Sony (NYSE:
SNE
) has announced plans to release a
slimmer
and more expensive version of its six-year-old PlayStation 3 gaming
console. According to
Ars Technica
and a number of other publications, Sony unveiled the new hardware
-- being referred to as a "Super Slim" edition -- during an event
in Tokyo, Japan.
The revised console, set to arrive in North American stores on
September 25 for the suggested retail price of $270, will come with
a 250GB hard drive and a copy of Uncharted 3: Game of the Year
Edition. Sony will release a 500GB edition on October 30 for $300.
That console will include a copy of Ubisoft's upcoming spy/action
game Assassin's Creed III.
By charging $270 for the base model, consumers will quickly
notice that Sony has increased the price of the latest iteration by
$20. The current PlayStation 3 slim -- which was first released in
2009, three years after the original PlayStation 3 console -- can
be purchased on GameStop's (NYSE:
GME
) website for
$249.99
.
However, the current base model PlayStation 3 does not include
any bonuses, such as a game or stand, both of which will come with
the "Super Slim" edition. The current model also features a smaller
160GB hard drive.
Sony has offered a variety of other PlayStation 3 packages,
including a 250GB model for $299, as well as a PlayStation Move
bundle that includes one standard controller, one PS Move
controller, the PlayStation Eye camera, a 320GB hard drive, and one
game (Sports Champions) for $349.
In addition to the "Super Slim" consoles that are coming to
America, Sony will release a special 12GB flash drive PlayStation 3
in Europe on October 12. Retailers will have the option to charge
whatever they want for this edition, but the starting price appears
to be €229.99 ($300.62 in U.S. dollars). European consumers will
also be able to buy the 500GB model on September 28 for €299.99
($392.17 in U.S. dollars). That bundle will come with one of
several unnamed games.
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