Tech site Ars Technica claims that an inside source has confirmed that the leaked pictures of the “Slim PS3” are indeed real – but that the console won’t be debuting at next week’s E3.
Quick recap: Last week, supposedly leaked photos of what looked to be a smaller redesign of the Sony PS3 made waves around the game blogosphere, with game journalists and gamers alike speculating on what exactly the cease-and-desist orders from legal firms in Taiwan meant. Some interpreted it as Sony trying to quash the leak of a genuine product, while others assumed it was an effort by a bootlegging company to slip under Sony’s radar.
However, tech blog Ars Technica says that a “trusty inside source” has confirmed the existence of said slim PS3 – it’s no knockoff – and claims that the redesigned console will be hitting shelves in August or September … but it won’t be announced at E3.
Why? Because there are still regular PS3s sitting unsold on store shelves. Ars Technica’s source says that the hardware giant is planning on letting existing stockpiles sell out first – and only then will Sony unveil and begin supplying retailers with the new model. It’s an interesting business model if true, and I’m skeptical that Sony wouldn’t be intending to announce such a big surprise at such a big press event.
Perhaps, though, they wouldn’t want to take attention away from the upcoming PSP-Go!, which Ars Technica’s mole claims will be making its debut next week. The PSP-Go! will trade the relatively unpopular UMD format for flash memory, and is reportedly smaller, lighter, and has a longer-lasting battery than its elder brother and predecessor.
As always, take these rumors with a grain of salt – we have no way of knowing for sure whether this is real or not. We’ll find out for sure one way or another next week, though, as E3 returns to its former glory.
(Via Kotaku)
