Kotaku
Those 80GB PS3 rumours are getting harder and harder to ignore. First, we brought word of a patent showing Sony calling shotgun on an 80GB, upgraded model of the PS3. Then we saw some pics of said model. Now we see that the official Korean PlayStation site (where the PS3 is launching on June 16) is showing, on their product specs page, not the 60GB model, but this 80GB "elite" model.
I'd call typo, but they say 80GB three times in three different places. That doesn't look like a typo to me. That looks like SCEK announcing they'll be selling an 80GB model of the PS3.
[ ] PLAYSTATION 3 2007 6 16 ? [SCEK, via Sony Protection Group]
[thanks finalstrike!]
Comments
20 more gigs isn't enough to compare to the fast one Microsoft pulled on the majority of 360 owners. Besides, Sony gave me the option of hooking up my 160gb external drive, and my PS3 also comes with better HDMI than the 360. Is that Elite enough?
i was about to send this to you guys but you beat me to it...
Wow!
80 Gigs eh?
Now that's MASSIVE!
Well I for one am surprised at this move by Sony.
No, wait, not surprised. What's the opposite of surprised? Expected. Right, I totally expected this.
I'll confirm it. An 80GB model is definitely coming out. It will retail for 599 and the 60GB model will be reduced to 549.
why bother creating an 80gb model when there's already a 60gb model and USB support for external drives?
I hope this means a pricedrop for the 60gb model. Otherwise, it's worthless. :/
"Sony Korea Take 80GB PS3 Cat, Allow Escape From Bag "
That headline is fantastic!
@nlyonssmith:
To justify the inevitable price drop. It makes more business sense to substitute the Premium model with a higher HD and keep the same price than to ultimately drop the current price of the premium. The latter screams of defeat, while the substitution will be viewed more positively. People will now think they're getting more for the money.
Can't you just add any notebook sata drive to the system? I don't know what the fuss over 20 GB is about. Unless something else on the system has changed this really isn't even news.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, bigger drive, whatever.
Tell it to my 300 GB Western Digital. You'll have to speak up, though, because that's a lot of room to cover if you want it to hear you.
@drunk_luigi
It's well know that we ban people for asking why something is news or saying something is not news, and yet you've decided to gum up the comments section. Why?
sony is definitely a man's system:
S I Z E M A T T E R S R O A R!
i laugh at your little wii
(Shrinks away in terror of the fury that is Ashcraft)
Yes I wonder how much this 80GB model will cost, I mean the current model is "probably too cheap" all ready right? I mean they gotta do something to increase the cost up to that sweet spot of value to price.
If I see a $700 'elite' PS3, that is it, I am done!
If they dont drop the price of the 60gb version, they will officially be retarded. If they do, its a step in the right direction and will put some pressure onto Microsoft. Competition = better for the consumer :)
they arent that stupid to raise the price. and korea is pretty close to china/japan, so it will probably cost 600 and the 60 gig might not be sold there at all or it will be 550 dollars.
Has anyone considered that this may possibly take the place of the 60 GB model rather than coexisting with it?
If the 60GB is $550 and the 80GB is $600, there needs to be a little more than 20GB to justify that price. If it's something I can't add for cheap (kinda like Microsoft's ridiculously priced $180 120GB HD), then I'll be upset.
I'd be happy if they bundled a headset with the $600 80GB version, though. More people need headsets online anyway. Maybe throw in an extra controller, component and/or HDMI cable, rumble (too soon?), or something else.
Who else here doesn't think there is any chance an extra 20 gigs on the HDD would merit another model of the PS3 (raises hand).
Its pointless, thus I think the obvious truth is that this will simply replace the 60 gig version. Its not like the extra 20 gigs will break sony's bank. But it would slightly dwarf the 360's Elite HDD size advantage.
@drunk_luigi: Oh, and this is news. A rumored upgrade, especially after the downfall of the $500 PS3 version, is something to keep watch over. Why? Cause the 360 'elite' was a relatively small hard drive upgrade, but it came with alot of media lovers extras. So it MIGHT be an indication of something that might be changing to the system.
As for having alternative hard drives in your PS3, Kotaku has already commented on that little gem of a news bit. But of fair note, doing so might void your warranty and potentially ruin your system if you have no idea what you are doing
http://kotaku.com/gaming/ps3/upgrade-your-ps3-hard-drive-s...
It doesn't make much sense to me. 20g more than the original...for what? Can't see the point of this.
@Windbane:
They make a tidy sum selling ps3 branded hdmi cables to the uninformed. Not likely to bundle it with the system.
20 added gigs does not make the console anymore appealing, but if there was a price reduction on the 60 gig model than that would be good. But i highly doubt it since there really isn't a difference in the manufacturing costs, so im guessing the 80 gig model would just replace the 60 gig one.
pretty cool i would have to say :)
I don't understand the need for this. Unless they were planning on phasing out the 60 gig (making the 80 gig the smaller model, and then possibly an even larger size HD for another), how is the extra 20 gigs a real improvement (especially considering the Elite boasts 120)? Puzzling.
@Nate128: '
I think this was set in motion before Sony knew Msoft was up to 120GB's.
@ssjmichael:
I think youve got the right idea; rather than fight the inevitable backlash of "you said $600 was a fair price, why drop it now in less than a year's time?" Sony gets to release an improved model, 20 gigs more and new, cheaper chipset, software emulation, mebbe cheaper blu-ray diodes (all to lower production costs a fair amount) and bam, youve got a competitively-priced (wha, $500-550 or so?) 60 gig current model released by the holidays to match the new Home and strong lineup by then.
...unless Engineer_This is right, and it just replaces it, which again with all the moves listed above being made, i cant see happening. Sony knows theyre taking a loss and have to do something, this all seems to fit that.
I'm also sure sony is smart enough to know what their doing, they are a hardware company, im whatever their doing is a good move.
so, this is what im thinking(except the gold lining)
-20 gb totally phased out, replaced by 60 GB
-80 gb replaces 60 gb, gets a gold lining on the front instead of silver(lol)
-60 gb price goes down to 450 this fall
-80 gb price goes down to 550 this fall after releasing for 600.
It'll probably just replace the 60GB model and stay at the same price of $600.
I think this will move in to replace the 60gb, Probably just in Korea.. i doubt they'll even see a 60gb
Maybe it will come branded as LG or Samsung, like every single thing that exists in Korea.
Bundle this model with a game or maybe the GT and tekken downloads from the PS store and charge 600 for it. Lower the 60 gig to 525-550 range. If they are becoming cheaper to manufacture you may as well take more losses to increase your marketshare now before the other systems get too far ahead of you. This holiday season will be likely be the most important and the PS3 will need to be more attractive than it is now.
i was a little surpriced cause i didnt know that the PS3 had so slow DVD-ROM and CD-ROM spin speed, cause the PS3 is suposed to be "A jump ahead of current technology" 8x dvd drive speed is kind of slow to todays stardars...
@TOCATL:
Which would rather have - a 360-like noise machine with the faster speed, or the almost completely quiet drive that is currently in the PS3? I'm sure a developer or two might wish the PS3 had a 10 or 12x DVD reader(12x is almost 16mb/s), but with the Blu-ray having a higher read speed at 2x (72mb/sec supposedly), I just don't see it being anything important.
@TOCATL:
I think the numbers might be off slightly, due to the BluRay. Maybe the speed IS a bit faster, as Bellamy points out above me, because I have yet to see an instance where it loaded any slower than any 360 game I have ever played.
@Ashcraft
Cause some people need Artheritus THAT much quicker D:
Back on topic...This while a worthless technical upgrade seems like a marketing plan. It pleases both camps, those who wanted a price drop. Also those soccor moms and dads *Is that the American Term? I'm not from America* who want more for their money, mainly the kind of people who buy those massive cars.
A smart move.
@Bellamy: Well i have a 360 and the noise when a disc is loading its like a fan but with the game sound you dont really hear it, and yea if the DVD-ROM speed in the Ps3 where 12-16x the ps3 would be a good deal for devs to use DVD-DL (8.5Gb) like the ones the 360 use, to afford the development of a game for the PS3 until they can make bluray games for the PS3...
@TOCATL: What do you mean BluRay games for the PS3? All games that I have for my PS3 are on BluRay discs.
Hats off to Sony for changing the one thing on their system that absolutely did not need to change.
Can't I just buy a drive from newegg and slap it on a PS3?
Why, Sony? Why!
Coming soon: PLAYSTATION 6000 SUX with Blu-Ray/HD-DVD combi drive (hey - one of 'em WILL win right?) and 90GB hard drive - because bigger is better!
I seem to remember SONY talking smack about MSFT having two models. They swore the PS3 would only have one model...then released two; then axed one; and now (seemingly) add a second again. Are they just hoping to confuse the hell out of consumers? Maybe they did some research and found that people who have no idea what they're buying will buy anything.
I just can't figure this out.
All Korean PS3s should come pre-loaded with DJ Max Portable games.
:)
I would so pay for a 80GB PS3 with pre-loaded Korean dance music on it.
The 60GB PS3 will never see the light of day in Korea. It is also probably indicative of a future change for all PS3 models everywhere in the near future.
Furthermore, since the price of the new 80GB PS3 in Korea is around $540 US, you are witnessing the streamlining of the manufacturing process at work.
So, I believe that the reason for the 80GB model is not to introduce a new model but as a replacement for the 60GB, which in terms of manufacturing possibly has no significant, if any, cost difference.
@raskol: I was wondering if anyone would point out the price in Korea, the lowest price of the higher model PS3 anywhere in the world...
@bobtheduck: Oh, and like many have said, this isn't a new SKU, it's a replacement for the 60 gig because it's cheaper than the 60 gig...
@bobtheduck: agreed, they won't launch a 60 GB model over there because the 80 GB model will replace it. It will happen over here as well once Sony is through their current stock I presume.
Ugh I quoted the bobtheduck instead of raskol.
Come to think of it, doesn't it strike anyone that a PS3 launch in any country now is kinda late?
The 60GB PS3 already launched in Singapore, a tiny south-east Asian island with 4 million inhabitants, in 7th March for USD 520.
http://digg.com/gaming_news/PS3_to_launch_in_Singapore_7th...
Does Japan really hate Korea so much? That aside, it seems really pointless to introduce a bigger drive for a different price point. The PS3 manual already teaches you how to add a larger drive if you need more space.