Hasta La Gadget!

As if K-Mart’s front-page ad wasn’t enough to confirm, Sony’s officially announced their PlayStation 3 Slim that retails for $100 less than the current PlayStation 3 fat, which is also getting a price cut. Update: We’ve got first impressions here.

The slim will come with a 120GB drive, and will be 32% smaller and 36% lighter than the standard PlayStation 3, as well as using 34% less power. The $300 price will apply to all PlayStation 3s starting tomorrow. The Slim will be available everywhere by the first week of September.

Here are some more details. The 80GB PS3 (current model) will be discounted to $300, whereas the 160GB PS3 will be $400. There will be a new PS3 logo as well as modifications to the official name from PLAYSTATION 3 to PlayStation 3 as to not be shouting all the time.

It’ll also have a BRAVIA Sync feature that’ll allow you to control the PS3’s XMB with your Sony TV remote as long as they’re connected via HDMI. And the TV will automatically turn off the PS3 when the TV goes off.

There’s also a vertical stand retailing for $24 on September 3. Whether or not you can stand it up vertically for long periods of time without the stand is unknown. Sony also says that they’re eliminating the feature of installing other operating systems on the Slim, so no more Linux.

Oh, and there will only be two USB ports.

[Kotaku’s Sony Liveblog]

Our suspicions about that earlier Kmart ad were spot-on. The link is now hot with specs showing a PS3 Slim priced at $300 which includes Blu-ray, a 120GB hard disk, DualShock3 controller, and HDMI output with 1080p support. It’s listed with an August 24 release date which seems a bit eager to us. The Kmart site is updating which means that some of these details could change (like the price and date) but this seems like a definite for announcement later today at Gamescon.

Update: Sears has the same offer and date.

Filed under: Gaming

Sony PS3 Slim shows up for pre-order at Kmart, $300 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As the story goes, a Kotaku reader just received these PS3 posters (now posted after the break) into the FYE shop where he works. You’ll notice that the “new low price” is augmented with a “while supplies last” disclaimer indicating what could be a close-out on the 80GB (soon $300, reduced from $400) and 160GB ($400, reduced from $500) PlayStation 3 models. More evidence, perhaps, that a PS3 Slim announcement is imminent — even as soon as today’s Sony presser at the Cologne Gamescon Expo that kicks off at 12 noon ET or 1800 for those of you on Central Europe time.

Update: Kmart is now in on the action with a front-page ad (pictured above) that says the “rumors are reality” and then promises linked details about “new low price and a new exciting Playstation 3.” Unfortunately, the link isn’t populated with the new prices or the new model yet but we’ll keep digging.

[Thanks, Jeremy23j and Daniel]

Read — FYE poster
Read — Kmart ad
Read — Kmart home page (wait for ad to cycle)

Continue reading PS3 price cuts appear in print, must be real (update: ‘new exciting Playstation 3’)

Filed under: Gaming

PS3 price cuts appear in print, must be real (update: ‘new exciting Playstation 3’) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eager to get back on the track, but not so eager to ease up on the sauce? Fret not, our continually inebriated friends, as Logitech has just the answer for your awfully depressing road woes. The long-awaited successor to the original G25 racing wheel is finally on the scenes, as the G27 brings along real metal, real leather and a real taste of driving that can likely only be mimicked whilst seated in some sort of $30k+ sportster. The wheel is designed to function with Sony’s PS2 and PS3 as well as Windows-based PCs, and aside from the built-in force feedback mechanism, you’ll also find a pair of stainless steel shifter paddles, RPM / shift indicator lights and a clutch that fully supports heel-and-toe downshifting. Is all that realism worth $299.99? Judge with your wallet come September.

Continue reading Logitech’s $300 G27 racing wheel gives sidelined DUI possessors a taste of the road

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Logitech’s $300 G27 racing wheel gives sidelined DUI possessors a taste of the road originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you know anything about European retailer Fnac, you know it’s not the go-to place for bargains. However, it’s this very outlet that’s now selling an 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle (which includes the console, a single controller and inFamous) for €100 less than its “everyday low price” as of yesterday. Of course, one major French retailer slashing the price on a system that’s long overdue for a break isn’t reason in and of itself reason to believe anything’s on the horizon, but pair this up with everything else we’ve heard over the past few weeks, and we’d say all the vague omens are pointing to a leaner, cheaper and altogether more dashing PS3 on August 18th. In our magical fantasy land, anyway.

Update: Our friends at Engadget Spanish just let us know that there’s been a price drop in Spain as well. Getting warmer…

[Thanks, Nelson]

Filed under: Gaming

European retailer hacks €100 from PlayStation 3 in run-up to gamescom originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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