Hasta La Gadget!

Back in September 2012 we heard about the relatively cheaper Sony PlayStation 3. The company had made a significant change. It replaced the big hard drive PS3 originally came with 12GB of flash based memory. This radically drove the price down. However, there was one caveat. Sony didn’t release this model in U.S. back then. They exclusively marketed it in Hong Kong and Europe. Now nearly a year after its initial launch, it has been confirmed that Sony PlayStation 3 12GB model has finally made its way Stateside. It is available now from Best Buy for $199.99.

We picked up on an alleged 12GB PS3 model last week, the picture reportedly came from a Kmart stockroom somewhere in the U.S. The box contained strict instructions that the unit was not to be displayed or sold until August 18th. Its safe to say now that the launch is spot on. For ardent gamers who have a massive games library, 12GB of storage isn’t going to do much good. Its possible to add additional storage through USB though, so its not like you’ll be stuck with 12GB forever. This particular PS3 model is also now available in Canada, its being sold through a retailer called Future Shop.

Sony PlayStation 3 12GB Model Available Now In The U.S. original content from Ubergizmo.

In September of last year, Sony threw in an interesting nugget when it shipped the third-generation PS3: there’d be a unique, more affordable 12GB flash-based unit exclusively for Europe and Hong Kong. Sure, it doesn’t do much good for those who boast huge game libraries or prefer to store odds and ends locally, but Sony clearly determined that there’d be a real market for such a product. Sony Computer Entertainment America VP of marketing, handhelds and home consoles John Koller sat down with us following the launches, and made a point to tell us the following:

“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.”

180s happen quite frequently in the technology world, and it seems that we’re peering at another here. Canada’s own Future Shop has the 12GB PS3 listed right now as “In Stock” for $199.99, and a number of stock trackers are confirming that units are trickling into brick and mortar locations across various provinces. This all jibes nicely with a recent PlayStation Lifestyle rumor that suggests the system is coming to both Canada and the United States on August 18th, leaving us to assume that this particular store simply managed to get a jump on the competition. All that said, you can get a new 500GB PS3 with Grand Theft Auto V for just $70 more (or another, more sizable unit for even less on the secondhand market) — but hey, options!

Update: We’ve received an image (shown after the break) of the 12GB PlayStation 3 in a Kmart stockroom here in the United States. The “do not sell until” date is predictably labeled as August 18th, which means that Yanks should be able to get their hands on one of these without an impromptu road trip up north in just a few days.

[Thanks, Jean-Philippe]

Filed under: Gaming, Sony

Comments

Source: Future Shop

With the launch of a new generation of video game consoles comes the assumption the latest and greatest are also going to be the biggest. Many gamers already believe both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will be huge eyesores in their living room, dorm or bedroom, but Sony has taken it upon themselves to do a bit of comparing between the launch version of the PlayStation 4 and the launch version of the PlayStation 3. (more…)

Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Sony Compares PS4 With Launch PS3 To Show How Slim It Really Is [Video] original content from Ubergizmo.

Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you’ve come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they’ve found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won’t last long.

Today’s hottest deals include Nintendo’s 3DS at one of the lowest prices we’ve seen, as well as a hot deal on a 32-inch RCA HDTV. Want the latest deals delivered to your inbox? Join gdgt and add the gadgets you’re shopping for to your “Want” list. Every time there’s a price cut, you’ll get an email alert!

Comments

This week the folks at Rockstar Games have had a bit of an information spill from Grand Theft Auto 5 with details on a customizable pet dog named Chop. This dog will be appearing as partner to one of three main characters in the game and will have “100% customizable” accessories – collars, chains, and everything in-between. We’ll leave it to Franklin to decide what’s appropriate as he rides the line between legitimate and nefarious business once the full game appears.

This information comes from the paperback publication Famitsu and were brought to the web by an intrepid fan board member watamaru to GTA Community. It’s there that the following details were let loose – and please excuse the very basic translation action.

• Each character has a walk of their own
• You can change the dog’s accessories
• The dog may be lost
• Wild animals will be able to be hunted
• More than 15 unique animals will be running through the game’s environments
• Game will feature a full-fledged underwater mission
• Characters can go for a drive together (Trevor with Michael) on jet skis

Also included are images such as the one you’re seeing below, here reminding us that the game will continue to work with helicopters on the chase, revealing a bit of a speed boat element as it does so. With more than 15 animals on the run, we’re expecting both land-based and aquatic beasts to be appearing – and not just birds as you’re seeing in the backgrounds of many of the shots revealed for the game thus far.

Have a peek at one of the more revealing gameplay videos here as well, and be sure to continue to follow the full-on GTA action through SlashGear’s Rockstar tag portal as we move ever closer to the worldwide release date on 9/17/2013. Or October 10th, if you live in Japan – according to Famitsu, that is.

Have a peek at SlashGear’s Grand Theft Auto V official gameplay video breakdown for analysis from start to finish.

BONUS: for those of you waiting to see dogs in GTA, there’s always odd modifications like the one you’re about to see. We’re expecting one whole heck of an upgrade from this nastiness when the GTA 5 shows their dogs for real.

VIA: GTA Forums; Complex

GTA V continues in-game pet dog customizations with Chop is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.