20 Gig Playstation 3 Discontinued?

[Ironman273]

20 Gig Playstation 3 Discontinued?

March 3rd 2007

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In a bit of investigative journalism, I have recently taken it upon myself to answer the question of, "where have all the 20 gig Playstation 3 models gone?" In a rather silent disappearance, it seems that the 20 gig version of Sony's new console has gone missing as of late. So where could they be?

To start off, I contacted local stores in my area as to inquire about the availability of the 60 gig's little sister. Naturally, the response I received was universally negative. There was not a 20 gig model to be found. However, upon dialing up one store in my area, I stumbled upon a piece of information that was quite shocking. It seems that one of the nation's larger consumer electronics stores were listing the smaller console as "Discontinued" in their inventory system. That's right; discontinued.

Having followed this industry for a long time, I realize that retailers are oftentimes wrong about things such as this, so I shrugged it off and called the next store on my list. To my surprise, again I was informed this particular store no longer carried the smaller version. "Are you sure," I inquired, "Well, we haven't seen one in months" the employee claimed.

Again, knowing that retail stores and their employees aren't the greatest sources in the world, I immediately donned my pith helmet and begun a lengthy dig of the magical Interweb to see what I could find. This time however, I was not merely searching for the lost PS3 20 gig; I was also searching for any site that even had listings for the smaller of the two. The more I dug, the less I found. After a good hour and a half of rooting around on the World Wide Web, the only links I could find for purchasing Sony's smaller console were dead, and the only place I found with the consoles ready to ship was eBay. And so the plot thickened.

When I was first told over the phone that the 20 gig PS3 had been discontinued after only 3 months, I was admittedly skeptical. However, armed with my newly acquired Internet findings, and not one, but two separate retail leads, my suspicions began to grow. Has Sony really stopped producing 20 gig consoles?

My final option, I concluded, was to get the information straight from the source itself: Sony. I phoned Sony with my concerns, in hopes that I might just get to the bottom of this mystery. When the phone was answered, I casually asked the Sony representative why it had been impossible to find a 20 gig PS3 model in my area. At first I received the standard answer, "Oh, well they must just be out of stock right now." Easy enough, right? I can't find a Playstation 3, its new, its popular; they must have just sold out. It's understandable that they would initially respond this way, however I came prepared. Upon receiving the stock answer I had been expecting, I proceeded to politely make known the fact that a local retailer had listed the smaller console as "discontinued". Silence. Had I stumbled upon a dirty little secret Sony has been hiding? But I didn't stop there:

"The stores I called all had plenty of 60 gig models in stock but none of them had any 20 gigs, and haven't even seen the smaller console since launch day. I checked online as well and not a single retailer had any mention of 20 gig models at all. A few online sites had 60 gigs in stock and ready for purchase, but none of them had any indication that the 20 gig model even existed on their site." Well Sony? What do you have to say to that?!? I was put on hold?

When the call finally resumed, the Sony rep again repeated the fact that the 20 gig models were still in production and that my retailers were still just "out of stock." But one has to wonder, are my retailers out of stock?forever?

Sony's official answer at this point seems to be, no, yet I am still filled with wonder as to what has happened to the fabled 20 gig Playstation 3. The rep I talked to claimed of all the Playstation 3 consoles being produced, roughly 20 percent of those are the 20 gig models, as Sony expects to sell more of the larger version. But with this estimation, there should still be plenty of 20 gig PS3's on the market to purchase, seeing as the 60 gig models are still sitting on nearly every major retailer's shelves collecting dust. So where exactly are those 20 percent she claimed were still in production? And what of the SKU being listed as "discontinued"?

All in all, it seems my journey has uncovered more questions than it has answers. Sony's official response to this information, for the time being at least, remains firmly "20 gig Playstation 3's are still in production." But after spending the better part of an afternoon chasing the mysterious 20 gig phantom, coupled with the less than convincing phone call to Sony, this answer just does not rest easy with me. So has Sony really pulled the plug on their more economical system after only 3 months on the shelves? And if so, was it because they weren't selling well or is this part of a larger, more devious scheme to part gamers and their hard earned money? It seems only time and Sony have the real answers to these questions, but as for actually locating a 20 gig Playstation 3 from anywhere other than eBay (at nearly the same price as the readily available 60 gig version); good luck, and happy hunting.

For now, we here at GameDrift are going to chalk this one up as a rumor only. This piece was completed on Saturday evening, and with many businesses such as Sony, fairly well closed on the weekends, as of press time we have not been able to contact Sony for a follow up. Rest assured, when business reopens on Monday morning, GameDrift will be following up on this story in hopes of gleaning any more information, so be sure to stay tuned.

Until then have you found a 20 gig Playstation 3 sitting on a store shelf or available to purchase on a retail website? If so, let us know by sending us an email (a picture on the actual unit on a store's shelf would be even better).

Source

[Huleboeren]

Yeah, I wonder why MS havent discontinued their Core version too - one out of every hundred X360 is a core version :D

[WelshBluebird]

Considering their not even selling the 20GB PS3 in europe, it wouldn't surprise me if they were to discontinue it in the US. Although if they do, They probably should reduce the price a bit, as otherwise the cheapest PS3 will be double the price of the xbox 360 (something which it already is here in the UK).

[Bhav]

I wouldn't be surprised if they have discontinued the 20GB model. Not only is the 60GB SKU more likely to sell, it's probably costs Sony more to handicap the PS3 to create the 20GB model. So they're better off in terms of costs of production and sales to produce only the 60GB SKU.

[LingeringSoul]

Having two models is probably an inconvenience for Sony, but I still feel as though the 20 gig model would be an appealing purchase to many. Keep in mind that the only advantages offered by the 60 gig model are the larger hard drive (obviously), the card slots (who's gonna use those?), and the WiFi functionality (a painful loss, admittedly). The comparisons between the 20 gig PS3 and the XBox 360's core package are a little bit unfair.

If I were to buy a PS3, I would probably opt for the more expensive model, but that's because I'm a fairly large gamer (maybe not hardcore, but certainly a little more than casual). That being said, for somebody who doesn't mind losing WiFi functionality, the 20 gig model was a pretty good deal for the $100 dollar discount.

[Ironman273]

Another point to consider is that Sony loses less money on the PS3-20 than on the PS3-60. Why eliminate a more positive cash stream for the couple of people that will buy it?

Edited March 4, 2007 by Ironman273

[Bhav]

Another point to consider is that Sony loses less money on the PS3-20 than on the PS3-60. Why eliminate a more positive cash stream for the couple of people that will buy it?

How do you know it loses less money on the 20GB unit? It may save on the costs of the wifi, the size of hard drive and the card reader, but the cost of having a separate production line to do this may exceed those savings.

[spenser.d]

Another point to consider is that Sony loses less money on the PS3-20 than on the PS3-60. Why eliminate a more positive cash stream for the couple of people that will buy it?

I was under the impression that Sony was losing about $375 on the 20GB one, and only about $300 on the 60GB version. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I thought that those are the numbers that have been posted on these boards numerous times.

-Spenser

[Tech Star]

I think they listened to my blog post. :p

http://blog.fuzionos.net/nima/?p=5

[Inplode]

sony = lol

where i work the 20gig is all the sells ( once in a while ) there has been 5 60gig instock for a month + and we sold the last 20 gig just lastnight ( it was there 2 months )

[Pink Floyd Veteran]

I don't have any console and not interested neither as I am too old for this but is 20gb too small for the need of a console?

[goji]

I don't have any console and not interested neither as I am too old for this but is 20gb too small for the need of a console?

Yes if your name is a PS3 in which HD caching for visually intense games may be required. Impractical, inefficient? eh

[spenser.d]

I don't have any console and not interested neither as I am too old for this but is 20gb too small for the need of a console?

Depends. The 360's only HDD option is 20GB and that has sufficed for just about everyone that has one.

-Spenser

[TruckWEB]

Having two models is probably an inconvenience for Sony, but I still feel as though the 20 gig model would be an appealing purchase to many. Keep in mind that the only advantages offered by the 60 gig model are the larger hard drive (obviously), the card slots (who's gonna use those?), and the WiFi functionality (a painful loss, admittedly). The comparisons between the 20 gig PS3 and the XBox 360's core package are a little bit unfair.

HDMI? I was under the impression that the 20Gig PS3 had no HDMI output.

[Ironman273]

I was under the impression that Sony was losing about $375 on the 20GB one, and only about $300 on the 60GB version. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I thought that those are the numbers that have been posted on these boards numerous times.

-Spenser

Yup, I had my figures completely reversed. They lose more money on the PS3-20 so I guess it's a no-brainer to discontinue it.

[bangbang023 Veteran]

Yeah, I wonder why MS havent discontinued their Core version too - one out of every hundred X360 is a core version :D

I'm glad they didn't. I had a free HDD so it saved me quite bit of money.

[TDQuiksilver]

Yeah there have been plans announced already to do this already a few weeks back. :whistle: Makes sense at this point though. I know most people prefer the features of the 60GB version anyways. Not all, but most.

[djweasel]

I saw a 20GB the other day at the local Best Buy.

[Brandon Live Veteran]

Yeah, I wonder why MS havent discontinued their Core version too - one out of every hundred X360 is a core version :D

Why would they?

-It's the exact same hardware (only difference is pack-ins), so no added cost to build it.

-Seperate accessories have higher profit margins (especially memory cards)

-It's a much more attractive model for buyers on a budget.

-It's close in price to the Wii.

[Digitalx]

for $100 less it's better of not being made.

[Smigit]

Why would they?

-It's the exact same hardware (only difference is pack-ins), so no added cost to build it.

-Seperate accessories have higher profit margins (especially memory cards)

-It's a much more attractive model for buyers on a budget.

-It's close in price to the Wii.

-ms makes a load more moolah when the consumer decides they want to buy the HD seperatly at a later date. (well point 2 of yours really)

[ahfunaki]

-ms makes a load more moolah when the consumer decides they want to buy the HD seperatly at a later date. (well point 2 of yours really)

no only the hdd, but a wireless controller, headset...

and you know the person that buys a core 360 is going to get all of that stuff eventually anyways...

[TruckWEB]

Anyway, it's not possible to find a PS3 here, and forget about the Wii.

They are allways sold-out in store and online (FutureShop, BestBuy, Wall-Mart, ...). You can find them on ebay.ca for much more than they are worth.

So for me, it's not only the 20Gig PS3 that is MIA....

[DrCheese]

HDMI? I was under the impression that the 20Gig PS3 had no HDMI output.

As far as I know, they readded it after a large backlash a while ago.