Breaking News: PS3 Price Drop Only Temporary

[BrewCityUpstart]

Update: We've recently seen the following quote from SCEA's Dave Karraker (given to Joystiq) that helps to summarize and clarify the overall story:

"The 60GB PS3 will be available in North America for $499 until supplies of that unit are depleted. We have ample inventory to meet the immediate needs of consumers in this territory for several months to come. We won't be making any further announcements regarding our PS3 model hardware strategy in North America until the 60GB model is exhausted and market conditions are evaluated."

Original Story:

The recent PS3 price drop has certainly caused a retail rush for Sony's next-gen system, but if you're interested in picking up the 60GB PS3, we suggest you do so within the next few months. Why? Because when the 60GB PS3 stock is completely gone, the 80GB PS3 will replace it on the shelves for good...and as you know, that comes with a $599 price tag.

The 80GB PS3 was announced on the same day as the 60GB price drop, but we had no idea the newest model would represent the true future of the machine. David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, told GamesIndustry.biz that the 60GB would be discontinued in Europe before too long, and then, the U.S. confirmation followed. Senior Public Relations Manager of SCEA, Patrick Seybold, confirmed with IGN that the 60GB PS3 would also disappear in North America as well. Essentially, this means the price cut was actually only temporary.

"The 60GB PS3 will be available in North America for $499 until supplies of that unit are depleted," Seybold said. "We have ample inventory to meet the immediate needs of consumers in this territory for several months to come. We won't be making any further announcements regarding our PS3 model hardware strategy in North America until the 60GB model is exhausted and market conditions are evaluated."

This "phasing-out" move also applies to the new PSP model on the way; the redesigned handheld - scheduled to arrive this September - will eventually replace the old model completely. The core pack for the slimmer, slighter PSP will cost $169.99, and they will also feature a $199.99 Daxter PSP Entertainment Pack.

But the news of the day is clear- the 80GB PS3 will be the one and only by next year, and it will cost $599. We also believe the system doesn't include the graphics synthesizer chip required for full backwards compatibility, which means those who have big PS1/PS2 libraries really ought to consider picking up the 60GB PS3 for $499 before it disappears entirely. But we do have one last question: the 80GB PS3 is supposed to come with Motorstorm when it releases...how long will that last?link

[NuclearCujo]

What are the benefits of buying the 80 over the 60 then? Do games on PS3 take up all that much more room, or is 60 gigs more then enough for the average user? Is 20gb more worth $100?

[Jon Liu]

I think the 60 is sufficient enough for what most people would need. I have all my music and have downloaded whatever I want, ALONG with tons and tons of trailers that I've converted from my computer to allow the PS3 to play them, and I still have 10 gigs left. So, if it ever came down to needing more space, I delete some of those trailers, which I still have on my computer anyway.

[Peench]

Also, it is apparently fairly easy to take the 60GB drive out and drop in whatever size drive you want. I haven't done it yet, but I believe Brew has. Was it easy Brew?

[BrewCityUpstart]

I think it was Wormhole that did it. I haven't yet due to the lack of a need to.