In a recent press release, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has announced that it will stop the shipments of both the 20GB and 60GB PlayStation 3 models to its region this month.

The company has decided to shift its focus on selling the 40GB version of the system which will be going for much less than the older PS3 models.

According to SCEJ, this move should "vigorously promote the expansion of the PS3 platform by further concentrating on the 40GB hard disk drive model."

The 40GB PlayStation 3 which does not play PlayStation 2 games and has only two USB ports instead of four was introduced to the market for ¥ 39,980 (about US$ 364).

Now the question stands, will this move by Sony pay off? We guess we'll have to wait and see. The reduced price of the system might encourage more Japan-based gamers to pick up the console though the lack of backwards compatibility might still prove to be an important factor.