The second major hardware redesign of the PS3 could become official next week.Rumores of a “super slim” version of the PS3 have been circulating for several weeks now. The new PS3 will reportedly have Bluetooth and 802.11b/g, and will come in models all the way up to 500 GB. It’s also believed to be priced at around $150.
It could very well be Sony’s way of saying that its console is still alive and kicking, and that gamers should not begin thinking about the PS4.
A Polish retail website has teased tha a new version of the PS3 will be available on September 28, which just so happens to be the date of a Sony press conference at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS). TGS is the second-biggest video game trade show, behind E3, and there are always major stories that come out of the show.
It’s believed that the new version of the PS3 would have a smaller hard drive than the current console iteration, and would be targeted at budget-conscious consumers.
If Sony could, for example, get a $150 PS3 on the market, it could steal holiday sales away from the brand new $300-$350 Wii U, as well as the $200 Xbox 360.
“Microsoft is less likely to reduce console prices this year with already strong hardware sales and Halo 4 coming out in Q4, but should Sony price PS3 at $150 this year, Microsoft could see stronger incentive to cut Xbox 360 prices sooner in retaliation,” M2 Research analyst Billy Pidgeon said in a GamesIndustry article earlier this year.
