Sony Drops PS3 Price To $500, Adds 80 GB Version

Looks like Sony couldn't wait until E3 to lower the PlayStation 3 price. As of Monday, July 9, the 60 GB PS3 console will be priced at $500.

In August, a unit with an 80 GB hard drive and the game Motorstorm packed in will hit shelves for $600.

Also, in today's press release, Sony listed some of the third-party games that are on the way this fiscal year for PlayStation 3, and Rock Band wasn't on the list.

More fuel for the Rock Band Xbox 360 exclusivity conspiracy fire? Quite possibly. Why wouldn't Sony list one of the biggest games ever on their list of PlayStation 3 titles? Again, I'm not saying this confirms anything, but it's just another little head-scratcher.

Here's the full list of announced games:

Throughout the holidays and this fiscal year, more than 120 new first and
third-party software titles will be available for North American PS3 users to
enjoy, in addition to the more than 40 software titles currently available.
Key upcoming first-party titles include Folklore(TM), Heavenly Sword(TM),
LAIR, NBA '08, Ratchet & Clank(R) Future: Tools of Destruction(TM),
SingStar(TM), SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, THE EYE OF JUDGMENT(TM),
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Warhawk(TM).

Numerous third-party titles, including several exclusives, will also be
available such as Devil May Cry(R)IV, Dynasty Warriors(R):GUNDAM(R), Grand
Theft Auto IV, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hellboy, Metal Gear
Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots, Ninja Gaiden Sigma(R), SEGA Rally(R) Revo,
Stranglehold(TM), The Darkness, TimeShift(TM), Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas
and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter(TM) 2.

What do you think? Innocent omission or telling clue? Also, how about that Metal Gear Solid 4, huh? Is that a confirmation of a release this fiscal year (ending in March 2008)? That would be cool.