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Sony Catches Price Drop Fever, Drops PS3 Price to $249

Global price drop brings system down to the same price as PlayStation Vita (minus 3G support).

Now only $249!
Now only $249!

It's been rumored all morning, and Sony just confirmed it: The price of the PlayStation 3 has just been reduced globally. Effective immediately, the PS3 hardware will retail starting at $249 in North America, ¥24,980 in Japan, and €249 in Europe.

This actually brings the price of Sony's current-generation home console in line with the base model of its upcoming handheld device, the PlayStation Vita, which will retail for $249 in its wi-fi only model. The 3G supported model will release at $299.

Again, this price drop takes place as of right now, so if you happen to go to your local retailer and find the console still at an old price, feel free to raise a stink.

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alex

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Edited By alex
Now only $249!
Now only $249!

It's been rumored all morning, and Sony just confirmed it: The price of the PlayStation 3 has just been reduced globally. Effective immediately, the PS3 hardware will retail starting at $249 in North America, ¥24,980 in Japan, and €249 in Europe.

This actually brings the price of Sony's current-generation home console in line with the base model of its upcoming handheld device, the PlayStation Vita, which will retail for $249 in its wi-fi only model. The 3G supported model will release at $299.

Again, this price drop takes place as of right now, so if you happen to go to your local retailer and find the console still at an old price, feel free to raise a stink.

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deactivated-5ea641329300b

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Sweet
 
Edit: yay finally got that quest :D

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N7

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Edited By N7

poodpy doopy

God damn my life.

This is great news though :D

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LJO1989

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Edited By LJO1989

I just bought a PS3 damn it

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ModernAlkemie

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Edited By ModernAlkemie

And just after I finally bought a ps3.

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grinbuster

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Edited By grinbuster

Cool!

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C2C

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Edited By C2C

wow that's cheap

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MisterMouse

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Edited By MisterMouse

wow, that is a price I could go for...

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ajamafalous

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Edited By ajamafalous

Price is getting closer and closer to me picking one up.

EDIT: It's not even changed on their website yet. So which model is now $249?

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zombie2011

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Edited By zombie2011

I figured, i know the PS3 hasn't been selling that great compared the 360.

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Enigma777

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Edited By Enigma777

A part of me is kinda bummed out cause I just bought a new PS3 last month. Then again I did get a free copy of Black Ops along with it so it kinda balances out.

It's still kinda crazy that the Vita is the same price...

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TheKing

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Edited By TheKing

@LJO1989 said:

I just bought a PS3 damn it

Maybe they will make you a PS3 ambassador and give you 20 free games!

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CyleMoore

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Edited By CyleMoore

Wow.

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bassman2112

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Edited By bassman2112

Rad, maybe I'll get a new PS3 to replace my dying 80GB Fatboy..
 
I don't want to get rid of the Backwards Combatibility yet, though!

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Mijati

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Edited By Mijati

No mention of if they mean 160GB or 320GB models for this price and lack of UK pricing all throughout is disappointing for me.

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halberdierv2

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Edited By halberdierv2

WooHOo!!

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ProfessorEss

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Edited By ProfessorEss
@LJO1989 said:

I just bought a PS3 damn it

Check the store's return/refund policy, you may be able to get the difference refunded? 
 
That's a nice price for a PS3 Slim. Low enough that I'd consider replacing my Phat if it kicked the bucket.
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Wacomole

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Edited By Wacomole

This means they're dropping the price to a mere $358 in Europe.

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mjk1

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Edited By mjk1
@DarkDude: 320Gb is £215 and 160Gb is £192.
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LifeByDegrees

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Edited By LifeByDegrees

If you've purchased a PS3 in the last little bit- I'd go back and ask if you can have the price cut price. Generally- most retail allows for this.

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koolaid

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Edited By koolaid

Looks like I'm 2/2 for buying consoles before price drops.

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Zabant

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Edited By Zabant

I'm amazed at anyone who calls themselves a video game enthusiast and does not own a PS3.

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VicRattlehead

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Edited By VicRattlehead

why the fuck would i buy a vita now when i could just buy the thing all the games will be ported from?

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darkstorn

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Edited By darkstorn

Sony's been lagging lately after a great 2009/2010. This should get them back in the thick of it.

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AngelN7

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Edited By AngelN7

Oh right! now my purchase will be more justifiable , I just need to wait for the ICO/Shadow of the Collosus port , FF versus XIII and The last Guardian after all those are the only ones I want from the PS3

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benderunit22

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Edited By benderunit22

Well fuck, I just bought a replacement PS3 this week. Oh well, it was cheap anyway.

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tsiro

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Edited By tsiro

Well, it looks like I'm going to be buying a PS3 now.

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Cazamalos

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Edited By Cazamalos

if you don't have one yet, you really should buy it, it's cheap and comes with a huge game library

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m0rdr3d

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Edited By m0rdr3d
@VicRattlehead said:

               

why the fuck would i buy a vita now when i could just buy the thing all the games will be ported from?


           

Because you can take all those games with you to the toilet, on the road, and, if you prefer, also hook it to your big screen. 
 
Seriously, that system being the same price is odd unless they are spec for spec ports (they won't be).
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dubios451

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Edited By dubios451

@Zabant: That is why I call myself a "financially crippled video game enthusiast", it takes out the controversy.

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MormonWarrior

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Edited By MormonWarrior

I just sold my PS3 for a little over $200. So no, not getting another anytime soon. But when's Microsoft going to follow suit?

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tomance

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Edited By tomance

That's awesome. My 60gb PS3 fat is still kickin though. 

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Brendan

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Edited By Brendan

@Zabant said:

I'm amazed at anyone who calls themselves a video game enthusiast and does not own a PS3.

In pretty much any year this generation, buying a PS3 would mean giving up on purchasing 5 or 6 games, which is giving up on almost a years worth of new game purchases. I haven't bought one for this reason. As cool as the exclusives seem there are always games coming out that I want to play that I would rather purchase instead.

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jozzy

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Edited By jozzy

I might have jumped on this deal to finally play Demon's Souls,but Dark Souls is coming out soon. If that turns out to be a bad game (i doubt it) I might take the plunge.

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VicRattlehead

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Edited By VicRattlehead

@m0rdr3d: could do the same with a PS3... many people have TV's in their cars and bathrooms now...

i know im being a dick but i bought a PSP and it really was a useless piece of shit until i put custom firmware on it and even then that was only fun for about a week

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packfan104l4

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Edited By packfan104l4
@Brendan said:

@Zabant said:

I'm amazed at anyone who calls themselves a video game enthusiast and does not own a PS3.

In pretty much any year this generation, buying a PS3 would mean giving up on purchasing 5 or 6 games, which is giving up on almost a years worth of new game purchases. I haven't bought one for this reason. As cool as the exclusives seem there are always games coming out that I want to play that I would rather purchase instead.

OR be smart and don't buy the games the day they come out.  I've picked up like 12 games on Amazon for under the cost of 5 new releases ($300).  Unless the game has an online portion that you "must play", why drop 60 bucks for something that's going to be a "greatest hit" 4-6 months down the line.
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Edited By AndrewB

If it weren't for the fact that this console generation is very close to being over, I'd be all over that. Or if it had 100% PS2 backwards compatibility, I might still be. Then there's also the blu-ray... 

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JoeyRavn

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Edited By JoeyRavn

€1 = $1

No, thank you.

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zombie2011

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Edited By zombie2011
@Zabant said:
I'm amazed at anyone who calls themselves a video game enthusiast and does not own a PS3.
I don't own one and i will never own one, i don't have time to play all the 360 exclusives so why would i buy a second console.
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buft

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Edited By buft
@KoolAid said:

Looks like I'm 2/2 for buying consoles before price drops.

thats a pretty bad run
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Edited By Phoenix87

For a 5 year old console, it should have been $250 months ago. Not impressed.

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Edited By The_Nubster

If their home console is the same as their upcoming handheld console, why would people opt for the handheld? I know there's a market who will get the Vita because it's a handheld, but it seems like the value proposition is a little off here considering the Vita is just a small PS3. It seems like Sony's undercutting themselves here.

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Edited By Shaanyboi

Any details on the model itself?  Like harddrive size or whatever, or has  that become a base standard like 160 or 80 or something?
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Punk1984

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Edited By Punk1984
@zombie2011 said:
@Zabant said:
I'm amazed at anyone who calls themselves a video game enthusiast and does not own a PS3.
I don't own one and i will never own one, i don't have time to play all the 360 exclusives so why would i buy a second console.
...because the games are better?
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skrutop

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Edited By skrutop

I got mine for $200. Does that mean I win?

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Edited By Cincaid

@JoeyRavn said:

€1 = $1

No, thank you.

Seriously, this. When the fuck will they realize that 1 Dollar isn't the same as 1 Euro?

249 Euro in my country is 357 Dollars. Great fucking price drop Sony.

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packfan104l4

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Edited By packfan104l4
@Shaanyboi said:
Any details on the model itself?  Like harddrive size or whatever, or has  that become a base standard like 160 or 80 or something?
$249 for the 160GB model
$299 for the 320GB
$299 for the Infamous 2 bundle.  320GB model + Infamous 2 + 30 days of PS+    <<<<<< find that one
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zombie2011

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Edited By zombie2011
@Punk1984 said:
@zombie2011 said:
@Zabant said:
I'm amazed at anyone who calls themselves a video game enthusiast and does not own a PS3.
I don't own one and i will never own one, i don't have time to play all the 360 exclusives so why would i buy a second console.
...because the games are better?
No 
 
 Also, i just said i don't have time to play all the 360 games i want so i won't have time to play any PS3 games.
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Brendan

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Edited By Brendan

@Packfan104L4 said:

@Brendan said:

@Zabant said:

I'm amazed at anyone who calls themselves a video game enthusiast and does not own a PS3.

In pretty much any year this generation, buying a PS3 would mean giving up on purchasing 5 or 6 games, which is giving up on almost a years worth of new game purchases. I haven't bought one for this reason. As cool as the exclusives seem there are always games coming out that I want to play that I would rather purchase instead.

OR be smart and don't buy the games the day they come out. I've picked up like 12 games on Amazon for under the cost of 5 new releases ($300). Unless the game has an online portion that you "must play", why drop 60 bucks for something that's going to be a "greatest hit" 4-6 months down the line.

Most games that are big hits are usually 20-30 a year after release. As a "video game enthusiast" there are several games that I am passionate about that I want to play new so that I don't have to wait to experience them. Much like people who love technology often are the first purchasers of said technology, people like me often look forward to new games and don't want to put aside playing them for a year.

I buy games both when they're new and when they're older and less expensive, depending on how I prioritize them. If you like to buy all of your games used, or months/years after they come out then that's fine, but for games like Arkham City, Mass Effect 3 or Skyrim, I'm not going to wait to buy an expensive console that plays many of the same games, regardless of it's own advantages.

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bacongames

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Edited By bacongames

If they kept the price at 300 they could separate the two products and state that the PS3 is higher tier, a more comprehensive experience and say that the Vita is a technically unique and cheaper handheld device. Now that they're the same price you really are comparing them directly and people are rightly seeing the PS3 as the greater value. Especially if you already own a smartphone with fuck off apps you play on the bus, you benefit much more from one of the best blu-ray and Netflix players in addition to the large library of quality video games on the platform. So yeah basically they're making the Vita seem to expensive here.