PS3 News

Sony abandons 20GB and 60GB PlayStation 3 in Japan

By Stevie Smith Jan 11, 2008, 9:54 GMT

Japanese consumers losing access to the 20GB and 60GB PlayStation 3. Credit. Sony.

Japanese gamers who have yet to invest in the PlayStation 3 need to get their tech-savvy skates on following news that Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) is to abandon support for the 20GB and 60GB models throughout the region.

The move, which is being implemented by Sony in an attempt to “vigorously promote the expansion of the PS3 platform by further concentrating on the 40GB model” will subsequently leave prospective PlayStation 3 consumers without the option for backward compatibility gaming - a feature not included on the recently launched (Nov 2007) model of Sony’s console.

The final Japanese shipment of 20GB and 60GB PlayStation 3s is scheduled for January of 2008, following which sales of both discontinued models will be strictly limited to whatever stock remains in the retail system.

The 40GB PS3, while missing out on backward compatibility, offers gamers the same core technology “that make PS3 the most advanced high-definition entertainment system,” while also benefiting from lower power consumption than its 20GB and 60GB counterparts.