You may have read elsewhere on the internet that GameStop.com has recently outed the existence of a 160GB PS3. However, according to a retail source, that isn’t the only new PS3 hardware news on the horizon.
In what could only be a planned announcement for tomorrow’s Sony gamescom press conference, new iterations of PS3 hardware are on the way. The 160GB version was seemingly outed by GameStop this evening, but according to our retail source, that’s not all.
Along with the 160GB PS3, a 320GB PS3 will be available as well, putting the PS3’s HDD capacity well over the premium Xbox 360 model’s 250GB.
But won’t that be confusing for consumers having a 120, 160, 250, and 320GB models available at retail? Nope. That’s because the 120GB and 250GB models are being phased out and are being replaced by their slightly larger HDD counterparts.
So what’s going to happen to the 120GB and 250GB PS3? Price drops… Or at least a temporary one. Our retail source also reports that listed right now in his store’s system, it has the 250GB PS3 for $299.99. That’s a $50 price drop for the 250GB model. Although our source didn’t report on if the 120GB model would also be seeing a price drop, it would make sense for Sony to do so, to clear out existing stock of the older slim models to make way for the new SKU.
This same situation happened back when the 80GB “fat” PS3 was announced at E3 2007, where the previous 60GB model had its price dropped by $100 to clear out existing stock.
Also it’s important to note that in Japan these models are already available, not just in black, but in white as well. Hopefully the additional options will make their way over to Europe and North America as well.
Sony’s gamescom press conference is tomorrow afternoon, so expect official word coming some time tomorrow during the conference. We’ll keep you updated as more news breaks.
