News > No More 60GB PS3, Price Cut An Illusion
July 13, 2007
Everyone has been talking about the PS3 price drop lately, but is this really a price DROP, or just a shifting of inventory?
Microsoft's Peter Moore had this to say about the change:
"Interestingly, I didn't see a price cut, and I must have been reading the wrong thing. It's still $499 and $599. They've added greater value in the form, primarily, of storage at the same price points. They've added greater value at the same prices - which to me is not a price cut. I don't want to be anal, but I read "price cut" and I expected to see $399. When I hear the words "price cut" I expect to see a price cut."
Harsh criticism from Microsoft's exec, but a little later on, Sony Europe's own David Reeves had almost the exact same thing to say about the issue:
"..what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a $599 version with one game. All they're doing is taking their stock in trade that they've got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July."
So according to Reeves, this is just a big clearance sale to make way for the new 80GB model at the same old price. So Sony is eliminating the 60GB model altogether, David?
"In America, yes."
Hmm. I imagine this has something to do with the Emotion Engine chip, and it's removal from the 80GB version. That same piece of electronics was NEVER included in the European version of the console, so it stands to reason that Sony is really just discontinuing the Emotion Engine chip in all regions. Even more evidence for this theory is that the 80GB EE-less unit will NOT be released in Europe, where they already use an EE-less 60GB model.
They sure made that move look good, though. Everyone loves a "price cut."
*Eddie R Inzauto - Senior Editor, GameWad.com
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