New PlayStation 3 Slim Models Coming This Year

At the Tokyo Game Show this morning, Sony announced that it will bringing out a new version of its not-so-new console, the PlayStation 3, later this year in North America, Europe, and Japan.

The new PlayStation 3 is based off of the Slim models, but Sony says that the updated version is 20 percent lighter and slimmer than the current Slim. North America and Europe’s new model will only come in black, but Japanese customers have the option of also picking up one in white.

The new PlayStation 3 models won’t be any cheaper than existing models, but it is getting a bump in hard-drive space. The cheapest new Slim — which will initially only be available as a bundle — will come in at $270, which gets you a 250GB hard-drive while the current Slim goes for $250 but has only a 160GB hard-drive.

The more expensive Slim packs a whopping 500GB hard-drive, which is a significant bump over the current 320GB model. The price of that one will be $299, which is the same as the current 320GB model. Sony says that this one will have limited availability and will come bundled with Assassin’s Creed III.

See below for information on release dates, pricing, and availability in your region via Game Informer.

North America

250GB – $269 (Bundle Only) – September 25
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception: Game of the Year Edition
Voucher for more than $30 worth of bonus digital content for Dust 514.
500GB – $299 – October 30

Europe

Flash Memory 12GB – 229 Euros – October 12
500GB – 299 Euros – September 28

Japan

250GB – 24,900 Yen – October 4
500GB – 29,800 Yen – October 4

Do any of these new PlayStation 3 models interest you?