i guess Sony is trying to hammer it home...$399.00 PLAYSTATION 3

[joeorc]

Originally Posted by WickyWoo

The cost difference between the 40 and the 80 GB HDs is probably about $5-10 in the quanity they're buying them

Seriously, it's a very llittle factor.

FOR THE CONSUMER YES for over the counter purchase..take the 20 GB harddrive for the xbox360 as a great example. both MICROSOFT and SONY has to pay a premium on the HARDDRIVES. the production lines for HARDDRIVES CHANGE..HOW MANY COMPANIES ARE MAKEING LESS THAN 120 GB HARDDRIVES now for their production line's and how many production lines do they have open for those lesser GB HARDDRIVES...what they produced last year the HARDDRIVE production lines for like example maxtor, or WD may have reduced their lines for those lesser GB harddrives that the new LARGER GB drives are set with more production lines open than the lesser GB production lines because most of the time they are switched over to the larger GB production HARDDRIVE. both SONY and Microsoft requesting those lesser GB drives for production in large quantity's is a lesser cost you are right but its still more

of a premium for them because they don't make them. AND THE Company that makes those drives will charge them more for the lesser GB because of the operating cost in produceing those lesser GB drives compared to their larger GB drives that are currently their production standard for most if not all their PRODUCTION LINES.

trust me on this one i work in the PARTS AND COMPONENT INSERP. TYPE of IT industry been in the industry for over 12 an a half years. its cheaper for the consumer to upgrade their OWN HARDDRIVE than it is for Microsoft and SONY to ship HARDDRIVES IN THEIR SYSTEMS.THEY HAVE TO HUNT DOWN DEALS ON THE drives.