Best Buy discontinuing 80GB PS3


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An anonymous Best Buy employee has sent us a scan of an internal letter, which notifies employees that the 80GB system is being discontinued. "The 80GB version of the PS3 is going closeout and won't be replaced at this time," it reads. "It will come off the planogram on Jan. 28. The 60GB version should already be gone from stores. Only the 40GB version of PS3 will be sold in Best Buy stores at this time."

The 40GB model currently costs $399, and is the cheapest PS3 available. However, it does have a few limitations: it lacks memory card readers, features only two USB ports, and most importantly, loses backwards compatability, as noted in the memo. "This means that there currently isn't a version that is PS2 compatible," it notes.

There have been very shady rumors suggesting Sony is planning on introducing a cheaper $299 version of its console (although that has been repeatedly denied by Sony). Earlier in the week, we also discovered an FCC filing for a white model PS3. Whatever's going on, it appears that Sony's making moves for a big change. Stay tuned.

Source: http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/01/24/best-b...nuing-80gb-ps3/

Looks like this rumor may be true after all? :blink:

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i would never buy one of these that wasn't backwards compatible

I thought the same thing at first, thought the loss of backwards compatibility was a really bad thing.

But to be honest, my PS2 sits right next to my PS3, and I haven't even considered playing any PS2 games, and I have a good 40+ games I have yet to complete and a lot I haven't even started yet on the system.

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i would never buy one of these that wasn't backwards compatible

The 40 GB is still backwards compatible with PS1 games not PS2 games. But I have a feeling Sony will eventually release a update so the 40 GB PS3 will be PS1 andPS2 backwards compatible. Sony has a job listing for:

Implementing and improving software emulation for the PS/PS2/PSP/PS3 for the PS3 and the next generation system.

Source: http://kotaku.com/346279/yes-sony-still-ca...at-%5Bupdate%5D

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I really wish they'd stop dicking around with these different revisions.

Fair enough, it costs money and space to put a PS2 daughtercard in the system. Exactly what, however, do they lose by implementing software-based PS2 emulation? CPU cycles? Big friggin' deal, you're playing a damn PS2 game to begin with. I think it'll be quite able to handle it.

HDCP on games was bad enough. This isn't helping their case at all, and it certainly isn't enticing me to buy a PS3.

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I really wish they'd stop dicking around with these different revisions.

Fair enough, it costs money and space to put a PS2 daughtercard in the system. Exactly what, however, do they lose by implementing software-based PS2 emulation? CPU cycles? Big friggin' deal, you're playing a damn PS2 game to begin with. I think it'll be quite able to handle it.

HDCP on games was bad enough. This isn't helping their case at all, and it certainly isn't enticing me to buy a PS3.

I think thats why they are going to discontinue the 80GB PS3 so they can focus on the 40GB PS3.

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I was forced to buy one that isn't PS2-compatible since we only have the 40Gb version. You guys have 40, 60 & 80Gb? Damn.

Here in the U.S. we only have the 40 & 80 only way to get a 20 or 60 is on eBay.

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Ninja: But if they're focusing on the 40GB PS3, isn't that focusing on one that lacks back-compat? Or is the 40GB model back-compatible with PS2 games?

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Ninja: But if they're focusing on the 40GB PS3, isn't that focusing on one that lacks back-compat? Or is the 40GB model back-compatible with PS2 games?

The 40GB is b/c with PS1 games not PS2 games. But I think they will release a update somewhere in the near future that will allow the 40 GB PS3 to play PS2 games. Thats what I think this is about http://kotaku.com/346279/yes-sony-still-ca...at-%5Bupdate%5D

Who knows maybe their sales data shows the 40 GB PS3 selling more than the 80 GB PS3. If thats true then maybe people dont really care about b/c. :blink:

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or maybe this is all that will end up happening? wouldn't surprise me.

Yeah it no doubt will be, I was just laughing at how the 28th seems to be a popular date.

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The 40 GB is still backwards compatible with PS1 games not PS2 games. But I have a feeling Sony will eventually release a update so the 40 GB PS3 will be PS1 andPS2 backwards compatible. Sony has a job listing for:

Source: http://kotaku.com/346279/yes-sony-still-ca...at-%5Bupdate%5D

if you read the update notice on that article you'll see its been there since may last year and has since been removed

Update: Reader Muu points out: "The top page of the jobs-for-hire show any updates that have been made to the site; the backwards-compatibility job isn't on that list right now, and there's archived snapshot evidence that it's been there since May 18th of 2007."

regardless, im sure they could get software emulation of ps2 games working eventually

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if you read the update notice on that article you'll see its been there since may last year and has since been removed

regardless, im sure they could get software emulation of ps2 games working eventually

I am sure they will. The 80 GB PS3's emulation is all done by software.

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I am sure they will. The 80 GB PS3's emulation is all done by software.

Not quite, the 80GB still has the PS2 GPU, only the Emotion Engine ("EE" CPU) was removed and is emulated. The 40GB removed both the EE and PS2 GPU, it is not possible at this time for Sony to adequately emulate the PS2 GPU for backwards compatibility.

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Not quite, the 80GB still has the PS2 GPU, only the Emotion Engine ("EE" CPU) was removed and is emulated. The 40GB removed both the EE and PS2 GPU, it is not possible at this time for Sony to adequately emulate the PS2 GPU for backwards compatibility.

oh ok I thought it was all done by software. My bad.

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Adding emulation to the 40GB would be hot! The PCSX2 team has been doing pretty good at making a PS2 emulator for Windows/Linux and thats by reverse engineering. Anyone trying to write a PS2 emulator for PS3 will have all the documents to know exactly how it goes. It still will take some time but it's definitely not impossible.

Right now the 40GB PS3 has 65nm CPU but 90nm GPU. I wonder if there is a new SKU if it will have a 65nm GPU as well. Not that the PS3 has heating problems, just means the fans can get more and more quite and eventually (probably once down to 45nm or for sure 32nm) we'll see a Slim PS3.

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I thought the rumor was a cheaper version going on sale next week? If that was the rumor, then it's clearly not true, as I would imagine Best Buy would know about it, contrary to the last line of that email.

If the rumor is just them announcing it then it's a different story (and a less exciting one).

-Spenser

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ooh me likey juicy rumours of a $299 model, considering how i've just decided on grabbing a ps3 in march. me likely lots!

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