Following Microsoft’s recently announced Xbox 360 price drop, which saw $50 USD slashed from the software company’s 20GB Pro (Premium) console, market rival Sony Computer Entertainment has moved to add a little consumer shine to its own hardware range courtesy of some timely E3 announcements.
Sony announces revamped 80GB PlayStation 3 at new lower price of $399 USD. Image: FarbFilm/Flickr.
Specifically, Sony has confirmed the upcoming introduction of an adjusted version of its existing 80GB PlayStation 3 for the U.S. market, which will see the powerhouse console reissued without its PS2 backwards compatibility feature at a new price of $399 USD, which is $100 USD cheaper than its current hefty $499 USD price tag.
Sony has also used the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit platform to reveal that the revamped 80GB model will be its focal point in the gaming market and will replace the basic 40GB model that is being abandoned by Sony and phased out of the $399 USD price slot.
While backwards compatibility is being dropped from the 80GB PlayStation 3 -- which is further evidence of Sony’s continuing lack of faith in the feature -- the console will come equipped with integrated Wi-Fi and a Blu-ray HD player as standard.
The tweaked 80GB model is scheduled to begin shipping this coming September, according to Sony’s official Web site.
Sony’s E3 console shuffle arrives only a matter of days after Microsoft Corp. ramped up the pressure on its main hardware rival by announcing that its 20GB Xbox 360 is to be price-adjusted from $349 USD to $299 USD. The Redmond-based monster also has plans to phase that particular model out and replace it with a new 60GB console that will retail for the old 20GB price of $349 USD.
In related news, industry publication GamesIndustry.biz claims that SCEE boss David Reeves is expected to confirm the European arrival of the adjusted 80GB PlayStation 3 in the next few days.
In terms of launch and price for the European market, it is believed Sony Computer Entertainment Europe will match the U.S. strategy by officially launching the console this coming September as a replacement for the 40GB model, along with a price point that matches the current 40GB slot.
Considering the phasing out of its basic 40GB model and the E3 announcement that the PlayStation Network is now open for full-length movie downloads, Sony’s shuffle could well be the precursor to the emergence of a 160GB model, which would double its focal 80GB unit and trump Microsoft’s top-tier Elite by a clear 40GBs.
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