Last week, a Best Buy memo indicated that the 80GB
PlayStation 3 would be discontinued
from the retailer’s supply.
If true and applicable to other retailers in North America,
it could mean that only a single SKU of PlayStation 3 would exist on the
market. According to an Ars
Technica source, it may not be long until yet another PlayStation 3
model comes to market.
“Sony is, in fact, phasing out the 80GB PS3. Sony is going
to stay with the two-SKU approach though, and the prices look to stay the
same,” the source told the website. “The Spiderman 3 pack-in will disappear as
well once the 80GB unit is gone. In order to maintain a similar value
proposition to the 80GB/Spiderman 3 bundle, I expect to see a storage increase
to 120 or 160GB at the same price point, plus the new Dual-Shock 3
controller...”
In response to reports of the discontinuation, Sony provided
the official “no comment” to Wired’s
Game|Life, saying, “I caught up with all of the posts and news last
night, and as you know, we don't comment on rumors and speculation.”
The DualShock 3 is the much heralded controller that brings
vibration force feedback to the PlayStation 3. It was release in 2007 for
the Japan market, but has not yet been announced for any other territory.
The introduction of a 120GB or 160GB PlayStation 3 would move
the overall SKU count for the console in North America up to five. The PS3 originally
launched with 20GB and 60GB models, though both were eventually
discontinued
throughout
the course of 2007. The 80GB was introduced
last summer, but came with reduced PS2 backwards compatible functionality.
The 40GB model entered
the market in time for the holiday season as the lowest priced PS3 yet, at
$399.