****The Playstation 3 Slim Thread****

[Things change I've changed]

Well, here it is lady's and gentlemen,

The PS3 Slim

RRP £249

The Spec's

Product Code: CECH-2000 (Charcoal Black)
CPU: Cell Broadband Engine
GPU: RSX
Audio output: 7.1CH LPCM, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC.
Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
Hard Drive: 120GB Serial ATA
Inputs / outputs:
Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0): 2
Network: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x 1, IEEE 802.11 b / g, Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
Controller: Wireless controller (Bluetooth)
AV output HDMI OUT Connection: 1
AV output AV MULTI OUT connector: 1
AV output Digital out (optical) Connection: 1
BD / DVD / CD drive (read only) Maximum read rate: BD × 2 (BD-ROM), DVD × 8 (DVD-ROM), CD × 24 (CD-ROM)
Power Consumption: Approx 250W
Dimensions: approx 290 × 65 × 290 mm (width × height × length)
Weight: approx 3.2kg

And here it is in the flesh,

CLICK ME - A good gallery of photos showing the PS3 Slim compared to consoles past and present - CLICK ME

Videos,

Additional information,

The HDD on the PS3 Slim is accessible via the front panel like so,

Peak power usage :

Launch (90nm Cell / 90nm RSX) was 200W
40GB (65nm Cell/ 90nm RSX) was 160W
80GB (65nm Cell / 65nm RSX) was 130W

The PS3 Slim (45nm Cell / 65nm RSX) peak power usage is estimated @ around 74w

And for the audio enthusiasts,

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/21/ps3-slim-bitsreams-dolby-truehd-and-dts-hd-ma-audio-at-last/

"Slowly, ever so slowly we're beginning to learn about the internal differences between Sony's new PS3 Slim and its chubby ancestry. We already knew that it supported BraviaLink while talk of "faster gaming" was introduced (suspiciously) yesterday; something that remains very much in doubt until we can confirm. Now we hear that the fatboy gone slim supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream output to your receiver. Hear that audio nerds? Bitstream. See the HDMI chip on previous generations of the PS3 didn't support bitstream output of the new(ish) high def codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. As such, the PS3 had to decode it internally before sending it over to your receiver via LPCM. A process that could garble the lossless audio depending on your setup. Even though the vast majority of people will never notice the difference (or even care), PS3 Slim owners can still kick back in smug satisfaction each time the TrueHD or DTS-HD MA indicators light-up on their receivers."

And Finally some speculation,

Sony's PS3 Slim Carries Updated Cell Chip


"Sony has made some enhancements under the hood to boost its processing speed and power efficiency. The gaming console will carry an upgraded version of the Cell microprocessor, which is being jointly developed by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba."

"IBM spokesman said. Based on IBM's Power architecture, the chip delivers many performance improvements while drawing less power than earlier chips, IBM has said. The earlier console carried a Cell processor manufactured using the 65-nm process. IBM declined to provide the clock speed of the new Cell processor."

 

[Things change I've changed]

No way could they get it that small....

Could they?

Check out the motherboard picture, see how small the latest PS3 motherboard is in the current 80gb compared to the original 60gb PS3.

 

[Things change I've changed]

This.

Its all well and good getting something that small and thin, but there is no way with current technology that it could be cooled properly.

Cell Processor Going 45nm In 2009

"The shrink not only means increased yields and thus reduced pricing (hopefully), but also brings a 40 per cent power reduction compared to the 65nm Cell seen in the current PS3 SKU. This means that the new Cell chip will run cooler than its predecessor, which in turn means that systems built around it can be smaller".

I believe it could be done.

 

[Things change I've changed]

But going by the size of it in the pictures, you can't fit a single fan in it pointing outwards (like the current PS3, 360 and PC's have). The PS3, or anything that powerful, cannot run on its own with just heatsinks.

The current PS3 doesn't have a fan pointing outwards, perhaps you should check how the PS3 is engineered first.

End of the day we are both speculating, we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Things change I've changed]

Current 80GBs dont use a single fan like the old 60GBs did, they have a twin fan for the CPU/GPU (pretty sure ive seen one taken apart).

Current PS3's only use one fan.

Here is the underside of the heatsink,

 

[Things change I've changed]

Thing is though, won't compacting everything make the unit more expensive? Or am i missing something?

I'd love to strap one of those heatsinks into my PC :E

No, mainly becuase they will have up to 50 per cent better yield per wafer on the 45nm process over the current 65nm process which will save them a lot of money.

 

[Things change I've changed]

But i don't like the way the OP has tried to make this out to be the real thing by giving "evidence" pictures. Seems more like a Magick style post to me.

I said "Possible supporting evidence", trust me, I'm not quite at Magicks level yet , I'm not saying that it is 100% real, I just think it could be, and even if it is not I do beleive that is is possible to downscale the PS3 into a smaller chassis, maybe with an external PSU like the first (and very popular) slimline PS2's, but certainly not as small as that.

 

[Things change I've changed]

hmm, If its that thin, there doesnt seem to be any way to put it on its side.

PS2 is thinner and is able to be stand up vertically,

Although you need stand.

 

[Things change I've changed]

It will be slimmer but not 'that' slim.

gt

I think this is the problem, people are just looking at the top part and thinking that is how thick the unit is going to be, it's missing the underside that is in 5th picture, if you envision those two pieces fitted together it's not that thin tbh.

 

[Things change I've changed]

Well for me it's about the aesthetics that may come with a having a 45nm cell processor due to being able to potentially downscale the chassis, and also the price drop that may come with that, the PS3 certainly needs a drop in price and tbh it needs a larger user-base that may come with the price drop.

 

[Things change I've changed]

Here,

Someone has photo-shopped elements of the original pictures together to try and give you an idea of what it may look like put together.

 

[Things change I've changed]

I don't think this has been posted in here.

This is not from the same source as the original pictures and has already been confirmed as a fake/Chinese knock-off, you can even see the two joystick ports.

 

[Things change I've changed]

I hope so. It'd also be nice to be able to turn the damn thing off without using the controller or the power flick switch on the back...

Why not just keep your finger on the touch sensitive power button on the front of the PS3 for a few seconds, that's how your supposed to power down the system without using the controller.

 

[Things change I've changed]

Posted on PSXtreme a couple of days ago :

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/5337.html

You can't kill off a good rumor, especially when relentless journalists like ourselves keep it afloat.

Anyway, you all may recall the speculation that Sony was prepared to launch a new Slim PlayStation 3 model. The supposed evidence came from a Chinese manufacturer and as they're hardly official, we don't really want to post the leaked pics here. But you can see one at Live PlayStation, who says that according to the UK's PSW Magazine, there is a striking similarity between the PS3 Slim photo and the early PSP Go packaging. The magazine reads:

"The PS3 Slim Packaging looks almost identical to the confirmed PSP Go, so it isn't a fake. Expect the smaller, lighter PS3 to be announced at the Tokyo Games Show in September, just in time for Xmas."

And friday on GameDaily:

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/n...-meaningful-ps3-price-cut-says-analyst/?biz=1

At this year's E3, a number of publishers expressed their disappointment (either privately or publicly) about the lack of any price drop on Sony's PlayStation 3. Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick took it one step further recently, practically threatening to cut off support of the console because "it's expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation."

The rumors continue to swirl that Sony will finally act and drop the PS3's MSRP by $100 for August (in time for the launch of Madden) and now leading video game retailer GameStop is expecting a price drop too. According to Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia, who attended a meeting with GameStop executives, "Management believes that a meaningful PS3 cut is highly likely in the near-term. We continue to believe a $100 price cut on PS3 will occur around the launch of EA's Madden NFL 2010, which is scheduled for release on 8/18."

 

[Things change I've changed]

If i was doing this price cut lark i wouldnt announce the PS3 slim but first i would drop the price of the normal PS3s down to £200 possibly at the GC in germany in august. Then in september at TGS aqnnounce the PS3 slim at say £225, this would give them and the stores enough time to clear out most of the old PS3 stock and introduce the slim while possibly making a smaller price cut spring 2010 when the waggle, GOW3 and FF13 come out ready for the end of financial year 09.

Sorry I didn't write the above out, I cut and pasted it from another forum, I accidentally left the last bit of the post in, but anyway you've hit on a good point, it doesn't make much sense to announce a price drop and a Slim at the same time as who would buy the old SKU's, like you say, lower the price of the current SKU's first and then announce the Slim later in the year, hopefully at TGS just before the winter rush.

 

[Things change I've changed]

Well take this with a pinch of salt but there also appears to be a rumoured price drop with the release of the 'Slim' PS3,

http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2009/00036004-baisse-de-prix-de-la-ps3-ca-se-confirme.htm

"But this time, it seems to be confirmed by our contacts, certain wholesalers affirm that there will be a price-drop! And it gets better, because we can announce that there is a new version of the console that will come out!

The official anouncement of this new, less expensive version of the PS3 will be done during the press conference that the Japanese Giant will hold at Cologne on the occasion of gamescom on Tuesday, August 18th, at 18h French [4pm French time]!"

 

[Things change I've changed]

Was just coming here to post that, that is the first 'real' advert that seems to indicate that a slim really is coming.

 

[Things change I've changed]

Same price.

And what price would that be ?

 

[Things change I've changed]

£299

So your saying there is no price drop on the SLIM ? but the PHAT will drop in price ?

 

[Things change I've changed]

If it is £299 with no new features, I can see it not selling that well in USA and EU tbh.rp2000

Depends on when and if MS are really getting rid of the 'Pro' SKU, that could in effect help increase PS3 sales considerably.