Missing: 80GB PS3. Last seen: Sony's website
A 120GB or 160GB PS3 en-route?
The absence of the 80GB PlayStation 3 from Sony's US website is re-igniting rumours that the electronics giant could be about to replace the model with a larger capacity offering.
Both Sony US and UK websites offer just the 40GB PS3
Eagle-eyed customers have noticed that Sony’s US website, along with its UK alternative, only offer the 40GB PS3 to gamers, which is currently priced at £300(€345/$600) over here. Although absence of the 80GB model on the US site is not hard evidence of a replacement, its disappearance is nothing less than strange. Has Sony sold out? Is there a glitch in the US website's HTML?
Several online reports have already begun drawing parallels between the 80GB model’s disappearance in the US and recent rumours that Sony has etched plans to replace it with either a 120GB or 160GB alternative. Any new capacity model is also thought to include the DualShock 3 controller, which features a dual-rumble facility.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has already denied that any such changes will be taking place in the UK. A SCEE spokeswoman told Register Hardware last month that it “has no plans to bring either a 120GB or a 160GB PS3 into the UK”. Although, technically, that doesn’t rule out a possible US unveiling of a larger capacity PS3.
It’s also been suggested that gamers may be treated to the anticipated PS3 TV tuner, dubbed PlayTV, alongside any unveiling of a 120GB or 160GB capacity console. Sony has previously confirmed that PlayTV, which contains two tuners to allow the PS3 to operate as a full digital video recorder, is scheduled for an early 2008 launch.
COMMENTS
@AC
"Please let me know of any PS3 game that won't work if you have only the 20Gb HDD, 2 USB ports, no card reader and no PS2 emulation (i.e. the SKU with the least features). Then try playing Burnout Paradise online on a 360 Arcade..."
Don't get me wrong, that wasn't an anti-PS3 rant, it was just an observation at consoles in general, Sony and MS alike but I've not been looking at 360 options to comment. It's good that no PS3 games currently don't work on the lowest model but is there any guarantee that something coming out in two months time won't require something that's missing? If Burnout has problems on a variant of 360, that reinforces my point - that unlike PCs, consoles should be a known quantity and should just work, ideally without needing a shedload of patches and bugfixes (but that's another rant altogether...)
Steve.
@Phil 2
The official Sony way to replace the hard drive:
http://www.playstation.com/manual/pdf/PS3-02_03-1.9_1.pdf
@Phil
I'm pretty sure the PS3 manual has a section that deals with how to swap the hard drive. Failing that ask the nice Google who will point you toward something like:
http://www.gamersreports.com/article/43/
Simple (like Paris). Not that I've upgraded my 60GB...
I'm confused...
...as to why this so called "news item" exists. A search for "80Gb Playstation 3" on sonystyle reveals:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665225458
That's journalism.
@ Carlton Riviera
"I assume that by "label-obsessed Sony fanboys" you actually mean discerning consumers that aren't prepared to bend over and take it up the poop chute..."
Get real! If you are a "discerning consumer" from EUROPE $ony have given your arseholes a right good seeing to (sans Vaseline).
Great name BTW, I used to have a Carlton Antibes.
