Sony has been in hot water ever since it lost its footing in the gaming world. The PS2 was a titan and Sony overshadowed the xbox in every way. Then, when the next Gens came out, things went horribly wrong for them. I suppose some where along the line Sony got cocky. They thought that we would pay for the name no matter what priced they issued. They were wrong. When the PS3 came out, I waited 3 days at a Walmart and was first in line. Sadly, Said PS3 wasn’t even for me, but for my brother who could afford the hefty price tag. All in all, I’m glad i didnt jump on that wagon, because in the months that followed the 360 would claim the throne, and Sony had only themselves to blame.
It wasn’t that we weren’t impressed with the included Blu-ray or its Bluethooth compatability, but it was the fact that they priced themselves in the higher market, away from the avarge game. Those who did manage to finance the system were having to also deal with the inflated size as well. The beast was huge and a pain to carry after 3 long days of sleeping in folding chairs and eating Walmart Deli food. I remember having to move my TV over just to set it up. The final nail in the coffin was the lack of good games. Developers world wide felt that Sony wasn’t backed by the community anymore. They saw how games skyrocketed on the 360 and how they simple existed on the behemoth PS3. Since owning my 360 Elite, I have never looked back. Seldom were the times when a new game was to be released solely for the PS3. Most soon ported or announced to be released on multiple platforms closer to their release date. The history of this machine is quite sad and I had all but given up on it, till today.
Tuesday, August 18 in Cologne, Germany, Sony officially announced what many had already known. The PS3 Slim. This redesign of the previous system would be lighter, smaller, and most importantly, Cheaper. 
For months rumers and speculations flew around the net that Sony would be releasing a cheaper version to keep its head above water, when Microsoft lowered the price of the 360. Xbox was a whole $100 below the sony base model and Nintendo was $150. Both rivals offered fun games, backwards compatablity, and a gaming community worth being apart of. Sony’s hand was pushed. Soon leaked camera phone images began to surface from aleged chinese factories manufacturing the new device. All were met with speculation. Many of the images just seemed to be unfinished pecies of the larger version. The font was different and the glossy finish was lacking, making the system appear to be a knock off. No one could be sure, till Sony told the world at GameCom.
Speculations were proven correct as the machine was all it was foretold. The fingerprint magnet finish was gone. the machine is now only a mere 11×9 inches. An include 120gig HDD and a confirmed price of $299. Directly on Par with the Xbox, gamers now have many choices, purchase the 360 or the PS3 for the same price. The price of $350 could have been justified from the $250 price tag for the PSP, but with its following wavering, Sony made the right choice. For those of use who own a 360, the Slim is very tempting to add to the collection. After a few calls, I was told that the announcement seem to be a bit early from the retailers perspective, who anticipate the go ahead from corporate to start reservations next week. This new system is also causing waves in the market as the PS3 Fats are likely to drop in value. All those wanting to trade up, should do so now, and benefit the most from a trade in and those looking to purchase the 80 gig Fat for the same price shold wait.
This leaves me wondering what the price for a used PS3 Fat will be and if the reverse compatibility, which seemed to come and go within the different version releases, will be supported in the Slim. The console war is never ending and we still have Fall to look forward to. Who knows what will happen on Black Friday or closer to Christmas, but for now Sony had earned its self a 1-up.
