There's general agreement that Sony stumbled out of the gate with the PlayStation 3. Months of intense hype were followed by a late launch (fully a year after the Xbox 360) and a staggering $600 price tag for the deluxe model.
Even worse, the PS3 didn't initially have any real must-have exclusive titles, and despite the power of its vaunted Cell processor, multiplatform games from third-party developers didn't look appreciably better than the respective titles on the Xbox 360.
Since then, the company's been modifying the PlayStation product line to better fit the competitive market landscape. As of August 2008, a new "bargain" PS3 is available with a larger, 80GB hard drive, and a "deluxe" model is due in November, doubling the capacity to 160GB.
Both, however, lack backward compatibility with PS2 games and do not come with flash card readers. If those features are a must, it might be best to pick up the 80GB "Metal Gear" bundle version on eBay w... More »
According to Gamestop and a leaked Circuit City flier, the rumored 60GB HDD Live starter pack is really real and will be releasing next week.
The 60GB HDD Live pack includes a 60GB hard drive, a 3 month subscription to Xbox Live, a wired headset and ethernet cable all for $99.
Quite the steep price, but it works in terms of the console pricing between an Xbox 360 Arcade and Xbox 360 Pro.
But we're not justifying the price, and 100% agree that it's still way expensive.
RadioShack's Online Trade-In Program will swap your old gadgets for gift cards. You search their database for your gadget and offer the best quality assessment that you can, and they provide a mail-in sticker that you print.
If all goes well, they'll send you a gift card 10-14 days after the unit is received. So assuming worst case scenario, what are your totally broken gadgets worth?
• 3G iPod (10GB) - $3.23
• 1st Gen Zune - $5.81
• Palm Treo 650 - $3.69
• Xbox 360 Premium - $9.65
• DS Lite - $4.25
• Wii - $15.85
• PlayStation 3 (60GB) - $23.48
Needless to say, if you've trashed all of your electronics, you may be able to unload them and score a few bucks in the process.
Sony's Ray Maguire has said that there will always be pressure for a price drop on the PS3 by consumers, however he added that Sony has a business to run and has to do the right thing for its shareholders.
In short, to reiterate what has been suspected for several weeks now it appears like we can forget a possiblt PlayStation 3 price cut for the holidays.
To quote: Sony has rejected calls for a PS3 price cut in time for Christmas, claiming the perceived high price of the console won't be an issue during the crucial holiday season.
Speaking to VideoGamer.com at the Gamer 3.0 conference in London yesterday, Sony Computer Entertainment managing director Ray Maguire said that while there will always be pressure on price from consumers, Sony "has a business to run" and has to "do the right thing" for its shareholders.
Microsoft has enjoyed a 360 sales surge in the UK following the price cut in September, which saw the Arcade cut t... More »
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ExtremeTech has found that replacing the PS3's hard drive with Intel's new X-25 solid-state 80GB drive can reduce a games load times by up to 40%.
However, the drive does not greatly improve install times as the read performance of the Blu-ray drive holds it back. If anyone is considering this upgrade, it will set you back $600.
To quote: We've already raved about the stellar performance of Intel's new X-25 solid-state drive, which just happens to come in an 80GB capacity and 2.5-inch SATA form factor. Perfect for a PS3!
So after a quick FAT32 format, we dropped the drive in the PS3 unit we keep in the HDTV lab here (an original 60GB unit) to see what kind of impact it has on install times, game start times, and load times.
We took four games notorious for long installs or load times and timed them both with the original 60GB hard drive and the Intel SSD. The results may surprise you—but at $600, it's certainly not a cheap upgrad... More »
Sainsbury's has reduced the price of the XBox 360 Arcade to just £99.97 as part of a special promotion running until October 12.
The Supermarket chain is also selling the 60GB version of the console for £139.97, but does not stock the Elite 360.
The company is offering a similar deal on its Nintendo Wiis, pricing the console at £149.97, a reduction of £30, until next Sunday.
Hopefully similar US pricedrops will follow soon.
The recent announcement of a U.S. price drop for the Xbox 360 has set off shockwaves through the tubes of the internet. Blogs and forums have been buzzing with half-cracked theories of why Microsoft decided to lower the prices of the Arcade, Pro, and Elite 360 units.
Most of the wild speculation was centered on the ongoing console “war” between the 360 and the PS3. Fanboys are screaming “Microsoft is scared shitless” to “They are getting desperate!” or the succinctly put “PS3 pwns!” Before I drop a logic bomb on fanboys’ heads, lets get the facts straight. Here are the numbers:
New price points
360 Arcade: $199
60GB 360 Pro: $299
120GB Elite: $399
That’s right kids, the Xbox 360 has officially become the lowest priced current generation video game system effectively undercutting the Nintendo Wii by 50 bones. You say, “That doesn’t matter because we all know that the 360 and the PS3 aren’t competi... More »
Whispers on the wind suggest a 2011 release date for the neXt box. Moreover, Intel wants in on the action as well: According to the industry insiders close to the Inquirer, Intel is rumored to be pursuing Microsoft quite aggresively, with the intent of putting its upcoming Larrabee chip inside Microsoft's next XBOX console.
Yes, you read it right -- Microsoft's next-generation XBOX console -- already.
In a related development, AnandTech predicts that Microsoft is already planning for the next Xbox console -- let's call it the Xbox 720.
For a historical perspective on this timeframe, recall a Peter Moore interview -- March 2007, with the Electronics Gaming Monthly magazine. Back then Peter Moore was the head of Interactive Entertainment Business division for Microsoft (he is now gainf... More »
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