At a pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference last night, Sony unveiled the first major redesign for the PlayStation 3 hardware since 2009's "Slim" model: an even thinner "Super Slim" console that the company says is 20 percent lighter and about 25 percent smaller than the current system.
The redesigned console, which had been anticipated due to FCC filings and fuzzy leaked pictures, will come in two configurations in the US: a $270 model with a 250GB hard drive and a copy of Uncharted 3: Game of the Year Edition that will be available September 25, while a $300 model with a 500GB drive and a copy of Assassin's Creed III will be available October 30. Both units will come in "Charcoal Black" and "Classic White" colors.
The redesign represents a slight increase in the pricing floor for the PS3 in the US, which currently starts at $250 for a 160GB system without a packaged game. Sony has yet to announce a version of the new system without a bundled game in the US.
While functionally identical to previous PS3 systems, the Super Slim design weighs just about 4.6 lb (2.1 kg)—less than half the weight of the original, 11 lb PS3—and measures approximately 11.4" × 2.3" × 9" (29 × 6 × 23 cm) at its widest points. The power supply on the new unit has been reduced to 190W, down from 250W on the recent slim models, though it's unclear how much of that power capacity it will actually use while running (previous Slim units tended to run only 120 to 140 Watts when playing a game).
Europeans will be able to buy a 500GB redesigned system on September 28 with one of a number of bundled games for ?299.99. A standalone version with a 12GB flash drive—a first for PS3 hardware—will be available in Europe on October 12 for ?229.99 (prices in the UK will be set by retailers). In Japan, the black systems will be on sale October 4, with the white models available November 22.
