Sony Makes the PlayStation 3 Slim Official, $299

By Marcus Yam
published

It's slimmer and cheaper, but no more PS2 compatible.

Earlier today we uncovered pretty good evidence from K-Mart that there would be a new, slimmer PlayStation 3 coming very soon. And now Sony has made it all official.

At Sony's GamesCom media event in Cologne, Germany, all rumors were confirmed as the PS3 Slim was announced to be real.

Sony hasn't yet released official press shots yet (but we'll post those as soon as they're out), but from the slides shown at the conference, many of the leaked shots appear to have been legitimate.

The new PS3 slim measures 33 percent smaller, 36 percent lighter and consumes 34 percent less power. It'll also pack a 120 GB hard drive as a middle ground between the current 80 GB and the 160 GB SKU. The 120 GB size will also put it head-to-head with the Xbox 360 Elite.

Besides the new hardware, perhaps the biggest news is that the PS3 Slim will also bring with it a much slimmer price tag of $299, or 299 Euros, or 29980 yen.

For those of you who've been on the fence about buying a PS3, does this new hardware and price do it for you?

UPDATE: Click here for the official pictures.

Marcus Yam

Marcus Yam is a technology evangelist for Intel Corporation, the latest in a long line of tech-focused roles spanning a more than 20-year career in the industry. As Executive Editor, News on Tom's Guide and Tom's Hardware, Marcus was responsible for shaping the sites' news output, and he also spent a period as Editor of Outdoors & Sports at Digital Trends.

37 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Gedoe_
    yes im most interrested in PSN games so this price cut is gonna help for sure, also less heat = less noise so this is definatly an upgrade.

    also

    FIRST!
    Reply
  • aznguy0028
    After many months of Sony saying there was no price cut in sight, finally a breather for PS3 fans.
    Reply
  • valcron
    About time they dropped the price. I can honestly tell you while the new price is attractive for once. I will still wait until the PS3 has games worth buying. At the moment the only games on the system that I would buy are ratchet and clank and maybe the Drakes Fortune (forget the name of the series).

    Sony has really let me down with RPG's this generation. Thankfully Micrsoft surprised the hell out of me. I will buy a PS3 sooner or later though for Versus XIII if they don't decide to make that 360 as well.
    Reply
  • anamaniac
    I'm no longer interested in a PS3 because my i7 is being shiped to my house as I speak...
    Reply
  • domenic
    Yes, because that was the number one complaint for the PS3, "It's too damn thick!". I'll definetly get one now that it fits on my shelf.
    Reply
  • theholylancer
    goooo 299 good web server or file server with some HDD modding!
    Reply
  • tayb
    So how are they going to price the non-slim PS3? What I've read says it will be $299.99. How in the world are they going to clear stock trying to sell it at the same price as the slim? Maybe $250? Only thing I care about is now I'll be able to get one even cheaper off of craigslist.
    Reply
  • njalterio
    Previously I was among the most adamant in bashing the PS3 for it costing too much, but at this price I will be rethinking that stance. At $300, it is competitive just as a networked bluray player! Add in the gaming capability and I think this is a good deal.

    Being a Final Fantasy fan, I am glad that I can reasonably get a PS3 (which is not coming out for PC, and its looking grim for a future port) for the upcoming FF13. Killzone 2 and MGS4 are also games I would like to play...

    However, I will be waiting several months to make sure there are no hardware bugs. As good as a deal I think this is, I do not trust Sony.
    Reply
  • gamerk316
    Any word on backward compatability?
    Reply
  • bucifer
    Nice conversion rate Sony 299$ does not equal 299euro!
    Reply