Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, has announced that the 40GB PlayStation 3 will start selling on November 2 at $399 and the 80GB will now be priced at $499. As well, in a move that is sure to delight Canadian gamers, who once were looking at 80GB PS3 consoles for $699, SCEA has set the prices for both PS3 versions equal to the American prices. "We"re pleased to offer the consumer a lower price point without sacrificing the core technology components that make PS3 the most advanced high-definition entertainment system available. Every PS3 comes with a Blu-ray drive, HDMI output, an integrated Wi-Fi connection, Cell Broadband Engine and a built-in hard-drive," said Tretton.
The 40GB PlayStation will be equipped with two fewer USB ports and no memory card reader, which are available on the 80GB model, as a further cost-reducing measure. Each 40GB PS3 will come bundled with the movie Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Only in Japan, however, the Spider-Man 3 promotion applies to new PS3 purchases of the 20, 40 and 60GB hardware. SCEA was not shy to reveal that new 40GB PS3 will no longer play PlayStation 2 titles, and explained that the new model is "reflecting the availability of a more extensive line-up of PS3 specific titles." Sony urged consumers looking for backwards compatibility to "take advantage of the limited PlayStation 2 backwards compatibility of the 80GB PS3."