BREAKING NEWS: Sony ceases production of 20GB PS3 in North America
It looks like the rumors were true. Responding to retailer and consumer demand, SCEA has confirmed to GameDaily BIZ that it will no longer sell the 20GB model of the PlayStation 3 in North America. SCEA's Dave Karraker said that they have decided to focus on the 60GB version.
Over the past couple weeks, a number of sites have reported on what seemed to be a discontinuation of sorts for the $499 20GB model of the PlayStation 3. A number of retailers, both online and brick-and-mortar had all but stopped selling it recently. In fact, even Sony's own SonyStyle e-tailer no longer listed the 20GB version for purchase. When pressed for comment, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) originally denied any change in their SKU strategy. Today, however, it's a different story.
Dave Karraker, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications at SCEA, issued GameDaily BIZ the following statement: "At launch, we offered two separate models of PlayStation 3 to meet the diverse needs and interests of our PlayStation fan base. Initial retail demand in North America was upwards of ninety percent in favor of the 60GB sku, so we manufactured and shipped-in accordingly.
"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. In addition to the larger internal hard drive, the 60GB PlayStation 3 features added storage media slots and built-in Wi-Fi not found in the 20GB system. Based on retailer and consumer feedback, we have decided to focus our current efforts on the more popular 60GB model."
Karraker also pointed out that the limited supply of 20GB models still out in the channel will continue to be sold at $499 until the supply is depleted. Furthermore, current 20GB owners or future purchasers of any 20GB models that are left will still be "100% supported with software and services, since all PS3s have the same basic architecture (unlike if MSFT were to stop selling their Core system, which would allow publishers to actually use their hard drive for gaming purposes, leaving the Core user out in the cold)," said Karraker.
So while Microsoft continues to expand its hardware offerings having recently announced a third SKU, the soon-to-be-launched Xbox 360 Elite, Sony seems to be going in the opposite direction, consolidating their hardware production for just one model – the model that offers the most functionality.
As for Europe and Japan, Europe has only been selling the 60 GB version from the start "and probably took that route after seeing the huge demand we had here in the U.S.," Karraker said. Japan, on the other hand, continues to offer both the 20GB and 60GB, and there's "no word from them on changing their sku mix."
Source: GameDaily BIZ
