Sony officially announces PS3 Slim

By David Carnoy on 19 August 2009

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Sony on Tuesday finally took the wraps off the much-rumoured PS3 Slim and gave it the more affordable AU$499 price tag consumers have been clamouring for.

(Credit: Sony)

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai performed the unveiling at a press conference in Cologne, Germany, preceding the opening of the Gamescom Expo. He took the stage and announced the PS3 was "getting a new model" and that, indeed, it was called the PS3 Slim.

The Slim is hitting stores 3 September in Australia, New Zealand and Japan and will cost AU$499.95. Hirai says the device has the same features and functions as the "old" PS3 but is 33 per cent smaller, 36 per cent lighter, and comes with a 120GB hard drive.

Sony says that to achieve the new form factor, the internal design architecture of the new PS3 system has been completely redesigned — "from the main semiconductors and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism".

The PS3 Slim is powered by a new 45nm version of the Cell processor, which runs at the same speed as the 60nm processor in the "old" PS3 but is smaller and more energy efficient. According to company reps, power consumption for the Slim has also been cut to two-thirds, "helping to reduce fan noise", which is important.

Kaz Hirai unveils the PS3 Slim in Cologne, Germany. (Credit: GameSpot)

On the cosmetic front, this model has a textured surface finish that gives the PS3 a fresh, casual look that the company hopes will make it more appealing to a wider audience (read: casual gamers). As previously rumoured, the PS3 logo has undergone a redesign and Sony's changing the PS3 brand name from "PLAYSTATION 3" to "PlayStation 3" (we've actually been calling it the PlayStation 3 for a while).

Like the 80GB and 160GB models, the 120GB PS3 Slim has built-in Wi-Fi and two USB ports (sorry, Sony didn't add IR or backwards compatibility for PS2 games). You can also upgrade/replace the hard drive without voiding the warranty, though Sony has moved the hard drive from the side of the unit to the front for "easier access". (To remove the hard drive, you simply unscrew two screws). The one feature missing from the Slim is the ability to install another operating system (ie, Linux) — Sony is doing away with that feature.

With earlier PS3s, you could prop your unit up vertically or lay it down horizontally. Out of the box, the Slim is only designed to be used in a horizontal position, but Sony will sell a stand that allows you to stand it up vertically.

In making the move to the PS3 Slim, Sony will be upgrading the firmware to 3.00 and phasing out its legacy 80GB and 160GB models.

John Koller, director of hardware marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment America, says they've been able to run down inventory of older models, but he didn't have the best answer as to why someone would buy an old 80GB model over the new 120GB Slim. "Some people want a unit right away and they may like the look of the old unit," he said. "People will have their reasons for wanting one."

Topics: games, playstation 3, ps3, slim, sony

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Comments (13)

  • Pondy commented on 24/09/2009 22:33 Report abuse

    Gosh, why don't you all have a whinge.Either buy it or don't.
    But stop the f.u.c.k.i.n.g whinging, its UN AUSTRALIAN MATE.
    We are starting to be compared to Americans for our whining and whinging, it ain't Australian, put up or shut up mates.

  • smokemonster commented on 29/08/2009 16:29 Report abuse

    daniel...don't get an iPod yet. they're about to get updated.

  • anon commented on 20/08/2009 18:13 Report abuse

    will it support 802.11n Wi-Fi now or still only b/g?

  • anon commented on 20/08/2009 13:55 Report abuse

    will it support 802.11n Wi-Fi now or still only b/g?

  • youidiots commented on 20/08/2009 13:12 Report abuse

    Seriously, why compare its price with US, their not made in US... are they? so to ship em from china to Aust woudl be same. and as for overheads, blah blah blah, they dont really advertise that heavy in aust. It sony, they do it cause they can... for a few more year til they go bankrupt

  • Brad commented on 20/08/2009 10:11 Report abuse

    It's more the Government's fault it costs more here than Sony Australia's fault ....

  • mr commented on 20/08/2009 10:01 Report abuse

    re Truth, US is without sales tax, ad that plus import duty and its closer to $443 using todays exchange rate. I asure you they will be buying with a much lower rate, so its not that bad.

  • BLING commented on 20/08/2009 02:20 Report abuse

    the amount of bling this guy has on probably weighs more than the slim.... seriously!?

    but yeah liking the new slim

  • Truth commented on 19/08/2009 23:53 Report abuse

    Australians get ripped off again.

    US$299 = AU$366

    GREEDY Sony Australia want us to pay $499

  • daniel commented on 19/08/2009 18:31 Report abuse

    finally, the possibility for me to get a PS3 is a little brighter... at $499AUD it's a bit cheaper, although I'm still getting that new iPod I'm saving up for... :D

    It may be more expensive than the competition still but you're getting sooooooooooo much for your money when you buy a PS3 that it's worth it... or will be worth it if Sony keeps the software updates coming as they'll enable more of the capabilities of the console to be used as currently it's strong hardware-wise but system software wise it's still lacking to this day imo... :S

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