Facing a tough market and an impending holiday shopping season, Sony revamps its pricey PlayStation 3 console, slimming the device down and cutting the price for the 120GB version to $299.
Amid a period of slowing sales in the video game industry, Sony Computer
Entertainment announced a slimmed-down, less expensive version of its pricey
gaming console, the PlayStation 3. The new system, offering a 120GB hard disk drive,
will be available in North American stores Sept. 1. Also in North
America, the price of the PS3 with a 160GB HDD will be reduced to $399
Aug. 18.
Sony said the internal design architecture of the new PS3 system, from the
main semiconductors and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism, has been
completely redesigned in order to craft a more compact console. Compared with the
very first PS3 model with a 60GB HDD, the internal volume as well as its
thickness and weight are trimmed down by approximately two-thirds. Furthermore,
power consumption is cut by two-thirds, helping to reduce fan noise, the
company said.
The new PS3's storage size has increased from 80GB to 120GB, and the console
also doubles as a Blu-ray high-definition DVD
player, which resulted in what many thought to be an astronomical price point
of $600 when it debuted in November 2006. Concurrent with the release of the
new PS3 system, SCE will modify the PS3 brand name from "PLAYSTATION
3" to "PlayStation 3" and introduce a new "PS3" logo,
which is engraved on the surface of the new system.
System software will also be upgraded to Version 3.00 on Sept. 1. The update
adds various user-friendly features such as the "What's New" screen,
where users can browse the new items available in the PlayStation Store as well
as their recently played games directly on the XrossMediaBar (XMB), with shortcuts
to each piece of content. Sony said the PS3 will evolve continuously with
system software updates.
The new PS3 system is also equipped with the Bravia Sync feature. By
connecting the new PS3 system and a Bravia TV with the HDMI cable, users are
able to directly operate the XMB on PS3 using the TV remote control. Other
functions include "System Standby" that will automatically turn off
the PS3 system when the TV is turned off.
In addition, Sony noted the revamped PS3 will sport a new look, keeping the
curved design of the original console but with a textured surface finish,
giving "an all new impression and a casual look."
Sony's long-rumored price cut, which many analysts said was necessary to
make the console more competitive with rival systems from Nintendo (Wii) and
Microsoft (Xbox 360), positions the company for growth in the upcoming holiday
season. The company is also touting a number of new game titles, including God
of War 3 and Gran Turismo 5, among others.
Also mentioned were the 27 million registered accounts around the world on
the PlayStation Network, which offers more than 15,000 pieces of digital
content, ranging from game titles, trailers and demos to more than 15,000
movies and TV shows via the PlayStation Store.
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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