Of course the new 80GB is going to increase sales. In fact, it's going to increase them quite a bit.

It will be the first 80GB model to be released in either Europe or Japan. So you can expect to see pretty big spikes in those regions. Europe in particular has been begging for a bigger hard drive since they've been stuck with nothing but the 40GB for almost an entire year now.

A person would have to be moronic to think that PS3 sales won't increase from the new SKU since almost nobody has been purchasing PS3's for the past couple weeks because they're all waiting to get the 80GB for the same price when it's released later this month. Not only that, supply of the 40GB models is being constrained because they're either ending production of them soon or possibly have already stopped producing them.

I'm with seihyouken.

Okay, there isn't a game included, but they were smart enough to add a dualshock (which costs the same as a game over here).

Increased GB + dualshock = bigger sales imho.

At this point, I don't even think it matters. Sony changes their mind so many times on hard drive size, I have lost track of what is what. Didn't they have an 80GB model before and then discontinued it?

The only think that's going to help the PS3 is games.

Maybe not increase, but at least it will stabilize the sales.

Yeh, I think it will increase sales in Europe at the very least. It includes a DS 3 and a larger hard drive, and many people have been waiting for it since its announcement last month

Well, let's look at it from a generic customer standpoint. Erhm, "generic" as in "random person who has 400/500 bucks to spontaneously burn". And unfortunately, there ARE douchebags that fit that decription.

40 gigs? Hmm, not too much. I think I'll hold off for a bit.
Wow, now it's 80 gigs for the same price! That's double what it was before! I'm sold.

By the Christmas season, those things will be way more attractive than last year. It'll definitely increase sales. Maybe not by much, but surely.

giggityninja is right i feel

Dumb question. Of course giving more product for the same price, you'll sell more units. The question is, is the increase enough to make a difference in the console war? I posit no, as the 360 price drop will either destroy the PS3 or not. The change on the PS3 front is insignificant

I kind of agree with Showertea, the effects of the 360 price drop will be much more important. But, that's not to say the new 80 GB wont sell systems. Like Seihyouken said, judging by July sales, it seems like a lot of people are holding off on making a purchase, waiting for the 80 GB for the same money.

Back on topic I think 80GB might help some as it is increased perceived value but I also think them including a HDMI cable would help as it increases value without raising cost so much. In another thought, it might cause some confusion to parents buying it for their kids where they might mistake it for the 80GB model with B.C.