Oct 18, 2007
Sony Computer Entertainment America President Jack Tretton has confirmed that the company will launch an entry-level 40GB PlayStation 3 in the US, while slashing the price of the existing 80GB model.
A $400, 40GB PS3 will launch Stateside on November 2, in time for the crucial holiday sales period, while the price of the 80GB PS3 will be cut by about 17 percent from $600 to $500.
SCEA president Tretton confirmed the long-running rumors in an interview with Reuters, also noting that as in Europe and Japan, the new 40GB PS3 will not be backwards-compatible with PlayStation 2 titles.
"We're choosing to focus on the PlayStation 2 consumer with the PlayStation 2, which remains incredibly relevant, and focus on the PlayStation 3 consumer with the new 40GB model and the great software coming out," Tretton said.
"Backward compatibility is a nice secondary consideration, but it's far from the number-one priority," he added.
"I think the educational curve is starting to be broached with the general consumer," he suggested, when asked how he thought the console would perform during the remainder of the year.
It is unclear whether US consumers will have the option to purchase the ceramic white 40GB PS3 that is set to be released in Japan alongside a standard black version on November 11.
Courtesy of CVG
