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Sony announces new 40GB Playstation 3 (Press Release)
Posted on 18/10/07 16:54 by geno 888
Effective Immediately, 80GB PS3 to be priced at $499
Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) today announced plans to introduce a new 40GB model of its PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system. Beginning November 2nd, to further enhance the HD entertainment experience, the new 40GB PS3 model will come bundled with the blockbuster movie Spider-Man™ 3 Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and will be available in North America for a suggested retail price of $399 (USD/CND). The company also announced that effective immediately, the current 80GB PS3 model will be available in North America for $499 (USD/CND), $100 below the original launch price.
“We’re pleased to offer the consumer a lower price point without sacrificing the core technology components that make PS3 the most advanced high-definition entertainment system available. Every PS3 comes with a Blu-ray drive, HDMI output, an integrated Wi-Fi connection, Cell Broadband Engine and a built-in hard-drive,” said Jack Tretton, President and CEO, SCEA. “This holiday season we’ll be able to offer attractive retail pricing with a broad portfolio of outstanding games including Ratchet & Clank® Future: Tools of Destruction™, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT™, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune™, Heavenly Sword™, Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare, Assassin’s Creed™, Haze™ and RockBand™.”
The new 40GB PS3 will no longer play PlayStation®2 titles, reflecting the availability of a more extensive line-up of PS3 specific titles. Consumers looking for backwards compatibility can take advantage of the limited PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility of the 80GB PS3.
More detailed specifications can be found in the Original Press Release.
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They went from having the emotion engine from PS2 in the PS3 for complete backwards capability
To having software emulation for the popular titles
To nothing? I don't understand why the software emulation wouldn't work on these machines, other than they don't want to support the porting of those titles anymore. Sony doesn't make money from you playing old games, this encourages people to buy new ones.
By
steveo (guest),
Fri 19 Oct 2007 13:09
NO OFFENCE, BUT WHO THE HELL WOULD WANT TO PLAY PS2 GAMES ON A £350 MACHINE??
I WOULD RATHER PLAY THE NEW RELEASES THAN LAST GEN GAMES!!!
IVE STILL GOT MY PS2 IN MY BEDROOM FOR OLD TIMES SAKE, BUT I NEVER USE IT!!!!
By
CompUser (guest),
Fri 19 Oct 2007 19:31
Once again, Sony isn't being exactly honest with their paying customers. In the press release they say, "We’re pleased to offer the consumer a lower price point without sacrificing the core technology components ...". Apparently they have sacraficed core technology components, or the new 40 GB model would also play PlayStation 2 games. Somethings got to be different. Just a comment to steveo, some people actually like to play the games they've already spent their money on. If you don't, good for you.
Do peoples old systems vanish when they purchase a new one. Keep your old system and play your old games on it. I for one applaud the drop in price. If you really want backwards compatibility purchase the 80 gig version at least they still give you the option. Even the versions that had only software emulation still had a couple of the old chips from the ps2 I think they just lacked the "Emotion Engine". To shsve off 100 dollars they must have removed all of the ps2 components.
"The new 40GB PS3 will no longer play PlayStation®2 titles, reflecting the availability of a more extensive line-up of PS3 specific titles."
They forgot to add that from this PS3 "extensive lineup", there are only about half a dozen titles that are worth bothering with. They should have really said "extensive and mainly mediocre lineup".
By
steveo (guest),
Sun 21 Oct 2007 10:26
@ COMPUSER
YEAH, WELL AS I SAID BEFORE, THATS WHY I KEPT MY PS2 FOR!!! I WANT TO PLAY HD GAMES ON MY HD PS3!! GRANTED THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF PS2 GAMES THAT SCRUB UP WELL WHEN UPSCALED WITH IT, BUT NOT ENOUGH GAMES DO!!! THAT WAS THE ONLY REAL ADVANTAGE TO BC ON THE PS3, BUT I WOULDNT LOSE SLEEP OVER IT IF IT WASNT THERE!!
@REFRENZ
IM QUITE HAPPY WITH THE LINEUP THANKS!!
AND ANYWAY!! A HD PLAYER FOR £300?? THATS NOT BAD AT ALL IN MY BOOK!!
Hey steveo, either you caps lock key is broken or you're a moron.
Also, I would like to play PS2 games on PS3 simply because PS2 consoles have shitty lasers. They tend to die for some reason. So if PS3 doesn't play PS2 games and all PS2's go shitty, how the f*** am I going to play my PS2 classics?
Clearly sony are being morons. There will be uproar over this and they will implement it once again.
CD Pirate - Good point, how will people will be able to play PS2 games when their PS2 dies and Sony stop making/selling PS2s? Easy, Sony will release PS2 games as downloadable content and make you pay AGAIN to play PS2 games you already own. 
As much as I'm an Xbox fanboy, I gotta chime in that I feel backwards compatibility is no big deal to me. I have my previous gen system to play the older games.
@ivid
but that weak backward compatibility of the X360 has always been the main problem what $ony fanboys mentioned first, as their mighty machine was "100 percent" backward compatible or what they claimed... now it looks like they are quite quiet or claim backward compatibility is NOT that important... 
oh how things are changing. 
regards, Stephen
by the way, I have doubts that the PS3 has any better laser than the PS2... manufactured by the same companies (Sanyo and alike) garantees the very same LOW quality lasers.... 
oh how things are changing.
regards, Stephen
by the way, I have doubts that the PS3 has any better laser than the PS2... manufactured by the same companies (Sanyo and alike) garantees the very same LOW quality lasers....
Why are people huffing and puffing over BC? Aren't there still PS3s on sale which offer BC? And which are actually a better bargain than the 40GB version?
Sony wants to offer a lower priced system and quite clearly states that it doesn't have BC. They offer a slightly more expensive (with an additional controller and 2 games) model with BC (which got its price slashed by 100€). Buy the one you prefer and shut the hell up! 
Didn't MS also introduce a system without HDD? Was that not a more stupid move? But didn't they offer another model with HDD? People just picked the one they needed. It's the same now!
Some people just love to complain about anything and everything.
By
steveo (guest),
Mon 22 Oct 2007 11:27
@cdpirate
the pc im typing this on is a works pc and the software i use with it, has to have caps on, but to keep you happy i have turned it off this time!!!
plus i have had my ps2 for at least 4 years and never had a problem with it and if i did i could easily pick one up second hand!!!
i feel you and refrenz are splitting hairs over this!! if you arent happy then buy the bloody 80gig!!! simple!!!
@ u_n_s97 the laser has nothing to do with the upscaling of the ps2, its the software!!! if you are not refering to me, then i apologise!!!!
@steveo:
yeah, I was referring to cdpirate's post. No problem anyway.
No problem anyway.
Oh so the 80GB plays PS1 fine does it?
I didn't read that part. It's not that bad then I guess. Btw steveo - I've also had some PS2's for about that long and they are modchipped. Eventually they get weaker. Mine are already showing weakness. One doesn't like to play burnt Dual Layer games very well.
Also - the thing about the lasers, they were weak in the PS2 I agree. But PS1's are fine and plents of ppl never had probs with theirs and they still work fine after 7+ years. PS3 might be ok, you never know. It is using blue ray, they might have two lasers for reading different discs I have no idea. It's have to be fairly powerful to read Blue Ray so I'm guessing regular DVD would be pretty easy for it to read.
@cd pirate
PS2 has dual lasers aswell. And PS1 was good as it read CD's only. Anyway, I already had to swap a few PS3 lasers, so I don't expect that much from those. (especially when modchips will be available... you still remember, those first Princo DVD's put such a stress on the lasers... )
Anyway, I already had to swap a few PS3 lasers, so I don't expect that much from those. (especially when modchips will be available... you still remember, those first Princo DVD's put such a stress on the lasers... )
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