Tag Archives: 80gb

Hatimaki’s rumouring that PS3′s 80Gb SKU is about to be discontinued in Japan.

The Japanese site’s posted a retailer note saying pre-orders for the Black, White and Silver 80GB PS3 will stop on August 9, apparently at Sony’s request.

Sony has already discontinued 20Gb, 40Gb and 60Gb PS3 SKUs in Japan.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Sony’s released an 80Gb PS3 SKU in India, priced 25,990 rupees (£361).

It replaces the current standard 40Gb model and comes with a DualShock 3 in the pack.

“The introduction of high definition gaming and entertainment systems among the Indian audience is the result of extensive research into the entertainment needs and preferences of the next generation of PS3 owners,” said Atindriya Bose, SCE’s Indian country boss.

More on GameGuru.

Engadget is reporting that US retailer Best Buy has already begun selling the 80Gb PS3. The $399 console isn’t due out in the States until September.

The 80Gb is hitting European shores this Friday, whilst our Australian brothers have to wait another week.

And that’s that.

By Mike Bowden

UK retailer GAME is selling a handful of used 60Gb Playstation3s for the princely sum of £349.99 and upwards.

This is £50 more than the new 80Gb model which is heavily rumoured to be hitting UK shores this Friday.

In fact, 60Gb models have been selling for around £400 on Amazon, which, combined with GAME’s high pricing, could mean that backwards compatibility is something people want and are willing to pay extra for.

Just a hunch.

By Mike Bowden

VG247′s received confirmation from a GameStation employee that the 80Gb PS3 is indeed out in the UK this Friday, August 22, as has been previously rumoured.

The retailer’s pre-order page is here. It’s the same price as the current 40Gb model: £299.99.

IGN’s also carrying confirmation that the new SKU will release on August 28 in Australia. The box will cost $699.

Sony has confirmed that its latest PlayStation 3 hardware revision will be launched in Oz on August 28, says Gamespot.

Interestingly, this is one day before the UK is supposedly getting it. Still no confirmation from Sony on that though.

As for the rest of Europe, well, you’re used to waiting aren’t you?

The Australian unit will retail for $699AUD. Thanks, Daniel Plainview.

By Mike Bowden

According to UK retail site, GAME, the 80 Gb PS3 will go on sale on August 29.

However, the site does give us a little reminder that the 80 gig version does not include the following:

• Backwards Compatibility with PS2 Games
• Memory Stick Card Readers
• SACD Playback
• Ethernet Cable
• 4 USB Ports, (The PS3 80GB model features 2)

Still interested?

By Mike Bowden

SCEE’s confirmed an 80Gb PS3 SKU for Europe, to launch on August 27 for £299, Eurogamer reports.

“We will be doing promotional bundles from the middle of September to the end of December at various prices,” Reeves said at a SCEE event in LA today.

“The 80GB replaces the 40GB. Please do not ask me if we’re going to go down in price for the 40GB because I will give you the answer, the answer is no.”

More through the link.

GI was right it seems: according to Jeux Video the 80Gb is a definite for Europe and will cost the same as the current 40Gb.

Best news of all, though, is that the new SKU will apparently come bundled with the DualShock 3 controller. It doesn’t look as though backwards compatibility has made the cut, however.

By Mike Bowden

According to GI, Sony Europe boss David Reeves will announce the 80GB PlayStation 3 for Europe shortly.

“At SCEE’s European press event in Los Angeles this evening, it’s expected that Reeves will confirm the new SKU, with a release period close to September 2008 – the date the 80GB model will become standard in North America,” says the piece.

“As with the pricing of the 80GB model in the US, it’s thought the PlayStation 3 will retail for the same price in Europe as the 40GB model, and the current SKU will be phased out when stock has been diminished.”

We’ve just been told this is “definite”. Until tonight, then.

By Mike Bowden

According to this Joystiq report, Sony’s confirmed that the 80Gb Motorstorm PS3 pack will not longer be circulated in the US.

“Retailers aren’t getting any new inventory of the 80GB Motorstorm bundle,” said an SCEA spokesperson.

More through the link.

The Americans were pulling little colon-”o” emoticons, but the news was greeted with surly derision in Europe. SCEA announced last week that the MGS4 gunmetal PS3 was to launch in America in limited quantities, the pack to include a 40Gb PS3, a DualShock 3 and the game itself.

America, it seems, is blessed by Sony. The region now has confirmation of the highly desirable gunmetal machine and an 80Gb MGS4 bundle, which will replace the current 80Gb Motorstorm pack in June when the latest Metal Gear launches.

Europe, however, still has no kind of special promotion announced for the launch of MGS4 (although SCEE did tell us this morning that it’s waiting to hear on whether or not we’re going to receive the MGS4 special edition).

Worse, there is still absolutely no official indication that an 80Gb SKU is heading this way and there’s no news on when we’re going to get DualShock 3. The weary hope is starting to turn sour: savvy European punters are simply getting tired of waiting.

More »

SCEA marketing boss Scott Steinberg has admitted that demand for the 80Gb PS3 SKU in America has taken SCEA by surprise, giving rise to a shortage of the machine.

“Our strategy at the end of the year was to offer up a $399 40Gb, which we thought was the magic price for a Blu-ray machine, and then a $499 80Gb,” he said, speaking to Gamedaily. “What we were surprised to see is that $100 really didn’t matter to a certain customer.

“Our sales were fairly equitable according to TRST and our internal numbers through the holidays and even into January; we’re pretty dry on the 80 GB as a result of us underestimating the demand for the 80 GB and thinking that most folks, because the price message was such a big part of the pundits and the analysts decrying the differences between the 360 and the PS3, [would prefer the 40 GB]. Reality is the price wasn’t that big of a deal and $499 sold a lot more than we thought, so the 80 GB got dry at retail not due to us artificially compressing it but the demand became greater than we thought.”

More through the link. Thanks, Blerk.

This reports that there’s the possibility of an 80GB PS3 SKU coming to the UK this summer, citing sources such as HMV staffers and Cosco cashiers.

According to SCEE, “There’s no official word on an 80GB PS3 coming to the UK.”

Just remember all this, OK?

By Mike Bowden

Sony’s announced a MGS4 80Gb PS3 bundle at a retailer conference today. The pack has remained undated.

“Working closely with our retail and publishing partners and sharing our hardware and software roadmaps at Destination PlayStation gives us a great opportunity to outline some key milestones for the year. In response to incredible demand, we will be manufacturing more 80GB PS3s for North America and the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 80GB PS3 bundle is an ideal way to offer that continued value to our consumers,” said SCEA chief Jack Tretton. “With Blu-ray having won the format war, our stellar software line-up and a broad product portfolio, we will continue to drive the incredible momentum we’ve been generating since last fall.”

The $499 bundle replaces the Motorstorm pack, and also completely dispels all the talk at the beginning of the month about the 80Gb SKU being phased out in the US. Remember that?

MGS4 was apparently dated for a June 12 American release at the same conference today, but that’s still to be confirmed.

It’ll make the tea as well. According to this, a “particularly well-informed insider” reckons Sony’s planning a slimline PS3 for launch this autumn, which could be the home of the now much-rumoured 160Gb hard drive SKU. The report uses the logic that both PS2 and PSP were slimmed down to support itself.

This new rumour appears to be an extension of the entire debacle surrounding the supposed cancellation of the US 80Gb PS3 SKU and its replacement with a bundle with a bigger hard drive and DualShock 3.

This could go on forever. And probably will.

Yet more in the 80Gb US PS3 cancellation saga, this time in the form of a story that Sony hasn’t actually made its mind up what to do about the whole issue. Heavy rumour’s been pointing to a 120Gb package to replace the 80Gb machine, but if this is to be believed, it’s all a load of hooey.

“GameDaily BIZ has learned, however, from a very reliable source close to Sony that the company has yet to actually decide on what the next SKU configuration will be. Apparently the executive teams and product strategists have been meeting this week in Japan. ‘There are a lot of different strategies under consideration, but nothing is final yet. They are considering ways to put some relevant distance between the two PS3 SKUs, but it’s unclear how that will roll out,’ our source indicated.”

Lots, lots, lots more on this to come before the inevitable announcement. GDC seems a likely place to us.

SCEE has no plans to release a rumoured 120-160Gb PS3 SKU, GI’s reporting, reponding to persistent rumours that the (maybe) ditched 80Gb US SKU is to be replaced by a package with a bigger hard drive.

“We do not currently have any plans to release a 120GB PlayStation 3 in the UK,” said a SCEE spokesperson.

No official comment has yet been released by SCEA on the situation, so whether or not the 80Gb SKU is even to be discontinued is still unclarified.