We've long wondered why the MotorStorm 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle mysteriously disappear off of store shelves. Earlier on today, you may have heard some rumblings about a PlayStation 3 bundle that'll feature Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Well, they're rumblings no more, as Sony has officially announced that there will, indeed, be a Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle that'll arrive in the second quarter of 2008 (between April-June). Reports are claiming a mid-June release date, which is just about right, as we believe that MGS4 will not be ready to hit shelves until June, anyways.
More importantly, the PlayStation 3 unit that gets the bundle is the 80GB, and it receives it without a comprise in price - so it'll still be worth $499. But that's not the end of it. On top of that, Sony will be replacing the SixAxis controller with the DualShock 3 pad for all 80GB MGS4 bundles, as well. Nothing but great news here.
"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 Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA. "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."
We're inclined to agree wholeheartedly, that the MGS4 bundle is about as ideal as a PlayStation bundle can get. For long now, despite having arrived on other consoles, Metal Gear Solid has always been considered a PlayStation-centric franchise, and we're happy to see Sony and Konami working out a strategy together to move both the PS3 and MGS4 into homes. The way we look at it, the more people that get to experience Metal Gear Solid, the better. Our prediction, look for this bundle to launch between June 10th-12th.
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