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While on the subject of Sony, there's news (from UncleGamer.com, among other sources) that Sony is officially bringing a cheaper (but some would, could and should say less capable and less functional box) Playstation 3 (PS3) system to the U.S. in the next few months. A new 40GB (gigabyte) harddrive based PS3 that, like the 80GB units that were brought out to help replace the now becoming rare 60GB units that were originally sold in the U.S.A.
These new units, like the 80GB units don't include hardware backwards compatibility, and I'm told in the case of the 40GB units don't include even software backwards compatibility with previous Playstation systems (the PS2 and original PS system).
Yet again, Sony is being beaten badly by Microsoft and Nintendo and they are trying to cut prices in order to compete better. They know that customers have been wary of paying $400 - $700 for a gaming console, and they've cut prices a few times now to help boost their market share. The problem was though that the earlier price cuts were seen as disingenuous because the products that were having their prices cut were being phased out and weren't being manufactured any longer.
These new price cuts are real, and on equipment that will be sold for a long time, or so Sony hopes.
I'm not sure that even this newest round of price cuts will help Sony, but it might. There are buyers that may snag the new units even though -- if they are educated consumers -- they will know that the new units aren't backwards compatible. At some point the buyers won't care. Or so Sony believes. The question is will that point be sooner rather than later?
