One of the worst-kept secrets in the past few months has finally been confirmed, as Sony has finally announced their newer, slimmer PS3. Affectionately known as the PS3 Slim to gamers, the new PS3 is smaller, lighter, and has “all the same features” as the current PS3, according to Sony. Of course, after some digging, we did find that the PS3 Slim won’t support installing Linux on the system like its larger brethren does…but we’re guessing that not too many of you will cry over that. The PS3 Slim will also use 34% less power, and takes up 32% less space than the existing PS3. All this goodness will be available this September for $299. If you want to pick up one of the larger PS3s, those will be available in stores at a new low price, with the 80GB model selling for $299, and the 160GB model selling for $399. The PS3 Slim will pack in a 120GB hard drive.

Spec sheet:
Product name: PlayStation 3
Product code: CECH-2000A (Charcoal Black)
CPU: Cell Broadband Engine™
GPU: RSX
Audio output: LPCM 7.1ch, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC.
Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
Hard disk: 120GB 2.5” Serial ATA
USB 2.0 ports: 2
Networking: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T), IEEE 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (+EDR)
Controller: Wireless Controller (Bluetooth) x 1
AV outputs: HDMI x 1, AV MULTI OUT x 1, Digital out (optical) x 1
Resolutions: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i (for PAL 576p, 576i)
BD / DVD / CD drive (read only): BD × 2 (BD-ROM), DVD × 8 (DVD-ROM), CD × 24 (CD-ROM)
Power: AC 220 – 240, 50/60Hz
Power consumption: Approx. 250W
External dimensions (excluding maximum projecting part): Approx. 290 × 65 × 290 mm (width × height × length)
Mass: Approx. 3.2kg
Included in box: PlayStation 3 system × 1, Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK 3) × 1, AC power cord × 1, AV cable × 1, USB cable × 1