US Web sites pull PS3 20GB model

[Lovecraft13]

The official online Sony store in the US, Sony Style, has taken down the 'basic' model of the PlayStation 3 from its Web site, as a number of retailers stop selling the cheaper model of the console in the States.

Today companies including Amazon.com, Best Buy, GameStop, EB Games, and Circuit City were no longer listing the 20GB model on their Web sites.

The 20GB model of the console has a number of differences to the 60GB version aside from the size of the internal hard drive and lower price, including the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity and multiple flash memory card readers, and the chrome trim.

The move also throws doubt over the launch of the PlayStation 3's 20GB model in Europe, Australia, and other territories, where currently only the 60GB version is available. The budget version was originally expected to arrive sometime in the "Summer," although no hard date was ever set.

A Sony spokesperson told GameSpot, "We'll continue to monitor demand for the 20GB model, from a consumer and retailer perspective... which will be factored into any future Euro launch plans."

[Mwynn]

Further fuel for the larger hd version? Then a price cut for the 60?

[Calloway]

How can they cut the price if their losing even more money pulling the 20 gig models?

[jimmycakes]

Thank god! They all should have chrome trim.

Yeah, you'd hope a drop in price for the other model. However! They will probably keep the price and add on some sort of upgrade to it. They say dropping a price is retailer suicide because it means they shouldn't have been charging that much in the first place. Obviously there are acceptions, like a year later dropping the price... but... yeah. Let's see what happens next.

[Lovecraft13]

This week, speculation spiked that the 20GB version of the PlayStation 3 was on its way out. It came after the official Sony Style online store removed the "basic" model of the PlayStation 3 from its Web site. Today, the US online stores of Amazon.com, Best Buy, GameStop, EB Games, and Circuit City were also longer listing the 20GB model, which retails for $499.

[UPDATE] As it turns out, there was a good reason for the 20GB PS3 vanishing--it's being officially phased out. "Initial retail demand in North America was upwards of 90 percent in favor of the 60GB [PS3], so we manufactured and shipped-in accordingly," said Dave Karraker, Sony Computer Entertainment America's senior director of PR. "Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America." The 60GB model retails for $599 in the US.

The 20GB model of the console has a number of differences from the 60GB version aside from the size of the internal hard drive and lower price. These include the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity, multiple flash memory card readers, and chrome trim. "Based on retailer and consumer feedback, we have decided to focus our current efforts on the more popular 60GB model," Karraker told GameSpot.

The discontinuation of the 20GB PS3 in North America also throws doubt over the model's launch in Europe, Australia, and other territories, where currently only the 60GB version is available. The budget version was originally expected to arrive sometime in the "summer," although no hard date was ever set. "We'll continue to monitor demand for the 20GB model, from a consumer and retailer perspective...which will be factored into any future Euro launch plans," a Sony Computer Entertainment Europe spokesperson told GameSpot UK. Both versions of the PS3 will continue to be available in Japan.

-gamespot

[Calloway]

What overwhelming demand? The two that are sitting in the store in town seriously have dust on them now.

Odder and odder.

[Mr.Musgrave]

They're just making shit up at this point.

[Calloway]

I don';t want to come off as anti sony but man, this is the first time I've seen new systems just lying around in stores.

[Biofungus]

When they say "retailer and consumer feedback/demand", they actually mean all the people and stores that told them, "Why even f**king bother with a watered down version? The 60 gig version is crappy enough" :p

Okay, okay, that was so anti Sony.

But seriously, if they were already going towards that price end, why should they have even bothered with the 20 gig watered down version? It was just stupid, from a business model standpoint.

[Calloway]

From a buisness standpoint sony hasn't don't anything smart in the last two years with any of their product lines. To the fanboys they made ps3 and to them sony is a genuis company who will support the ps3 through and through..while the rest of us laugh and snicker because we';ve seen this before and expect either the ps3 line to be shut down or parts of sony to be sold off.

[Troy Wall]

I went to Target earlier to buy Super Paper Mario and they are STILL selling out of the Wii.

-Nintendo Fanboy

[Calloway]

But you see young troy wall, that is a statement of fact. Where as Sony's statement is fiction.

[Mwynn]

I went to Target earlier to buy Super Paper Mario and they are STILL selling out of the Wii.

-Nintendo Fanboy
Because Nintendo is still does not have enough consoles to go around. I also heard that gamestop is holding consoles, until they get their ads out.

[Mwynn]

Thank god! They all should have chrome trim.

Yeah, you'd hope a drop in price for the other model. However! They will probably keep the price and add on some sort of upgrade to it. They say dropping a price is retailer suicide because it means they shouldn't have been charging that much in the first place. Obviously there are acceptions, like a year later dropping the price... but... yeah. Let's see what happens next.
I was thinking with the news of a possibly larger hard drive, they could slide the 60 gig into the 499 slot. Then have the larger hard drive for 599.

[jimmycakes]

I was thinking with the news of a possibly larger hard drive, they could slide the 60 gig into the 499 slot. Then have the larger hard drive for 599.

That'd be a good direction. I do agree that a watered down version for 100 bucks less is usless. I have countless friends telling me they're waiting for the price to drop. lol

as for the wii. they may not be enough to go around, but i know six people searching. you need something new to pass the time while waiting for the ps3 price to drop. hey, target in MA has rainchecks for wiis.

[Lovecraft13]

To be fair, I haven't seen a Wii anywhere for sale. Best Buy has crates of PS3s and 360s at the store's center, but no Wiis.

[jimmycakes]

Yeah there is certainly a demand.