While supplies last, Amazon.com is selling the 80GB version of Sony's PlayStation 3 console for only $349.98, shaving $50 off of the suggested retail price. As it is one of those Deals of the Day, supplies are limited, and once they are gone, they stay gone. Reader Kevin informs us that it looks like the five free Blu-ray disc deal also applies with this discounted price, so you can jumpstart your Blu-ray collection along with adding a shiny black game console to your house in one fell swoop.

Every day that passes I feel more and more silly for spending $600 on the 60GB at launch. Then I slip in a PlayStation 2 game and feel much better about it.

Amazon.com Video Games Deal of the Day [Amazon.com - Thanks everyone!]

Each bundle contains an 80 PS3, packaged with The Force Unleashed and a Firefly box set, LittleBigPlanet and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, or Far Cry 2 and a James Bond Blu-ray 6-pack, the last one a bit more expensive than the other two. Chances may be slim, but chances are chances!

Amazon Customers Vote - Round 1: Go Blu [Amazon.com - Thanks Pedro]

"This new 80 GB PS3 is perfectly suited for HD games, music, movies and more." Full release below...

Sony Computer Entertainment America Announces New 80GB PLAYSTATION(R)3, Limited Edition PlayStation(R)2 Bundle, and PlayStation(R)Portable Entertainment Pack at E3 2008

Company Also Launches New PLAYSTATION(R)Network Video Delivery Service and Showcases More Than 140 First-Party and Third-Party Games Across All Platforms

LOS ANGELES, July 15 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) held its annual press conference today at the E3 Media & Business Summit, making a series of announcements which demonstrated the strength of the PlayStation brand across all three of its platforms and further leveraged the heritage and momentum of PlayStation's family of products to provide consumers with more compelling entertainment options than anyone in the videogame industry.
Starting in September 2008, the newly announced PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) 80GB model will become the mainstay of the company's hardware line-up. The 80GB model will retail for $399, and will offer all of the features and functionality of the 40GB model with double the storage to accommodate more movies, graphics, music, photos and other entertainment content — all for the same price. As with its predecessor, the new 80GB model will be a complete entertainment system comprising of a Blu-ray(TM) player, HDMI output, an integrated Wi-Fi connection, Cell Broadband Engine(TM) and a built-in 80GB hard-disk drive. The multi-functionality of the 80GB PS3, combined with more than 140 exclusive and third-party titles and the PLAYSTATION(R)Network, is a comprehensive entertainment value designed to appeal to a wide range of consumers from hard-core gamers to general entertainment enthusiasts.
Following the success of five PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) Entertainment Packs, SCEA announced the Ratchet and Clank(R) Size Matters PSP Entertainment Pack, a new bundle showcasing PSP's multi-functional feature set, targeted for holiday gift-giving. Launching in October 2008 for $199.99 MSRP, the bundle will include a limited-edition "Silver" PSP system with the highly acclaimed game, Ratchet and Clank(R) Size Matters; a blockbuster movie on UMD(R) (Universal Media Disc); a PLAYSTATION(R)Network voucher to download the innovative puzzle game, echochrome(TM) from PLAYSTATION(R)Store: and a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo(TM) for storing music, videos, photos and more.
In addition, SCEA introduced a new family entertainment bundle for the PlayStation(R)2 system, the most successful console in industry history. The limited-edition LEGO(R) Batman(TM): The Videogame PlayStation(R)2 Pack will feature the highly anticipated TT Games/Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment title LEGO(R) Batman(TM): The Videogame, Warner Home Video's Justice League: The New Frontier on DVD, and a PlayStation(R)2 system — all for $149.99 MSRP, which represents a $30 savings for consumers if the contents were purchased separately. SCEA will also launch more than 130 new titles for PlayStation(R)2 system this year, totaling 10,000 PlayStation(R)2 titles by end of the year.
"It's undeniable we have three successful platforms, the broadest and best line-up of some of the biggest exclusives in the business, and are continuing to deliver compelling and original content to our consumers," said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Expect to see continued momentum this year as we remain focused on delivering products and services that extend the strength of our brand and reaffirms PlayStation's place at the center of consumers' homes."
Additionally, the company previewed more than 140 first and third-party games at E3 2008 proving its content line-up this year is unmatched in the industry due to its depth, breadth, and diversity. Throughout the holiday season and this fiscal year, SCEA and its third-party partners plan to release more than 140 software titles for the PS3 available on Blu-ray Disc(TM) (BD).
SCEA is also developing more than 50 games, game packs, and add-ons downloadable via PLAYSTATION(R)Network in North America this year, offering something for every taste, lifestyle and budget. Also, to continue offering greater value to PlayStation fans, SCEA will launch PS3 Greatest Hits program on July 28 with 10 first and third party titles at a reduced price of $29.99. The PS3 Greatest Hits titles include Warhawk(TM), Motorstorm(TM) and Resistance: Fall of Man(R) from SCEA; Call of Duty(R) 3, Activision(R); Need for Speed: Carbon, Electronic Arts; The Elder Scrolls(R) IV: Oblivion(TM), Bethesda(R) Softworks; Ninja Gaiden(R) Sigma, Tecmo(R); Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six(R) Vegas and Assassin's Creed(TM), Ubisoft(R).
SCEA also reiterated its commitment to make PLAYSTATION(R)Network the best entertainment experience in the industry, by announcing a new video delivery service on PLAYSTATION(R)Store for PS3 and PSP systems in the United States. The new video service, available today, allows U.S. consumers to download full-length TV shows and movies to both their PS3 and PSP through the PlayStation Store for rental or purchase.
In addition, SCEA further outlined progress against its revolutionary online experience, PlayStation Home. Highlighting new first party high definition virtual environments for hit PlayStation titles including, Unchartered: Drake's Fortune and Warhawk. With significant third party support already on board, Sony Computer Entertainment will be expanding the beta in Summer 2008 and commence the open beta service by Fall 2008.

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. So you'll see us replenish these in the marketplace. We're still committed to our current strategy and there is much to do about nothing, I think is the way to think about it.

One of the neatest features of the Playstation 3, in my book, is that you can swap out the hard drive it comes with yourself using an off-the-shelf hard drive. Sure it may be pretty self-explanatory to some, but not everyone knows how to upgrade the hard drive on their Playstation 3. Fortunately, Seagate was kind enough to send me a little howto guide and kit. The guide walks you through the relatively painless process for upgrading your 40GB or 80GB hard drive to something roomier, like say a 160GB drive.

The upgrade allows you to swap out the built-in drive with a new one, without losing any of your content. Why is Seagate explaining how to upgrade a Playstation 3? Because they sell hard drives silly. Hit the jump for the even-Brian-can-do-it instructions.

What you need:
An external hard drive for the backup (Seagate suggests their Maxtor OneTouch Mini)
A new hard drive (Seagate suggests their Momentus 5400.3 160GB (~$120) or a Momentus 7200.2 160GB (~$160).)
Mini screwdriver

How to do it:
Plug in your external drive and reformat it so the PS3 will recognize it.
Copy current PS3 hard drive content to your external drive.
Remove the standard issue console drive, following the installation instructions in the PS3 manual.
Replace the console drive with a the new drive.
Format new drive.
Plug in external drive and transfer content to the new drive.
Play Uncharted.

The $600 PS3 seems like a decent deal to those who have been on the fence about buying the console, what with the larger harddrive and a free copy of a relatively solid game. Of course you could just buy the 60GB version for $100 less and then buy the game of your choice and have money left over to put toward upgrading the PS3's harddrive on your own, a relatively simple endeavor.

Sony points out that they expect to be sold out of the 60GB version by this fall, based on current consumer demand.

Hit the jump for the full press release, with a remind of all of the cool games coming to the PS3 in the near future including Heavenly Sword, Folklore and Uncharted.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Announces Availability of New 80GB
PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM))

Million-Selling Online Racing Game MotorStorm(TM) Packed In With New System;
Sales of Existing 60GB PS3 Continue to Surge

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment
America Inc. (SCEA) today announced the availability of a new 80GB
PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) at online and brick-and-mortar retailers in the
United States and Canada. The system, available immediately for a suggested
retailer price of $599US/$659 CND, comes with the hit online-enabled off-road
racing game MotorStorm(TM) packed in the box.
Featuring an expanded hard disk drive, the new 80GB PS3 is designed to
appeal to the online gaming and entertainment enthusiast, providing ample
storage space to download more games and other entertainment content from
PLAYSTATION(R)Network. There are currently more than 60 playable games and
game-related downloads available through PLAYSTATION(R)Store, with expanded
entertainment content coming soon. The new model features the million-selling
game MotorStorm in the box, allowing up to 12 players to play online at one
time, hitting the dirt in this visually-arresting, fast-paced racing title.
"The 80GB PS3 offers expanded options in the PS3 family of products for
those who want to enjoy more downloadable content," said Peter Dille, senior
vice president of marketing, SCEA. "The new model will provide ample storage
space to meet the appetites of those who wish to download content today, and
for many more years to come. With the expanded disk capacity and dynamic
system upgrades, we have effectively created a system that is 'future-proof',
providing consumers an exceptional entertainment value that will stand the
test of time."
The 80GB model joins the existing 60GB PS3 that has been available at
retail since launch last November. The 60GB PS3 is currently enjoying a surge
in sales following a price reduction in the US and Canada on July 9 of $100 to
$499/$549 CND. Since that date, unit sales at the company's top five
retailers have jumped 113% when compared to the average sales of four weeks
prior to the price drop. SCEA will continue to sell the 60GB in the US and
Canada at the new, reduced price until current inventory is depleted, which is
predicted to be this fall based on current consumer demand.
Throughout the holidays and this fiscal year, more than 120 new first and
third-party software titles will be available for North American PS3 users to
enjoy, in addition to the more than 40 software titles currently available.
Key upcoming first-party titles include Folklore(TM), Heavenly Sword(TM),
LAIR, NBA '08, Ratchet & Clank(R) Future: Tools of Destruction(TM),
SingStar(TM), SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT(TM),
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, PAIN, and Warhawk(TM).
Both the 80GB and 60GB PS3 models come standard with Cell Broadband
Engine(TM) (Cell/B.E.), built-in hard disk drive, 1080p high-definition
output, Wi-Fi connectivity, SIXAXIS(TM) wireless controller and Blu-ray
Disc(TM) player. According to Nielsen VideoScan, there are currently more
than 270 high-definition Blu-ray Disc(TM) movies available at retail,
including the recently released "300," "Shooter," and "Ghost Rider."

You know, the difference between 60 and the 80 gigabyte is very small. We just feel that going up 20 gigabyte is not worth it.

If you're going to double it, it's worth it. So maybe you'll see something a little bit later, but 60 and 80, really not much difference.

While I have little doubt that the larger hard drive-enabled PS3 is headed stateside, there's really no indication of when or for how much—though I certainly don't expect a price increase for said model. What I do know is that working at the American subsidiary of a Japanese company can sometimes suck. Michael McWhertor

Sony may sell 80-gig Playstation 3 in US [AP/Yahoo]