Best Buy Discontinuing 80GB PS3?

[malware]

SCEA already announced plans to discontinue the 20GB and 60GB PS3 SKUs from the Japan market. Two days ago we also reported that a ceramic PS3 is coming to the US. Now a rumour has it that Sony is also discontinuing the 80GB version of PS3. It all starts with an anonymous Best Buy employee scan of an internal letter, which notifies employees that the 80GB system is being discontinued. "The 80GB version of the PS3 is going closeout and won't be replaced at this time," it reads. "It will come off the planogram on Jan. 28. The 60GB version should already be gone from stores. Only the 40GB version of PS3 will be sold in Best Buy stores at this time." The 40GB model currently costs $399, and is the cheapest PS3 available. However, it does have a few limitations: it lacks memory card readers, features only two USB ports, and most importantly, loses backwards compatability, as noted in the memo. "This means that there currently isn't a version that is PS2 compatible,".



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[EastCoasthandle]

:shadedshu

This says it all about buying PS3

 

[Ravenas]

If it's true, its because they are getting ready to start shipping the ceramic whites for 299$.

 

[WarEagleAU]

The original 60GB doesn have ps2 style memory card readers. It does have the 4 in 1 though, if thats what you mean.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

The backward compatibility loss is bad...

 

[Ravenas]

They still have PS1 compatibility, if you want a PS2 go buy one would be the same price as buying the 80gb model. I still don't think this is true though.

 

[effmaster]

They still have PS1 compatibility, if you want a PS2 go buy one would be the same price as buying the 80gb model. I still don't think this is true though.

Sure they could buy a PS2 if they wanted to but how many people would actually want to have to deal with that many component wires which is what most people still use to this day

 

[EastCoasthandle]

Sure they could buy a PS2 if they wanted to but how many people would actually want to have to deal with that many component wires which is what most people still use to this day

Also who has the extra space for both PS2 and PS3. Switching between consoles just to play older games can be tiresome.

 

[Solaris17]

time to hi up ebay for the first gen 80gb ps3's with the ps2 emotion engines in them b4 they went emulated....i remember when lots of ppl were talking smack about the ps3 because it was expensive and late and a tad buggy so everyojne bashed it...but now it seems the ppl who jumped on the new tech band wagon got the best deal...the firmware fixed them and they got a ps3 before sony started cutting things out of them.

 

[burtram]

i really don't mind. my ps2 works just fine as it always has, and i go between systems all the time, N64-Dreamcast-SNES-PS2... adding a ps3 wouldn't be a hassle at all for me, as i still have vacant hdmi ports on my tv.

 

[INSTG8R]

Im glad I bought my 60GB when I did. I do use the BC feature. One of the first games I bought was GT4 as I missed out on it as I moved to Europe from Canada about 3 1/2 years ago and sold my PS2 and all the bells and whistles I had with it and never replaced it.
Heck we havent even gotten a 80GB model here yet and looks like we may never if that memo has any truth to it. I mean they even chopped down the BC on the EU models as ours doesnt even have the emotion engine.
Saddest bit is there are more PS3s sold here than in NA but we seem to get the short end. I do miss SCEA as SCEE is pants..

 

[Ombracol]

It is true

I work for J&R music and computer world and my system shows the 80gb PS3 as being discontinued.........

 

[spacejunky]

more goodness from Sony. Can't wait to see what they do to the entire Blu-Ray market this year. No compatibility so just buy a new model. What a great business model :shadedshu

 

[candle_86]

Meh so the PS3 sucks more lol.

Honestly I don't understand the appeal at all to overpriced, hot runing consoles that offer less gameplay than a PC. Sure I have consoles, but they are old, N64, Genesis, SNES, and an NES. I had a Dreamcast and a PS2 but sold them.

 

[hacker111]

Great...And I just got a $700 giftcard there for a PS3...

 

[newtekie1]

I really don't like this move. It was nice for people to have the option to choose a cheaper model without backwards compatibility, or the more expensive model with backwards compatibility. Not that backwards compatibility was a big selling point for most customers anyway. However, I am sure there are a few out there that bought or want to buy the PS3 because of the large library of PS2 games as well as the PS3 games.

If this is true, that means Sony is the only console manufacturer to not offer backwards compatibility on their console.:shadedshu

 

[1c3d0g]

Meh so the PS3 sucks more lol.

Honestly I don't understand the appeal at all to overpriced, hot runing consoles that offer less gameplay than a PC. Sure I have consoles, but they are old, N64, Genesis, SNES, and an NES. I had a Dreamcast and a PS2 but sold them.

Sure, I can agree with some of that, but sometimes they offer games that you can't currently get on PC's like Burnout, Gran Turismo or Tekken. Plus the PS3 would double as my home entertainment system with its built-in Blu-Ray drive. Additionally I can help cure diseases with Folding@Home, something no other console/DVD/Blu-Ray player can match.

 

[INSTG8R]

Sure, I can agree with some of that, but sometimes they offer games that you can't currently get on PC's like Burnout, Gran Turismo or Tekken. Plus the PS3 would double as my home entertainment system with its built-in Blu-Ray drive. Additionally I can help cure diseases with Folding@Home, something no other console/DVD/Blu-Ray player can match.

Bingo. I use mine more as a media hub than anything else. I usually use it to stream my Music from my PC. Now that Folding supports playing your own Music I have it on most of the time now folding while I listen to my music now. Its quite satisfying. I mean I bought it mainly for the Blu-Ray/Media capabilities first and as a gaming machine 2nd.

 

[newtekie1]

Sure, I can agree with some of that, but sometimes they offer games that you can't currently get on PC's like Burnout, Gran Turismo or Tekken. Plus the PS3 would double as my home entertainment system with its built-in Blu-Ray drive. Additionally I can help cure diseases with Folding@Home, something no other console/DVD/Blu-Ray player can match.

There are Blu-Ray drives for PCs, many people have them, and use them in their Home Theater PCs, so to say it is better because of that isn't really a good argument.

And Folding@Home is available of PC, it was a long time before the PS3 was even put on paper.

As for the games, yeah I agree, and personally they are several types of games that I just prefer to play on Consoles. Of course there are some I prefer to play on PC too.

Racing, Fighting, and 3rd Person Adventure are all types of games that I just feel work better on a console.

First Person Shooters, RTSes, and MMORPGs all work better on PC, IMO.

I don't think either is better than the other, they both are two different beasts. However, I will say that if I had to give one or the other up, I would get rid of the PS3.

 

[candle_86]

lol, well I have an xbox if you want to call it that still, its running an 80gb Hard Drive with windows 2000 on it and a keyboard and mouse plugged in where the controllers go, just tore up some controllers to get the connector and wires and then tore the USB connectors off keyboard and mouse and wired it up. It is my HTPC lol, I don't even think i can play games on it anymore.

 

[ktr]

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50938

Sony will post something later today on their blog addressing this.

 

[Ravenas]

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50938

Sony will post something later today on their blog addressing this.

I doubt this will happen unless Best Buy is replacing the 80gb with the 40gb Ceramic model.

TO ANYONE COMPLAING ABOUT BACKWARDS COMPTABILITY: Most of those who are complaining about backwards comptability don't even own a PS3, and are just complaining to complain about the PS3. The majority of the PS3s being sold are the 40gb, the ones that only have the PS1 compability. I think Sony's sells numbers speak for themself, no one who is buying a PS3 right now cares that much about the backwards comptability because most of their sells are the 40gb. The price is better, I could care less about playing my PS2 games on my PS3, mostly because I played them all to a point where I don't want to play them anymore (and I'm not paying a 100$ more just for the convience to pop them in my PS3). Furthermore, anyone who doesn't have a PS2 probably isn't buying a PS3 to play the classic PS2 games. Additionally, the PS2 is still being sold right now so it hasn't yet reached that "retro" market of games.

 

[candle_86]

well PS2 doesnt matter to me, I still have the first 2 medal of Honors though and would love to play them agian lol

 

[ktr]

It seems like best buy did discontinue the 80gb, but sony did not stop producing them or other stores stop selling that. WTF is up with best buy?

 

[Ravenas]

It seems like best buy did discontinue the 80gb, but sony did not stop producing them or other stores stop selling that. WTF is up with best buy?

This is just a rumor, but I've heard there is another model coming out besides the 40gb ceramic.