At a press conference preceding the Games Com convention in Cologne, Germany, Sony has come up with a number of announcements about the PS3.
The biggest, beyond doubt, is that effective immediately it will be lowering the price of the console to $299 (in Europe it will be 299 Euros, and £249.99 in the UK). That could be a response to slow sales compared to its Xbox and Wii rivals, both of which are cheaper.
The company said it’s also ceasing production of the current console and introducing a slimmer model that will come with a 120GB hard drive, which will be available from the beginning of next month.
Kaz Hirai, head of Sony Entertainment, said:
"It has the same features and functionality [as the old PS3], but now it is 32% smaller, 36% lighter and consumes 34% less power."
As if those two bombshells weren’t quite enough, Sony is also starting a video delivery service on Play Station Network that will allow users to rent or buy movies in standard or high definition for both the PS3 and PS3, starting in Europe this November, the BBC reports.
And the press conference gave the company a chance to demonstrate a new reader called Digital Comics for the PSP that lets users read DC Comics and graphic novels on their handhelds.
PS3 Slim
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