Sony: 40Gb PlayStation 3 Is Your Only Choice

its like sony are in a panic not knowing what to do and each thing they do is wrong which makes them make even bigger errors.

I am a huge PlayStation fan. And I love the PS3, despite not having one yet. It may not be clear to everyone, but some people have not been able to spare the £425 + extras for PS3 yet. Just because I need to pay bills, mortgage, put food on tables, run a car (increasingly difficult each week due to escalating fuel and tax prices), and generally live, and so have not been able to get my PS3 yet... well, all this does not make me any less of a dedicated PS fan. It pisses me right off when people spout s**te like "those that care will have one already"... there are thousands like me who are waiting for the right time to upgrade. Scratch that; were waiting. Sony's removal of PS2 compatibility is a massive kick in the b******s to all those gamers who have built up a library of games, only now to be told that those games are as worthless and pointless as the rumbling function obviously is (I don't think it is, Phil Harrison said it was "last generation" a while ago so it must be true).

Now... well, now I'm actually considering a 360 for the first time. Sony are committing commercial suicide. F**k knows what goes on there but they obviously don't have a clue how to market this beautiful machine, and are going to bury it before it has a chance to truly shine. Why aren't they listening? WHY? Some fool somewhere is getting paid handsomely to make these obviously terrible decisions. I am in utter disbelief at their appalling lack of awareness.

Sony seem to have lost their finger up their arsehole while trying to find the pulse. I'm livid. No way will I ever buy a s**tty 40GB no BC PS3. No way. If that's all that's on the shelves, I'll have to defect to 360. I can't believe I said that, as I can't stand the thing. But I'd rather that than be robbed. Morons. Utter, utter morons. Phil Harrison needs a f**king good kicking.

Bentley.... i......but....you....... i cant beileve what i've just read.....i'm gonna read it again!....

Totally understand how you feel Bentley. What I don't understand is if Sony are in dire straights and want some guidance, why don't they just ask us for feedback and connect with us, instead of cutting us off?

Pushing this 40gb model on us and expecting us to eat it (kind of like parent forcing their child to eat their greens, only difference we don't stand to benefit), is frankly insulting and pigheaded.

The price will tease some, and fairplay to those who want this 40gb model. I just hope they mark clearly on the box NOT PS2 BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE, because people deserve to know. If they don't they, Sony truly are crazy. I hope to god they keep the 60gb option around, but I'm hearing the opposite and that they might eventually phase it out.

If you dare phase out that 60gb with everthing in it in U.K/EU, its game over for you, Sony. A two sku position might work better in your favour, much more so than one. Look and learn from MS.

The thing that really goads is that they say they've been listening to what people want then make announcements like this. I'd really like to meet the Europeans that keep telling them we want to pay the highest prices and have fewer features and give them a smack in the mouth.

Looks like it's Wii or nothing for me, shame.

astonishing. are they that desperate for money that they have to cut out the BC components and funding for BC updates? thats the only reason i can think of for this decision. if they really had looked into what the public want then they mustve been duped into surveying a bunch of MS fanboys because that is f**ked up. not only does BC on the ps3 give you another 5 years + of guaranteed ps2 action on a newer machine but it makes the games more compatible with todays digital displays.

i lied i just thought of another possible reason; maybe they want to stop BC so that in a console or two's time they can start releasing ps2 games as virtual downloads so people will buy them again

even more astonishing than all this though - tyrion, youve had 6 months of fun out of the ps3???!? :P

is this a worldwide change or just something happening in the EU market?

I must agree with tyr here...I'm bemused.

BC doesn't matter to me, in fact, if its not easy (if it required much development effort or cost) I kinda resent it. HOWEVER, by championing BC though the last two generations and now eliminating it in the PS3, Sony is showing their true colors yet again. Once again the best version of the console is the first version. Once again much touted features are dropped or abandoned for cost cutting reasons later in the lifecycle, though this is a bit early.

Those who are waiting for the upcoming triple A PS3 titles will have to grin and bear it. Well, in another thread I did ask: Why buy PS3 now? Answer: You can still get a good one whille they last.

Believe it or not, yep I have.

I mentioned on another thread how I'd played Motorstorm and THP8 since launch, sampled plenty of demos, played PSN download games, etc. and recently Heavenly Sword and Warhawk have been monopolising my time.

And on top of that, I've had a couple of Blu-ray movies to watch and I am looking forward to Planet Earth in November.

I've had more than £75 worth of fun in those six months or so.

TBH the only time I played any PS2 games on my PS3 was to see if it was possible and in order to review God of War II, but I could have reviwed that on my PS2. Nor have I used the card slots. Ironic given that I have the version with both! :-)

It's strange because I honestly don't think Backwards Compatibility is something that people actually use. I mean, I champion BC in Wii and 360 (even though it's gimped) but I hardly ever use it, despite my horde of XBOX and Gamecube games (although Jet Set Radio Future on my 360 AT LONG F*****G LAST = sex).

Despite this, BC is a dealbreaker these days when upgrading to the next console, regardless of this. I find that quite interesting, but it is most likely to do with what Tyrion mentioned about trade-in prices and such like.

Which brings me to a somewhat reasonable conclusion; those people that Sony asked for feedback and research on this new PS3 model must have largely been made up of PS3 owners. I ask so many people who are wanting to buy a PS3 and one of the things they reason is the BC - so they don't lose all their favourite games. When you get the console though you tend to forget about your last-gen games - the BC really just acts as some sort of security blanket against the price of the console I guess.

If that's the case, I really do question why Sony bothered to even approach those who owned a PS3 already to research into their new entry level models. I don't imagine the response to BC being quite so apathetic otherwise.

has no one noticed!!

No BC on new consoles will lead to a rush of people buying the last of the 60Gbs. This will fake the fact they are selling more than Xbox and Wii and sony will suggest this is a contiuning trend.

Sony are hoping this in turn will create more delevopers to releaser games for thier console.

Also they can say now we have killed HD-DVD, as the PS3 is starting to ship loads.

Its a cleaver idea but in turn it is screwing the hardcore gamer. Honestly Sony are showing their true colours.

Me I hope the gaming public notice this stunt and tell Sony to go die and don't buy their console.

The gaming public, while not totally stupid, are at least poorly informed.

Game has already come out and said the price cut is a good thing, so you can expect that there will be a "don't upset sales" mandate sent out from the head office. That will apply to GameStation too, covering most of the specialist stores.

Even if some stores break with orders and tell the public that the 40GB is gimped as regards PS2 games, the public will buy somewhere else where they don't tell them that.

Then you have to consider Wollies, etc and the supermarkets. No advice given there when buying hardware!

People will see PS3 at £299, maybe with a game in an in-store offer, and jump at it. If they notice that their new PS3 won't play PS2 games, will they even care? Did they expect it in the first place?

We are much more informed than is the norm in even the gaming public, most people won't expect it or probably even notice it's not there.

good point berty, it did occur to me whilst talking about it elsewhere that maybe it was just a stunt to sell through the last of the 60gbs which would be good for them in a lot of ways. i wonder wether they will reintroduce a new premium model when theyve induced enough panic to sell the 60gb models, but although its not unknown for big games companies to totally contradict themselves painfully at a later date (MS with HDMI, Sony with Rumble) regardless of whether we see a fancier model down the line it would seem like a notable contradiction for sony to reintroduce BC in the UK after this.

Its clearly what they might see as being clever, but there's something Sony are forgetting.

When PS3 was announced, PS2 BC was also announced, for them to now u-turn on it, they'd have to mark it on the box clearly, NOT COMPATIBLE WITH PS2 GAMES. If they don't do so clearly, or shop staff don't enlighten the buyer, they could surely be done for false advertising, and customers could just as easily be within their rights to return the PS3 and get a refund or upgrade.

Should be interesting to see what Sony do, because if shop staff don't inform the customer, the DTI could step in.

Now that I hear japan are also getting this dirty 40gb, I hope they kick up a fuss there too, because its not acceptable. Problem is this tactic is more likely to work on Lemming like japanese consumers, loyal to all things japan or die.

This is just a mistake.

Im sure when the 60gb stock runs out it will be replaced with more 60gb stock or the 80gb model or some new sku.

If they just drop down to the 40gb in the face of the 360 elite, and just in Europe, then i'll buy a hat and eat it.

BC or no BC i'm not stupid enough to sell a PS2 just because of the PS3, hell i still have my mega drive