Sony will reportedly begin shipping a new PlayStation 3 bundle to Target stores starting on March 29th, set to include an 80GB console along with what are now Greatest Hits; the original MotorStorm racing game and Resistance: Fall of Man shoot 'em up. MotorStorm dates back to March of 2007 and was bundled on its own with a PS3, while Resistance is even older, having launched in November of 2006. The bundle is perceived to be a weak attempt to make the system more appealing by adding value to it, as Sony still refuses to discount, despite current economic conditions and lower-priced Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii rivals.

Sony says it's sticking to a set price for the system because, despite reduced costs of manufacturing the systems, it is still losing money on every system sold, largely because of the integrated Blu-ray drive. At least one analyst believes Sony needs to cut about $100 from the price of the system to be competitive and forecast an imminent price-drop from Sony last month, which has yet to materialize.

Meantime, the item number for the new bundle, which could turn out to be a Target-exclusive offering, is 207-23-0009 and prices will remain fixed at $399. [via Jostiq]