New PS3 model to hit Europe for 399 EUR

It was? None of this makes sense. How are they cutting it out of software, just for one variation?

 

http://au.playstation.com/assets/images/ps3/keydifferences.jpg

Realy I don't understand what's going on anymore with Sony.

 

I agree completly - I can't explain 40 GB either, especially in light that Sony doesn't make any money off consumers at all if they wish to upgrade their harddrive (which they most certainly will if they use PSN). 60 GB is already pushing it in terms of size, I couldn't even beginn to live with a 40 GB one!

And the 40 GB doesn't fair all that well against the larger HD in the X360 as well (numbers game)...

 

Perhaps there is a license fee coupled to it and maybe they thought it did not add the extra attraction to match the extra cost?

 

SACD license fees are tiny and most of them go to Sony.

 

I find it hard to believe there will be only the 40 GB sku in SCEE territories after the 60 GB sku is phased out.

Reeves from SCEE said when they introduced the 60 GB Starter Pack in SCEE territories instead of dropping price on the 60 GB and introducing an 80 GB sku at the same price the 60 GB sku had before like in the US that they felt adding 20 GB more HDD space wasn't good enough. He said 120 GB was more interesting.

I think there's a new 120 GB sku which will be the new premium PS3 on the way to the SCEE territories later on. It will probably have the same features as the current 60 GB sku but with double HDD storage and 65 nm tech and be in the same price range as the current 60 GB sku (€500-€600)

However I don't think SCEE is ready to talk about it just yet. For now I think they'll just want to pitch the 40 GB sku and the remaining 60 GB Starter Packs.

Just my 2 cents

 

I have the impression Sony is propose some kind of experience/testing with this new ps3 40GB * inf Europe first ,and if has good acceptance we probably will see this model in the USA, japan and others(as default model? who nows).


* (in the same way they had initiated the launching of ps3 euro without EE etc)

 

All I know is that this, once again, proves what Sony thinks of Europe, they pay whatever Sony asks, and eat all the crap they pour at us - launch later, no cheaper model to begin with, no gs+ee inside the models, 40GB being the only model available after 60GB's are sold out (no new 60GB's to SCEE-area) etc

 

40GB is said to be appearing in NA in November at $400.

 

I have no idea exactly how much they have invested in the PS1/PS2 emulator but I'm guessing it wasn't very cheap.

Are they really going to discontinue it at this point? I think not.

For now the main focus must be making the remaining 60 GB Starter packs seem like a bargain so they sell out.

What happens then? We'll see.

 

Good management doesn't get stuck to prior investments. Good management is all about 'where are we going and where are we now.' Whatever Sony have invested in BC, that money is spent. If they can't use that investment to generate extra income, it can only be viewed as a cost. If adding BC cost them $300 million to develop and costs $10 per unit to implement (pie in the sky figures) the choice isn't 'we've spent $300 million already so may as well use that investment and add the BC' but instead is 'we've spent $300 million already, do we really want to lose more on this?'

Many projects get canned after significant expenditure, in all fields. In this case, Sony seem to think the ongoing investment to develop and/or provide BC isn't worth it.

 

The 40gig drive may be there only to increase the perception of quality in the 60 and 80 gig skus thus pushing more sales of the higher storage skus in comparison.

I wouldnt doubt that if this sku takes a foot hold it will receive a boost in storage as well in due time.

 

My guess is they feel the increased sales they hypothetically will get will far outweigh the amount of no sales/ backlash they receive from not having BC. IMO lower price point > than BC. It's still a bit too expensive but the previous price was plain ridiculous to most people. I guess we will find out soon enough.

 

Oh my good, no SACD? The best SACD player will not play it anymore?

I have to buy the 60GB now.

 

Yeah, SACD was always a pretty fancy high-end feature to be in the PS3, but I wouldn't imagine it would cost them much of anything to keep it in, given that the drive is capable of reading the Pit Signal Processing copy protection feature on SACD discs.

Which means, I suppose, that they are using a newer and slightly less featured drive on the 40 gig unit. Certainly it can't cost them anything to do the SACD decode with Cell, other than possibly licensing fees to Phillips (?)

 

I'm pretty sure this is the whole reasoning behind the removal of BC. They're still making the PS2 and selling them for $129US. How much of that is pure profit? The cost of having it on the PS3 is not worth the $500US-$600US premium. So it makes sense to remove it and drop it the price to $400US.

Microsoft had no choice but to make BC work since they aborted the original Xbox and no longer made anymore. Especially since they were launching 1 year ahead of the competition. Sony is looking at it that their hardcore audience had to have it in the first year, but going forward the general audience that they're hoping to sell to probably could care less. I think it's pretty interesting they went ahead and axed BC, but I think it was probably better for them in the long run(getting that price down ASAP). I can't wait to see what Microsoft does to their SKUs here in the US once Sony officially starts selling the 40gb version here. Price wars are great for the consumer.

Tommy McClain

 

It's not about cost, its about differentiation. The same goes for SACD.

There are PS3 customers who will opt for the higher cost model if it offers something substantial over the value model. Sony doesn't want to lose the extra money they get from them. They just want to lure people who can't afford a $500 system into buying a $400 system.

Microsoft won't lose anything by giving a Vista Basic customer a free upgrade to Vista Ultimate, since the development is done. However, if they price Vista Ultimate at the Vista Basic price, they lose tons of money from all the people willing to pony up for the high end version, and that won't be compensated by the few extra sales they might get from including more features at the same price point.

You see this all the time in all industries.

 

Ahh, PSP I forgot about that nugget, this now makes sense. Better economies using a standard Blu-ray drive.

 

Agreed - and it's not out of the question for them to offer upgrades for a fee later that unlock some of those features on lower end units.

 

According to what i've just read on the back of the box, the 40GB model still has backwards compatibility with PSOne games.
But the warning about the lack of support for PS2 games is there, alright.