I am not sure WTF is wrong with Sony, but the miscommunication around the recent price drop announcement is appalling.  Honestly, I could care less about the price drop; I am comfortable with my purchase of my 60GB PS3 for $599.  With that said, a price drop will sell more systems, and more systems, eventually will mean more games.

As of right now, while there is a “price drop” of $100 for the 60GB PS3, apparently Sony has no desire to keep the PS3 at a $499 price point.  If all the rumors are true, the 60GB PS3 is no longer in production, which means that the new 80GB PS3 (due in August), priced at $599, will eventually be the only PS3 available.  So the price drop is really a temporary price reduction or a discount for a discontinued system.  Spin it however you will.

Confused?  Message boards, blogs, and gaming sites are all ripping Sony for not really having a true price cut.  This is somewhat warranted, but then again I think many gamers realize that Sony has thousands (maybe even a few hundred thousand to a million) 60GB PS3 sitting in warehouses, so the strategy is a good way to clear out inventory.  It is also a good strategy to get PS3 systems in the hands of potential buyers that have been holding out for a better deal.  $599 is simply too much for the mass market to absorb, regardless of value (Blu-ray, Bluetooth, HDMI, etc).

I can only assume that Sony plans to drop the price of the 80GB PS3 to $499 once the 60GB PS3 is no longer available, but they cannot show that hand now or the 60GB PS3 systems would stagnate as gamers pick the “better” version (more = better).