Cheaper, 12GB PlayStation 3 hardware coming to North America
A stripped-down, budget-priced revision for Sony's PlayStation 3 console is on its way to store shelves in North America, Engadget reports.
The new PS3 model, which nixes a hard drive in favor of 12 gigabytes of flash memory, was originally announced as a region-exclusive release for Europe and Hong Kong. The unit is a variant of the PS3's third-generation "Super Slim" revision, which is lighter and consumes less power than previous hardware models.
Engadget reports that the new PS3 model has been spotted in a Kmart stockroom in the United States with a display date of August 18. A now-deleted listing at Future Shop in Canada pegged the unit's price at $199.99. The PS3's current 250 GB Super Slim model retails at $269.99.
Given that many retail PlayStation 3 games require large data installations upon bootup, the new PS3 model's 12 gigabytes of storage space may prove inadequate for large game libraries. While the hard drives included in previous Super Slim models could be replaced with larger-capacity storage devices, it has not been confirmed whether the 12 GB model can be similarly modded.
