"Say what you will about Microsoft's multiple SKU's of the 360, but at least they have been designed to ADD functionality, rather than remove it"

So in the end there are also 4 different SKU's ( no wait, Core will be replaced by Arcade, but those Cores are still on the shelf, that will make it 5 )

And adding functionality in newer versions isn't any smarter, developers are still restricted by the capabilities of the lowest denominator: the Core.

Right now Sony is listening to the demand for a cheaper PS3, the demand for BC is a lot less then in the beginning because there are more PS3 games at the moment, and only more to come.
If you want to play PS2 games, get a PS2-console and you'll be 100% "backward comapitable"

£300 for a PS3 is not too bad although I think the £350 pack is much better value as you often get 2 games included.

As for me purchasing one, currently no chance, there is not 1 game I'd currently want to play. 

The stores where I live remind me of what they looked like last Christmas right now.

Signs with 'Wii's out of stock' or 'more coming soon' and stacks of PS3s in store doorways and windows with large hand written signs stating deals and their prices.

This currently goes for all my local Woolworths, game, gamestation, Currys digital, Virgin, Blockbusters and HMV.

I am a nintendo fan but am VERY SURPRISED this is the current situation

I also see Wiis selling for £250-£300 on ebay.

A couple of weeks ago i noticed a few used ps3's for sale in my local gamestop. You can definitely get used 360's but i think it demonstrates the year that sony is having. As for before about the hdmi cables, i just checked upon komplett and you can get them for 25 euro (about 32 dollars) which is a lot cheaper than 40.

So apologies, but my friend did pay 40 for his cables. Everything is a little more expensive in europe (especially ireland). Sonys problem when is that when it brings out a expensive system for the rest of the world it ends up VERY expensive in europe.

The 610 dollar ps3 or 400 euro one should stop the christmas being an absolute disaster for sony but it will still be a tough one. Well have to wait till next year to see what happens, especially with all the new games coming out.

Actually it's 519 euro for the 60GB at the moment.

You can check Argos: http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ArgosBrowseCounts?langId=-1&storeId=30001&identifier=9009856

It's 449 euro for the 40GB at Argos for some reason, while it's only 400 euro at Game.

Also, I got my HDMI cables for only 14.99 euro.

The best Playstation 3 is the 60 GB one. It has the Emotion Engine. The 80 GB Playstation 3 does not have the Emotion Engine. The extra 20 GB is not equivilent to the removal of the Emotion Engine. The 60 GB Playstation 3, is also, obviously, better than the 20 GB Playstation 3, and the 40 GB Playstation 3, making it the best Playstation 3 out there. The 80 GB takes second place. The 20 GB takes third, beating the 40 GB, only because it also has the Emotion Engine, and the 40 GB comes last.

@a.l.e.x59:

The European 60GB PS3 does not have the Emotion Engine. No Euro PS3 does.

I stand corrected. I find it hard to keep up with all of the SKU's and their changing prices. I still think it is a scandal, that after paying so much for a console you have to essentially pay extra for an essential component. (Bad form). The prices i got are from komplete and are correct but i understand if you found cheaper ones. It is essentially a 500 euro console after buying one or two games and buying the hdmi cables.

I expect there to be a boost in sales with the 400 euro console, and i have seen it advertised on tv as well. But when it comes to christmas, it still really isn't in a contesting position with the wii and the 360. Some more compeditive pricing and some more games, along with a few killer and then sony will start to enter the fight.

 I don't know if in the long run the late entry into a truly compeditive position will be a hinderence to the ps3 but it seems that sony has at the very least brought into question sony's dominance in the games market, and at the worst, put the ps3 into a position of beign the third console, and given it a stigma that it just cannot shake.

One thing i would like to see from sony is them actually advertising the games. Looking at the console, or some absract shite makes no difference to me or anyone watching. People want to get exciting about games. I imagine that sometime around april or may next year, the ps3 will start to be in a compeditive position.

I was talking about the North American one.

I know i'll personally buy the 40GB version but not until I can name 10 games thats been released I want to play first and as I already own a Wii and 360 then that could take a while.

expecting to buy one first quarter next year.