Price cuts in the U.K. of the PlayStation 3 160GB SKU have spurred rumours this week that Sony is clearing shelves to phase out that particular model, but the company claims that it’s just aggressive pricing by retailers.
Demand of the 160GB SKU at GAME, who has priced the console at just £159.99 – £90 less than the RRP – has exceeded supply and the website now lists the PS3 as out of stock. Play.com has also slashed the price of this particular model by £50 to £199.00. Stock is still available.
Prompted by the rumour that Sony is phasing out the 160GB model, a Sony spokesperson told MCV: "Retail are currently being very aggressive with the price of the 160GB model to the obvious advantage of consumers."
"This means demand is currently high and in some areas, stock is lower than we’d like. That said, we will be addressing this with additional shipments in the very near future."
It’s also rumoured that Sony plans to cut the price of the PS3 Slim to coincide with GamesCom, which kicks off on August 17, 2011.