New PS3 models outed by FCC just days ahead of E3

With the big E3 Expo set to kick off in just four days, we must admit to being more than a little intrigued at finding a new PS3 model bumble its way out of the FCC test labs. PlayStation 3 models CECH-2501A and CECH-2501B are both certified for 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR differing only in hard disk drive configurations. We're also seeing a pair of PS3 DECH-2500A and DECH-S2500A debugging stations -- interesting since a debug unit is typically only required when there's been a change in the chips on the motherboard. Feel free to speculate as we prepare for E3 to kick off on June 15th.

[B3astofthe3ast Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:22AM]

Smaller, more efficient chips perhaps?

[cbaty08 Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:27AM]

@B3astofthe3ast

Could be... but my guess is it has to do with the motion controller....

[mnhthebest Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:27AM]

@B3astofthe3ast

I expect the same. Most probably shifting to a smaller manufacturing process. Haha Xbox 360s power block is gonna look even lamer now! =P

[think before you react Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:37AM]

@B3astofthe3ast

Not sure sure about more efficient chips- but where in the hell is 802.11n?? I mean- wireless n is being put in CELL PHONES for cryin out loud! Sony sucks ass!

[MastrCake Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:39AM]

@mnhthebest

We're still complaining about the power brick? Laptops still have em, the Wii has one, even the psp has one. Yes, it's flippin huge, but is it really that hard to hide the thing?

Is this 2005 or something?

[SonofUgly Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:41AM]

@think before you react

[SonofUgly Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:46AM]

@SonofUgly
I didn't hit enter or anywhere near submit...
anyway
@think before you react
At least it isn't a $100 add-on.
I'm not saying I don't want wireless N, just if its that important head over to monoprice and pick up a cheap ethernet cord.

[otisfeelgood Posted Jun 11th 2010 2:07AM]

@SonofUgly

75ft Ethernet Cord $8 at Monoprice. Mine came in yesterday.

[guideXD Posted Jun 11th 2010 2:28AM]

@MastrCake
You really are a pathetic fanboy, defending a console which has a 50% failure rate, Its ironic that the PS3 has its power brick built in and still runs cooler then an X box.
If you bought it because it was cheaper I'm OK with that but don't try and strip us of features because you may/may not have buyer's remorse.

To the original commenter, i thought Sony had already moved to the lower 40nm fabrication earlier this year?
I may be a little optimistic but this could be something new, after all E3 for PS3 is not going to be introducing anything new (MOVE has already made official and 3D has even released!)

[dubg Posted Jun 11th 2010 2:39AM]

@think before you react
Indeed! They advertise the PS3 as "it only does everything". Yeah? How about hi-def streaming without stuttering? It ain't happening on G my friend.

[Happy Posted Jun 11th 2010 2:53AM]

@mnhthebest You mean power brick? I would rather have the power supply outside of the console.

[Happy Posted Jun 11th 2010 2:58AM]

@guideXD It never had a 50% failure rate.

[treats Posted Jun 11th 2010 3:00AM]

GOD, stop with the 800 different SKU's over a HDD change already Sony!

[mnhthebest Posted Jun 11th 2010 3:00AM]

@Happy

Are you serious?!?! Built in PSUs are still much much better than an external brick, even if the brick is minuscule.

[mad102190 Posted Jun 11th 2010 3:18AM]

@B3astofthe3ast There are some PS4 commercials floating around that say "PS4, NOW TESTING." Although, people seem to think it relates to the 3D feature. It may actually be ps4..........

1) http://kotaku.com/5557132/viral-video-teases-ps4-v31
2) http://kotaku.com/5559608/modern-warfare-2-going-3d-on-the-ps3

Maybe Kotaku has it all wrong...

[think before you react Posted Jun 11th 2010 4:28AM]

@SonofUgly

So I need to get a super long ethernet cord and pull it along through my house, wire a new ethernet box into the room I need it, OR expect a widely adopted and generally inexpensive wireless standard to be adopted by a company that touts it's superiority in electronics in a 3.5 year old product?

Need I say more?

[Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi Posted Jun 11th 2010 6:14AM]

@think before you react So what u are saying is damn the fact that the competition charges you $100....having nothing is better than something?

[xnonsuchx Posted Jun 11th 2010 7:07AM]

@think before you react - WiFi sucks anyway. Wired connections will ALWAYS be far more reliable if you really care about data transmission.

[lookseehear Posted Jun 11th 2010 7:16AM]

@dubg
1080p bitrate ~ 30mbps
802.11g max bitrate ~ 56mbps
HD streaming shouldn't be held up by your connection.

[Akuma Posted Jun 11th 2010 8:10AM]

@Happy

Yes it did. It had failure rate of 54% for the first 2,5 years it was on market. At the moment, with Jasper (codename) motherboards it's around 16,5%.

[LandMine Hare Posted Jun 11th 2010 10:07AM]

@lookseehear If all you wanted to send was 1080p video and no audio, well that statistic sure is fine and dandy.

But we here in the world of people who aren't deaf like to listen to whatever is going on in that there moving picture box over there.

[chodaboy19 Posted Jun 11th 2010 10:08AM]

@B3astofthe3ast

Yes! This has to be the new die shrink for the GPU.
I hope the power adapter also gets smaller.
If this makes the PS3 quiet and cooler I am trading my PS3 fat for slim.

[FNG Posted Jun 11th 2010 10:32AM]

@B3astofthe3ast

Could this be the previously denied U.S. version of the 250GB Uncharted 2 bundle that comes out this Sunday?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+PlayStation+3+%28250GB%29+with+Uncharted+2%3A+Among+Thieves/1007046.p?id=1218207657562&skuId=1007046&st=1007046&cp=1&lp=1

[jellotime91 Posted Jun 11th 2010 10:35AM]

@think before you react
Considering Xbox doesn't come with any kind of wifi built in, my guess is that Sony feels pretty safe in the consumer landscape.

[Frankenstein Black Posted Jun 11th 2010 10:49AM]

@B3astofthe3ast - PS3D ;^)...

[Alphathon Posted Jun 11th 2010 11:26AM]

@LandMine Hare How much bandwidth do you think audio takes? Just to figure it out, CD uses 16-bit audio at 44.1kHz, while DVD is 16-bit 48kHz. For DVD that works out at 768kbps, which for six channels is 4608kbps, or ~4.6mbps. Lets say then that 1080p video with 5.1 audio is ~35mbps. It still easily fits within the bandwidth confines of 802.11g. It's also why HDMI can send full 7.1 LPCM over a single wire, while it takes 3 for the video data.

[RampantNinja Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:14PM]

@lookseehear Max theoretical throughput not bitrate. You'll be lucky to get 18Mbs

[RampantNinja Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:17PM]

@treats How else will they sell it if its not in stock?

[xnonsuchx Posted Jun 11th 2010 8:45PM]

@mad102190 - That "PS4" video seems like total BS. Sony wouldn't want to divulge that. While well-made, it could just be that the "PS4...NOW TESTING" at the end was tacked onto the end of the main video and has nothing even to do w/ Sony. It's a pretty dumb video too.

[MastrCake Posted Jun 12th 2010 2:50AM]

@guideXD

At what point did I indicate my fanboyism?

I own all three current gen consoles. I hate the Wii, but I LOVE my PS3. I'd love it even more if it had more HDD space, but instead of upgrading my HDD, I'm going to wait for the PS3 console and Move bundle to come out. Yes, Sony did say they will release such a bundle.

I also own a 360. I've gone through 4 of them. I bought my 1st 360 a week after launch. It failed 2 months later. The next one died 6 months later, and the one after that, another 6 months. My 4th one died, just days before getting stolen while waiting on a shipping "coffin" (HAHA SUCKAS!!! Smart thieves, making sure the damn thing worked!!! HA!).

I then bought a Wii. Then I stopped playing it. The next logical step was to buy a PS3. I love it. In fact, I still play it almost daily.

I just got a 360 last Christmas, but I only asked for it because there are some games that are 360 exclusives that I can't live without (Halo, Gears, Fable, etc.). Meanwhile, there are some PS3 exclusives that I can't live without (Uncharted, Infamous, GT5 (still waiting), LBP, God of War, Resistance, Killzone...).

I currently favor the PS3 a bit over the 360, but I have no problems with the power brick on the 360. In fact, I really don't give a damn how big it is, it's well hidden.

I can't wait for Killzone 3, Infamous 2, LBP2, R3, GT5, and, of course, Move. I am going to get Modnation racers soon. It's gonna be a great year or two for the PS3.

Same for the 360: Reach, Fable 3, Gears 3, Crackdown 2... And Sweet Jeebus, I just can't wait for Natal!

So please, don't call me a fanboy.

[Grubasaurus Rex Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:25AM]

I'm just looking forward to hopefully a slimmer 360 bundled with project natal. Mine is so old, it doesn't even have an HDMI port in the back, and I'm running out of hard drive space.

[IronArcher Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:29AM]

@Grubasaurus Rex

yeah a 'smaller' 360 to go with that huge Natal accessory.

[Avaviel Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:39AM]

@Grubasaurus Rex

Advice: Upgrade the HD yourself. You can get the 250GB drive for less than $100.

[Nimer55 Posted Jun 11th 2010 2:25AM]

@Avaviel

is it just me or the fcc hate sony? Apple products remain hidden t'ill after release, but sony always has this problem..

(i don't actually think the fcc is a bunch of fanboys, or that Microsoft is paying the fcc to reveal sony's consoles, it was just an observation made into a very lame joke..).

[Happy Posted Jun 11th 2010 3:01AM]

@IronArcher The Natal picture you saw was for the developers. The retail version will be much smaller.

Think before you post.

[Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi Posted Jun 11th 2010 6:19AM]

@Nimer55 Sony doesn't put a Date on when the info can be made public....or if they do the date isn't far enough in the future for some reason.....Apple knows when to file stuff...I mean we first heard about these new PS3s months ago...

[bitcloudrzr Posted Jun 11th 2010 8:37AM]

@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi

Let's not forget people who went wireless probably bought the G adapter too. Online gaming+streaming, never even think about wireless and people I play with online are all the same running a wire.

[zamardii12 Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:27AM]

I'm almost certain it'll be the PS3 with the Playstation Move bundle that i've read about. They'll announce it now, and release the bundle along with the separate Move bundles in the fall for the holiday season.

[shift123 Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:30AM]

Crap I just bought the new(few months old) slim just yesterday

[cdf74dc9 Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:31AM]

I keep on talking myself to buy a PS3. Hoping they have some bundle with the Move.

[buoy Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:36AM]

I will eventually buy a PS3.....................

................... when they bundle it with Gran Turismo 5. In about 53 years from now.

[SmokemeaKipper Posted Jun 11th 2010 6:09AM]

@buoy
GT5 is the new Duke Nuke'm

[Shokz Posted Jun 11th 2010 8:51AM]

@buoy

It WILL come out this year.

Hey, if we all believe it, it should happen, right? But really, this year seems like the year.

[ruby Posted Jun 11th 2010 2:35PM]

@buoy

Same with me! waiting for the PS3 + GT5 bundle.. that's how I bought my PS2 and I want to do it again with this one..

maybe in the mean time I'll start building a racing cockpit "simulator" with a 50" Sony Bravia as the windshield to run GT5 on.. this is going to be expensive.

[LiveFromThe215 Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:39AM]

Nice,

Lemme know when the PS5 comes around so I can finally get to play Gran Turismo 5

[packy17 Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:42AM]

Doesn't a differing model number indicate a hardware change?

[Anatomyofme Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:42AM]

Mark my works come Tuesday you will be able to buy a ps3 for $199

[mnhthebest Posted Jun 11th 2010 3:01AM]

@Anatomyofme

keep dreaming, that wont happen

[jt710a Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:49AM]

easy, PS3D, have none of you all seen the leaded video of "PS4"

[Batman Posted Jun 11th 2010 1:49AM]

Super Slim PS3???