Sony just matched Microsoft on the low end of the price spectrum in the United States. The manufacturer started selling a $200 Slim PlayStation 3 with 12GB of flash memory.
The device is available to purchase right now on Sony’s online store, but it currently lists it as “out of stock,” so it may take a while to ship.
This is the cheapest new PlayStation 3 that Sony has for sale. It also has the smallest storage capacity. The console doesn’t have a standard hard drive. It instead comes with 12GB of storage space in the form of flash memory. That doesn’t mean gamers are stuck with that tiny amount of save space forever. The new Slim system, just like any PlayStation 3, is compatible with Sony hard drives and third-party hard drives.
The $200 price matches the lowest price for Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Consumers can pick up a 4GB Xbox 360 console for $200 from retailers like GameStop.
Both Sony and Microsoft plan to launch their next-gen consoles later this year. The $400 PlayStation 4 and $500 Xbox One will grab many of the headlines, but the older PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 devices should still sell well, especially if they see even deeper discounts during the holiday-shopping season.