Nintendo and Sony Announce New Console Models and Price Drops

Gamescom, the biggest gaming event of Europe, is just kicking off today and has already been full of big announcements by the major players of the industry. Still looking to bounce back from the frustration of their network failures earlier this year, Sony announced both a PlayStation 3 price drop and a PSP rerelease yesterday at their conference. Effective immediately, all models of the PlayStation 3 will receive $50 price drops, bringing the 160GB model down to $249 and the 320GB model to $299. Another deal, according to Sony’s official blog, will include a bundle of the 320GB model and a copy of Infamous.

Following up the announcement of the PlayStation Vita handheld system back at E3, Sony also announced a new version of their PSP handheld for European markets. The new model removes WiFi functionality and the UMD Drive in favor of a new glossy finish and a €99 price tag.

Meanwhile, today Nintendo’s big announcements also included a price slash and a system re-release. In response to one of the worst financial years Nintendo has had in quite some time, the Japanese game-makers will be shipping a streamlined re-release of the Nintendo Wii in the European markets that will strip the system of its GameCube compatibility (both discs and controllers) and include a slightly adjusted design and an unspecified price cut in time for the 2011 holiday season.

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