Industry nose-tappers in Japan are suggesting that Sony will phase out both the 60GB and 20GB PS3 consoles in the territory – but not before a price drop.

Enterbrain’s chief marketing analyst Mitsunobu Uwatoko revealed to MCV that, following the PS3’s price cut in the US and the introduction of the 80GB version, the Japanese industry is expecting a similar move in the territory – despite the fact that Sony has instead chosen to introduce a bundle similar to the European pack.

“The $100 price cut with the 20GB upgrade in the US was not really surprising, as there have been rumours, given that the PS3 has been struggling. It’s like the time has come,” said Uwatoko. “In Japan too, PS3’s HDD will perhaps be much bigger. And nobody thinks that the 60GB or the 20GB will last much longer.”

However, Enterbrain’s latest figures show that the Sony console sold some 503,554 units in the first half of the year – some way off the 1,775,005 Wii sales in the same period, but still ahead of Xbox 360 H1 sales of 122,565.