Sony unveils slimmer PS3: $300, lands in September

Video Games | PlayStation 3 | GC 09: PS3 Slim Debut

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Hardly a surprise, but Sony got on stage today at GamesCom and confirmed what we've all known deep down in our hearts: the new, slimmer PS3 is really real. It'll be out in the first week of September (September 1 in North America and Europe, September 3 for Japan), and will retail for $300 (or 300 Euro, or 29,980 Yen). It's smaller and lighter, has a 120GB HDD, and packs "all the same features" of the regular PS3 while consuming 34 percent less power and taking up 32 percent less space. Existing PS3 SKUs have their prices dropped a hundie apiece tomorrow in anticipation, so be sure to grab a space heater while you've still got a shot -- though we're not sure why you'd pay $300 for an 80GB PS3 when you can wait a couple weeks and get 120GB in a cuter package. A couple pics of the unveil are after the break.

The new 3.0 firmware will be released concurrently with the PS3 slim, which should provide a breath of fresh air for existing machines. Other new features of the PS3 slim include BRAVIA Sync, which allows you to control the PS3 XMB over HDMI through your BRAVIA TV remote, and System Standby to shut off the PS3 when the BRAVIA TV is off. Sony also claims this new machine will run more quietly than existing PS3 systems, which is good news for people who like to watch movies or have conversations in the general vicinity of their game console. There's also a Vertical Stand, which will retail for $24. Not so awesome is Sony's removal of the Install Other OS feature... farewell, Linux. We hardly knew thee.
















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Afrika Preview

Get ready to go on a safari.



Afrika is a PlayStation 3 game first announced briefly in a promotional video during the Sony press conference at E3 in 2006 and has a scheduled release date of 28 August 2008. It is an African safari simulator including wild animals from the far reaches of the continent. The game has been referred to as a spiritual successor to the Nintendo 64 title Pokemon Snap.

At the Tokyo Game Show 2007, a new trailer was shown featuring humans driving jeeps and walking with cameras taking photographs of the animals. The game is being developed by Rhino Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Afrika will not be released in Europe or the Americas.

Gamers playing Afrika will assume the role of a photojournalist who will be able to take pictures of various wildlife. The story will be mission-driven. This means that the character gets e-mails at his base camp which tell him what pictures to go and take. To get to the location and animals he/she needs to photograph, the characters has the ability to go by foot, jeep or air balloon, as previously hinted at in various screenshots and trailers; however, in recent gameplay footage it is possible to manually drive a vehicle as well as the player will have the ability to completely manipulate the camera using the Sixaxis.

At the location of the mission, the player must take pictures of the wildlife. This will be done with a virtual camera. This camera is completely controlled by the motion-controlled Sixaxis in a similar way as the camera during the transport to the location. This way the player is in complete control of the angle, focus, aim and clarity of the pictures. If the Sixaxis is not held by a firm and steady hand, the picture might be too blurry and thus worthless. However, if the picture turns out to be of good quality, virtual cash can be earned. The better the shot, the bigger the amount of money earned. This virtual money earned in the game can be used to buy new cameras which in turn will deliver pictures of even better quality to earn even more money.

Additional to the actual gameplay are unlockables such as various footage and real-life snapshots of the animals you encounter, which are collected and stored in your “Animal Library”.



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