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80GB PS3 officially available in US

Higher-capacity version of console now available in North America for US$599/C$649; 60GB version expected to last until "fall."

The 80GB PS3, up close and personal.

The 80GB PS3, up close and personal.

Less than a month after Sony Computer Entertainment announced the 80GB PlayStation 3 at the E3 Media & Business Summit, it has officially arrived in North America. US reps for the game giant today confirmed the higher-capacity model is now available in the US and Canada, where it retails for $599 and C$649, respectively. Currently, the console comes bundled with the heavily promoted off-road racer MotorStorm, although its packaging says it is a "limited edition."

First released in South Korea, the 80GB PS3's US debut was announced alongside a $100 price drop for the 60GB PS3. Though the latter's new $499 price point was hailed as a long-overdue move by analysts, its rapt reception dissipated somewhat when Sony confirmed it was ceasing manufacture of the console and phasing it out.

But while the 60GB console's days are numbered, its supply is holding up despite a massive increase in demand. According to Sony, sales of the console have increased 113 percent at its top five retail partners--Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and GameStop--when compared to average sales during the month before drop. Sony did not supply specific sales figures for the PS3, which sold 98,500 units in the US in June, according to the NPD group.

So when will stocks of the $499 60GB PS3 run out? Sony predicts that, at current demand levels, the console will remain in the North American retail channel until "fall." Besides being cheaper that its 80GB sibling, the 60GB PS3 also contains emotion engine hardware to play PlayStation 2 and original PlayStation games. Like the Xbox 360, the 80GB model uses software emulation for its backwards compatibility.

360 Comments

  • moua_nazarite

    Posted Oct 31, 2007 3:24 am GMT

    WOW! a 80gb HD, Blueray Player, WiFi, Cell CPU, Bluetooth for $499. What a GREAT DEAL! I mean come on how can you beat that? I like the XBOX360 Elite but looke at the prices 360 is $459 or something and the PS3 is $499 and you don't even get HDVD, WiFi, or Bluetooth but you do get a added HDMI and that's cool.

  • hordaak

    Posted Oct 17, 2007 7:09 pm GMT

    I was going to get a ps3 this month, but I have come to the conclusion that i'm sticking with just my xbox360 and hd drive. I am happy, and thats it. I promised I wouldn't say the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

  • Kcube

    Posted Aug 12, 2007 7:11 am GMT

    I prefer the 60 gig model soley for the emotion engine ability to play ps1 &2 games.Software emu might not be that great.

  • AceCometh

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 7:12 am GMT

    If I was to get a PS3, I'd want it with the emotion chip. But until more games actually come out for it, I'll be happily playing my Xbox 360.

  • Chaudzff

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 5:54 am GMT

    This isnt really big or great news for me as im in Europe and have a 60gb already......
    60gb shud do me fine but 20 gb is just too small nowadays.

  • freerunner01

    Posted Aug 9, 2007 4:33 am GMT

    Good thing I got my hands on the $500 console. 60 gigs is all I'll ever really need in a console (im gettin by with 20 on my 360, which jus flashed the red rings on me yesterday ...

  • AdolChristin

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 9:03 pm GMT

    If I had the money, I'd buy an 80 GB. I just need money. That's all I'm worried about. Hell I'd pay a grand for it if I had to. I want Final Fantasy XIII already

  • kingyotoX

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 8:26 pm GMT

    it is a good deal tho

  • kingyotoX

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:44 pm GMT

    i won't buy a ps3 unless they come out with somthing cheaper than this after the 60g are all gone. i'm not payin 600$ for a console

  • Purvis11

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 4:13 pm GMT

    I don't hate the PS3 really, but for its lack of games right now the only reason I have some temptation to buy it is for Blu-ray. Ah well I guess I'll give it some time and use my 360 for now

  • Rakuho

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 3:18 pm GMT

    20 gigs plus a game. do you remeber those days when the 60gig ps3 cost that? trust me, the people who don't go to this site or others like this, one, and i'm talking about people who just want to play and don't care about the bs bagage that fanboys and chronic-whiners have to offer, are going to go and buy that 80gig ps3 for what it is, a good deal. plus, with updates you'll be able to run ps1 and 2 games just as well as the 20 and 60 gig. And to add to that, the games that might no play on the 80gig are most likely old and not appealing to kids (whatever the age) It's easy to say thing out of your a$$, but try giving it more thought. i have plenty of ps1 and ps2 games, but i know i'm not gonna go back and play them, and i even have the psx and ps2 and the ps3 with the emo chip. i want to play new games. and as for those popular classics? i'm sure they'll run just fine on the 80 gig with no updates. you don't like the price, ok. you feel like it's a rip-off, ok. you think it's an inferior system, fine i'll give you that, even though it comes with a $60 game and 20 extra gigs, ok. Thank you for voicing your opinions, now please step out of the way, people want to buy a ps3.

  • nsmnpc5000

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:37 pm GMT

    Yep, "Nobody is buying a PS3". I love it when people state their opinions as fact. It's fine to have a preference in systems. I don't like skim milk. But I can't, in good conscience, sit here and proclaim to the Gods that skim milk is the worst drink on Earth. Many are known like skim milk. Amazon's sales charts would indicate that people are buying the PS3. The lower supply in some greater Minneapolis brick and mortar retailers would indicate the same. I know you can say that it's simply anecdotal evidence. It's quite similar to taking your local Gamestop cashier's claim of "We're not selling any more PS3's as before" seriously. All is to be taken with a grain of salt. Haters.

  • FstBrk342

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:31 pm GMT

    yesterday i went to target and they had some 60 gigs, but the sticker price was still 599, dunno wat they were trying to pull, God i wish i had the money tho

  • darkride66

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:19 pm GMT

    Gak! I'm so tired of hearing the "Sony has to drop the price," comments! You know what? Porsche are a little on the expensive side too. They would sell a bazillion of them if they just dropped their price to that of a Dodge Neon. They're so stoopid for not doing that!
    If you can't afford the Porsche, don't drive the Porsche. Go buy a Wii and enjoy it, because it has some great titles. If you want a Ford Taurus-like system, buy a 360. Enjoy! It has some great titles as well. In the meantime, I'll drive my Porsche on weekends and enjoy it, knowing full well the world is full of jealous wankers who'll hate the Porsche, not because they aren't well put together cars, but because they've convinced themselves the brand is bad, or the colour isn't quite right, or they're just for losers compensating for something.

  • beprice3

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:14 pm GMT

    Im sick of defending sony.There was no price drop,its a scam.Ive had mine for 5 months,and still only have one game.And the biggest news ive heard all year is they are craping out my model for a better one.Thanks, $0ny.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:41 pm GMT

    dont be fooled nobody is buying ps3's. These numbers are what they shipped out of the warehouse. We've had teh same 10(yes 10) in our store for over 4 months.

  • Law_man

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 12:15 pm GMT

    im geussing once they run out of the 60GB they will drop the 80GB to 499 and everything will just be dandy!

  • 00Joseph00

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 12:11 pm GMT

    The 80GB machine is one helluva rip off... 20 gigs of more space and software emulation? A huge reason the PS2 was so popular was because it comfortably was backwards compatible.

    Everything nowadays seems motivated by money; take away the comforts of the customer by small portions and they won't care. But people sometimes do get smarter... as hard as that may seem.

  • Ironwulfen

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 11:40 am GMT

    a stupid move to stop the production of the 60gigs...

  • phirnoq

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 11:25 am GMT

    The 80GB model is only worth it if you like Motorstorm. The storage space REALLY isn't an issue given how easy (and non-warranty voiding) it is to switch drives. If you are worried about your PS2 + PS games, either go with the 60GB or just... use a PS2? Call me crazy, but it's an option. I started out defending Sony in the beginning, even though now they seem to be TRYING to get people to hate them. But you've got to remember that they WANT the 60GB models to sell as quickly as possible right now, and maybe that involves making the higher priced 80GB system seem less appealing. Once the 60s are gone, they'll be in a perfect position to drop the 80s to $500 (or less if they actually cared about customers) in time for the holidays and introduce a superior model that will actually lure customers away from microsoft (150GB anyone?) Now I know I'm going to get crucified for suggesting that Sony might actually do something smart- but don't worry, I realize that the above scenario would only come true in a perfect world, and given their recent track record, Sony will just step in it ONE MORE TIME. One can only hope they listen to their would-be customers and get smart.

  • Williedude87

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 11:07 am GMT

    @pridex
    Uh, isn't that what I said?

    Honestly I think the 80gig model is a bit of a rip-off. The optimal choice for people right now is the get the 60gig for the excellent price its at right now. Sony is just trying to reduce its loss on each console sold, and is masking it with a new model. 20gigs is pretty moot. MotorStorm costs Sony about nothing to include. But that really doesn't matter yet, because you can still pick up the 60gig version which is the same thing for a excellent deal. The only thing is the good games won't come rolling out till next year.
    The problem I have with MS, is no HDD really cripples the system when looking at all of the features MS is trying to push. 20gig I filled litteraly with a music video, a movie trailer, and a game demo. All thats on there, near breaking capacity. And they are trying to sell me entire movies to download? Not happening. 120gig HDD is way over priced, but needed for the stuff they are trying to promote. I was a early adopter, so now I have no HDMI, which I would really like. They are introducing new models, without fixing the failure rate until the "Falcon" chipset is released.. which will be another new model. WTF?

  • ChickenHounk911

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 11:02 am GMT

    Remember the good old days when a system purchase was just that.... a system purchase. If I had to chose between 3 different versions of my NES, SNES or my Sega Genesis, I would have freaked my parents out. I feel bad for the parents today that are like "well should I buy little Johnny a 60GB PS3, or the Xbox 360 Elite, or the PSP Bundle, or the 80GB PS3 that comes with the game, or the Core Xbox 360 or the Wii or..... forget it, piano lessons for him"

  • Stec13

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 11:00 am GMT

    QUOTE: snakes2solid

    p.s. someone wrote below that the ps3 needs to be 399... OMG if Sony did that the ps3 will sell 10 million units this year throughout the holiday season....seriously... they'd sell like crazy around the world!!!!,, and yea they'd be losing money on each console, but over time as parts become cheaper to make..they'd make it up in the long run!!!>.. Sony.." just do it"!!! -----------------------------------------

    You were quoting me and your exactly right.....I know Sony is taking a loss as it is on their console now at the $600 price point (not as bad now that the emotion engine is out) but if they want games actually no not just games but GOOD QUALITY GAMES from 3rd party publishers and better yet EXCLUSIVES.....Sony must start selling units and fast and in large quantities and that will never happen until they hit at least the $399 price point.

    So short term big losses on hardware will translate into short/long term profits on software and accessories and eventually profits on the hardware itself because it is after all future proof and will be around for a long time "IF" they get the units in peoples hands or they may as well give up and go back to the drawing board.

    I LOVE THE PLAYSTATION but the arrogance on Sony's part must stop!

  • lord-of-gamers

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 5:08 am GMT

    it makes me sad and pissed reading the articles below - i mean come on - everyone is saying that there has to be a price drop because the 360 and the wii are eating up customers with their lower prices. just step back and have a look -

    1. the wii is a last generation console in all respects so you pay last gen prices.

    2. the 360 is being run by microsoft who by next year will probably be announcing a new console so they want to get rid of as many consoles as possible - plus seeing as they have like 40bill$ just sitting in the bank they could afford to give 360s away

    Sony is at a different point in the market - i remember when everyone beat sony up for including a CD reader in the ps1 and a DVD player in the ps2 but they still came out on top now blu ray will aswell and in 1 year maybe 2 everyone will be singing sony's praises once again - granted the launch was F'ed up and so was the price but look at it now - for the price that the console was you can now get the console plus 2 controllers plus 2 games and its only getting better - the terrible shame is that games developers have shifted from focusing on sony and are dipping into different ponds which are different and take more time to get used to (360, wii) so they have less time for the ps3. JUST GIVE THEM A CHANCE!

  • knicknut17

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 4:01 am GMT

    For the Record: The difference between 80GB and 60GB is more than some other next generation consoles...

    I'm glad I got my PS3 at launch to ensure BC. The PS3 is an amazing piece of hardware that is only going to get better over time. Don't get me wrong, I have a 360 it is awesome, but if I had to choose one and only one, there's no choice but the PS3. As has been stated numerous times already, it is a much better idea to buy a 60GB and upgrade if you want more space than to buy the 80GB.

  • jedikevin2

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 3:09 am GMT

    Well good to see sony doing something. For people who don;t know its really easy to drop in your own hardrive into the system lol. My friends all have put 300 gb hardrives in there systems just because lol. The problem sony will face is that they are bout to be left behind with a 360 and wii rush in games. ok 1. 360 is bout to have halo 3. halo 3 = all 360 will need to live for years lol. Number 2. Wii is bout to get a onslaught of there main system titles, Brawl, metroid, mario, and lastly kart. Checking whats comign out on ps3 i see Lair as a good title but for holiday season i'm not seeing much at all. I feel bad for sony. A good bit of there top game producing companies are now universal to other systems leaving sony out in the cold.

  • snakes2solid

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 12:06 am GMT

    p.s. someone wrote below that the ps3 needs to be 399... OMG if Sony did that the ps3 will sell 10 million units this year throughout the holiday season....seriously... they'd sell like crazy around the world!!!!,, and yea they'd be losing money on each console, but over time as parts become cheaper to make..they'd make it up in the long run!!!>.. Sony.." just do it"!!!

  • snakes2solid

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 12:00 am GMT

    just prolonging the obvious.... they will succumb to a real price drop sooner or later...the 80 gig version will only sell when there's a major price drop!!... keep adding bells and whistles to the same damned system and you're gonna fail.... the public has pretty much spoken on not buying the ps3 as much as we supported the ps1 and ps2... i like the ps3 but asking 600.oo is just too much for the average home to lay out in one shot....jeeez Sony... aren't you listening??.... oh well.... you'll learn the hard way!!

  • xcollector

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 9:52 pm GMT

    The price cut would have been better publicity for sony during the Christmas season. By Christmas time all sony is going to have available are these 80GB models. The 360 will be cheaper with the price cut and there will be more wiis available for everyone (hopefully).

    I hope sony is still making ps2 consoles at christmas time because I need to buy one for my self. As it is the ps3 isn't doing a very good job at making me want to get ride of my wii60 combination.

  • elguino3

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 9:13 pm GMT

    one motor storm was pretty good second ps3 is better than wii and xbox wii pretty good though but ps3 needs to fire the guy who gets tier exclusives and get a new guy

  • NeoNavarro

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 8:46 pm GMT

    Motorstorm is not that good of a game...

  • SonyRulzU

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 8:41 pm GMT

    Do It!

  • Darth_Slayer

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 8:36 pm GMT

    Trade in my 360 just for one game? No thanks

  • SonyRulzU

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 8:03 pm GMT

    Time for you to trade in those 360s. Get them while they're hot. Motorstorm rulz.

  • Stec13

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 7:56 pm GMT

    Ok I'm a VERY loyal and self proclaimed Sony Playstaion die hard but..........

    Sony must drastically cut the price of the PS3 before the Christmas season. The new 80gig model needs to be at least $399 in order for them to start moving units! Without the units in peoples hands that means less game sales and less game sales means less exclusives. Sony is shooting their own foot off here with their arrogant attitude.

    I want the PS3 to reign supreme just like th PS1 & PS2 but man they fooked up on the PS3 pricing strategy really bad!

  • Wazzo_Wisto_2

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 7:42 pm GMT

    i think the ps3 still sucks i've got wii and 360 and still think that i dont need to pay a lot of money for a console that has been updated and price dropped and some models discontinued so if you are in doubt of which one to choose i'd rather pick 360 or wii they're better than ps3

  • plufim

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 7:30 pm GMT

    Guys, get a 60GB if you can. The software emulation is still bollocks, and I see no proof sony are going to get around to fixing it any time soon.

    Soul Calibur 3 runs like complete crap and freezes. And with most games, you're specifically told to skip cutscenes, which makes some RPGs almost pointless.

  • Kera666

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 6:25 pm GMT

    I don't have the money for even the cheapest version...I can barely afford a Wii....T_T This is so depressing.

  • pathogenb

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 5:58 pm GMT

    OatmealKing well well well....lets c here....new ps3 huh.....nothing actually "upgraded" so ill stick to my 500gb PS3...thats right 500gb 360 fans...my PS3 eats 360's 4 breakfast lunch and din din.....btw...the movie 300 is...how do i say this....10x better lookin in 1080p....ty again blue-ray....ur da shi*...how come microsoft's 360 accesories are so expensive....gates not rich enough???"

    sad. i loved watching 300 on my PS3, but why would you brag about 500GB? no thanks, i'll keep 500GB on my PC.

  • OatmealKing

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 5:40 pm GMT

    well well well....lets c here....new ps3 huh.....nothing actually "upgraded" so ill stick to my 500gb PS3...thats right 500gb 360 fans...my PS3 eats 360's 4 breakfast lunch and din din.....btw...the movie 300 is...how do i say this....10x better lookin in 1080p....ty again blue-ray....ur da shi*...how come microsoft's 360 accesories are so expensive....gates not rich enough???

  • rstankos

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 3:48 pm GMT

    PS2 lives! Don't count it out anytime soon. And having the emotion engine built-in, means you never miss anything. The PS3 has more than enough horsepower to emulate anything. But all software upgrades work with all the PS3s. Why emulate? And if any software updates improve the RSX, so much the better. I bought the 60gb at full price, and I look forward to all price drops that bring more people in to play. Will never regret my purchase.

  • Felaipes

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 3:45 pm GMT

    "Like the Xbox 360, the 80GB model uses software emulation for its backwards compatibility."
    i like that comment makes them look less biassed
    "yeah, xbox 360 is as crappy as the new 80 gb ps3"

  • Jatt_Warrior

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 3:21 pm GMT

    LoL **** that im gettin an Elite

  • ChickenHounk911

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 3:05 pm GMT

    I agree with a lot of previous posts. 20 more GB and Motorstorm are NOT worth the $100. A smart move by Sony, but we can see right through them. Get the 60GB (priced reduced) while you still can. Then buy a bigger Hard Drvie separately and with the money you save, get the ONLY good game PS3 has... Long Live the Wii!

  • OmegaGear

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 3:00 pm GMT

    I agree that Sony is making huge profits off of the PS2, but if they want the next gen to succeedm they can't keep clinging onto the old generation. That is not to say that they shouldn't let 3rd parties make games for it still, by all means, do. What Sony needs to do is set first class examples of what the system can do by releasing their own games for the system. GoW2 was a prime example, as it had come a few months after the PS3, but was a PS2 title. That game very well could have been a killer app to push system sales, but as it was, it was just another great PS2 game. With the first year of the PS3 quickly coming to a close, I hope Sony starts to loosen its grip on the PS2.

  • ringbling

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 2:51 pm GMT

    If it weren't for them forcing backwards compatibility by software emulation, the 80 GB wouldn't be a bad buy. Having the PS2 hardware built in to the PS3 to me makes the backwards compatibility more solid, less chance of software bugs getting in. I'm just glad I bought a 20 GB, I didn't need the crappy wifi of the 60 (though i can still do remote play) and I've since put in a 160 GB drive.

  • NandoSupes

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 2:04 pm GMT

    first of all, I have a PS3 and very happy with it indeed,but why Sony bothers doing this?,the only thing you need to do is upgrade you HDD ,go to NewEgg get a new ATA 2.5 notebook HDD 160 gb for 100 bucks and boom!!! you're all set,the instructions even come packed with the PS3 on how to do this,is so easy.

  • steven141

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 1:59 pm GMT

    Why do only certain consoles contain the emotion engine? they should ALL contain it

  • axehunter

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 1:58 pm GMT

    For me, price isn't that big a deal. It comes down to, I'm seeing hardly any games for ps3 that I want. You can list Lair, Socom, Final Fantasy XIII, MGS4, Little Big Planet, and prolly a couple other EXCLUSIVES that I'm not thinking of, but I'm just not interested in them (except MGS4, but I can live without it). I'm not saying they are not good games, they just aren't interesting to me. I think it comes down to, or at least should down to this for everyone; WHAT GAMES YOU LIKE. In the end the system itself is null and void.

  • MadGamer132

    Posted Aug 7, 2007 1:57 pm GMT

    if i want that, i'm sure i'm going to play it.

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