Has The 20Gb PlayStation Been Discontinued?

Sony's online store has removed its listing for the 20Gb configuration of the PS3 in the US, adding further weight to speculation that the model is more dead than an England sports team's chances of reaching a final.

SPOnG contacted SCEE to find out if this means the end for the 20Gb PS3 and was told, "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."

Of course, this is nothing new for us PAL users who have known since January that, at least initially, we wouldn't see the 20Gb model over here. The fact that Sony didn't deem fit to make the configuration available at launch (despite managing to have a whopping 1 million PS3s available for PAL territories) is certainly telling of its strategy.

The case for the 20Gb PS3's discontinuation is strong, with poor sales in the US and Japan compared to the 60Gb model. Speaking to SPOnG in February Sony's managing director in the UK, Ray Maguire, said, “The response that we’re getting back from the marketplace – not only from retail, but also from consumers – is that what they really want is the best. They want to go for the wireless model; they do understand that the PlayStation 3 is a machine which has a lot of downloads available right from day one, and that they want to put their own media on it from day one.”

If Sony does stop production of the 20Gb PS3 it's unlikely that the 60Gb configuration will be the only model available for long. Sony's always been clear that “various configurations can be considered” for the console. It may well be that an 80Gb PS3 is on the way, as per documents filed with the US Federal Communications Commission last month.


^{Source: MCV}