The Good & Bad About the PS3 40GB Phase Out

Sony recently announced at E3 that they would be phasing out the 40GB bare bones Playstation3 for the more hardcore, 80GB unit. While the 80GB was originally more expensive, the new 80GB systems will be offered at the standard, barebones, $399 price. Sure, it sounds great, but those of you interested in things like backwards compatibility won’t find it with the new 80GB systems and this has been one of the biggest complaints about the cheaper priced system. Well that and the lack of media card slots.

What has been announced by the senior VP of Marketing, Peter Dille, is that this new 80GB $399 PS3 is going to be the only PS3 available in North America. The 40GB and the Metal Gear Solid 4 80GB models will be phased out. These models are no longer being shipped to stores, so once they are purchased, they are history.

It’s also important to note that what you see in the 40GB you will get in the 80. The main difference will be the bigger drive. None of the new Sony PS3s will have backwards compatibility. Sony does not feel this is a necessary feature because of strong sales to the cheaper PS3 system. Of course, this could be that people wanted to enjoy the PS3 and couldn’t afford the more expensive model. Regardless, Dille explained it to GameSpot by saying, “We find that people who care deeply about backwards compatibility usually already have a PS2.”

This could be one of the biggest letdowns that Sony announced this year. Sure, many of us have PS2s, I had an Atari once, too, but I don’t still have that. Once I upgrade, I tend to phase out my other systems to save space. This doesn’t mean I should have to phase out the thousands of dollars worth of games that I end up purchasing from one system to the next. I guess some of us deep caring individuals may be holding on to our PS2s longer than we expected.

Technorati Tags: Peter Dille, Sony, PS2, PS3, Backwards Compatibility, 9, Price Cut, Better System, Video Games, Gaming, Letdown, Complaints, Media Card Slot

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
Ashtyn is definitely the casual gamer in the family. A game fan since she owned an Atari, Ashtyn can remember when her brother rigged the television so he wouldn't lose his Super Mario Bros. game. That is, until the power went out! A fan of all things Mario, Ashtyn is a Nintendo loyalist. She digs playing Mario-style RPG games, watching others play violent shooters (because she sucks at them), and playing casual PC games (like Wedding Dash and Cake Mania). As of now, she is into the Wii and Nintendo DS, though she's certain the games for PS3 and Xbox 360 are more appealing.