80GB PS3 SKU coming soon?

[Legend]

I don't see the point of releasing an 80G model- unless it costs exactly the same or less than the 60G model.

the reson for this is that PS3's HDD is a standard off the shelf 2.5 SATA HDD that you can buy from any computer shop. if there was a change, I would expect them to scrap the 20G model. or maybe even offering it with a bigger HDD if, again, it costs exactly the same as the current 20G model does.

 

[Carl B]

Dnavas I didn't post that thinking you (or anyone else for that matter) should have seen it - it was just a specific allusion to several discussions me and Chef have been having.

 

[dobwal]

I don't see any reason for 80Gb PS3. I can't see how someone who doesn't see value in a $599.00 60Gb PS3 will find value at that price point because of the addition of 20 extra gigs especially not in numbers of consumers required to make a upgrade worthwhile.

The PS3 is showing an inability to sell at the current price point so reducing component cost with the intention of reducing the current price point should be of the upmost priority.

 

[TheChefO]

Ok now, haven't I been mentioning SCE's plan to be back in the black by the end of this coming fiscal year to you like every other day for a week?

Sorry xbd - I wasn't under the impression you were talking about breaking even on the hardware. If that is the case then I need to check my eyes as I don't recall seeing anything like this prior to this thread.

 

[infinity4]

And make the system even more expensive? The reason they're doing this now is because of the scaling in HDD costs since launch. They couldn't have done this back then.

if you are saying 80GB would have added to costs i personally would have launched 40GB PS3s instead of 60GB PS3s

 

[NERO]

This is quite funny given what we were talking about re. HDD economics and the impact on pricing strategy in the 360 thread. Just as we were talking about that, this cropped up:

https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/retrieve.cgi?attachment_id=764216&native_or_pdf=pdf


Kinan on GAF spotted this.

I speculated in the other thread that 60GB drives may now be costing Sony no more than 20GB drives, hence why 20GB SKUs have dried up? Funnily enough, at retail, 80GB drives are now costing about what 60GB drives cost at PS3's launch last year..

So the question is - will Sony push the chain down with this new SKU (60GB instead of 20GB, 80GB instead of 60GB), or maintain the current range and add this on top? Let's hope for the former. It would be a very cheap way to effect a price drop by 'going with the flow' of HDD pricing..given how consumers now differentiate between SKUs based on HDD capacities, Sony could use that to their distinct advantage in jump-starting effective price cuts, without losing savings made on cost reductions in the rest of the system.

If it is true that the 20GB and 60GB are the same than Sony shouldn't do anything but watch the 60GB units sell. They should faze out the 20GB unit entirely. The units cost the same to produce yet you can charge 100USD more for one!!!??

When Sony decides to price drop (2008) the 60GB should be the only one in existence.

 

[Titanio]

if you are saying 80GB would have added to costs i personally would have launched 40GB PS3s instead of 60GB PS3s

The question is if the difference in cost between 40GB and 60GB would have made such an approach worthwhile, and warranted a premium of $100 between it and the 20GB SKU. I also think they wanted to try and put as much capacity in at that price, and 60GB was probably the limit.

If it is true that the 20GB and 60GB are the same than Sony shouldn't do anything but watch the 60GB units sell. They should faze out the 20GB unit entirely. The units cost the same to produce yet you can charge 100USD more for one!!!??

Many would suggest that's what they have done. It's very difficult to find 20GB units, if possible at all anymore. And clearly, they didn't even pretend to put them out in Europe.

 

[Carl B]

Sorry xbd - I wasn't under the impression you were talking about breaking even on the hardware. If that is the case then I need to check my eyes as I don't recall seeing anything like this prior to this thread.

I think there's just a lot of confusion on the matter period. I was just talking about the division in the past, rather than the hardware. Now mind you, the move to profitability in the division rests primarily on the move towards breakeven on the hardware - so that was always a part of it. But in my mind I view the PS3 hardware as moving towards a 'green zone' of acceptable loss this year, rather than profit outright - that would surprise me. Either way I don't see a price drop anytime soon in order to enable that goal; afterall whatever the goal is, the means of approaching it are the same. And I agree with NERO that when they do drop the price and/or increase the hard drive, it may be best if they consolidated around a single SKU. Maybe 80 or 120GB w/card reader and WiFi for $499? Hard to guess at in a multi-SKU world what direction they might take...

 

[TheChefO]

I think there's just a lot of confusion on the matter period. I was just talking about the division in the past, rather than the hardware. Now mind you, the move to profitability in the division rests primarily on the move towards breakeven on the hardware - so that was always a part of it. But in my mind I view the PS3 hardware as moving towards a 'green zone' of acceptable loss this year, rather than profit outright - that would surprise me. Either way I don't see a price drop anytime soon in order to enable that goal; afterall whatever the goal is, the means of approaching it are the same. And I agree with NERO that when they do drop the price and/or increase the hard drive, it may be best if they consolidated around a single SKU. Maybe 80 or 120GB w/card reader and WiFi for $499? Hard to guess at in a multi-SKU world what direction they might take...

Good, at least I'm not going blind (or crazy)

Regarding their breakeven point, if it is this year that they were projecting for this point I think they have a real shot to be back in this race for the top, IF they use these BOM savings toward a badly needed* price drop.

Regarding the consolidation of the sku's, If they do decide to consolidate, I think they will aim for the cheapest set which gives them a good bang for the buck. I don't think the 120gb drive would do that for them. Not to mention the opportunity for them to constantly improve the value proposition. Why could they not alternate price drops with improved storage space to provide a consistant value proposition? When the tech becomes cheap enough, introduce the flash version as the "core".

*in accordance with their goal of leading this gen by any margin.

 

[Npl]

What happens if you take the HDD out of the PS3? What you propse sounds strikingly similar to what MS is/has done. Discounting price rapage.

Huh? You know that you can use standard HDDs and arent limited to expensive attachments ala XBox360?

 

[Carl B]

*in accordance with their goal of leading this gen by any margin.

Well, just so there's no confusion, in terms off goals: profitability > install base over at Sony right now, and I expect their actions to reflect that.

 

[NERO]

Many would suggest that's what they have done. It's very difficult to find 20GB units, if possible at all anymore. And clearly, they didn't even pretend to put them out in Europe.

The above is one reason why me thinks the way I do. The other is that the costs are already reducing to the point that they will be profitable by the end of the year to early next year. They don't need to change anything and should stick to the 60 because they can still claim it's technologically superior to the 360 to consumer due to wifi and dynamic due to the fact that most drives can be popped in per user preference. Bla bla bla...let me shut up drink coffe and get back to work. Titanio keep up the good reporting.

 

[TheChefO]

Well, just so there's no confusion, in terms off goals: profitability > install base over at Sony right now, and I expect their actions to reflect that.

Just when I get my hopes up you shoot them down. Shame on you xbd!

 

[Deusp]

Well, just so there's no confusion, in terms off goals: profitability > install base over at Sony right now, and I expect their actions to reflect that.

A larger install base implies greater profitability. You can't make it that clear cut like that. If or when Sony thinks they're going to lose too much marketshare to be profitable in the long run, they will definitely cut prices to boost their install base. Maybe not right away, but they probably have to cut prices sooner or later.

 

[Tap In]

yep T, you may have been right.

MS has got to think about starting to allow saving of files over USB to HDD. you can already connect a larger HDD via USB, just can not save.

actually to ME (especially if Sony starts any kind of HiDef media DL program) the ability add your own HDD feature is what I like most as far as differences between machines, more so than Blu Ray even. I own an HD DVD player and think that DL hiDef media is the future. Just not sure if Sony can afford to support that dream based on the investment that they have made in Blu ray.

Limits to DL and streaming (and time involved) may limit the use of it but so far I'm kind of disappointed in HiDef discs as a media since it is mostly available locally only for purchase not rentals and buying (most) movies is a waste IMO. although I know lot of people that do and I'll never understand it.

So back on topic, if digital distribution becomes a way of the future and console systems ARE going to be measured in HDD GBs then Sony seems to have the advantage even with the Elite's 120GB drive.

Of course getting people (J6P) to become aware of the Ps3's HDD change out and getting them to take a screwdriver to it is a whole other matter.

 

[scooby_dooby]

Personally,a s far as 360 is concerned, I wish they would bypass local storage completely and let me use the 600gb on my PC to hold video...

 

[Diamond.G]

Huh? You know that you can use standard HDDs and arent limited to expensive attachments ala XBox360?

Okay. Standard 2.5" SATA drives, yes I know. What I was asking is how does the PS3 react if there is no drive at all in the system. We had a member post saying that they think sony should sell the system with no drive at all. So the logical thing to do (for someone whom doesn't have the system yet) is to ask what happens in that situation. J6P gets his shiny new PS3 with no Hard Drive home plugs it in and turns it on, what does he see?

And for that matter does Sony institute some sort of quality level for those drives? You can get the same speed same cache same size drive and have varying transfer rates and seek times.

 

[Diamond.G]

yep T, you may have been right.

MS has got to think about starting to allow saving of files over USB to HDD. you can already connect a larger HDD via USB, just can not save.

actually to ME (especially if Sony starts any kind of HiDef media DL program) the ability add your own HDD feature is what I like most as far as differences between machines, more so than Blu Ray even. I own an HD DVD player and think that DL hiDef media is the future. Just not sure if Sony can afford to support that dream based on the investment that they have made in Blu ray.

Limits to DL and streaming (and time involved) may limit the use of it but so far I'm kind of disappointed in HiDef discs as a media since it is mostly available locally only for purchase not rentals and buying (most) movies is a waste IMO. although I know lot of people that do and I'll never understand it.

So back on topic, if digital distribution becomes a way of the future and console systems ARE going to be measured in HDD GBs then Sony seems to have the advantage even with the Elite's 120GB drive.

Of course getting people (J6P) to become aware of the Ps3's HDD change out and getting them to take a screwdriver to it is a whole other matter.

H.264 videos come in MP4 containers right? So what form of DRM would be used to make sure ppl aren't copying videos and distributing them (WMV has builtin DRM)? I know iTunes has Fairplay for their videos as well, but what else is there?

 

[Tap In]

H.264 videos come in MP4 containers right? So what form of DRM would be used to make sure ppl aren't copying videos and distributing them (WMV has builtin DRM)? I know iTunes has Fairplay for their videos as well, but what else is there?

pops and whistles, that's all I'm hearing, pops and whistles..

Are you referring to a secure way that Sony may/may not distribute DL'ed digital media?

 

[22psi]

Personally,a s far as 360 is concerned, I wish they would bypass local storage completely and let me use the 600gb on my PC to hold video...

me too, but that opens the system up too much to vulnerabilities MS doesn't want such as hacking/modding