Ship is trying to be steady and Sony is hefting to jump on its rudder to make it sink. A true irony that Sony has undergone a protracted PS3 sales crisis - things were about to get hunky-dory and Sony has confirmed that all the retailers across North America are done with 60GB PS3 stock as not even a single console is left on store shelves i.e. time to discontinue cheaper SKU has arrived.
Confirming a complete depletion of stock around the state on Tuesday, Sony’s Karraker confirmed that they no longer have any inventory in SCEA warehouses. “All inventory has been purchased and shipped to retailers,” he added.
It is just a month back when Sony announced a $100 price-drop for 60GB PS3 and affirmed that discounted console will be available for several months. Words of SCEE Boss turned out to be true as he had already envisaged discontinuation of low-priced PS3 after August. Reality bites hard - time when the official veiled off the secret concealed behind introducing a sudden PS3 price-drop, SCEA boycotted his words saying that such illogical statements make no sense.
Given $100 price-drop turned out to be abundantly fruitful for Sony, the electronics giant received an immediate hike in its profit after sluggish PS3 sales took a high leap of 2800%. Even after seeing such pleasing results from price-reduction, Sony is still discontenting 60GB PS3 that is nothing other than a sign of high idiocy.
Highly anticipated PS3 price-cut announcement was accompanied with introduction of 80GB PS3 SKU that costs $599 and is out in the US. Perhaps, introduction of 80GB PS3 is an inducement offered to consumers for discontinuation of 60GB model. Declaration of price-reduction of 80GB PS3 to $499 is another palm-greasing job done by Sony.
Agreed, 60GB sold out like they wanted, its depleting supply could be a trick to create a vacuum for easy dispersal of high-end model.
80GB PS3 SKU - a boon or bane for Sony?
Here, intermingled thoughts come forth as I am not able to understand that Sony initially reduced price of 60GB system to $399 so that people would give it more consideration and get a better-installed base than ever before, and later discontinued it unexpectedly. Though, to expect a price-cut for 80GB PS3 would be too early right now, still without getting a price-drop, buying the PS3 with beefed-up memory could turn out to be a fair deal as a competitive era, getting an additional 20GB for merely $100 sounds soothing.
Meanwhile, taming low-end PS3 flood could turn out to be a curse either as Sony could skip consumer cadre who want to buy a next-gen console ranging from $300-$400, hence in both way (60GB PS3 discontinuation and introduction of 80GB SKU) Sony is helping Microsoft, obliquely.
Apart from this, absence of the Emotion Engine like in its predecessor and inability to run some PS2 games might lead high-end PS3 SKU to doom.
Though, it’s hard to resist an 80GB PS3 with Motorstorm and 5 free Blu-ray movies for $499, still there are many other accountable things that would determine its fate.
