Sony announces a new PS3 model, 25% lighter, 20% smaller
Sony just announced during the Tokyo Game Show that a new Playstation 3 model is coming. This model will be 20% lighter and 25% smaller than the current slim models, and basically half of the size/weight of the original Phat models . Screenshots below.
The device will be available very soon: 9/25 in the US, 9/28 in Europe, and 10/4 in Japan. Both Black and White colors will be available, and the Hard drive is getting a boost up to 500GB, although the prices seem to not want to get down with this new model (but potentially the prices of Slim and Phat PS3s will go down now).
It also seems Europe will be seeing an exclusive model where the 500GB hard drive gets replaced by a 12GB Flash memory unit (other countries will probably follow). I am not too sure why Europe would be first on this one, possibly because Europe is not doing so great in digital sales maybe? 32GB would have felt less cheap though, didn’t Sony read my rant about the size of their cards?
Full press release:
TOKYO, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that a new PlayStation®3(PS3®) computer entertainment system (body color: charcoal black / classic white*1), featuring a new design and a downsized form factor, will become available worldwide this holiday season. The new PS3 will come in 3 models including extended built in Hard Disk Drive (HDD) capacity of 500GB model and 250GB model, and a newly added 12GB flash memory model initially for Europe only. Availability of models, prices and launch dates of the new PS3 system in each region are as follows.
Thanks to a complete redesign of the internal architecture, the volume and weight of the new PS3 has been reduced by more than half compared to the very first PS3 model with a 60GB HDD, and by 20% and 25% respectively compared to the current PS3. By adopting a sliding disk cover, the new PS3 continues with the characteristic sleek curved body design, which fits various places in the home and enables users to enjoy an array of entertainment content.
With the extra HDD capacity which has been extended from 320GB and 160GB, users can store and enjoy more and more entertainment content including games, music, photos, and video on the new PS3. In addition, the new PS3 with 12GB flash memory offers opportunities to experience the world of PlayStation® at an affordable price point. Users can also expand the storage capacity of the 12GB flash memory PS3 by connecting a dedicated HDD (250GB) to be released concurrently with the new model5. In addition, a variety of accessories will be introduced by SCE to meet various kinds of needs from users including a vertical stand that offers more flexibility in how the new PS3 can be displayed*6.
Since the launch of PS3 in November 2006, the number of BD-based titles has reached more than 3,300 titles and more than 4,100*7 downloadable PS3 games are available worldwide, thanks to support from a broad range of third party developers and publishers. In addition to this extensive software title line-up, exciting and attractive new titles are to be released from third party developers and publishers as well as SCE Worldwide Studios, including Assassin’s Creed III (Ubisoft Entertainment.), Call of Duty Black Ops 2 (Activision Publishing, Inc.), Madden NFL 13 (Electronic Arts Inc.), PlayStation® All-Stars Battle Royale, LittleBigPlanet Karting, God of War: Ascension (Sony Computer Entertainment), and more.
SCE will further accelerate the expansion of the PS3 platform which is in the 7th year of its lifecycle, by continually releasing a vast library of exciting and attractive software titles and offering users a choice from a variety of hardware models.
*1
The new PS3 in classic white will become available in Japan from November. Other regions and countries will follow this
*2
Only PS3 system bundled with software title will become available.
*3
Prices will vary by country across Europe.
*4
PS3 with flash memory 12GB will be sold in Europe and Hong Kong
*5
When using dedicated HDD, flash memory cannot be used as inner storage
*6
Users will need to use the separately sold “Vertical Stand” to set the new PS3 in vertical position.
*7
Includes PS one® classics and free of charge content (downloadable demos).
How do you like that new design? I think it looks pretty cool!
Source Playstation blog
I like the new design. but I don’t understand why they spend time and money on a “new” ps3. Maybe it’s easier and cheaper for them to produce.
Happy i got my slim. Nice and in between :]
500gb WOOT
Now i have the fat original with 80gb HDD which isn’t enough.
Looks really cool.
“Prices will vary by country across Europe.” That’s bad. So price will be something around 300€ in Finland.
you know, you can upgrade the ps3 hdd without any loss of warranty or any other expensive adapter.
US price would lean me towards the $300 model. $30 more for an extra 250GB? Not bad…
But that 12GB model in Europe? I’m sure you can find a 1TB HDD with the 70 euros you just saved.
last time i took hdd out of the phat ps3 it wiped that hdd clean nothing found in it or hidden in it
Well, you can’t spell $ony without $
If then console is going to be released then maybe no new console next year probably until 2014 no point in making this if a new will be out next year.
looks like a chopping board to me.
100% uglier
I agree with you, this PS3 model with ridge’s make it look horrible
Then cover it with well ventilated box.
Every PS3 is fairly ugly IMHO.
why?
hack for this new board or no i dont know much about hack sony ps3 iam user of xbox 360 but iam interesting in buy one of this i want 12gb and put in 1TB
wow now Sony beat there record, release a phat, then a slim and now an “ultra” slim!! don’t they realize consumers will stop trusting them and won’t buy a device early on for fear of it being superseded (thats my main concern with the Vita next to it having no games). What are Sony doing, copying Apple now, lets make it a bit smaller and a bigger hard disk (in apples case a screen) and then flog it on! least they aren’t charging twice as much like Apple would!
whats the point? I can see why they did phat to slim especially when they decreased the NM of the CPU and RSX as well improving cooling etc… to prevent YLOD but adding another PS3 to the mix this late on is just being greedy!
Plus the phat was huge!! although style wise its silver and shiny black does look much better than the current slim does, and it looks like some of that style might be back in the ultra slim.
this one looks like a car amplifier o.o and it seems they`re following the same routine like apple buy this model and next year buy the one that is slimmer and lighter …
1º-is a home console … why we need a lighter model Again ? maybe the table would be broken apart by the other model of ps3 xDDD hahaha….
2º- it do the same thing like any other PS3 (omiting retrocompatibility of the First Models…)
3º- it would be better a Price drop and Ps3`s with less capacity using instead of renew all the hardware a SSD of 12GB or something on the slim version >.>
4º-surely the components are cheaper so who knows what quality are inside the hood
well …. instead of making that nonsense changes they need to do something with the vita because is a waste of hardware without software …
sorry for bad english ò.ó
I agree with you about the PS Vita, I wish you could alter the home page style and colour like you can with the PS3, but the ridge’s on the new PS3 look horrible
You falter the background color by holding down touch screen at the homepage, when it goes to the “move icon” mode hit the little white square at one of the corners there you can change the color for each block of homescreen 🙂
Atlast! A sexy looking product in PS3.. yehey..
Atlast! A sexy looking product in PS3.. yehey.. I doubt its more cheaper than the old models..
HEY GUYS TRY GOING ON PROMETHEUS FORUM ITS GONE.
Does it play PS2 games??
I hope it does!
and a little bit longer?
I think the ridge’s on this new model don’t look nice, I think they look horrible
at least they didnt show off the 16 gb unit in the patent from a month or so ago
that had me scared as to what sony planed to do with the ps3
they way it opens, disable the sensors, make it so you can open via sliding it with your fingers and vola, SWAP MAGIC people for all my game backups
I wonder how much this will shake if it reads a disc at max speed?
The new model is a waste of money.
It looks cool. Getting this when it releases!
The unboxing of the new ps3 slim
I’m not too fond of the new design, Aesthetically wise, But It does mean that you can put stuff on top of it.
That looks just large enough to put a NES or Dreamcast on. Excellent.
I wont be surprised if people start calling it PS3 Street.. Pathetic sony, trying to get money while making it look a bit different, i do like the 500GB hdd but then again im boycotting sony..
This isnt the rumored ps4 is it?
12 gigs are a joke! I mean, hello? 3 Games and it is full?
so wen comes psvita slim
I would not be stupid and waste money to get this just because it’s lighter and smaller doesn’t mean anything. I was hoping PS4 or something if that even exist.
This is just lame and boring. Sony continues to unimpressed me. lol
Trololo. Why $ony keep making s**t. There’s just too much of slim model of every device they made. Seriously, PSP is fine with slim model. Now with the PS3 ? I bet they gonna make more slim model next year slimmer than IPhone and all.
Will that make it 45 percent cheaper 😉
very ugly
My walmart doesnt have it yet
These rehashes of the same system are pathetic. Just excuses to make money off the same thing over and over again. Believe it or not Sony had the same technology to make the first system a “slim”. They just sell things bigger and uglier and then make them smaller to sell the same *** over and over again. Yet, the consumers are so stupid they buy into sony’s ridiculous business practices and support their raping of the consumer. Glad you take it in the you know what so easily consumers.