Had Sony kept the same sku/hardware configuration and simply dropped the price it would be different. The older 60 gigs have hardware enabled b/c, the 80 gig has software b/c and the 40 gig has no b/c and then there is the 20 gig that still surfaces from time to time. Throw in the different memory port configurations and amount of usb ports and people can be very easily confused. There is also the hint of a dual shock 3 coming, so when is the best time to buy a PS3? Keep in mind all this has happened within the first 10 months.

-Death

If people are looking into products this much they are most likely going to buy one. They simply arent going to say "there are too many choices, I will not buy one." Thats stupid. Confusion? maybe a little. Will it effect sales? Not on a large enough scale to really worry about. Its not like the 360 is any less confusing.

People will buy what they want when they want regardless of how "confusing" it is. If someone wants a ps3 they will get one no matter how many skus there are.

So i guess the question is: Who the fvck cares if its confusing, will it really effect sales that much? the answer is most likely a no.

It's understandable how many of the fanboys want to defend or attack sony for their pricing tactics. But the one thing that has remained is that Sony never has more then 2 sku's out at once, and if they do they are getting rid of the previous sku. First they had the a 20 and 60 gig sku. Then they sold off all 20gigs and then introduced the new 80gig. Now it seems they have gotten rid of the 60 gig replaced it with the newer 80 gig. Now they introduced a 40 gig sku. See for the common consumer they only have 2 choices at any one time. Yeah for us that cruise the net looking for "NEWS" it appears that Sony has been falling off, but through the eyes of average consumer they only have two choices at anyone time.

wow the last time i checked having many choices to spoil u is a good thing O.o

My advice to SNE: Keep doing what you're doing. In less than two weeks you've got everybody that's even slightly interested in Video Games to stop talking about _________ 3 and start talking about the ___ 3, now that's progress.

Stirring up the feed bucket is exactly what they wanted to do and now people of all ilk are looking to see what 'ol Sony is cooking up and I think there's some big Holiday right around the corner that involves gifts and shiny new electronics. =] Smart, very smart.

I never thought a price drop could get negative press, but here we go again. I really wonder how much of this is just some form of a nationalist attitude towards Sony. All in all, what has sony done so evil to consumers besides provide nice stable hardware and electronics? Im talking TV's Stereos computers etc? Why is there so much hate on this company?!

Any consumer doing the research to know what the hell an SKU is, is going to know exactly what they are buying.

Any Casual shopper that is going to BLOW 399/499 on ANYTHING is more than likely not going to care what it is, since they didn't do any research at all. They will know "Oh I think they said in the news the ps3 is dropping its price." Then they will ask an uninformed employee of Best Buy "Is this the one with the lower price?" THe uninformed employee will hopefully know at least that, and respond "Yes." or he will respond no, and the consumer will just buy either one. Not knowing what BC is, not knowing what PSN is.. Just spending the $ just because its shiny. Maybe they will kn ow it has a bluray player, maybe they wont. Thats that...

Does the author really think that this is going to stop parents from buying the unit for children? "Well Bobby, I wanted to get that PS3.. but I was confused at the Mall. So here is a Banjo-Time-Kung-Fu-Ninja-Doll instead."

What does this guy think consumers are dumb? I mean you must have some problems if you have trouble telling the difference of a 40gig version vs a 80gig version. One consumer will say well 80gig must mean it has more in it but then they look at the price and say well, the 40gig is cheaper, I might as well go for that. Its not that hard. Basically the 60gig is done and there will only be 2 hardwares to choose from 40 or 80.

Current customers and customers in the near future are a little more informed than a casual mass market buyer which is a long way away. They will do more research and will most likely get confused and hold off from buying the console until things are more clear or stable. Having this many changes on a hardware level in this short of time is viewed as desperation and not strength. Had Sony left the hardware alone and only changed the price, their situation would be a lot different now. If Sony thought the 20 gig was shunned due to it's different hardware design, what is supposed to make the 40 gig a more attractive buy? Sony can have 10 skus if they want, but they need to keep the core design the same.

-Death

Core

Pro

Elite

Halo 3 Edition

Pro w/HDMI

Core Arcade

And...

20GB

40GB

60GB

80GB

and maybe 160GB

And that's just North America

Maybe we now have a better idea of why the Wii is selling so well.

Trying to one-up your competition with frequent changes to models and bundles just frustrates gamers, retailers, and most importantly, customers.

There won't be as much confusion in Europe. We've only had the 60GB up to now, this is the first time we get a second SKU. Pachter mustn't know this, since he mentions the 20GB, 40GB, 60GB, and 80GB SKUs, two of which never saw Europe. If/When the 40GB is released in the States, I can see why there would be a deal of confusion. As it stands in Europe, though, there won't be much confusion.

The type of person who would be confused by this wouldn't care about every feature anyway (after all, every model plays PS3 games and movies). Tech savvy people know better, and those are the people who usually care about the minute details. If a mom of some kid goes to the store before christmas and buys her kid a PS3, the guy at the store can help her out, and not only that, she's probably going to just buy the cheapest PS3 model anyway.

Simplified:

80gb: 80gb HD, BC, memory slots, and 1 game.

60gb: 60gb HD, full BC, memory slots, and no game.

40gb: 40gb HD, NO BC, memory slots, or game.

BC: Backwards Compatability with PS2 games. All systems support full PS1 BC.

It's pretty simple really. In addition, the two USB port thing on the 40gb doesn't matter to most of the casual gamers, and the hardcore gamers would know better anyway.

You sell games for a living? Where at?

Yeah, you are right, customers will be confused, but no more than any other (non techy) customer is buying high-tech gear. You ever go to a store and watch novices buying high-tech gear? lol...they are all confused. Just go to circuit city and listen to the customers asking questions about High-Definition TVs.
High-tech gear is confusing, but if they want a PS3, they will sift through the jargon and buy a PS3. If they want an Xbox, they will sift through the jargon and buy an Xbox. That simple.

But what if they want a Wii? Well, that's a different type of console. And you're right, the Wii is not quite as confusing, but it has less features as well.

Answer you that? People wanted a cheaper price, so they got it, but with features cut to make it possible.
This is retail -- You get what you pay for.

...you fanboys would just f**k off. Every day a new piece off flame bait is posted on this site and the same drones from both camps post comments as though they alone can swing the tide in favor for their console.

Get a f**king life people. The reality right now is that one console has some fantastic games already released, the other has some great games coming. Both consoles still have heaps of potential and will provide years of fun for dedicated gamers.

The smart gamers are the ones who will buy both consoles and don't get embroiled in useless flame wars that in the end, do nothing at all.

Be funny to think if the lead for MS 360 and the PS3 both sat down over coffee to laugh at all the crap that gets thrown back and forth in here...or to laugh at the people making the comments.

I really wish we could get back to the golden age of gaming where it was all about the games...not ill placed loyalty which gets you nothing.

I don't really have a particular loyalty. Nonetheless, a lot of people make comments because they like to, not because they are pathetic and have no life. I have a life, but like to make comments now and then. Hence, the reason forums were invented: people like to do it.

Look, I am an XBOX360 fan, but even I can admit that PS3 seemingly has a more reliable piece of Hardware than XBOX360. Disagreements on technical specifications aside, the PS3 seems like a console that could go 10+ years for its life cycle. No rumors of breakdowns, refunds, or returns. That said, I am so amazed at how inexperienced the most successful franchise of the last generation is looking currently.

We heard last week that Sony never thought that the price was too high for the PS3 at launch. But they issued a price cut within the first year anyway.

They were late to the game with their console and assumedly had more time to speak to developers, plan strategies, etc. on technical issues and the like during this delay. But they regularly release less-spectacular multi-console software than the XBOX360, and regularly delay their first-party software.

PS2 is the best-selling console in history, and they're willing to, in a sense, turn their backs on the product by releasing the ECONOMY PS3. This will send shockwaves through the industry and will no doubt increase sales. Problem is, it'll be short-lived due to the Backwards-Compatibility issues. Christmas is about kids. And kids are playing their PS2's. And PS3 doesn't have kid-friendly software to play. So why would a parent buy a cheaper PS3 that doesn't play one of the hundreds of titles that are currently sitting in her son's bedroom?

To me, the rumors of MGS4 and FF going multi-console, the inevitable thrashing they would have taken during Christmas 2007 unless a change was made, and the heat from shareholders has obviously forced them into an uncomfortable position. And even through all of this, the Sony Fanboys find reason to support them.

To me, it's sad.

This is SONY we're talking about.
The multi-BILLION dollar conglomerate.
They should have FAR more experience in handling these concerns.
Dropping the price of the 60G PS3 across all continents would have been the way to go. Now it's just another mess.

PS3 may have the Market cornered when it comes to console-production, but no one will care in the end. Why? Microsoft has the Market cornered on software and marketing. Bill Gates knows what the hell he's doing. And it shows.

And one last thing...

If this doesn't work, and PS3 is still far behind in sales after the Christmas season, if the option is there, do you all HONESTLY think that PS3's developers have any other choice than to consider going multi-console?

And what happens if Microsoft cuts the price of the XBOX360 again before Christmas?

What THEN Sony?

ur not getting MGS or GT5 or Socom4 or FF or Uncharted or HAze or a PS3 if ur hating on this price drop!

oh gee the 40GB wont play two year old PS2 games! WTF

get a grip

He does have one valid point though. There is no price cut announced for US yet and those in US planning to buy one this week will wait for the official news from Sony about 40 GB model before making purchase. So that means this week will see drastic drop in US/Japanese sales of PS3.

"PS3 may have the Market cornered when it comes to console-production, but no one will care in the end. Why? Microsoft has the Market cornered on software and marketing. Bill Gates knows what the hell he's doing. And it shows"

MS has lost 1.9 Billion in one year on the 360! In total its more like 3.9 billion since its launch! Do u still think MS is great and Nill Gates is a hero?

And thats not even going into the Vista junk that has flopped!

ADD ON: If that was true "the 360 is kicking the crap out of the jaggernut of last gen " Well i guess ur saying the PS3 but in fact u say last gen and that eqauls PS2...PS2 out sells the 360 daily

in Dec for the US!

The PS3's been out for a year and it's already receiving a 2nd price drop?! In my opinion, that's just a move of desperation since Kaz said the price wasn't the problem, but the supplies. They have plenty of PS3 SKUs on store shelves and they say they have a supply problem? That's just BS. And I thought Sony said themselves that they only want to keep 1 SKU on the market to not confuse consumers about which versions to buy. Things are looking really bad for them right now, imo.

it was a good idea and bad idea at the same time to create yet another sku.

&seriously, where's the cheaper US model?
for some reason i thought this was going to be released globaly.

i really think Sony should have stuck with the 20, 60, and then had a 120gig honestly. and all with BC.

Now that Jim Ryan is gone just need to remove Herman Hulst from his position! And maybe give Shuhei the position he deserved.

This gen hasn't been the best for games, last gen consoles are still out there and now there's been talk of the PS6 and Xbox Two for a year or so. Many games this gen will be ported to next gen and the cycle will continue. The re-release of the Neo Geo AES+, games on cartridge for £70 ($95), gaming is going back in time. Gaming has gone pricing mad with the high cost of games, consoles and controllers. The men and women at the top are clueless.

It’s always interesting to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this, especially involving veterans like Shuhei Yoshida and leadership figures like Jim Ryan. That said, there are usually multiple sides to decisions at that level. It could be less about not “listening” and more about differences in long-term vision for PlayStation. Yoshida played a huge role in shaping the brand, so whatever the reason, his impact is undeniable.

If true, and I'm inclined to believe it is, it goes to show that Sony lost their way when they became more western/didn't respect the PlayStation origin story. Andrew House and Jack Tretton did great work, but they also didn't try to fundamentally change the PlayStation DNA. Ryan oversaw the death of Japan Studio and a live service direction.

I already figured this, good lord imagine if Shuhei took over instead, would've been a platinum era 😩

I miss the first three generations of PlayStation. The way they turned PS3 around, we knew they meant business. We were all worried for a bit there around launch. Eventually from 2008 they started shifting slowly. But since Yoshida was fired, it's never been the same. Still enjoy my PS5 daily. I got a backlog dating back to PS2 lol So I'm fine but new games aren't as appealing anymore.

It seems like we were thrown on to the worst timeline possible where everything is too expensive and the wrong people were put in positions that makes the world a shitty place. We could have had Shu as the head of PS but we got the shitty alternative. Same goes for everyone in power around the world. Doesn’t matter the company or country the majority of us got the shitty picks and the world is declining like never before. I do think PS can come out of this because of their studios, talent and IP but they need someone more in touch with gamers leading things like Shu was. They’re still the best place for console gaming imo but it could be much better than it is especially without the massive live service failures. The rest of the world I have a lot less hope for right now. Hopefully the pendulum swings back towards the good ole days but I’m preparing for the worst.

There goes illuminati distraction story

So now there's certifiable proof that Ryan was in fact "fired", as opposed to when it was first announced that he "retired", in order to save face.

There's another guy who recently "retired" as CEO of another large gaming company, after doing a dismantling job as lead for well over a decade.

seems legit, the business man, fires the one who has ideas to move the business forward.

Jim Ryan is the reason why we are entering year 6 since the PS5 launch and many of us don't feel like the PS5 has gotten started as yet.

I hope going forward, we will see a return to form.