TGS 06: 20GB PS3 to have HDMI, cost 49,980 yen

[UPDATE] Following his 2006 Tokyo Game Show keynote address, Ken Kutaragi reveals the low-end PlayStation 3 will now have a high-end A/V output--and go for around $429.

TOKYO--After Sony's press conference, Ken Kutaragi held a small question-and-answer session with the press to talk about the company's future, and specifically the PlayStation 3. During it, the president of Sony Computer Entertainment dropped several new details about the lower-end model of the next-gen console--details that were curiously not mentioned during the conference itself.

Speaking to reporters, Kutaragi almost casually mentioned that the 20GB PS3 will now have a high-definition multimedia interface port for high-definition video output. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006, Sony irritated many by announcing only the higher-end 60GB model of the console would have an HDMI port. The previous year, there had been only one PS3 model with two HDMI ports for so-called "super-letterbox" display on side-by-side HDTVs. Kutaragi did not specify any territories for the 20GB PS3, but it would presumably be for the worldwide form factor.

[UPDATE] Secondly, Kutaragi announced the Japanese pricing for the 20GB PS3, which will go for 49,980 yen (circa $429) when it hits stores in Japan on November 11. That’s around 10,000 yen (approx. $85) less than its prior price, which was around 60,000 yen (about $515). It's also $70 less than the lower-end model's $499 sticker price when it hits US shores the following week. However, no price drop for any other territory was announced at the event.

The higher-end PS3 will go for a set $599 stateside, but it will carry an "open price" in Japan--meaning retailers can charge whatever price they like. Given that there will be only 100,000 units available on day one in the country, that price is likely to be quite high.

Speaking through a translator, Kutaragi also reiterated the "big picture" statements he delivered during the conference. His feeling was that his full vision for the PS3 would be realized within the next three to five years. He also stated that his stress on bringing the console online via the PlayStation Network Platform is to create an environment that will encourage users to become involved in the PS3 community.

Kutaragi was also apologetic about the PS3's delay and said that the company's "new approaches and ways" have caused delays in mass production, but they're being overcome.

278 Comments

  • Reetesh

    Posted Dec 2, 2006 8:40 am GMT

    Now the Only Reason to get a Higher END One Is the Wifi and MemCard reading Features.

  • V-Nine

    Posted Nov 10, 2006 5:05 pm GMT

    After lecturing MS about alienating cutomers due to a lack of a HDD on the lower system, Sony better had added that HDMI port other wise they'd be doing the same because of that de-resolution security thing that happens when said port is missing or not in use blah blah(technobabble). Good job Sony. I would have paid extra if they would have added that second HDMI port and had content that supported it. Guess it was to hot an idea for sony to handle...sigh.

  • turja52

    Posted Sep 27, 2006 2:30 pm GMT

    i wanna say something about the comments of casmar82 about blue ray. Its a dead format he thinks. very funny dude. All the big names and small names have joined the blue ray camp.HD DVD is the lone ranger. hd dvd got only canal video or something like that which ive never even heard of. Ok, u hate sony, at least be realistic. Next gen games are HD, obviously u need higher capacity format. Did anyone thing about games of 8/9 gig in the playstation 1 era? Microsoft and nintendo will become mere dinosours when the whole world will turne to HD.

  • rarson

    Posted Sep 27, 2006 9:07 am GMT

    Sony isn't allowing pre-orders on the PS3.

  • daddo-splat

    Posted Sep 27, 2006 8:56 am GMT

    gamestop suggested october for presale they dont want a repeat of last years 360 they want firm launch numbers so every presale order is filled. once thier gone good luck. How many will camp for this in the cold!
    hey casmar82 Bluray movies will play in hd thru component and hdmi out of the box. Studios have the ability to make the movies thru software to run in 540p if its not thru a hdmi port. but sony states that wont happen for at least a couple years and its the individual studios who choose to use this feature or not. ALL BLURAY MOVIES WILL WORK IN 1080i thru component input on a hdtv that recieves these signals. for now. but maybe not for long

  • rarson

    Posted Sep 27, 2006 8:51 am GMT

    casmar82, you forgot DVD+R, SACD, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick Duo.

  • bgres077

    Posted Sep 26, 2006 6:06 pm GMT

    inferno394... i'd guess one.

  • n2Deepeth

    Posted Sep 26, 2006 2:29 pm GMT

    Open price = $1000+ for a lot of those units.

  • inferno394

    Posted Sep 26, 2006 12:22 pm GMT

    Does anyone know if a controller comes with the system?

  • donkin360

    Posted Sep 26, 2006 10:30 am GMT

    when will pre-orders start for the ps3?

  • AdMordem

    Posted Sep 25, 2006 8:51 am GMT

    Right On casmar82
    i think myself sony make it quite clear they are a hardware company in it to sell hardware and MS have soooo proved that they are a software company who are interested in the software (In this case that is our Oh So Precious Games!!!!!!!) .... anyone can make a friggen xbox360 game for like $75 now! did you hear me???

    ANYONE!!!!!

    ok .. i've vented now.. goodnight

  • KickinIt_ftw

    Posted Sep 25, 2006 8:35 am GMT

    @dan_brouwer
    "Hey aronnyc

    You said "Nintendo seems to have a better track record at launching products", which isnt true. The Gamecube's launch lineup was smaller than promised, and due to poor sales of third party titles, discouraged third party companies support. The nintendo 64 got its butt handed to it (in sales) by the playstation one. Does nintendo really have a better track record? Sure they do well with handhelds, but there isnt much other competition out there in that area."

    Good thing Nintendo's launch history goes back a bit more than two system generations. The NES and SNES launches went pretty well*. Regarding the current gen launch, the score atm is Wii: 101 announced titles, PS3: 33.

    * "pretty well" can be measured by number of products that Nintendo managed to choke out during that time period. Ex: Atari [all products], Sega [Master system], NEC[TurboGraphix 16], SNK [NEO-GEO], Magnavox [3DO], Phillips [CD-i], et. al)

  • casmar82

    Posted Sep 24, 2006 3:52 pm GMT

    Sony is finally crashing down, The only reason they put HDMI on the 20GB version is very clear, since Blu-Ray movies are encoded with a piracy system that only lets people watch them in 1080p with the HDMI and nothing else. I was really excited last year at E3 when sony announced the PS3 with its Blu-Ray and ability to play games on the Dual HDMI support piff yeah in your dreams, unfortunatly they have gone and srewed them selfs big time. Blu-Ray is not necessary the reason they added the stupid drive was to win a format war incase manny of dont know this. Beta, Mini Disc, Atrac3, UMD(Movies), and now Blu-Ray hummm let's see yeah I think it's going to be another dead format from sony. Do we really need 50GB for a game nope, why? well like everyone out there says and I back them on this is called "compression" that's when you get a big file (EX: 100MB=35MB) and make it smaller. But you need this for HD games? Not really 360 has HD games and they use DVD's wich max out at 9GB plus it's cheaper wich one thing we have not heard from sony are game prices if at 59.99 that alone $15-20 is for the disc itself. I mean look at Gears Of War that is not using Blu-Ray disc's but it looks bad @$$ wich again is based on compression. That's the reason why PS3 games may load faster is because they don't use compression. So that's my 2 cents hopefully I could get one at launch so I can re sell for some sucker and buy games and accessories for my Wii.

  • 24dude13

    Posted Sep 24, 2006 7:01 am GMT

    If I can afford it I will buy it because I got and hdtv

  • Sam_Lowery

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 11:44 pm GMT

    "they're going to make most of their money by ripping off their Japanese customers who, like a lot of Americans, will pay anything they can to get the hottest gaming system on the market. However, that's illegal in America."

    Yea, but anybody that wants to make some money can just buy one and sell it on ebay for twice the price.

  • rarson

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 8:49 pm GMT

    Well Nintendo certainly is seemingly turning itself around on this Wii launch. I just hope the hype doesn't get too high...

    The only good thing is, that controller must be working pretty damn well for Nintendo to bet the farm on it. As long as it works as well as they make it seem, then I'll be happy to buy one.

    I really think Sony is just doing this to get a few more Blu-Ray players out there in the Japanese public.

  • Settawuth

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 8:14 pm GMT

    nice and good

  • darkxinos

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 4:52 pm GMT

    Cheaper version getting HDMI is a smart move..

  • dan_brouwer

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 3:21 pm GMT

    Hey aronnyc

    You said "Nintendo seems to have a better track record at launching products", which isnt true. The Gamecube's launch lineup was smaller than promised, and due to poor sales of third party titles, discouraged third party companies support. The nintendo 64 got its butt handed to it (in sales) by the playstation one. Does nintendo really have a better track record? Sure they do well with handhelds, but there isnt much other competition out there in that area.

  • -L-U-I-S-

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 2:09 pm GMT

    60 GB model will eventually get a price drop too and maybe even a little upgrade...hopefully

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 11:27 am GMT

    Price drop before even selling one PS-3!
    But but teh 360 is for cheap people!
    Cow logic and Sony's Damage Control FTW!!
    This should've been done before.......

  • BYS2

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 11:13 am GMT

    nice... price drop always good

  • aronnyc

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 7:15 am GMT

    The real winner is Wii, though, isn't it? By side-stepping all this testosterone-filled hardware talk, thinking outside the box, giving affordable pricing and actually promising a gaming experience that might appeal to non-gamers, they're really coming across as the lead. Not that they may necessarily sell more or anything, but at least their image will come out well. It's marketing 101.

    I'm not a fanboy or anything. I don't care who comes out on top and I'll probably buy all three at some point. But right now, given that Nintendo seems to have a better track record at launching products, I'm gonna go for the Wii instead of the PS3. Unfortunately, should anything go wrong with the first wave of PS3's, it'll be those dedicated fans who bear the brunt of the burden.

    My guess is that I'm not the only person who've decided to switch from buying a PS3 to a Wii in November. Sony must know this.

  • dn3datomiced

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 3:47 am GMT

    Well, they can do this because they're selling the higher-end model for whatever the retailers want in Japan. That means they're going to make most of their money by ripping off their Japanese customers who, like a lot of Americans, will pay anything they can to get the hottest gaming system on the market. However, that's illegal in America.

  • ftjx

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 2:17 am GMT

    This is the first positive news to come out of sony in a very long time and they should be applauded for that, so thumbs up Sony!

  • MBrahv23

    Posted Sep 23, 2006 1:41 am GMT

    Unless you live in Japan...you should probably add a leg...and an arm to that list my friend.


    "Oh goody, now instead of selling a kidney and a lung to get the money I can just sell a kidney. Thanks, Sony!"

  • rarson

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 9:04 pm GMT

    "Sony has always shown more "care" and "respect" towards it's Japan base over us yet we keep supporting them more and more in sale$???"

    100,000 units at launch is pitiful. Of course, Sony knows that the Japanese are going to buy PS3's for Blu-Ray movies and not games, which is probably why they decided to add the HDMI and lower the price a bit... sweeten the deal even more for those crazy people that just have to have a "cheap Blu-Ray player."

    "Well that didn't take long, perhaps pressure from the Wii is building higher in Japan then they thought it would, because it sure as heck aint coming from the 360."

    Actually, you got that backwards. It IS coming from the 360, as Sony and Nintendo have already both stated that they aren't even competing with each other with the huge price gap. Notice that Sony hasn't been bashing the Wii at all, yet takes every chance they can to one-up Microsoft.

    The fact of the matter is that the 360 and the PS3 are pretty evenly matched. The only "advantage" the PS3 has is Blu-Ray, and it's actually not an advantage at all for games. I mean, look how third parties took to the higher publishing costs back in the days of the Nintendo64...

  • Valen_Ca

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 8:59 pm GMT

    That's only in Japan Riverwolf007 , at least so far.

  • Riverwolf007

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 8:32 pm GMT

    Wow did you catch the bit about retailers being able to charge whatever they want for the 80k 60gig versions that will come out in japan, thats going to be ugly. Remember sony already said only 20% will be the 20gig version and the other 80% will have "open pricing".

  • Kravyn81

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 8:07 pm GMT

    Oh goody, now instead of selling a kidney and a lung to get the money I can just sell a kidney. Thanks, Sony!

  • _Sam_

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 6:57 pm GMT

    open price" in Japan thankfully not the us

  • Valen_Ca

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 6:55 pm GMT

    Well that didn't take long, perhaps pressure from the Wii is building higher in Japan then they thought it would, because it sure as heck aint coming from the 360.
    I wonder if the price will be rolled back in North America as well?

  • djsaskdja

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 6:50 pm GMT

    Wow if sony was already losing money on every ps3 sold before the price drop they are really gonna suffer now and no I'm not a fanboy bashing the ps3 I'm just making a point. I'd probably buy a ps3 if I had an extra 600 dollars lying around but I don't so I'll stick with my 360 at least for now.

  • dwoop

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 6:40 pm GMT

    Sony has always shown more "care" and "respect" towards it's Japan base over us yet we keep supporting them more and more in sale$???


    Quick lesson: The way to get them to listen is your "buying" power or choosing "not" to buy at their prices...

  • rarson

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 5:54 pm GMT

    Ugh. Sony really hates it's stockholders. The bad news just keeps coming!

    They obviously don't know what they're doing with this launch. Oddly enough, if I could get a PS3 like that for $430, I might actually buy one on launch day! It's unfortunate that Sony hasn't seen the potential impact this could have on the US launch.

  • jedimas64

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 3:37 pm GMT

    yeah,read before posting

  • MBrahv23

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 3:29 pm GMT

    The price drop is not for the USA..nor will it be in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, because the price only dropped in Japan (or did it in the UK too..I forget) it will do little to affect the XBOX 360 here or there as MS also dropped the price of their console in Japan as well (and before the PS3 did, which is ironically the reason you're seeing a PS3 price drop). Research is your friend.

    "This is what everyone wanted to hear before the best next-gen game system came out. Dropping the price of the Playstation 3 is the best thing Sony could have done or else they would of went bankrupt. Everyone knows now that the 360 has no chance at competing with the ps3 now only because of the price drop."

  • fraudbot

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 3:11 pm GMT

    right here bud......that isn't saying anything

  • Riadon

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 2:48 pm GMT

    weres all the xbox fanboys now? huh

  • LegionOSH

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 2:42 pm GMT

    Primenova

    To the best of my knowledge the difference will be A) the card reader B) Wi-Fi and C) the 60GB HD..

    Oh, and the silver trim on the premium version... ;-)

    Here is the specs page : http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/specs.html

    Kevin
    legionosh@msn.com

  • moocow21

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 2:34 pm GMT

    If the price drop makes it to the US too, I may get one. That's a great move by Sony.

  • wyndall2004

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 2:27 pm GMT

    Let's wait and see. Nothing is played yet...

  • Primenova

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 2:25 pm GMT

    Except for hard drive size, does this meanthat there is no more difference between the two models? I forget what the exact number type of ports for the PS3 models are. I knew about HD space and the (former) lack of HDMI port for the 20 GB model. If there are no differences, and the price drop comes stateside, too, then I might be able to afford a PS3 after all . . .

  • LegionOSH

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 2:25 pm GMT

    bigcm769
    ***I wish all the x-box fanatics would stay on the xbox page and let the ps3 fans talk about this PS3 news!!!!!!!****

    Big difference between "fanatic" and fanboy my friend. At least most of what you call "fanatics" try to use reasoning, logic and make sensical statements.

    Not everybody bashes blindly, and not everyone follows blindly..

    Which one are you?

    Kevin

    legionosh@msn.com

  • jon1233

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 2:22 pm GMT

    The price drop will not happen stateside, though it is about time Kutaragi and Sony ate some humble pie. Cannot wait for them to devour the whole thing when the PS3 comes out. DEATHGIVERX
    Just like Assasins Creed won't come to the 360? Not announcing it means very little...

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