20GB PS3 officially discontinued in North America

  • By Tor Thorsen, Emma Boyes, GameSpot
  • Posted Apr 11, 2007 4:17 am PT

[UPDATE] After the $499 edition of the next-gen console is removed from the Sony Style Web site, Sony confirms the console is being phased out.

This week, speculation spiked that the 20GB version of the PlayStation 3 was on its way out. It came after the official Sony Style online store removed the "basic" model of the PlayStation 3 from its Web site. Today, the US online stores of Amazon.com, Best Buy, GameStop, EB Games, and Circuit City were also longer listing the 20GB model, which retails for $499.

[UPDATE] As it turns out, there was a good reason for the 20GB PS3 vanishing--it's being officially phased out. "Initial retail demand in North America was upwards of 90 percent in favor of the 60GB [PS3], so we manufactured and shipped-in accordingly," said Dave Karraker, Sony Computer Entertainment America's senior director of PR. "Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America." The 60GB model retails for $599 in the US.

The 20GB model of the console has a number of differences from the 60GB version aside from the size of the internal hard drive and lower price. These include the lack of Wi-Fi connectivity, multiple flash memory card readers, and chrome trim. "Based on retailer and consumer feedback, we have decided to focus our current efforts on the more popular 60GB model," Karraker told GameSpot.

The discontinuation of the 20GB PS3 in North America also throws doubt over the model's launch in Europe, Australia, and other territories, where currently only the 60GB version is available. The budget version was originally expected to arrive sometime in the "summer," although no hard date was ever set. "We'll continue to monitor demand for the 20GB model, from a consumer and retailer perspective...which will be factored into any future Euro launch plans," a Sony Computer Entertainment Europe spokesperson told GameSpot UK. Both versions of the PS3 will continue to be available in Japan.

1757 Comments

  • ScotMTrager0183

    Posted Aug 6, 2007 3:45 pm PT

    This is more of an attempt to force people to keep buying the same system over and over again - If I buy the 60 gig model, will I still be able to play every game thats coming out in 2011? The 20 gig model has less memory - so it stands to reason that newer models will have other upgrades besides hard-drive space (An HD-DVD player if/when blu ray fails) - Its a worrysome trend - one that both MS and Sony are guilty of (360 Elite anyone? Whats next the 360 Uber-Elite that can play halo 4 whereas the old one couldnt?)... this is a very VERY worrysome trend.

  • alidanwer

    Posted Jul 13, 2007 2:17 am PT

    i support both decisions that sony made 1- to discontinue the 20GB console
    2- cut the $100 from price of 60 GB console


    I bet u will see 80GB concole or may be 200GB console in same price cuz as 80GB becomes obsolete the 120 GB will be manufactured in same price..so i think sony will upgrade the disk further in future in same price.

    And there was no use of PS3 console costing $499 and u dont get Wireless lan means u can nhot connect it for wireless internet u can not connect it with ure psp and u are saying its new gen console ****

  • zey2k

    Posted Jul 11, 2007 6:43 am PT

    if your are going to buy one, why not get the better one for a few bucks? 20 GB option was only to counter xbox and it sucked

  • baseballer28

    Posted Jun 23, 2007 5:50 am PT

    YES!less peopkle willl buy the wii instead of the PS3

  • benjaminjoel

    Posted Jun 3, 2007 10:04 am PT

    Less options for consumers is NEVER a good thing! Though there are rumors of an 80 GB PS3...

  • Floms

    Posted May 10, 2007 6:16 pm PT

    hohohohoho i got the 60 GB so i dont care

  • zeta

    Posted Apr 25, 2007 2:18 pm PT

    no...emerald....please stop fanboying this page up (like most of you are in the first place)......all you're getting is a black 360 with a HDMI (which most homes don't even have on their tvs) port, and a bigger HDD in which if you thought outside the box, you could have replaced your existing 20Gb HDD with a 200GB (like I did), and spray paint the unit black. Proud owner of a white 360 AND a PS3 with another 200GB HDD....and its not a issue of money either....its easily obatainable for all

  • emerald101

    Posted Apr 21, 2007 2:41 am PT

    WOT IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS!!!! Why dont all of you ust go out and buy a 360 elite it has the same graphics power and twice the memroy and for 200$ cheaper. Come on....

  • smoothn00dle

    Posted Apr 20, 2007 8:10 pm PT

    I don't think Sony will do the price drop for another 2 yrs. Sony want to keep the PS2 alive for another year at least. PS3 target the high end market and PS2 for the low end. The negative news is not going to alter Sony reality, people are buying PS3.

  • Goku1234567890

    Posted Apr 20, 2007 7:07 pm PT

    Mike_Carrington ur absolutly right i think sony will drop the 599 to 499 or lower so people who never got a chance can get one. Sony may have made mistakes but i think they got a plan to comeback

  • Liquid_Courage

    Posted Apr 20, 2007 1:43 pm PT

    I wish MS would have never released the core model of the 360 because it would have made more sense to just have had one from the beginning in both these cases. Perhaps MS can take Sony's lead?

  • Bronson2k3

    Posted Apr 20, 2007 1:05 pm PT

    Damnow you have no choice but to pay $600+TAX for the crapstation 3...SUCKERS

  • TTDog

    Posted Apr 20, 2007 4:38 am PT

    @Mike-Carrington... Is it okay to say, "PS3 Sucks.... right now" and then back track when theres some decent stuff that makes it worthwhile buying one?

  • Mike_Carrington

    Posted Apr 20, 2007 4:22 am PT

    if you cant afford it wait, thats all that can be said, moaning about the cost here isnt goin to do anything, just live with it, dont come here saying ps3 sucks becoz you cant afford it when everyone knows you will buy one as soon as it drops so just wait, its not rocket science, i cant afford a ps3 myself, doesnt mean im goin to post that it sucks

  • hmking04

    Posted Apr 19, 2007 2:51 pm PT

    In other words, Sony decided that instead of having a small appeal to those that can only afford the 20gig, they decided to drop the 20 gig in favor of the more expensive one. Good business move. But something fans aren't likely to enjoy.

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted Apr 19, 2007 11:19 am PT

    -If MS had dropped "the cheaper model" this quickly, there would be fanboy blood in the water. This is a sign of weakness, not strength.

  • Bigboss232

    Posted Apr 19, 2007 7:06 am PT

    wow fanboys lay off alright

  • Owen7Miller

    Posted Apr 19, 2007 3:10 am PT

    good

  • s_king7

    Posted Apr 19, 2007 2:00 am PT

    hey

    hegetshiskeys

    this for you for the 1.70 firmware update:

    http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/781/781855p1.html

  • s_king7

    Posted Apr 19, 2007 1:45 am PT

    IF:

    3XnemesisX3

    i mean seriously though. this mark of 800,000 units sold would just push the number of ps3's sold to just over 3 million in exactly 5 months.
    The 360 sold just over 1.8 million in its first 6 months in existance.
    numbers dont lie. the ps3 is on track to sell a whole lot more than the 360.
    the funny thing is the wii is on track to outsell both of them combined

    (said in another topic)

    is right then i am encouraging all the people that hate the PS3 to continue hating it and bashing at it as there is only a few thousand listening to you while MILLIONS are waiting for the price to go down so they can buy 1 and everybody continue loving the Wii (am not buying a Wii) nooooooooooo way

  • TTDog

    Posted Apr 19, 2007 1:23 am PT

    Whilst agreeing next gen is 360 Cliffyb is hardly unbias as he worked on Gears of War and won't have had too much experience working with the grilling machine, his preference for 360 proves as much as the guy who worked on RFOM saying he preferred the PS3 because Sony pay his wages.

  • subrosian

    Posted Apr 19, 2007 12:24 am PT

    I'm going to miss it - I don't pay an extra $100 for features I'm not going to use. If I want extra hard drive space I'll get a USB hard drive that I can attach to my laptop, desktop, 360, et cetera...

    Now when FF XIII comes out, I'd have to spend $599 instead of $499 to play it? Lame. When price cuts come instead of being able to get a $400 PS3 I'll be looking at a $500 PS3? *sigh*

    Sony didn't do this because of lack of demand (20gb model was *always* sold out, 60gb wasn't) - they did this because they are trying to cut their losses.

  • dtfann003

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 10:51 pm PT

    TTDog I have an example.... It's made by sony. It's a none U.S. name. It has a 1 core CPU that is over rated. A video card that is only 256. The CPU has 256 of ram for the video card, but it can only give out 128 of it. Even in a newer gameinformer mag with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune on the cover on page26 Cliffyb had this to say. (It doesnt always have to be a complety and totally next-gen experience in regards to graphics, becouse thats what we are doing on the Xbox 360.) He was talking about the wii. He never did say anything about the PS3. Next gen is 360.

  • hegetshiskeys

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 8:53 pm PT

    Anyone have word on the new PS3 1.70 firmware update ??

  • boobush

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 3:37 pm PT

    I f you have a job it's not so expensive. I think it's okay they took 'em away, since anyone would buy the 60GB one.

  • TTDog

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 12:00 pm PT

    Alvin1122: What I'm asking is for someone to give ma an example of a component in the PS3 that makes it "over-priced" and not worth the $600.

    Well, if you don't want a Blu-Ray player, then I'd say the Blu-Ray player component... wouldn't you? The only reason the disks are even half used are duplication of data to cut down on read time and in some cases having all 3 versions (US,Europe and Japenese) on 1 disk thus trebling the amount of space needed. DVD's would have worked just fine and dandy.

  • FLOWZMENTAL

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 11:52 am PT

    Well at least their smarter than Microsoft. Their leaving their "Core" product on the floor. I just love how I got the "Premium" pack only to find out their is now a "Elite". I don't care about the HDMI. What I do care about is the bigger hard drive and quieter fans and rom. Cause now it won't sound like a jumbo jet in your living room. I swear why can't develops just do these things at the start and save us and them from all the hassle, but then that would be too easy. And we wouldn't want that now would we?

  • dtfann003

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 11:26 am PT

    It's just over priced. I have a PS3, 360, and wii. I play 360 more then anyother. The Ps3 only has a blu-ray player, and a 6 axe. Thats not a big deal to me.

  • K_W_guru

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 9:45 am PT

    playstation 3 really sucks! im a sony fan but they need to pick up the pace. i dont think imma buy a ps3

  • avlin1122

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 9:01 am PT

    well i love when people say it's over-priced, like they haven't read the million+one articles about the blu-ray being just as good as any Panasonic or equitable model; like the wi-fi and 6-axis controller are cheap; like the free online play is anything but ......free (simply can't find another word here).

    What I'm asking is for someone to give ma an example of a component in the PS3 that makes it "over-priced" and not worth the $600. Is that clearer for you TTdog?

  • TTDog

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 8:50 am PT

    "avlin1122: Coldjonathan - so what's overpriced about the PS3?"

    Which part of "over-priced console" is causing you the problem?

  • dtfann003

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 8:24 am PT

    tomdougal30. WHAT???? Do you go to Da school??? Da da,da.

  • avlin1122

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 8:24 am PT

    Coldjonathan - so what's overpriced about the PS3?

  • coldjonathan

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 7:36 am PT

    Mike, you have a point, but others also do have a point. The PS3 is the most ridiculously over-priced console on the planet, and it isn't selling. It's only starting off, so it isn't up to much yet, but to be honest, Sony are late to bring this out to start selling it against the other consoles. Nobody is going to miss the 20GB version because its not worth spending so much on a smaller console when the price of the larger drive isn't that much more.

  • Mike_Carrington

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 1:49 am PT

    how comes every article on gamespot turns into a ps3 v 360 slagfest by so called "fanboys"?
    360 owners insult ps3 becoz they want themselves to feel like they made the right decision in buying it and vice versa.
    me i own a 360 and i love it, doesnt mean im goin to insult ps3 all the time, my friend has a ps3 and it looks pretty good to me.
    i own an original xbox and guess what....a PS2, oh no god forbid i like consoles made by rivals, dont people get it if you want to play all the good games you need to own different consoles instead of crying about them all the time!

  • rocky2k32000

    Posted Apr 18, 2007 12:51 am PT

    please!! ugh! i'm not even going to miss the 20gb! thank god i got my 60gb.

  • pred_dachande

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 6:13 pm PT

    "ok it looks like from the figures sown as the whole reason its discontinued is coz no1 bought it in the first place.......so whos really gona miss it. if ppl are gona pay 600 bucks they want the best. and if ppl are willing to shell out 500 they may as well go for the extra hundred coz its a better long term plan. cnt blame sony, good buisness move and like i said....whos gona miss it?"

    I miss it. Unlike most people, I don't want to feel obligated to pay an extra $100 that I could spend on a game and accessories to buy a system with features I don't want/won't use.

  • velocity99

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 5:54 pm PT

    Ugh, the 20 gig ps3 was a bad idea from the start considering that sony was planning to provide a lot of downloadable content.

  • irunongames

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 5:06 pm PT

    This is a good deal. But why don't they keep the 20 GB untill the cheaper 60GB comes out?

  • snipe2004

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 4:20 pm PT

    trexnine so your basing your purchase solely on the HDD? cool(sarcasm)

  • trexnine

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 4:01 pm PT

    If I were buying a system to play GTA4 and looked at the price tag of a 360 elite ($480) and then looked at a 60Gb version of a PS3 ($600). twice as much space? well does'nt take a rocket scientist now does it?

  • RonHack

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 3:40 pm PT

    I wonder if that means that the 60GB version will hit a price drop shortly.

    Let's face it, 20GB version or not, Sony need to make up some ground, and soon. Bad enough that the price-point of their new console is already way over the death-knell level of many consoles before it ($500 or so - remember the Neo-Geo and the 3DO?). It also doesn't help that a larger drive version of the PS3 is already rumored to be arriving (see elsewhere).

    When your flagship model is being thrashed by a $250 old-school hardware with newer controls (Wii - sorry, still prefer Revolution), and a system with lower price, but similar specs sans processor (XBox 360), your investors will be getting mighty nervous. If Sony's going shock the gaming console market, they better do it soon.

  • PspSquad

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 3:10 pm PT

    yay!

  • Goku1234567890

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 2:10 pm PT

    I can understand people who don't have a 360 but whos going to buy an elite???

  • Goku1234567890

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 2:08 pm PT

    idc wat other people say but the PS3 has only been out 4 months and how long did it take gears of war to make it to the 360 so fanboy lay off PS3 its only started off

  • ReggieNametaker

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 1:23 pm PT

    They might as well have discontinued the entire console with the way its getting owned compared to the 360 and Wii lol

  • LisaLovesSonic

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 1:14 pm PT

    I agree with Marhavoc

  • Morhavoc_IRL

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 9:05 am PT

    ok it looks like from the figures sown as the whole reason its discontinued is coz no1 bought it in the first place.......so whos really gona miss it. if ppl are gona pay 600 bucks they want the best. and if ppl are willing to shell out 500 they may as well go for the extra hundred coz its a better long term plan. cnt blame sony, good buisness move and like i said....whos gona miss it?

  • BYS2

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 8:53 am PT

    60gb better anyways

  • smoothn00dle

    Posted Apr 17, 2007 7:53 am PT

    People complain about dropping 20 gigs? The reason is don't give gamer a choice? U have a choice, don't buy PS3. Before Xbox360, console alway one version for all, Nintendo NES and SNES and 64, Playstation one and Playstation two, Dreamcast and Saturn. I think is better this way which is easier for developers, manufacturers and gamers. Xbox360 is base on PC model, upgrade and add on. Sony is going to replace the 60gig model with 80gig model because Seagate, Sony supplier, is going to discontinue 60gig disc. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    @Montavious2004
    don't flatter Xbox360. PS3 drop the 20gig version is because cost. isupply stated that PS3 60 gig lost 245 per unit. Guess how much for 20gig version, 305 dollars!!! This move will save Sony million.

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