Hasta La Gadget!

A lot of people were expecting Sony to announce a PS3 price cut when it took the stage at the Tokyo Game Show a few days back, but that isn’t the announcement we were given. Instead, Sony announced a brand new, super-slim PS3 model, upping the internal memory (at least in the United States) but keeping prices the same. In a new interview with Engadget, SCEA VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles John Koller explained why we didn’t see a price cut on the older PS3 models despite the fact that a new one is on the scene.

Kollar says that the reason the company didn’t announce a price cut is because consumers care more about quality content than they care about pricing. “There’s no price drop formally, but the thing that’s been happening in the market over the last year or so is that there’s been so many retail price promotions, and so many different gift card offers and all those things, being done by all of us (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony), that we’ve heard from our consumers, ‘Enough with all these weird price moves. What we really want is content and games and value,’” Kollar said.

While Kollar’s response leaves us scratching our heads, there’s another reason why we aren’t seeing a price cut on the older PS3 models: they won’t be around much longer. This new PS3 is now Sony’s standard model, meaning that the company will soon stop producing the other models. Of course, there’s also the question of why Europe is getting a 12GB flash memory model that the United States is missing out on, and Kollar says that’s because US consumers are more likely to buy games digitally than those playing in Europe.

Therefore, Sony wanted to make sure that it offered US consumers a PS3 with a ton of internal storage out of the box. Naturally, the PS3 allows users to expand its memory by attaching USB external hard drives or opening the console up and replacing the internal hard drive altogether, but Kollar says that in his experience, consumers typically just buy another console instead of opting for either of those memory solutions. So, those in the US will have quite a bit of internal storage from the get-go, whereas those in Europe can purchase the 12GB flash model and either expand the memory later or live a disc-based existence. Sony’s new PS3 launches here in the US on September 25, just a few days from now – are you picking one up?

Sony discusses lack of PS3 price cut at TGS is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Call it the “SuperSlim,” the “Ultrasvelte,” or the “LipoStation 3” — just as long as “it stays positive,” says Sony Computer Entertainment America VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles John Koller. The new, even thinner version of the PlayStation 3 doesn’t have a new name to distinguish itself from the myriad other PS3 models. Like Apple’s third iPad iteration, the third iteration of the PlayStation 3 is simply, “The PlayStation 3.” And like the second PS3 console, Koller says the new model is Sony’s new standard, with previous models going the way of the Puerto Rican shrew (poor little guy is totally extinct).

The new PS3 comes in two models for North America, 250GB and 500GB, which Koller says is a result of North American consumers being more “digitally inclined” than other territories. “We have to provide the hard drive size and the opportunity for them to be able to, out of the box, utilize that content,” he argues. But this philosophy may be flawed — one of Sony’s main competitor’s, Nintendo, is applying the same logic to its Wii U, albeit with starkly different results. Nintendo argues that it doesn’t want to pass the rapidly declining cost of memory on to the consumer, so you’ll be able to attach any form of external memory to its console. That functionality also exists in the PS3 — Flash memory via USB or a full-on internal HDD replacement — but Koller says consumers are more inclined to purchase additional consoles rather than replacing internal storage. “When you look at some of the earlier chassis, and the really early adopters — the 20GB, and the 60GB — that consumer had a choice. They could either go out and buy another hard drive — and it’s an easy install, so we make it easy for the consumer if they want to take a hard drive off the shelf and plug it in, they can do that. They had a choice of doing that, or purchasing another PlayStation 3. And what’s been happening is we’re seeing a lot of adoption of second consoles in-house,” Koller says.

That philosophy is why Europe’s the only territory getting a 12GB Flash-based PlayStation 3. Sure, consumers can expand the system’s memory with Flash — the new model allows for internal memory expansion as well — but that doesn’t line up with SCEA’s goals in its territory. “The smaller Flash drive isn’t coming to North America, and a lot of that reason is the digital consumer,” Koller says. “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.”

Continue reading Sony explains missing PlayStation 3 price drop on old models, EU exclusivity of Flash memory version

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Sony explains missing PlayStation 3 price drop on old models, EU exclusivity of Flash memory version originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In addition to announcing a brand new, super-slim PS3 model at the Tokyo Game Show, Sony finally gave a time frame for the arrival of PlayStation Plus on PS Vita. Sony announced that PlayStation Plus would be coming to PS Vita back at Gamescom in July, but today it announced that PS Plus will launch November. Unfortunately, the company didn’t get any more specific than that, so it looks like we’ll be left waiting for additional details once again.

Still, at least Sony has narrowed down the release window a bit for us. When PlayStation Plus launches on the PS Vita, it will come with all of the features that PS3 members love in tow. One of these features is Instant Game Collection, which allows users to access free full games for as long as they’re a PS Plus member. PlayStation Plus subscribers will also get discounts on games and DLC on a consistent basis, along with with 1GB of cloud storage, letting users back up their game saves or store DLC.

With PS Plus, PS Vita owners can also take advantage of automatic updates, which will turn your PS Vita automatically to begin downloading game demos, game updates, and system updates. Once the update has finished downloading, the PS Vita will switch into standby mode, meaning that your PS Vita could potentially download updates without you ever knowing – definitely a handy (if not somewhat creepy) feature to have around.

Those who are already subscribed to PS Plus on PS3 will get a PS Vita membership for free, and those who sign up for PS Plus using their Vita will be able to enjoy the PS3 benefits as well. If you aren’t already a subscriber, a membership will cost the going rate of $49.99 annually. As stated above, the PS Vita version of Plus is still lacking a specific launch date, but you can bet that we’ll update you once Sony lets it loose. Stay tuned!

[via Playstation Blog]

PS Vita gets PlayStation Plus in November is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The next generation may be right around the corner according to some people, but Sony apparently didn’t get the memo, as it revealed a brand new PlayStation 3 model during its pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference. The super-slim PS3 that has been the focus of rumors for weeks now was indeed revealed during the press conference, with SCEE chief Andrew House telling the audience that this new model is 20% smaller overall and 25% lighter than the current PS3 slim model.

The new PS3 appears to be a top-loader, just like the PS2 slim was, but it’s hard to tell if that’s actually the case from the shots Sony has released. The new console looks exactly like it did in all of the leaked images we saw, which is to say that it isn’t going to win any awards in the looks department. With this latest iteration, Sony has bumped up the internal storage but appears to have left the prices the same, so those hoping for a price cut announcement at TGS are sadly out of luck.

In the United States, this super-slim PS3 will come in a couple of varieties. There is one 250GB variant that is only available as part of a bundle. This bundle also includes a copy of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Game of the Year Edition and a $30 voucher to use in Dust 514. The bundle will set you back $269 and will be available on September 25. All told, that isn’t a bad price for what you’re getting, and you can bet that Sony is going to net some sales from those who are new to the world of PS3 this holiday season.

If you’re interested in just the PS3, then Sony will also have a 500GB super-slim PS3 available for $299. This standalone PS3 (complete with a DUALSHOCK 3 controller, naturally) is launching in the States on October 30, and Sony makes a point of reminding us that this date coincides with the launch of Assassin’s Creed III. We’re expecting to find out more about this new PS3 model very soon, but for now, just know that all of the rumors were true, Sony is terrible at keeping secrets, and a new PS3 model is indeed on the way. Stay tuned.

[via PlayStation Blog]

PS3 gets another redesign at Tokyo Game Show is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

So we know that both Sony and Bethesda are hard at work trying to get Skyrim: Dawnguard to work on the PlayStation 3. It’s rather unfortunate given that Hearthfire has already been released but PlayStation 3 owners have yet to play the first Skyrim DLC. That being said, it seems that the work being done on the PlayStation 3 version is still going on and it does not appear that we might be seeing it anytime soon. According to Bethesda’s Pete Hines via Twitter, he revealed that this was not a situation where the status is expected to change “soon” and there is no quick or easy solution to it. It certainly does not bode well for PlayStation 3 gamers, but what do you guys think? Are you hoping that Bethesda and Sony work something out eventually, or have you given up on Dawnguard for the PlayStation 3 entirely?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Skyrim: Dawnguard still “isn’t good enough” to be released on the PlayStation 3, Sony and Bethesda scramble to get PS3 Dawnguard DLC working,