As we enter the holiday season, the two big 'wars' set to be fought in stores across the country this year are definitely the console wars and the HD disc wars. Sony's biggest entry into both wars is undoubtedly the PS3, the hybrid beast that promises to be all things to all people. While the PS3 certainly ignited the HD disc wars, and ensured Blu-ray's rapid rise last fall, it came at a huge cost to Sony's gaming division. While an immensely powerful gaming system, the PS3 has suffered since its release... partially due to numerous big-name game delays... but moreso because of it's incredibly high price point.
Sony, of course, is not one to settle for third place in the console wars, so analysts have long been saying that price cuts would be inevitable. Although Sony already dropped the price of its original 60GB system earlier this summer, it still kept the base price of the system at a hefty $499.
Finally, that situation is changing. As of yesterday, a new 40GB PS3 model is now available on store shelves for a less bankrupting $399, and the price of the 80GB bundle is dropped to $499. So, for those who've been waiting to jump onto the PS3 bandwagon, here's a breakdown between the two systems that will be available this fall:
| Model | 40GB PS3 | 80GB PS3 |
| Price | $399 | $499 |
| Hard Drive | 40GB | 80GB |
| Bundle | Spiderman 3 movie on BD | Motorstorm PS3 game |
| Controller | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
| Wifi | Yes | Yes |
| USB ports | 2 | 4 |
| 5 Free BD movie offer | Yes | Yes |
| Disc support | ||
| PS3 Games | Yes | Yes |
| PS2 Games | No | Yes |
| PS1 Games | Yes | Yes |
| BD Movies | Yes | Yes |
| DVD Movies | Yes | Yes |
| Super Audio CDs | No | Yes |
| CDs | Yes | Yes |
As you can see, the hardware differences between the systems go beyond simply having a smaller hard drive. There are also 2 less USB ports, no backwards compatibility for PS2 games, and no support for playing back SA-CD discs. In all honesty, the 80GB PS3 is seems much better from a value perspective (Motorstorm alone retails for $59.99), especially considering the huge library of PS2 games out there. Of course, if you have no intention of playing PS2 games (or simply want a system to use as a Blu-ray disc player, then the 40GB becomes an excellent value.
Whichever system meets your needs, it's definitely nice to see system prices coming down in time for the holidays. If you do choose to pick up a system this holiday season, be sure to take advantage of the current 5 Free BD movie offer available with purchase of either system as well. Now, let's see them get the games out there!
0 comments:
Post a Comment