Concise?  Yes

Well reasoned?  Maybe

Accurate?  no.

There's no way to know that people saw E3 and said "screw sony, <3 MS".  Like ioi (The site creator) said, there is a shortage.

Would you like the link to when he said that?

I agree : Sony could have played better with the 80gb release (see MS or the PS3 last year)

I also agree : People dont care about console sale : they dont care if PS3 is outsold by Xbox360.
When u are ready to buy a 400$ console, you just stick with your 400$ console target waiting to get it.

Also, overall, Sony is saving a little money and losing a little momentum in sales

... hard to say if it is good or bad.

Depending on how much 40GB stock is left in distro channels really.

If announcing a discount to retailers was required to move an excess of stock, it probably would have been done. As it stands, retail outlets aren't flooded with soon-to-be-replaced 40GB stock.

While a discount would have been nice for those looking for a cheaper PS3 (new, with manufacturer's warranty, not used), unless it benefits Sony in maintaining profitability, it won't happen until after the 80GB SKU becomes widely available.

Unless a discount on the 40GB would result in a significant bump in sales, which would be short lived anyway due to the limited availability of the SKU, it looks as though Sony would rather reduce losses on hardware instead.

There's no need for special bundles for the 40GB SKU, because they've already stopped leaving the factory. The remaining units really are limited to stock on hand.

Things will pick back up with the availability of the replacement SKU.

Actually, I spotted a Wii at a Wal-Mart here like 1 a.m. and bought it for a co-worker. I have been all over Houston - from South Houston/Webster to Katy (and that's roughly 60 miles with tons of Wal-Marts and other stores between) and I am telling you - the 20gb 360 are vanishing and the PS3s are nowhere to be found. Just my observation in Southern Texas.

You are more likely to find a Wii than a PS3 right now. There are Wii shipments - it's just folks buy them up fast. Not so much with the PS3. See what I am saying?

Actually ...

I know at least 3 folks who were thinking about getting a PS3 who now are getting a 360 because of that game coming. Sometimes, folks will buy a system for a game or two. Smart? Nah. However, it's all about the game selection and exclusity. If I can get the same experience for cheaper, why wouldn't I?

I went to 2 Targets and a Walmart today. The Walmart had 2 MGS4 bundles, but the Targets were sold out.

The tradeoff follows: Sony will have more money now and less money (fewer sales) in the future.  As I outlined earlier in this thread, there are a variety of ways they could have handled this better that would have cost them very little or even nothing as they could have recovered all of their costs associated with upgrading the systems or they could have just stamped a few extra movies as a bonus for getting the 40GB version.

Sony is trading marketshare (and the future) to attain profitability a little sooner or take a slightly lower loss.

Ahh well.

Guess that'll be three less PS3s sold in, hrm, IDK, 18 months or so, when FFXIII finally graces U.S. shores.

Sony will be so hurt.

I definitely haven't seen any in stock in local stores around here.

There weren't any at Wal-mart today, no Wii's either, only a couple 360s.