CECH-3000B
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Sony intros new PS3 Slim in Japan: lighter, consumes less power
Fresh from the Land of the Rising Sun comes news that Sony has updated the original PS3 Slim (CECH-3001B) with a lighter, less power-hungry model. The new Japanese PS3 CECH-3000B weighs in at 5.7 pounds -- as opposed to its 6.6 pound elder brother -- and even lowers its wattage to 200W from the previous 230W. Based on information handed to us by SCE in February, we're surmising that you'll need HDMI / HDCP in order to get 1080p video playback from Blu-ray Discs; otherwise, it'll be limited to 480i over piracy concerns. Other non-AACS content -- games included -- should be exempt from the restrictions. The unit will retail at the same ¥34,980 price point (or $435 for the Yanks) as the original Slim, and while a relatively plain 320GB flavor seems to be on tap for now, a 160GB Tales of Xillia bundle will purportedly hit this September. No announcement has been made for its North American counterpart, but with the system already in the FCC's clutches, you can bet it'll be making an intercontinental trek in short order.
New PS3 hardware update in Japan; Xillia bundle comes with new model
Nope, you still won't get an HDMI cable in the box with new PlayStation 3 hardware that arrives this September in Japan, but you will get a "charcoal black" console with decreased power consumption, a lightened chassis, and a 320GB HDD. Thrillingly named the "CECH-3000B," the new model was announced by Sony of Japan this past weekend, alongside the opening of an official website (once a retailer had outed it). Apparently a handful of visual changes have been made to the system as well, specifically applying to the power and eject buttons, but the changes aren't obvious in images released thus far. The console by itself will run ¥34,980 ($435.56), and a 160GB version of the new model will ship with a previously announced Tales of Xillia bundle this September. It should also be noted that the Tales of Xillia model is ¥37,980 ($470) and looks way, way sweeter.
