An 80Gb PS3 could be on the way, from the looks of certain documents. In a request from Sony for a "Class II permissive change" to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) an 80Gb configuration is listed as an “Additional Model” next to the 60Gb model.
SPOnG contacted Sony to see if a new, beefier PS3 is on the way and was met with a (not unexpected) “No comment”.
Could this be a response to the just-announced 360 Elite? While it's a tempting assertion to make, SPOnG thinks not. For starters, the filing is dated “March 2, 2007”. Unless Sony has much better intelligence than the rest of us, it had no concrete knowledge of the Elite at the time of filing. Second, the only other change mentioned in the filing is to additional blue-tooth functionality.
Could an 80Gb PS3 be on the way, though? Yes! Probably not in the immediate future as it's still far too early in the PS3's life-cycle for a new configuration to be released. It would, however, be entirely consistent with Sony's ideas about the PS3 being far more than 'just' a games console.
Speaking last June, Ken Kutaragi said, “It is clearly a computer... there are no 'models,' only 'configurations'” Granted, Kutaragi's been sent up the river now, but he's still a man that knows a thing or two about the PS3.
Also noticeable was the absence of the 20Gb PS3 in the filing. It may well be on the way out. Despite Amazon listings that suggest to the contrary, it seems increasingly unlikely that we'll see the 20Gb PS3 over here, while its being out-performed in the states.
If and when we get an 80Gb PS3, the 60Gb version may become the 'cheap' alternative.
Did you just buy a 60Gb PS3? Would an 80Gb configuration hack you off? Let us know in the Forum.
SPOnG contacted Sony to see if a new, beefier PS3 is on the way and was met with a (not unexpected) “No comment”.
Could this be a response to the just-announced 360 Elite? While it's a tempting assertion to make, SPOnG thinks not. For starters, the filing is dated “March 2, 2007”. Unless Sony has much better intelligence than the rest of us, it had no concrete knowledge of the Elite at the time of filing. Second, the only other change mentioned in the filing is to additional blue-tooth functionality.
Could an 80Gb PS3 be on the way, though? Yes! Probably not in the immediate future as it's still far too early in the PS3's life-cycle for a new configuration to be released. It would, however, be entirely consistent with Sony's ideas about the PS3 being far more than 'just' a games console.
Speaking last June, Ken Kutaragi said, “It is clearly a computer... there are no 'models,' only 'configurations'” Granted, Kutaragi's been sent up the river now, but he's still a man that knows a thing or two about the PS3.
Also noticeable was the absence of the 20Gb PS3 in the filing. It may well be on the way out. Despite Amazon listings that suggest to the contrary, it seems increasingly unlikely that we'll see the 20Gb PS3 over here, while its being out-performed in the states.
If and when we get an 80Gb PS3, the 60Gb version may become the 'cheap' alternative.
Did you just buy a 60Gb PS3? Would an 80Gb configuration hack you off? Let us know in the Forum.
Read More Like This
Comments
ozfunghi 29 Mar 2007 11:36
1/12
I don't see how they could warrant a more expensive price point for a measly 20 GB. What do you pay for a 500 GB drive now? 150 €? Wanna bet Sony sells their extra 20 GB for 50? Of course it's not the same but still, if you fill up 60 GB, 80 just seems like delaying the inevitable for a short while. Maybe they could just replace the 60 GB version, that might make sense.
I'd think that if they were to offer a more expensive alternative for the 60 GB version, and wanted to counter MS, that they'd at least offer a 150 GB version. 60 to 80 seems futile.
I'd think that if they were to offer a more expensive alternative for the 60 GB version, and wanted to counter MS, that they'd at least offer a 150 GB version. 60 to 80 seems futile.
sneakyduck 29 Mar 2007 11:37
2/12
Not to be pissy but it's GB, not Gb. Soz. Gb would denote a Gigabit.
more comments below our sponsor's message
majin dboy 29 Mar 2007 12:01
3/12
Not to be pissy....u possibley cudnt have followed that comment, with a more pissy remark.funny tho.
Joji 29 Mar 2007 12:13
4/12
Yeah okay, point is we know what he/she means when he's says GB or Gb, I do that too.
Now Sony are looking like muppets because of an internal hard drive, which could have been a stand alone and possibly made PS3 a lot cheaper to buy. Maybe that's a joke in itself since Sony never sell anything at reasonable prices.
What's also funny is that while many want a Wii hard drive, the 'similar but not same as 360' external option is available to those who want one. How much you spend on one, and what size you get is up to you. Because of this, I know Wii and 360 will always be reasonable in price, from now til the end of their cycle. Can't say that about Sony.
I kind of hope Blu Ray fails, since I'm happy with the current format and soon a dvd/hd recorder.
Now Sony are looking like muppets because of an internal hard drive, which could have been a stand alone and possibly made PS3 a lot cheaper to buy. Maybe that's a joke in itself since Sony never sell anything at reasonable prices.
What's also funny is that while many want a Wii hard drive, the 'similar but not same as 360' external option is available to those who want one. How much you spend on one, and what size you get is up to you. Because of this, I know Wii and 360 will always be reasonable in price, from now til the end of their cycle. Can't say that about Sony.
I kind of hope Blu Ray fails, since I'm happy with the current format and soon a dvd/hd recorder.
tyrion 29 Mar 2007 12:54
5/12
Joji wrote:
Now Sony are looking like muppets because of an internal hard drive, which could have been a stand alone and possibly made PS3 a lot cheaper to buy.
How on earth do they look like muppets?
An FCC filing is made months in advance of a new product coming out. The 80GB version will probably hit in Q4 this year, in time for Christmas.
The HDD is not the most expensive part of the PS3, a 60GB drive that will fit the PS3 costs £30.49 ex VAT at SCAN. Sony will get them for £15 at the most because of the bulk numbers they are buying. You'd still be crying about the PS3 price if it was £410!
Also making the HDD a choice is a bad thing, just look at the 360 Core, it's crippled by lack of a hard drive. 360 games can't be written to take advantage of the HDD like they could in the Xbox or can now in the PS3, because the HDD isn't standard across the range.
Joji wrote:
Maybe that's a joke in itself since Sony never sell anything at reasonable prices.
Not so. I've just been into town and the official Sony HDMI cable is on sale for £18. That's a 3 metre cable, I've seen 1.5 metre Monster HDMI cables going for £80. The Sony one is pretty nicely priced.
ozfunghi 29 Mar 2007 13:23
6/12
Ok ok, so they have a cheap cable. Other than that, i think it's pretty common knowledge that Sony isn't exactly the pricebuster. A Sony TV/Hifi/DVDplayer/... will cost more than 90% of its competitors offerings with the same features and of similar quality. Anyway, don't want to get into your arguments, but just wanted to share.
I agree about standard hard drives. That's why i don't see why they'd offer a merely 20 Gb (not GB! everybody, GB=/=Gb!!!) upgrade alongside the previous version. If they wanted to upgrade, it should be a noticeable. Or it should just be replaced. Not offered as alternative.
I agree about standard hard drives. That's why i don't see why they'd offer a merely 20 Gb (not GB! everybody, GB=/=Gb!!!) upgrade alongside the previous version. If they wanted to upgrade, it should be a noticeable. Or it should just be replaced. Not offered as alternative.
RiseFromYourGrave 29 Mar 2007 14:04
7/12
an extra 20 gb does seem like an odd number, just 20 gb more for probably a lot of money and still 40gb less than the elite 360. doesnt seem very attractive to 60gb owners or competitive with the elite.
also yeah, sony do overprice a lot of their products. my dad has always steered clear of sony for the exact same reason that someone else cited, that they overcharge but you arent gettign a superior product most of the time
also yeah, sony do overprice a lot of their products. my dad has always steered clear of sony for the exact same reason that someone else cited, that they overcharge but you arent gettign a superior product most of the time
Joji 29 Mar 2007 16:41
8/12
Ofcourse they over charge. Look how long the PS2 sold at over £100 for. Look at their tvs, dvd players etc. Crazy prices that shift once in a blue moon.
Should be interesting to see Sony go toe to toe with MS, we all love a good battle.
Should be interesting to see Sony go toe to toe with MS, we all love a good battle.
tyrion 29 Mar 2007 17:05
9/12
Joji wrote:
Ofcourse they over charge. Look how long the PS2 sold at over £100 for. Look at their tvs, dvd players etc. Crazy prices that shift once in a blue moon.
Buy a book on how the market works. If the product is still selling, you keep the price where it is. That's just sound financial sense.
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo price their products at a level that the market will sustain. As soon as sales dry up, the price will drop. Look how quickly the price of the original Xbox dropped in the UK, that wasn't due to some altruistic love of gamers, it was because the thing wasn't selling.
The reason the PS2 stayed above £100? It was still selling at that price. Same goes for their TVs, VCRs, DVD players, Hi-fis, etc.
guests 30 Mar 2007 06:28
10/12
HDD of PS3 can be exchanged for HDD of 2.5 inches or 3.5 inches cheap
on the market.
High HDD accessories like Xbox 360 need not be bought.
Therefore, PS3 only of installing large capacity HDD is unnecessary.
on the market.
High HDD accessories like Xbox 360 need not be bought.
Therefore, PS3 only of installing large capacity HDD is unnecessary.
tyrion 30 Mar 2007 07:36
11/12
guests wrote:
HDD of PS3 can be exchanged for HDD of 2.5 inches or 3.5 inches cheap on the market.
Sorry, it's only 2.5 inch drives that will go internally to the PS3, and they have to be SATA. Some people have hacked together a way to use 3.5 inch drives, but they require an external enclosure because the PS3's drive bay isn't big enough for a full size drive.
guests 30 Mar 2007 09:24
12/12
It is easy to use 3.5 inches HDD on the outside.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20070220/ggl.htm
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20070220/ggl.htm