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The roomiest PS3 yet will hit Korea on June 16

Unlike the Xbox 360, the 2.5-inch hard disk drive inside the PlayStation 3 can be upgraded by the user at any time. Sony’s Korean division appears to be well aware of this, and according to official information posted on the PlayStation Korea website, the territory will be getting an 80GB hard drive inside the machine when it launches June 16. Neither the 20 GB nor the 60 GB PS3 consoles will be available in South Korea.

Rumblings of this first came in March when Sony filed with the FCC papers describing a PlayStation 3 with an 80 GB hard drive inside. Sony did not confirm nor deny the plans for an 80 GB unit at that time, saying only, “As mentioned when we made the product announcement for PS3, the system will have different configurations (thus, 60GB HDD with memory card slots and Wi-Fi and 20GB HDD without memory card slots or Wi-Fi both exist). Application to the FCC has been made with various possibilities in mind, however, it does not lead to a new product announcement at this time.”

Aside from the 80 GB hard drive, the hardware of the Korea-bound PS3 is identical the European model – which also means software-based, instead of hardware-based, backwards compatibility. A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe told GamesIndustry, “The chassis of the 80GB Korean PlayStation 3 is identical to the chassis of the European version. The only exception is the larger hard drive.” The spokesman continued adding that “At this moment in time, there are no plans to introduce the 80GB version of PlayStation 3 in Europe.”

Update: Sony Computer Entertainment America has provided comment on the possibility of the 80GB drive (and perhaps by extension, the new hardware revision) making its way to North America. “We’re constantly looking at new… configurations [for PS3], but currently there are no plans to change current hardware offerings [in North America],” said a Sony representative.

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price cut pls?
By dome1234 on 5/21/2007 9:00:01 AM , Rating: 3
80G won't sell systems. A price cut would.

btw,

quote:
which also means software-based, instead of hardware-based, backwards compatibility.


The pal model is deprived of the emotion engine, but graphic synthetiser is still intact I believe. Therefore it's a combination of soft and hard-emu. But they certainly hope to get rid of both to cut cost.

would softemu lead to enhancement to ps2 games? i certainly hope so.




RE: price cut pls?
By soydeedo on 5/21/2007 9:08:54 AM , Rating: 4
Yes, but an extra 20gb is trivial in terms of cost. They are doing this to make the consumers feel like they're getting added value, not because they have the margins to support the whopping capacity upgrade.


RE: price cut pls?
By bunnyfubbles on 5/21/2007 9:35:10 AM , Rating: 2
exactly, I don't think Sony can simply lower the cost of the system if they really are swallowing ~$200+ for each system sold, whereas they're probably upgrading the harddrive for no extra cost giving the illusion that they're adding value to better justify the high cost


RE: price cut pls?
By FITCamaro on 5/21/2007 10:37:19 AM , Rating: 3
They'll have to swallow a lot more than $200 before I'll spend $600 on a games console.


RE: price cut pls?
By gyranthir on 5/21/2007 11:07:25 AM , Rating: 1
It's not just a games console, it's an entertainment center + blueray DVD player.


RE: price cut pls?
By Alexvrb on 5/21/2007 11:35:12 AM , Rating: 3
Maybe that's their problem. They should have put the games on DVD9. Sell a barebones unit for $300, a unit with a HD and WiFi for a little more, and a "Digital Media" unit with blu-ray and a larger HD for $600.

They banked on the Playstation name hard, and wanted to use the PS3 as a way to drive blu-ray into first place. But if it causes the PS3 to lose the console race, does it really help blu-ray adoption that much?


RE: price cut pls?
By vhx on 5/21/2007 12:40:34 PM , Rating: 3
Why would they want to pull a Microsoft and split the community hardware wise? If they wanted to keep people at current gen media, they would have. IIRC Sony wanted this to be a 10 year console, only makes sense to use a next gen media format for it. Sony was risking it to put Bluray on it, I'll agree. But at this point Bluray is probably going to win, so the only issue is cost. Cost is not Sony's problem, more manufacturer cost problem which (I think) is a supply and demand problem.


RE: price cut pls?
By borowki on 5/21/2007 2:48:25 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
IIRC Sony wanted this to be a 10 year console, only makes sense to use a next gen media format for it.


Can't dispute that logic. One has to ask though, how realistic is the idea of the 10-year console? That would be like Nintendo trying to sell the N64 now. Consumers' expectation level is raising faster than ever before. The notion that one could sell the same product for a decade is idiocy.


RE: price cut pls?
By afkrotch on 5/22/2007 10:45:05 PM , Rating: 2
The notion of you not thinking it's possible is idiocy. The PS2 came out in 2000 and it's still going strong. Games for the PS2 are constantly making the top ten charts for different websites, companies, etc.


RE: price cut pls?
By Alexvrb on 5/22/2007 9:48:12 AM , Rating: 3
Why would they want to pull a Microsoft? Because even though everyone thought the PS3 would be raping the lowly 360, it is STILL being outsold in the US? If the PS3 was at the same price points as the 360, it would be outselling Microsoft's console by now, plain and simple. Plenty of PS2 fanboys would upgrade at a $300 price, and parents might be less likely to buy a Wii and more likely to buy a Playstation 3. That's why.

As for being a "10-year console", that's a laugh. They're already working on PS4. They wanted blu ray to win the HD media war, regardless of the short-term cost. Any benefit reaped from using the format is secondary. Lose money now, own the market later. The only problem is, if the PS3 continues to do poorly, the short term cost may turn long term.


RE: price cut pls?
By walk2k on 5/21/07, Rating: 0
RE: price cut pls?
By Jack Ripoff on 5/21/2007 1:35:41 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
"Wii, cheap one for the kiddies"

And the oldies too!

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=6191


RE: price cut pls?
By Emily on 5/21/2007 1:37:28 PM , Rating: 3
I don't think it is really appropriate to segment the market in such manner. The Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 seems to be targeting the same market. Except that Sony is being a little more forceful about it (no option to leave the home entertainment out). But I doubt that Microsoft is aiming any less than Sony at the gaming crowd. In fact, I am not even convinced that Nintendo is only aiming at the 'kiddie crowd'. I know many grown up who are more 'serious' about gaming than I am (admitedly just a casual gamer) enjoy the Wii as much as my much relatives.


RE: price cut pls?
By borowki on 5/21/2007 12:51:41 PM , Rating: 2
It will stop people in the US from buying the 60G ones however. As though the rumor of a upcoming price-cut isn't enough, Sony now give another reason to potential buyers to wait. Is their game division run by a bunch of monkeys?


RE: price cut pls?
By cubby1223 on 5/21/2007 1:18:57 PM , Rating: 1
Would you rather have Sony jerk you around like Microsoft is? Just a year and a half after release, there are 3 versions with distinctly different capabilities - and we're not even into their 65nm switch. The differences between the 20gb PS3, 60gb PS3, & 80gb PS3 do not affect their game playing capabilities, nor their options for connecting to the tv.

The PS3 is not selling because (1) it is May, and (2) there is no large stack of games to justify the purchase price yet. It has nothing to do with an 80gb version, or the "rumored price cuts" which was from an independent analysis dealing with manufacturing costs , not retail costs.


RE: price cut pls?
By weskurtz0081 on 5/21/2007 7:08:17 PM , Rating: 2
cubby1223,

I am not sure how MS is jerking anyone around. They aren't forcing anyone to buy the console, if anything, they are just giving people more options. The Elite won't give any better game play than the originals will. HDMI and Component are so close in quality that no one I know can tell the quality difference apart, not to mention, there are only a few games that claim to run at 1080p. The ONLY other difference in game play would be, you need to have a controller card to save games. Big deal.... people who buy the console already know that. Who cares if it connects via component or HDMI. The only noticeable benefit is less cables.

The problem Sony is having is 6 months after launch they still have a VERY limited selection of games, and the console is well above what the majority of people want to spend, regardless of HDD size. Rumored price cuts and the larger hard drive could lower sales, but only with those who pay attention to the tech industry.

wes


RE: price cut pls?
By walk2k on 5/21/2007 12:57:41 PM , Rating: 2
First, what does the FCC have to say about Sony shipping game consoles to Korea? Last I checked they only dealt with the USA.

Second, I'm sure this is a no-brainer, seeing as 80GB discs now cost practically the same as 60GB did a few months ago, and maybe even cheaper.


RE: price cut pls?
By Slaimus on 5/21/2007 1:25:01 PM , Rating: 2
It means that this version is coming to the US soon. Maybe those that want real PS2 hardware will buy it now before they become rare.


By comc49 on 5/21/2007 9:15:41 PM , Rating: 2
why would anyone in korea buy gaming consoles? in korea they have pc room in everyblock. pc room is room full of pcs that have many games installed and costs 1 buck per hour to play.AND starcraft 2 is coming so they'll only play that when it comes out.




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