Sony Better Positions PS3 for Battle With Even Cheaper Price Tag

Gamers in the United States and Canada can now pick up a Sony PlayStation 3 at an even more aggressively lower price: $199.99.

Uncovered by The Verge, perspective users are able to pick up the new low-end version of the console for just $199.99 at their local Best Buy retail store in the United States and Future Shop in Canada.

As compared to the high-end PlayStation 3 bundles, this version of the console is almost identical. Users will be able to play all the latest titles available to other PlayStation 3 users. That being said, unlike the more expensive PlayStation 3 bundles, this device won’t come with two free games. Those looking to purchase the console should also note that this device actually ships with just 12GB of on-board storage out of the box.

While that may be acceptable for some casual users, the PlayStation’s digital games and digital video stores’ emphasis on downloading purchased content could fill that 12GB of storage quickly. Users can add more storage using any USB flash drive, though that flash drive will be specifically formatted for the PlayStation 3 and may not still allow them to transfer files and documents from PCs.

The new price should help Sony to capture more ground with users who aren’t necessarily ready to jump to the company’s PlayStation 4 later this year. At $199, some users may find that the 12GB PlayStation 3 meets their needs and budget way better than the $399 PlayStation 4.

For its part Microsoft has offered a low-end Xbox 360 with flash-storage for some time now. Currently, that console ships in two versions. One version doesn’t include a Kinect motion-sensor inside the box and sells for $199, while a version with Kinect sells for $299. Users are also able to add more storage to this device using USB flash drives. That is likely to have saved many user’s experiences over the past few years.

Read: PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One – Games & Features

That’s because some games like Microsoft’s Halo 4 multiplayer actually have to be installed on the console’s hard drive. Unfortunately, users with 4GB Xbox 360s were left to pick up more storage or not install these kind of experiences at all.

The PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s next-generation entertainment console, the Xbox One, will launch sometime this fall.