Expect these kind of things to be a cooperation between Wallmart and Sony, so they probably both pay part of the $100.

@Aprisaiden
Other way around, Konami pays Sony $7 per MGS4 game sold ;) Check the link in posted in the news article about MGS4's 1.3million unit debut.

Also, the thing is about PS3's costs of production. NO ONE knows the actual figures. All the numbers are speculation from analysts. Of course you can estimate the costs given the loss of the games devision but for all we know it could be factored by investments into new games. All in all, there is a way for both companies to make money or else walmart wouldnt be offering it now would they ;) ?

Sony don't make profits from anything PS3 related. They decided that the only profits they want this gen is from movie royalties.

Just kidding.

Or maybe Wal-Mart did that on all Blu-Ray players so that they could sell more Blu-Ray movies?

Why do people read so much into stuff nowadays? I could see if only PS3s were on sale, but every Blu-ray player was on sale. How in the hell does that have to only do with Sony?

 I just called my older bro and he said its true. So time to buy these things and slang them on ebay?

Well the fact that the PS3 was part of the deal is a bit odd. I think that's why some people were reading stuff into it.

Wal-mart makes a hefty profit on Blu-ray players. But breaks even on PS3s.

So it's a bit odd they also lower the price of PS3s and taking a loss along with that, instead of just blu-ray players. You gotta think some people who would of bought a cheap standalone bought a PS3 instead.

Though i think it was just a matter of them having too many PS3s as well.  It's not an unreasonable thing to think though. 

You'd only be able to flip one. I'd just get one to keep if I went that route. Which I would if money weren't so damn tight. I mean who knows when PS3's will be this cheap again.

The devaluation of the dollar sure ain't gonna help spur on price cuts.

I am sure Wal Mart profits. It reminds lapsed shoppers to shop at Wal Mart again for another 6 months, and while they are there they will buy other things. Also Gift Cards are easy to lose.
I would imagine Sony is taking a loss on the MGS4 bundles, but I doubt its more than a $20 loss on each bundle sold. Once they person buying the bundle buys a few games they make it up. Sony's huge deficit comes last year when they sol $600 PS3 at a $200 loss and the $400 PS3's last year at a $300 loss. Sony needs to get more systems sold- which is exactly what the bundle is doing. BTW my loss $ are just guestimates, someone else might know exactly, so if I am corrected they are going to be correct.

The point isn't profit, but saturating the market with a format in hope of Blu-Ray someday becoming profitable. But right now there is no arguing that Sony took a hideous loss on this deal.

As for the MGS4 bundle.

Take a 80GB SKU, make it more expensive by putting in full backward compatibility, then put in a $70 game as a loss to the SKU. Do you really think Sony is making money off that? Again, the point is not to sell the PS3 at a profit, but to just sell it period.

Except Sony lost money last quarter.

PS3 almost definitly loses Sony a LOT more then 20 dollars a piece.

The bundle definitly is costing them way more.

MGS4 alone likely costs more... as you'd assume Sony bought the games to bundle.