since a game company has bundled two controllers.

I've been really wanting to get a PS3 for a few months now but the price is still too steep. Trico, inFamous, Heavy Rain and a lot of PSN titles have me very interested. A PS3 equivalent to the 360 Arcade unit would make me consider picking one up. I don't know what that would entail exactly... but it could be a way for Sony to start making some kind of headway into the market and perhaps bring in a different demographic than they currently have.

I love my 360 but I really want to play some of the PS3 exclusives.

What, don't tell me that in those few months you've been wanting a PS3, you couldn't spare those extra 100$ that you're complaining about now.

At that point you really don't have a PS3. The PS3 will always be more expensive than the 360, even if you get rid of all the components inside that the 360 doesn't have stocked with, because it needs the Blu-Ray player to read Blu-Ray disks. Let's just say an "arcade" version would be 300 bucks (to compensate for the Blu-Ray drive). Would you honestly pay 300 bucks for a PS3 with no built in WiFi, no hard drive, and no rechargeable controller?

I think not.

If you want a PS3, cough up the extra hundred. If you want a 360, get a Pro at least as the Arcade will cost you more in the long run.

@ Ashitaka
Money is tight for me and most people right now. The $450 I'd have to pay to get a PS3 today isn't really something I can do. However, if I could get a relatively bare bones system that plays games and Blu-Rays for half the price, well, that's something I'd at least consider. Upgrading a hard drive down the line and spending a little on a longer ethernet cable doesn't bother me.

What is the absolute minimum one needs to play a PS3 game? Console, 10gb HDD, ethernet port and 1/2 usb ports for controllers? Perhaps if the console had the abilitly to upgrade pieces as you needed it could work from a business side. How much does Microsoft make on those ridiculously price hard drives now? Maybe Sony could do something like that. Sony needs people to start buying consoles and games. Anything they could do to build that install base is a good thing. Maybe the PS3 Slim could be this kind of console. I know these aren't 1 to 1 comparisons but the Slim could be to the Arcade what the PS3 is to the Premium.

Just some thoughts...

ooog look....its the same price....

of Course if they WERE going to drop the price would they be sloppy enough to let it go out to retailers yet?? that USUALLY goes out 2 days ahead of time max...

Stop with the bundles, already. The economy cannot support it.

If a game or two are in this bundle, one of them HAS TO BE LittleBigPlanet.

i do agree the shotgun is a little unfair because of its effectiveness distance. but how are the sniper and assault classes broken. you get 3 rockets if your an assault class. after that you only have a pistol until you pick up another weapon. and i dont see how the sniper class is broken at all.

That high price point is really what's kept me from getting a PS3.

FFS if there's no price drop at least start releasing the damn 45nm PS3's. If i can't buy one cheaper at least let me buy one that runs cooler and quieter. Refuse to buy a replacement for my dead launch 60GB till they start selling them. That 60 put out so much heat (sitting out in the open) it was insane.

at futureshop in canada, this package has uncharted and hot shots golf

This will be good for Sony to capture that same price but bundled with two old games you can get for $20 each no anyway market. Oh wait this will be their second bundle like that.

I guess Sony doesn't understand the term "entry level price point" very well. I'm not buying above $300.

few worthy exclusives is totally objective. what you find worthy and what I find worthy can be totally different. I can say the same thing about the 360 or the Wii. I havent found a 360 title that made me want to own an 360. i am not saying its a bad console, it just doesnt have anything i want to play.

Wow. I love my PS3, but in 2009 having a console, blu ray player or otherwise, for $399 is just out of touch. I appreciate their need to make the system profitable, but they also need to generate new consumers.

Surely if they dropped the system $50 or $100, they would see a significant increase in first party software, PSN, and BD sales that would help offset the new losses.

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments

Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.

Breaking News

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days

Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US 221 comments
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review: A tempting fate 153 comments
David Jaffe leaves Eat Sleep Play, layoffs hit developer [Update] 107 comments
Blizzard taking Valve to court over 'DOTA' trademark 96 comments
Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear 95 comments

Best Buy to receive new 80GB PS3 SKU after E3, will cost $399

Reader Comments (67)

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:17PM Hunter2223 said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:36PM Special Agent Steve said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:50PM Uncle Jesse said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:28PM DigStyle said

Posted: May 26th 2009 5:27PM TypeF said

Posted: May 26th 2009 5:29PM RKN said

Posted: May 26th 2009 7:52PM Railgun said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:18PM JXCGunrunna said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:19PM T Crespo said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:21PM JXCGunrunna said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:27PM Hunter2223 said

Posted: May 26th 2009 4:01PM Cash9007 said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:19PM ShortFuse said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:22PM T Crespo said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:35PM Duke said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:21PM skyzbig said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:23PM JXCGunrunna said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:24PM KaCeX said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:25PM Sly C said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:26PM StormEagle said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:27PM TheDarkWayne said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:30PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:31PM Hunter2223 said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:33PM StormEagle said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:39PM s ls said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:09PM NaeemTHM said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:30PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:36PM baby sea tuna said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:37PM StormEagle said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:50PM Marius said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:12PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:32PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:36PM Duke said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:57PM drgoodier said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:33PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:33PM sickrubik said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:34PM Drace said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:05PM Ashitaka said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:18PM HTCEVO said

Posted: May 26th 2009 5:25PM Drace said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:39PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said

Posted: May 26th 2009 2:52PM BigD145 said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:13PM KingBroly said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:27PM T Crespo said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:28PM CaramelZappa said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:29PM michael000 said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:54PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 26th 2009 3:56PM foxhoundadam said

Posted: May 26th 2009 4:44PM T Crespo said

Posted: May 26th 2009 4:44PM Maulok said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

Double Fine Kickstarter passes $1 million in under 24 hours, breaking yet another record

Featured Stories

The Joystiq Show - 024: Kingdoms of Double Fine

Shank 2 review: Refined brutality

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier brings information warfare to the front

The most popular postsin the last 7 days

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW

The most popular posts
in the last 7 days