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The best kept secret in gaming is finally out of the bag after Sony Computer Entertainment Europe officially announced a stripped down version of the PS3 with a price point of £299.99 in the UK.
The console contains a 40GB hard drive, two USB ports and no memory card reader. Of more significance is the new hardware revision’s lack of backwards compatibility with PlayStation 2 games.
The current bundle that sees a 60GB PlayStation 3 sold for £425 with two controllers and two first-party titles is also to see a revision. The new bundle will retail for £349 and come bundled with a single controller and two first-party games. The new bundle will come into effect from October 10, alongside the launch of the 40GB PS3.
The announcement is certain to annoy gamers who have recently purchased the console, and will add further ammunition to critics of the high-powered Blu-ray console who believe Sony has become desperate in the next-gen console war ahead of the crucial Christmas period.
So far, the PS3 has suffered from a lack of triple A game releases and a perceived high price among mainstream gamers, putting the console last in terms of global sales behind Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
Sony’s announcement comes in the same week that Microsoft announced that blockbuster FPS Halo 3 had generated $300 million in revenue in its first week alone, and that sales of the Xbox 360 had more than doubled.
However, some analysts have expressed faith in the PS3, saying the console’s strong 2008 line-up, including Little Big Planet, Gran Turismo 5 and Metal Gear Solid 4, will ensure Sony’s long-term strategy will be a success.
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