Sony has unveiled the widely rumoured PS3 Slim console at its Gamescom press conference in Germany.The new charcoal black unit will sport a 120GB HDD and be available from September 1, 2009, in North America, Europe/PAL territories and Asian countries, and in Japan on September 3. It will retail for £249, €299, $299 dollars and 29,980 yen.
"The internal design architecture of the new PS3 system, from the main semiconductors and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism, has been completely redesigned, achieving a much slimmer and lighter body," said SCE. "Compared to the very first PS3 model with 60GB HDD, the internal volume as well as its thickness and weight are trimmed down to approximately two-thirds. Furthermore, power consumption is also cut to two-thirds, helping to reduce fan noise."
SCE will also reduce the price of the current 80GB PS3 by $100 to a RRP of $299 from August 18 and £249/€299 from August 19. Also in North America, the price of the 160GB PS3 will be reduced to a RRP of $399 from August 18.