PS3-Slim posts (Subscribe to this feed)

The PS3 Slim may be $299, but that doesn't mean it can't look like the launch price of $599. Colorware is planning on making five limited edition PS3 systems that have been dipped in 24k gold. Expect this Flava Flav-approved hardware to cost a tad more than a regular paint job from Colorware: $149.

If you do end up deciding to get one of these Midas-touched PS3s, let us know. We totally need to be friends.

[Thanks, Kreyg]

For a moment, let's ignore the billions Sony has lost on the PS3 so far and focus on optimism for the future. GameStop executive vice president Tony Bartel notes that momentum for the console has maintained a solid sales pace following Sony's most recent price drop and hardware remodeling.

Bartel tells IndustryGamers that there was a natural surge after the initial announcement of the price drop months ago and that the retailer has seen "very strong" PS3 sales through October. He didn't reveal specific data, though, and we'll have to wait and see if his claims are reflected in the overall October hardware sales figures released by the NPD later this month.

Just a quick reminder to let everyone know that the 250GB PlayStation 3 is available now in North America. The package runs $349 and crams a console, 250GB hard drive, controller and composite AV cables into the box. As the more astute readers have no doubt realized, the only thing different from the 120GB model is the 250GB hard drive. Still, as Gaming Bits points out, that's more than twice the storage for an extra $50 over the $299 model.

Of course, with Black Friday sales just a few weeks away, you might consider waiting to see what deals will be available before taking the plunge.

First the bad news: Sony's recently released FY Q2 2009 financial report included some pretty upsetting figures for investors to witness -- namely, that the company's "Networked Products and Services" division, which includes video game hardware and software sales, reported a ¥58.8 billion (or $654 million) operating loss during the quarter. The drop off was attributed to "a decrease in PS2 hardware and software unit sales, and the impact of the appreciation of the yen." Indeed, the PS2 took a hit this quarter to the tune of 600,000 units year-over year.

Now, the worse news: The financial report included enough data for various GAFers and VG247ers to slap a number on the amount of money that the PS3 has lost Sony: $4.695 billion. Sure, that number seems outrageously high -- because, well, it is -- but it's hardly an apocalyptic loss. Actually, it's reminiscent of losses incurred by Microsoft with the release of the original Xbox, which drained the company of $4.202 billion over a similar four-year period.

Finally, the good news: Shortly after the financial report was published, Sony CFO Nobuyuki Oneda claimed the PS3 was getting cheaper to produce, stating, "the difference between sales and materials cost has been reduced to between 10 and 20%. Within the year, it could be in the single digits." He later added, "we'll be able to reach profitability at some point in the next term." Considering PS3 sales jumped 800,000 year-over-year with the launch of the Slim, we've got a bit of advice to aid in this endeavor: Keep making it skinnier.

Shortly after forcing two pieces of their technology to violently collide at high speeds, Sony Australia released some surprising sales figures from the Land Down Under. According to the company's calculations, the PS3 Slim has sold "in excess of 60,000 units" since its September 3 launch, outselling both the Xbox 360 and Wii during the same time period. Sure, in overall sales, the PS3 still trails in the region -- but it seems Aussies have been temporarily mesmerized by the system's slightly sleeker frame.

Sony's back to the two-SKU configuration with PS3 "Slim," today announcing that the 250GB model of the system previously announced for everywhere but the US will be coming to these shores on November 3. The machine will sell for $349, which is $50 more than the $299, 120GB model. Fifty bucks for an extra 100GB ain't too bad, considering Microsoft's hard disk pricing.

There's still not a peep about whether we can expect any of the 250GB bundles meant for other territories, but we're activating full-on Pester Mode (target: SCEA) a quote we received from Sony reads, "Re: North American bundles, we don't have any plans to announce at this time." Reads to us like there are plans, just none the company wants to talk about right now.

Remember how dejected we were when we realized that Ben Heck's recently crafted PS3 Slim laptop would never appear in our quivering, wanting hands? That script just got irrevocably flipped by Franklin, Tennessee-based gaming retailer/event organizer The Score, who is raffling the modded console off to anyone who purchases their goods or employs their party planning prowess from now until mid-December.

The full list of rules and regulations for the raffle can be found on The Score's site, but it basically breaks down to "the more you spend, the more chances you have to win." This process is impeded by the fact that the store has no online support, but does allow for over-the-phone shopping. Yes, it's a lot of hassle for a quazi-portable PS3 -- but that extra effort is what really separates the men from the fanboys.

[Thanks, Bradley.]

You know what? Screw you, Ben Heck. Every time you come around, you bring these awesome, portable-ized consoles with you. From your corner of the internet, you wave these scintillating creations under our noses, then withdraw them from our lives. Sure, occasionally you'll provide us with tutorials to re-create your projects, but we don't possess your otherworldly, Forge-esque proclivity for technology. We are but simple folks whom you've chosen to tease at your leisure with glimpses of the future. It's just mean. You're a mean guy.

Oh, but your most recent creation -- a laptop built around a PS3 Slim (demoed in a video after the jump) -- is pretty remarkable. Rarely do these modified Frankenconsoles look this good. We can't wait to get our hands on ...

Aw, damn it.

Earlier this week, we got our hands on a few European GameStop listings for 250GB PS3 bundles. Earlier today, SCEE and SCE UK confirmed the hardware packages and included games. Earlier this hour, we went to Whole Foods and purchased some really crisp bok choy. (Sorry. We got into a rhythm there.)

Europeans will have their choice of two bundles, both of which will be made available throughout October. One of the collections includes Need for Speed: Shift, while the other includes FIFA 10. Needless to say, both bundles come with the recently GB-boosted console. A price point for these two bundles has not been specified, but we've contacted Sony for clarification.

Bizarrely enough, the UK's getting a different set of bundles than the rest of the continent. On October 1, United Kingdomites will have their choice of a 250GB PS3 bundled with Infamous or two unnamed Platinum Hits. Their options will be further expanded on October 16 with the release of an Uncharted 2 bundle, and once more on October 19 with a bundle that includes the X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Dark Knight films on Blu-ray and a film-friendly remote control.

SCE UK has graciously provided a price for its bundles -- £284.99 ($450) -- making it our certified favourite European Sony chapter of the day. That's as legit as being knighted by the Queen, you know.

Update: After the break, we've posted a snapshot of the FIFA bundle provided by a GameStop employee in Norway.

Aussie reader, if you've been salivating over the prospect of owning a 250GB PS3 Slim, know your day is coming. SCE Australia has confirmed the console is headed down under and will be bundled with one of the following titles:

• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
• Singstar Motown
• EyePet

The bundles will go on sale starting October 15 and retail for $599.95RRP, coinciding with the release date of Uncharted 2. Perfect timing! You're going to need every last one of those gigglebytes to store the countless Machinima fan fictions you've already concocted in your head.

[Thanks, Adrian]

With the revelation of the PS3 Slim and its accompanying price cut, it looks like things are really on the up and up for Sony. It seems that things are so up that many consumers may have difficulty finding a PS3 on the shelves. According to Stern Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia -- as reported on IndustryGamers -- strong "pent-up" demand may lead to PS3 shortages by the end of September. Furthermore, he expects that September sales of the console may climb as much as 75 percent over last year, possibly more if supplies hold up.

Finally, Bhatia noted that strong PS3 sales could affect sales of the 360 as well. The reason, according to Bhatia, is that the 360 Arcade SKU maintained its $199 price while the Elite price drop really amounted to no more than a replacement of the Pro tier. Joystiq would be remiss not to point out that the Elite bundle even received a few downgrades in the process.

Looks like Jack Tretton may have made that $1200 bet two and a half years too soon.

-DS: 553K14K (+2%)
-Wii: 277K24K (+9%)
-360: 215K12K (+6%)
-PS3: 210K88K (+72%)
-PSP: 140K17K (+13%)
-PS2: 106K2K (-2%

Check out the software sales chart after the break.

Sony Computer Entertainment America has some good news and some bad news to share. The good: Sales of PS3 hardware at its "top retailers" jumped 300% for the first week of September versus the week before the system's price was cut to $299 for the 120GB "slim" unit. The bad: Um, well ... okay, we lied. Everything's pretty good for a change at SCEA HQ, considering people are actually buying its console. (Although 300% pales in comparison to Europe's totally legit 999% increase ... or Japan's 7,350% increase).

The hardware maker also noted that, as of August, five of consumers' top 10 most-wanted games (as surveyed by OTX's GamePlan Insights) -- Gran Turismo 5, Final Fantasy XIII, God of War III, Assassin's Creed 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 -- are on PS3, in case you somehow didn't know this. We would like to note (mainly for Sony's information) that Modern Warfare 2 is also on Xbox 360, and that version was No. 2 in OTX's survey results, whereas the PS3 version placed 10th. (Assassin's Creed 2 for 360 is No. 3 and No. 8 for PS3.) In fact, if you calculate the "purchase intent index" for the top three (all Xbox 360 games) and the lower five (all PS3 games) they're nearly identical. But still, we'll give it to them.

Maybe it's more worthwhile, though, to point out that Uncharted 2 didn't even make the top 25. What's up with that?

Source -- GamePlan Insights Survey Data [PDF file]

The PS3 Slim packing a 250 gigabyte hard disk that was previously uncovered in FCC documents may be arriving as soon as next month -- in the UK. Eurogamer cites a "trusted retail source" who claims the new SKU will appear in three different bundles, each containing the system and one of three titles.

The site's source – who says the details of the bundles aren't yet "in writing" – goes on to divulge the games as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Gran Turismo 5 and Assassin's Creed II. Each bundle will supposedly retail for £299 ($494), which is a solid bargain given that the 120GB SKU (with no pack-in) runs £249 ($411). We've contacted SCEE and SCEA to try and find out if there's any more meat on this rumor's bones.

Chart-Track reported that PlayStation 3 rose 999 percent (exclamation point!) in the week of the PS3 Slim launch, but without some actual context, that's just a crazy-sounding percentage. MCV provides us some (partial) context, estimating that 40,000 PS3 Slims were sold in that period. This also means that a paltry 4,000 (ish) were sold the previous week.

MCV arrived at that number after Sony said that the Slim's launch sales were 20 percent behind those of the PS2 Slim, which sold 50,000 units in its first week in the UK. The estimated percentage of an estimated amount means that the 40,000 number isn't officially official (don't use it as the basis for a chapter in your History of Console Sales book), but it shouldn't be that far off. And that number doesn't include however many PS3 Hefties were purchased.

Compare this "drastic" sales boost to the 7,350 percent bump the Slim caused in Japan. The PS3 went from selling fewer units in Japan than in the UK, to almost four times as many. Now that's a new hardware launch.