It's Official: $399 PLAYSTATION 3 with Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray to Hit US

[ReduxInflux]

talked about to death (within the realm of expectation and speculation) but now it's official -
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original article link:

Hi-Def Digest

rueters link (provided by zaphod):

Rueters


It's Official: $399 PlayStation 3 to Hit US
Thu Oct 18, 2007 at 04:01 AM ET

As widely expected, Sony has announced it will unleash a new $399 40GB PlayStation 3 for the US, setting a new low-price record for a Blu-ray playback device.

The move follows similar announcements by Sony in Japan and Europe over the last few weeks.

Although the PS3 is by far the best-selling high-def playback device on the market with 1.75 million units sold since its launch last November, those sales numbers pale in comparison to lower priced consoles from Microsoft and Nintendo.

The manufacturer is clearly hoping the lower price point will entice holiday shoppers to add the console to their Christmas lists. At $399, the PS3 is now within $50 of Microsoft's entry-level Xbox 360, and $100 of Nintendo's Wii.

Needless to say, a surge in PS3 sales could only help the Sony-backed Blu-ray format in its battle for high-def supremacy against rival format HD DVD. Even at current sales levels, the console has been widely attributed with propelling the Blu-ray format's disc sales turnaround over the last ten months.

The 40GB PS3 is expected to hit stores late this month, bundled with a Blu-ray copy of Sony's blockbuster 'Spider-Man 3' in the box.

[Zaphod]

For anyone who is interested here is the link...

Click ---> HERE <---

Also the 80 GB version will be cut to $499.99

[Weez_Dawg]

Link?

Thanks for the news.

[ReduxInflux]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

For anyone who is interested here is the link...

Click ---> HERE <---

thank you. a MUCH better article at that.

[EricJ]

So...gaming aside, would Blu-ray play make any difference between deciding to buy the 40, 60 or 80?
Memory, storage, loading, etc.? Would the 40 have louder fans or new ones?

[Banjo]

Maybe it'll actually be $400 here for once! Apparently they say that the prices are often set within 6 months of the release which is why the prices of our books, movies, electronics may be more expensive.

But we'll have to wait and see if that's the case.

[JadedRaverLA]

Originally Posted by ReduxInflux

At $399, the PS3 is now within $50 of Microsoft's entry-level Xbox 360, and $100 of Nintendo's Wii.

Does anyone else think it's funny that the "Wall Street Journal" is that bad at math?

For those who don't follow:

40 GB PS3 = $399
XBox 360 Arcade = $279
Nintendo Wii = $249

So, the PS3 is still $120 more than the "entry-level" 360 and $150 more than a Nintendo Wii.

Now, I love my PS3 and know the price cut will sell a ton of systems, but wow is that just bad reporting... especially from a business paper. They also never qualified the 1.75 million PS3's sold being the U.S. number... not worldwide.

[DefTechPioElite]

Originally Posted by EricJ

So...gaming aside, would Blu-ray play make any difference between deciding to buy the 40, 60 or 80?
Memory, storage, loading, etc.? Would the 40 have louder fans or new ones?

playback of Blu-ray discs will be identical to other models

[richard lichtenfelt]

Response to Eric J's concern about fan noise.
I have the 60gb version and I can barely hear it if there is no volume on. With volume you will not hear the PS3 at all. I also have a Xbox 360 and it is many times louder.

[undertow1141]

Originally Posted by JadedRaverLA

For those who don't follow:

40 GB PS3 = $399
XBox 360 Arcade = $279
Nintendo Wii = $249

So, the PS3 is still $120 more than the "entry-level" 360 and $150 more than a Nintendo Wii.

Was at GameStop today and they no longer offer the $279 dollar xb360, and it is gone from their website. The lowest xb360 there is $349.99, $50 cheaper than the new PS3. But you are spot on as to the Wii price difference.

[w_tanoto]

finally they do something about the USA. this will no doubt boost sales of both games and BD

[lokus]

As I stated on hdd.com, I believe Sony will try to market this unit as a Blu-ray movie player which is why most people wouldn't care about backwards compatability. I know a lot of people complain about its inability to play PS2 games but I really think that problem is minimal. What would help is another price cut during the holidays to match it up with the Xbox360 entry level price.

[Steelmaker]

I feel that this is yet another nail in HD-DVD's coffin. 399.99 PS3's will sell well this holiday season! I hope Sony's marketing for this holiday season really pushes the blu-ray playback feature of the PS3.

[Razzy]

Originally Posted by Zaphod

Also the 80 GB version will be cut to $499.99

From what I read that is effective immediatley. So, $499 for a PS3 80gb with 2 games and 2 controllers. Not a bad deal.

I see that Amazon.com hasn't adjusted their prices yet. I wonder, since the 60 is still in stock at Amazon, what Sony will do about the price of the 60 since it's now the same price as the 80.

[chris5138522]

80gb price cut already

http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=020279

[Blu Blur]

Originally Posted by JadedRaverLA

Does anyone else think it's funny that the "Wall Street Journal" is that bad at math?

For those who don't follow:

40 GB PS3 = $399
XBox 360 Arcade = $279
Nintendo Wii = $249

So, the PS3 is still $120 more than the "entry-level" 360 and $150 more than a Nintendo Wii.

Now, I love my PS3 and know the price cut will sell a ton of systems, but wow is that just bad reporting... especially from a business paper. They also never qualified the 1.75 million PS3's sold being the U.S. number... not worldwide.

Not true sir, the arcade/core 360 is not considered entry level as it lacks a HDD and a 256MB memory card ain't goning to cut it to have the "true 360 expierence". The Arcade pack or Core is also refered to as the "tard pack" so most people ignore it when doing these kinds of price compairisons.

Though you would figure Wallstreet would at least mention that the core is not considered for these reasons.

[ReduxInflux]

i cant wait for this war to be over. i really hope this has a huge impact. the spidey bundled with it is a great way to 'educate' ps3 rookies on the beauty of blu-ray.

[Musashi]

The Wall Street Journal also conveniently ignored the fact that in real practice, the 360 is the more expensive console. Controller charger, WiFi, Network access, and hi-def movie players all come standard with PS3. On the 360, having those things adds $300 to the price + another $50 for every year of Live beyond the first. This assumes the Premium as the Core has no hard drive or HDMI. I'd say $400 < $650 + $50*Live years

[raginranger]

Uh yeah...but whose to say everyone wants or needs those things? There's nothing wrong with the WSJ not recognizing all that. I have alot of friends who are just gamers, they don't even watch TV or movies, so the PS3 isn't that great a deal to them. Everyone is just different.

[Go Blue]

Originally Posted by Razzy

From what I read that is effective immediatley. So, $499 for a PS3 80gb with 2 games and 2 controllers. Not a bad deal.

I see that Amazon.com hasn't adjusted their prices yet. I wonder, since the 60 is still in stock at Amazon, what Sony will do about the price of the 60 since it's now the same price as the 80.

When did the 80gb include 2 games and 2 controllers?