Enough Is Enough: Too Many Game Consoles! (Page 3 of 4)

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Plenty of PlayStation (3) Problems

Microsoft's missteps aside, Sony has proven to be the master of confusion this console generation. Let's start at the beginning.

Sony initially introduced two flavors of the PS3: 20GB and 60GB. The differences? The former cut out media card slots and integrated Wi-Fi, and also boasted a smaller hard drive. At $399, the 20GB version could have been a steal. But Sony foolishly priced it at $499 -- only $100 less than the 60GB version. There wasn't enough draw, and Sony quickly phased it out only weeks after launch.

The lack of a low-end model made Sony drop the 60GB version to $499 and introduce an 80GB version as the high-end PS3 at $599. So what does the consumer get for the extra $100? 20GB more hard drive space, a copy of Motorstorm, as well as inferior backward compatibility - Sony switched to cheaper software emulation for PS2 titles in this model in an effort to cut costs.

Just look at all those shared PS3 features (image courtesy of Wikipedia).

Just look at all those shared PS3 features (image courtesy of Wikipedia).

To complicate matters, Sony has canceled the 60GB version in favor of the 80GB model. Sony is also launching a new "low-end" 40GB model, cutting out the memory card slots, trimming the USB ports to two, and axing PS2 backward compatibility altogether. This isn't a bad move - anything to drop the price of the PS3 -- but priced at $399, the 40GB model is still too expensive for many budget-conscious gamers. Sony head Jack Tretton advised consumers to couple the $399 40GB version with a $129 PS2. Um, hello? That adds up to $529, $29 more than the 80GB version that can play everything! Who's coaching Jack?

The Verdict
Number of different PS3 SKUs: 4
Best Buy: 60GB. A hefty price tag of $499 gets you hardware-based backward compatibility, which means PS1 and PS2 games will play perfectly. Plus, a beefy 60GB hard drive and the full array of media ports mean nothing's left out in this version.
Steer Clear: 80GB. When it launched, early adopters got a mere 20GB more hard drive space for $100 more and didn't even get complete backward compatibility for older games. Steer clear of this quasi-elite version...at least until 60GB stock depletes.

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