No more 20GB PS3?

[stof]

I'd wondered why the cheaper PS3 was so low on itracker, but now this article from PSXextreme.com (and you guys thought adding a Z to vgcharts was a bad name!)

Sony Style Drops 20GB PS3

Sony keeps insisting that the 20GB PS3 model remains in full production, and yet, more and more retailers continue to drop it from their inventory. The latest is Sony Style. According to Joystiq, the store hasn't had any in stock for quite a while, and the 20GB PS3 isn't even listed at SonyStyle.com. And when asked, Joystiq received the following reply:

"We haven't had it in stock for a month ... We're not getting any more. You could maybe go out and find one."

And if you call any of the stores, you'll get a lot of the same responses. While the employees acknowledge that Sony hasn't officially discontinued the model, they simply say they haven't seen any in a "long time." At this point, it appears Sony Style has joined Best Buy - who stopped carrying the lower-end PS3 last month - as places consumers cannot find a 20GB PS3.

Rumors of a new PS3 with an 80GB hard drive continue to fly, especially with the release of the Xbox 360 Elite, and this kind of news only fuels such rumors. Sony's official stance on the matter is that retailers simply order what they need, and Sony provides it. If the store doesn't want any 20GB PS3s, Sony doesn't ship any. But at this rate, what would be the point of keeping it? They lose more money for Sony than the 60GB version, anyway. How many more retailers will drop the lower-end PS3 before Sony pulls the plug?

 

Is Sony really killing off their cheaper version? Unless they cut the price of their premium down to the 20G model, wouldn't this be just plain awful from a sales perspective? I mean sure it would make them more money on each console, but I have to imagine they'd cut a considerable amount out of sales.

 

Or is it all BS and plenty of 20G PS3's are on the way?

Discuss