$200 PS3 Coming to North America

[Steven Bogos]

$200 PS3 Coming to North America

The new PS3 model uses 12 GB of flash memory in favor of a traditional hard drive.

The PlayStation 4 may be right around the corner, but the good ol' PS3 still has some knockout games, like the recently released The Last Of Us and the upcoming Grand Theft Auto V. If you've yet to jump on the Sony bandwagon, or are looking for a replacement to your old clunky PS3, Engadget reports [http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/13/12gb-flash-playstation-3-on-sale-north-america/] that the 12 GB PS3 Slim that was previously exclusive to Hong Kong and Europe is coming stateside.

This new ultra slim PS3 uses 12 GB of flash memory, instead of the traditional hard drives of other PS3 models. It will set you back just $200 - $70 cheaper than the current current 250 GB Super Slim. Obviously, 12 GB is not really enough for those of you who have (or plan on having) a large digital library, but for people who just want to see what all this PlayStation fuss is about, it's a perfect super cheap entry-level system.

When the console revision was first announced for Hong Kong and Europe, Sony Computer Entertainment America VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles John Koller said:

"The smaller Flash drive isn't coming to North America, and a lot of that reason is the digital consumer. We really want to make sure, out of the box, that there is an option for them to be able to download that content. That is really critical for us, very very important."

But it now looks like Sony has pulled an "Xbox 180" on this decision, as an image of the system in a Kmart stockroom in the United States has now surfaced, featuring a "do not sell until" date of August 18th.

Source: Engadget [http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/13/12gb-flash-playstation-3-on-sale-north-america/]

Permalink

 

[Roxas1359]

Well I think people should honestly just pay for the 250GB model if they need to, hell even get one of the older fat models with like 40 GB in it. Reason for this is, it's cheap, it works, and you can upgrade the hard drive to an SSD or an HDD of your choice in size since the PS3 uses a 2.5" Sata II laptop hard drive. All you'd need to do is just format the old hard drive that comes with the console with the new one, basically transferring the OS and start up stuff, and then you all set.

Plus if some of you could track down a cheap 20GB or 60GB model then you get PS2 backwards compatibility as well.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

Wait...can you still install a HD? Because with only 12 GB...you wouldn't even be able to play that many disc based games with install requirements.

 

[TheHomelessHero]

Yay, been waiting for a Slim ps3 slim, slimmer edition! In all seriousness, this is good news for those who haven't bought a Ps3 yet, now is pretty much the best time to do so.

 

[Rad Party God]

To my understanding, the PS3 can still use internal/external harddrives, right?, if so, I'm finally grabbing one of these, as I already have many unused HDDs laying around

 

[dragongit]

I still have one of the original fat 60GB models,and I've mico managed the data on it to only support a few games at any given time. I don't think you could even install a full PS3 game from the store onto that much space anyway. Maybe 1.

 

[GonzoGamer]

12 GB of space? That's it? How much is the install going to be for GTA V? That'll probably take up most of the space right there. I dig that this isn't really made for people who want to download stuff from the PStore but they should make it for people who might want to play a couple of different disc games without uninstalling and reinstalling.

 

[Adon Cabre]

Won't Grand Theft Auto V require an 8 GB proprietary download?

 

[OtherSideofSky]

This is the worst idea ever. Even if you don't want digital games, enough PS3 discs require or are significantly improved by a data install that 12 GB won't be enough for anyone who doesn't want to delete their game data and install new stuff every time they want to play a different game.

 

[Roxas1359]

Just found out that you can upgrade the Super Slim's flash HDD to something better, so while I still say that people should just get an older model of PS3, there is hope for upgrades if you want.

Here's a tutorial video for you:

 

[Azaraxzealot]

At my work you can get a 250gb Slim PS3, with 1 year of PS+ and Uncharted 3 or the Infamous Collection or the God of War collection, for 250. So... what's the appeal of this?

 

[Dr.Awkward]

You know, given you can get a 16GB flash drive for under $10 USD, why they decided to use 12GB instead confuses me. Why not 32 or, even better, a 64GB version? Did they forget how large the average game tends to be? Are they assuming that the only people who would be interested in this wants small indie titles? I'd really like the explanation behind such a small space.

 

[Roxas1359]

You know, given you can get a 16GB flash drive for under $10 USD, why they decided to use 12GB instead confuses me. Why not 32 or, even better, a 64GB version? Did they forget how large the average game tends to be? Are they assuming that the only people who would be interested in this wants small indie titles? I'd really like the explanation behind such a small space.

Perhaps they just went fully stupid for a bit. I mean heck the other two companies have come out with versions of their console that one would really question why you'd buy it.

Spoiler: Exhibit A: Wii Mini-

Cute with cool colors, yes, look at what this Wii lacks when compared to the older and better model:
"The Wii Mini (stylized as Wii mini) is a smaller, redesigned Wii which lacks YPBPR (component video/d-terminal) and s-video output, GameCube compatibility, online gaming, the SD card slot and Wi-Fi support, and has only one USB port unlike the previous models' two. It was released in Canada on December 7, 2012 with a MSRP of C$99.99, in Europe on March 15, 2013 and in the UK on March 22, 2013. Nintendo uses this console and the Nintendo Selects game series to promote low cost gaming. The Wii Mini is styled in matte black with a red border, and includes a red Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk but does not include a pack-in game. A composite video/audio cable, wired sensor bar and power adapter are also included."

Then there was the old Arcade models that MS made, but now they've decided to rebrand the Xbox 360 to look like the Xbox One for some strange and unknown reason...

 

[CardinalPiggles]

I'm interested in buying a PS3 once the new generation rolls around but I'd much rather grab a 1st gen PS3 to replace my PS2. And judging by how much you can pick those up used for now, imagine how much cheaper they'll be when people start getting rid of them in favour of the PS4/Xbone.

Long story short; this is just for those people stupid enough to not know the difference between a gigabyte and a megabyte.

The super duper ultra mega slim PS3 with 12GBs of storage. How many games can you hold on that you ask? One whole game!

 

[sethisjimmy]

Jeez, a lot of people really don't seem to understand how HDD space works...

Obviously the drive space here is tiny, but can nobody see a situation where it might be a good thing? People who already have external drives and don't want to spend extra on Sony's proprietary space? People who'd prefer to buy their own large-space HDD for cheaper than the extra cost of getting a larger space PS3? Improved loading and performance with an SSD?

Often HDD space is cheaper in bulk compared to the extra cost of buying a PS3 with a few hundred gigs out of the box.

Personally, I prefer this kind of bare-bones no frills product. It's obviously a bit of a niche product type, especially where the average person doesn't have external space lying around, or doesn't want to go through the effort of buying some. However, it's the type I prefer when given the option. It's why I bought the Wii U Basic instead of shelling out the 47 extra dollars for Nintendo Land and 3 extra dollars for the the tiny bit of additional space.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

If people really want to get into PS3 gaming now, there is a nice $270 PS3/GTAV bundle. 500Gb PS3 slim version+GTAV+Headphones. Can't go wrong with that IMO.

http://us.playstation.com/ps3/systems/gta-v-bundle.html

 

[Yopaz]

Wait...can you still install a HD? Because with only 12 GB...you wouldn't even be able to play that many disc based games with install requirements.

It's really easy to upgrade it so there's no worries there.

OT: For those who say that 12GB is not enough... I agree. I bought a 12GB edition during Christmas and I installed the free DLC I got with my special edition of Tales of Graces F and after that I didn't have the space required to install demos. Yeah, I bought a hard drive and a mounting bracket quite soon.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

I'm pretty sure 8-12GB of mine is taken up by all the features they keep tacking on to the OS over the years that I never use and don't even want. So I don't really see the value in buying something that won't even play several disc based games out of the box, when the $250gb already exists for not much more.

I mean, it might boost sales of the 250gb simply by showing consumers a drastically inferior product and making them feel intelligent on choosing the one with more perceived value.

But that is a stretch, and as stated it runs counter to the digital agenda espoused by Sony.

 

[2HF]

Thank the diety of your choosing that I was able to pick up a 250gb super slim model for only $200 on black friday. Along with 2 Infamous games and I think some other game as well.

This seems like a pretty crummy deal to me. obviously I'm biased.