No More 20 GB PS3 in North America

You may recall an article I wrote earlier last month about Sony not giving up on the 20 GB model, Wi-Fi free PS3. Yeah...it's still doing bad. In fact it's doing so bad that Sony's pulling it out. Retailers all across North America have received word from the company that they'll be getting the 60 GB PS3 only from now on. Not that they mind - Sony shows figures of 10-to-1 retailer demand for the 60 GB SKU. This is what prompted the move, as 1UP says.

In March, Sony was still confident in regards to the less featured PS3: "The type of model found in stores is completely up to what the retailer orders, so if they don't see a big demand for a particular SKU, they simply don't order it from us. We continue to manufacture both," said Sony's David Karraker. But things have changed since. Today, Sony has dropped the 20 GB PS3 ($499) for good, as the same SCEA senior director of corporate communications Dave Karraker states:

"At launch, we offered two separate models of PlayStation3 to meet the diverse needs and interests of our PlayStation fan base. Initial retail demand in North America was upwards of ninety percent in favor of the 60GB SKU, so we manufactured and shipped-in accordingly. Due to the overwhelming demand for the 60GB model from both retailers and consumers, we have ceased offering the 20GB model here in North America."

Where's all that confidence now? Sony was sure of retailers beginning to order 20 GB SKUs less than a month ago, but now they're pulling them out. My guess is that they already knew the 20 GB PS3 was history, but Sony didn't want to admit it. Isn't it funny though? Microsoft's just releasing the Elite while Sony is pulling out the 20GB PS3. Any doubts on who's winning this generation's console wars?