Is Sony's PS3 getting a redesign?

According to T3 magazine and a "particularly well-informed insider," the PS3 is due not just for hard drive updates, but a total design revamp down to a slimmer and smaller package sometime in the Fall. If you believe what you read, the refreshed console will sport all the same specs, but will receive a fresh coat of paint, a trip through the shrinking machine, and probably a lightened load. Of course, this is all just wild speculation coupled with salacious, magazine-selling 3D renders of the phantom device, as Sony denies the existence of an update and we don't really know who this source is. On the other hand, the company pulls this kind of ditzy "who me?" stuff whenever it's got a new product up its sleeve -- though we're not feeling the timing on this shocker.

[Ryan Trevisol @ Feb 1st 2008 9:50AM]

Maybe they'll put in an SSD so they can jack the price up near a grand . . . .

[Craig Brown @ Feb 1st 2008 9:51AM]

I like the design here...but I doubt it's real.

[Matt @ Feb 1st 2008 9:51AM]

Looks like a Wii duct-taped to half of a PS3.

[Alli @ Feb 15th 2008 5:58PM]

that's what i thought...

[Carbonize @ Feb 1st 2008 9:53AM]

Damn, releasing a smaller version of their console? What will Sony think of next?

[Caleb Andrews @ Feb 1st 2008 9:53AM]

Huh...if they could slim that thing down, lower the price, and grow a bigger library (as the inevitably will) then I really would consider gettin' one. I hate Sony the company not the Sony product...if that makes any sense.

[ian @ Feb 1st 2008 10:00AM]

That thing looks like a Wii-powered PS3! It's like a PS3 in the front--but then you walk around to the back and Sony yells, "PSYCHE! Fooled you!" It would also be the best thing ever if we found out that the PS3 was being powered with Wii components all along, hence the shortage of Wiis since launch... PSWii...

[whilemywalrusgentlyweeps @ Feb 1st 2008 1:13PM]

Am I the only one that thought the pic on the right was a Wii with a silver board attached to it?

[LiqwidZero @ Feb 1st 2008 9:57AM]

PSwii?

[Serpentine @ Feb 1st 2008 10:00AM]

thats what they always do ..come out with a chunk of a console and then about a year later slim down , and they seem to be going down the same road for the PS3 too.

[Sandy @ Feb 1st 2008 10:15AM]

I really wouldn't trust anything T3 says.

They just have an over imaginative design department that gets bored easily.

[theCardinal @ Feb 1st 2008 10:00AM]

Take note, UK magazine T3 has been the source of many of the internets wilder unsubstantiated tech rumours over the years.

[adrian @ Feb 1st 2008 10:01AM]

Sony do have a habit of shrinking their products when possible, so I belive this one.

[Jon @ Feb 1st 2008 10:06AM]

FFS, this is T3. Stuff and T3 does this all the time dishing out their own render and spreading rumours. They are not to be taken seriously, at all.

[KC @ Feb 1st 2008 10:08AM]

If that's the new look, I'll pass. I like to keep my PS3 horizontal and that design looks as though it would not work well horizontally because the BD drive would be on the bottom recessed under the curved top.

If they could put the slot loading drive in the front lip instead of on the bottom and keep the flat heat sensitive buttons on top that would be much better.

But I doubt the PS3 is going to get a redesign this early in it's life, so I'm with the author in the the opinion that this is merely some one's speculation and not actual renderings of a new model of PS3

[quxjox @ Feb 1st 2008 10:14AM]

ps3 design is perfect..Sony should focus their attention on something else,like better PSN features,better future firmware,more video format support,courting game dev for exclusive games,better marketting etc.

[primetime4 @ Feb 1st 2008 10:15AM]

I like the current design dust, fonts, and all. It is easy to wipe off and I don't see it as more of a problem than any other electronic device. Some people seem to have it out under the sun for close inspection. But the touch buttons are cool and I don't see that in the mock up which I don't think Sony would drop in the next design.

[Ike Skelton @ Feb 1st 2008 10:20AM]

Doesn't matter how thin it is if it's not backwards compatible.

[Flashpoint @ Feb 1st 2008 10:20AM]

I never liked the PS3 design, and I never liked the PS2 design. If you stand them vertical they aren't so bad but laying flat, the PS3 takes up too much space and the PS2 looks awkward.

I wanna be able to stack AV components. Whatever happend to the PSX design?

[Aaron @ Apr 20th 2008 4:03AM]

If you really wanted to stack them wouldn't the PS2 design be the best? Last time I checked you cant open a flip top device with something on top of the lid... Just a thought...

[paulirwin @ Feb 1st 2008 10:22AM]

so instead of shrinking the price, they're shrinking the form factor.

come on. it's still %#$@ing $400.

[Sandy @ Feb 4th 2008 12:17PM]

The 60GB model used to be £425 when is came out in the UK. That's about $850. So for $400 or £200 isn't too bad.

The basic model is still £300/$600 over here.

[wud_e @ Feb 1st 2008 10:23AM]

Taking a page from the Wii's book? Looks like a Wii with a weird looking thing taped to the side of it. Why does Sony like to build most of their consoles with 2 different sized rectangles/rounded oblong(PS3) stacked on each other? Ugly.

[tom @ Feb 1st 2008 10:28AM]

I welcome the design, shrinking designs saves cost to the company and logistics and brings the saving to us.

Fewer materials, helps the environment too. It would be great if sony learn from JOBS to aluminum-nize the design and so greenpeace will complain less. I find the existing PS3 is good to look at, but feels flimsy.

[Erwos @ Feb 1st 2008 10:32AM]

The PS3's problem isn't form factor - it's the inferior library and the lack of real PS2 BC.

[x20mar @ Feb 1st 2008 10:38AM]

I'm still waiting for that USB backward adaptor aka a USB device that has a PS2 chipset

[Jonny B. Good @ Feb 1st 2008 10:39AM]

I think the left part of the image is great. Now they just need some MBA-like thinnovation-hype :-)

[Jeff @ Feb 1st 2008 10:39AM]

Sony does not come out with slimmer designs "a year later". It took them five years with the PS2, more like seven years with the PS1.

I call shenanigans on this. The PS3 is already about as tightly packed as a console gets.

[mattclarkie @ Feb 1st 2008 10:42AM]

If Sony pull a Microsoft, and move the powersupply to the outside like the 360, or even the PStwo, then they could easily shrink the PS3 by a margin, and some people would prefer a smaller device with the ability to hide the PSU, rather than a bulky device.

The issue would be the thermally efficient PS3 may turn into the Flashing Light PS3 ala 360 RROD. So I say to Sony if you are planning to shrink it, make sure it is still Thermally Efficient.

[MIchael @ Feb 1st 2008 10:42AM]

This seems to be in line with a previous story that mentioned Sony had found a new way to manufacture the Blu-Ray player. This new process is supposed to save money and produce a smaller form factor. If this is true, it seems right that the PS3--the premier Blu-Ray player--would be able to shrink as well.

[mnemo @ Feb 1st 2008 10:45AM]

IT'S ABOUT TIME! That curved surface was the worst design choice EVAR, it doesn't integrate at all with other equipment. Where can I exchange my old PS3?

[Fruition @ Feb 1st 2008 10:50AM]

I just don't think they could slim it down so quickly. We didn't see the slim PS2 until a good number of years after the original.

If they do, I'd suspect something would be sacrificed... like cooling.

[Andre @ Feb 1st 2008 10:51AM]

Won't happen for at least another year, especially with a white PS3 phat coming down the tubes soon.

[NineT9 @ Feb 1st 2008 10:52AM]

I could care less what happens, as long as the specs/features stay the same or get upgraded...I could even handle a price increase, I trust Sony in pretty much anything they do, they wont fail me, they never have

[tom @ Feb 1st 2008 10:53AM]

The real space occupier is not the BR drive, it has always been sized as a notebook drive. It is the Heat sink, that is what i recall from watching those PS3 take apart video.

Yet, I am not too sure of what nm size it was, it was 90nm (60GB) back then, the newer (40GB) one at 65nm.

[Tony C @ Feb 1st 2008 10:56AM]

Downsizing makes perfect sense... Simplifying the system board, volume of raw materials and overall component counts makes the PS3 cost less to manufacture and takes up less space to ship and store. Lets them reduce the price tag and/or make more of a margin per unit.

[Tony C @ Feb 1st 2008 10:56AM]

I see replies are *still* borked...

[Brent @ Feb 1st 2008 10:58AM]

Zero USB ports!!! The new dual shock controller must charge by magic!

[Liam @ Feb 1st 2008 11:09AM]

T3 have all the journalistic credibility of a gossip magazine. I'd ignore this.

[wrigley @ Feb 1st 2008 11:11AM]

As much as I would love this to be the next PS3 I dont think it is...theres no memory card slots, USB's, overheating would probley be a problem, and if you click the Read button it doesnt show a single picture of the back (ports, plug-in and everything). I hope its real but dont think this but I do believe Sony will come out with a smaller one (or atleast I hope.)

[Paris @ Feb 1st 2008 11:22AM]

It might shrink but obviously not us much to make a difference. Think PSP slim.

[ShyGuy91284 @ Feb 1st 2008 11:30AM]

Hmmm... I smell the likliness that if this does happen, the idea of the user-upgradable harddrive will be a thing of the past....

[Allen @ Feb 1st 2008 11:29AM]

See Engadget? You are a rumor mill.

[Krakora @ Feb 1st 2008 12:27PM]

Ummm... makes perfect sense, focus on redesigning the case when the game selection still sucks. Werent' they promising 100+ games this year? [or last]

[Arnie @ Feb 1st 2008 11:57AM]

I like the new design. I might get this when it comes out. I am looking to buy the PS3 anyways since Blu-Ray might have the max number of movies(have a HD-DVD player). Heck even if a new one comes out it would be cool since it will drop the old ones prices.

[rupaniii @ Feb 1st 2008 11:59AM]

SONII WANTS TO PLAYSTATION, hahahahahah.

I second that. No duct tape, but, i'm seeing some Wii crazy glued to the mushroom cap of a PS3, yielding some evidence as to what people are smoking now.

[Iridium @ Feb 1st 2008 11:58AM]

Hey Engadget, if I post a rendering of a half size Xbox 360 on my website can I get a BS story too.

Seriously T3 renderings do not count as news. That design is impossible, for one you would need an extremely thin Bluray Drive that doesn't exist yet and the lid area is too thin to house the motherboard with its components. Unless they expect all of those parts to fit next to the bluray drive. I guess they would axe the internal psu as well. There aren't any USB ports that can be seen to recharge the controller or hook up peripherals.

My advice would be to take down the story or at least change the title to "UK magazine speculates future PS3 design"

[Mutant @ Feb 1st 2008 12:11PM]

I just hope the get rid of the curved top. It doesn't have any ventilation holes but you still can stack other components on top. Very annoying.

[kal326 @ Feb 1st 2008 12:15PM]

I sure hope they could shrink the form factor, they have torn enough stuff out of it since launch.

[Teebo @ Feb 1st 2008 12:30PM]

At this point, there will be more PS3 SKUs than there are games for it.