First footage of slimline PS3 appears?

By Ellie Gibson Published 13 July, 2009

New font! New eject button! Two USB ports.

Video footage of what appears to be a new slimline PS3 has appeared on YouTube.

The machine has a white PS logo, a new eject button, two USB ports and features a curvier PS3 typeface on the side.

The footage was chucked on the internet by the chaps at UltimatePlayStation.com. The person who shot it says the slimline PS3 was on sale at an underground market in the Philippines, priced at around GBP 250.

Sony has yet to comment, and probably won't.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (52) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • stevetuck #1 3 years ago

    the slimline PS3 was on sale at an underground market in the Philippines

    Yep its gotta be legit

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #2 3 years ago

    "underground market at the Philippines"? Really? I do think a slim PS3 is in the works, but this story is, er, weird.

  • mkreku #3 3 years ago

    Naah, that looks like that fake PS3 that's being sold in China.

    Why not just wait until Sony releases the real slim one? I mean, we all know it's coming..

  • cyacomini #4 3 years ago

    "Video footage of what appears to be a new black betamax VCR with 2 usb ports has appeared on YouTube"

    Oh yes - and I've got a video here of the new slimline 360 too. Oh no, that's a toaster. Damn!

    Pretty surprised EG even posted this to be honest.

  • denis09 #5 3 years ago

    Ellie, the humour in this post eludes me :p If you tried to be ironic it didn't show very well.
    Now go review some horrible game and write a laugh out loud piece on it like you do so well.

  • TheStatics #6 3 years ago

    It's like watching REC. If it was genuine, then why the dodgy camera work which makes it impossible to tell?

  • jerrymanu #7 3 years ago

    BS. Plain and simple. Its just a video of the fake like mkreku says. I'm also surprised EG ran this.

  • jonsaan #8 3 years ago

    I wish they would hurry up and fill us in on a relaunch/price drop. Then I can decide if I want to stump up the 100 quid Sony want to fix my busted launch model.

  • Darren #9 3 years ago

    It's difficult to tell just how big it is from the awful, low-quality and badly filmed footage. It doesn't actually look that much smaller than the current model, just a little thinner. I saw the PS3 logo but apart from that it could have been anything. Why can't these people just video things normally, i.e. without all the overexcited camera shake and stuff that makes it hard to watch? :?

  • kangarootoo #10 3 years ago

    "The only way something could be shot this poorly is as if to deliberately drip feed unproveable tidbits of information without allowing for any kind of confirmation."

    Yeah, because YouTube is chock full of genuine and well shot use videos right? Its only the badly filmed stuff that could be fake, on account of dodgy film work being so rare.

    Occam's razor.
    Edited by kangarootoo at 13/07/09 @ 09:56

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #11 3 years ago

    Well, it does appear to be video of the same machine as the leaked casing photos.

    But this video lends more credence to the 'Chinese knock-off' theory than the leaked pre-production new official model theory.

    Edit: These Frenchies appear to have a credible explanation for what's going on:
    [link url=http://www.ultimateps3.fr/news-ps3-2493-exclusive-ups3-ps3-slim-pictures-are-fake.html
    ]http://www.ultimateps3.fr/news-ps3-2493-...[/link]

    The whole leaked pictures shenanigans were guerilla marketing for their knockoff console to attract greedy western fanboys to buy them off the internet. Although that doesn't explain why Sony haven't made more of a fuss denying the official-ness of these images, and warning people that they represent fakes.
    Edited by MENTAL1ST at 13/07/09 @ 10:06

  • Teamallstar #12 3 years ago

    If they make a slim line PS3, will it still be heavy enough to prop the door open? I'm not sure why console designers feel the need to package their product in smaller bits of plastic.

  • GreyBeard #13 3 years ago

    Why would anyone make a knock-off "clone" of a machine that doesn't exist? It's not like a Vii which is clearly meant to scam people into believing its something its not - i.e. its a copy of a popular machine, not one that may or may not exist, and certainly isn't on the market right now.

    Faking up a chassis like that, putting it in a box (somehow second-guessing Sony on the packaging style used on the PSPGO) is a lot of work.

    If it isn't real, or at least representative of what the PS3 Slim looks like, why would anyone make one. As I wrote elsewhere, if you want to scam people with a fake PS3, why not fake one of the existing ones? It makes no sense otherwise.

    Probably a Sony viral ad.

  • captainrentboy #14 3 years ago

    Ahhhh, shaking the camera around like an insane person and actually managing to focus on bugger all, is there a better way to show off the fact that you've managed to get some exclusive footage of the new slim PS3?
    Bullshit.
    And if that is the Slim PS3, it just looks like a giant has stepped on the old model, crushed it out thinner but about 6 feet wider :/

  • kangarootoo #15 3 years ago

    "No. There is bad shooting, and then there is this. It's too bad to be real. A monkey could make a better film."

    I say again, we are assuming far too much purely on refusing to belief that no living person could shoot a film as badly as that. Of COURSE they could.

  • chubster2010 #16 3 years ago

    Why is it that these kinds of 'leaked footage' nearly always look like they've been filmed by a chimpanzee?

  • JahB #17 3 years ago

    I'm not sure why console designers feel the need to package their product in smaller bits of plastic.

    smaller/less tech = less production cost, less storage cost, less shipping costs and hopefully less retail costs

  • kangarootoo #18 3 years ago

    "Why would anyone make a knock-off "clone" of a machine that doesn't exist?"

    For money.

    "Faking up a chassis like that, putting it in a box (somehow second-guessing Sony on the packaging style used on the PSPGO) is a lot of work"

    So is manufacturing fake viagra, but that is pretty big business too.


    I don't really know the source of this footage, b ut the truth is neither does anybody else here. All we can do is theorise and suppose. And in such a situation, the simplest explanation is usually the truth.

  • spidermanalf #19 3 years ago

    Everything on youtube is real! This proves it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGx-3t8CJ-k

  • drumbaby #20 3 years ago

    This is as good as the EG Onimusha story that turned out to be basura...Yes: BASURA.

  • patchbox360 #21 3 years ago

    ah man i just got my ps3 as well - oh well killzone2 rules yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah baby!

  • kangarootoo #22 3 years ago

    "I remember when this place was actually different to the other game sites"

    Other gaming sites have paid membership options don't they? EG has always been free, and so its always been ad based.

  • Weebleboy #23 3 years ago

    Journalism at its finest.

  • alimokrane #24 3 years ago

    Anyone believing this is real ? come on. ... it's a too damn obvious fake!

  • Olemak #25 3 years ago

    Bullshot.

  • zedzee #26 3 years ago

    If it was found under a counter in a dodgy market in some Far East country, then you can bet your Pound/Dollar/etc that it was a 'knock off' - in other words an unofficial unit made by pirates. Very much like when someone copies a DVD film and photocopies the cover and sells it.

    It's most probably NOT the officially intended PS3 Slim but I suspect the rumours are true that Sony is making a Slim model.

  • Malek86 #27 3 years ago

    I don't doubt a Slim PS3 will eventually come. Just... not this.

  • GreyBeard #28 3 years ago

    @Kangarootoo

    But as soon as the "real" ps3 slim hits, then your run of fake machines becomes unsellable. It makes NO SENSE AT ALL.
    You might get a sale or two at most before the deception gets publicized! That's just not worth the effort andf the likely legal ramifications.


    If you are going to counterfeit something, you need a real "original" to copy from. That's the fundamental premise!

    And seriously, who the fuck is dumb enough to spend time and effort creating a fake item of that quality, that will attract so much interest and conjecture due to its novelty?


    @ Mentalist(air)

    That stuff on that French site was utter BS. Li Mo and associates is a real law firm in Taiwan (not a school) as evidenced by alumnus placements on the california bar association website, and an actual website for the firm itself.

    Its hardly Woodward & Bernstein stuff to corroborate whether or not the C&D orders were real!
    Edited by GreyBeard at 13/07/09 @ 11:33

  • potter73 #29 3 years ago

    Whilst the its obvious its nothing more than a hoax. Of course this could be nothing more than a 'Viral' vid sent out by the Sony marketing bods to stir up interest prior to the 'actual' release (if it ever happens) Look at all the coverage its getting now, and the coverage its going to get over the next few months.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #30 3 years ago

    Well, either it's real and

    (a) Someone nicked a production model from the factory and sold it to some market traders
    or
    (b) This is a viral video from Sony themselves.

    Or it's fake and

    (c) The slimline PS3 in question has always been just a Chinese con-job
    or
    (d) This particular slimline PS3 is a chinese con-job based on the previously leaked images that were genuine.
    or
    (e) Someone from UltimatePS3.com knocked one up based on the previously leaked images and shot a ludicrously fuzzy video as a viral video to attract people to their site.

  • themorganator #31 3 years ago

    I'm still not convinced this is genuine, but if it is, it's a total smack in the face for the muppets who shelled out ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD on the original.

    LOL!

  • nasanu #32 3 years ago

    EG... I will actually be looking for another euro site to get my news from now. Why cant you be more like the magicbox, simple and reliable news.

  • Teamallstar #33 3 years ago

    Maybe Sony think that a smaller PS3 won't collect as much dust as the original as it sits not being used?

    I'm still a little concerned that it won't be as good a door stop as the bigger model.

    What we can be damned sure about though, is that it will have less features and not be any cheaper!

  • Bazfrag #34 3 years ago

    Fake or ultra fake? Probably a knockoff that comes with 5 built in games, and swappable overlays you stick to your tv. (for a true full colour experience) The joypad is an N64 pad minus the Z, A, and B buttons, and the analoge stick.

  • Stormflood #35 3 years ago

    Want a clearer photo from the same store? [link url=http://i29.tinypic.com/ab5sb9.jpg
    ]http://i29.tinypic.com/ab5sb9.jpg
    [/link]

    As you can see, it's identical to the image on those first slim boxes we saw, right down to the new touch buttons centre and left. Not that that proves anything other than 'something' exists that could either be real or a rip-off.

  • schnide #36 3 years ago

    Either way boys and girls.. okay boys..

    We're all still talking about it aren't we? So it's good for Sony whether real, or fake.

  • BM #37 3 years ago

    That video is so poor it's untrue, it could just as easily be a shoebox than a slimline PS3

  • mega7ech #38 3 years ago

    Will the real slim sony ps3 please stand up........I think we're gonna have a problem here..

  • ronuds #39 3 years ago

    Wow. Not only is the slimline story true, but there are already enough of them out there to start selling!

    lol - EG, I'm embarrassed for you.

  • ejikeanyanwu #40 3 years ago

    I highly doubt its a real PS3 Slim, though i do still think one is gonna be made, I'd only belive this video if I saw it working
    e.g. playing games or going on Home. It could easily just be somebody trying to make quick cash on speculations on rumours..

  • Teamallstar #41 3 years ago

    Isn't a slim version something that they would bring out after the dales of the console have peaked and they need to crate renewed interest!? I doubt that Sony believe that they have gotten to that stage yet!

  • ronuds #42 3 years ago

    If they could already bring the manufacturing costs down, why wouldn't they do so with the current model? Why does the current model still cost more to produce than what they sell it for?

    That's why I believe a slim is still a ways down the road for Sony. If they could lower manufacturing costs, they would have done so already, imo. You don't continually sell your product at a loss if there's a simple answer in your lap.

  • GreyBeard #43 3 years ago

    They bring the manufacturing costs down by:

    1. Changing the fab size of the chip-set (going to 45nm scale as the slim is suspected to be). Better yields/smaller parts = lower costs.

    2. Mobo redesign to accomodate the chipset, save a little by shrinking it.

    3. Smaller board chipset requires less power, less power requires less cooling, less cooling = smaller case size neccessary. Lots of savings here.

    4. Re-design case with a few economies (drop chrome trims, and replace touch sensors with actual buttons) so it looks like a ""new" product, and relaunch at an adjusted price point.

    The only problem is you need to keep all this on the down-low in case undecided punters decide to wait to purchase the new version, leaving yourself with a ton of unprofitable stock clogging the channels.
    Edited by GreyBeard at 13/07/09 @ 17:59

  • ronuds #44 3 years ago

    @Greybeard

    I understand that, but what's stopping Sony from putting some of those cheaper components in the current model? MS has been able to do so with the 360. Normally, I'd think anyhow, a good business model would be to reduce the price of the original model until a slim becomes so cheap to produce that it makes no sense NOT to. Sony isn't even close to doing that, and introducing a slim will likely do very little to their bottom line at this point.

  • aine #45 3 years ago

    everyone doubting whether a chinese company would fake a nonexistent product seriously underestimates chinese companies. you ever see the fake iphone nano? it wouldn't surprise me one bit if its a NES clone or a DVD player.

  • GreyBeard #46 3 years ago

    @ronuds

    Have you ever seen what a PS3 looks like when disassembled? There is a lot of stuff inside that case, most notably an extremely large and elaborate cooling system. Google around for pictures of the fan assembly for a laugh, it really is HUGE.

    The size of the case is largely due to this; probably a holdover from when PS3's used all 90nm chips and as a result sucked power like a maniac and generated a significant amount of heat when running.

    Assuming the new PS3 uses 45nm parts, it should be drawing less than half the amount power (estimates said ~130w) and also putting out far less heat making this huge copper heat-sink and fan redundant. Yes they could use the same case, but it would be half empty inside which would be somewhat wasteful.

    Point is: smaller chipset means everything gets significantly cheaper. And when a company is as desperate as Sony is to start turning a profit, I'm sure they will consider any and all options to trim a few cents of the production cost, including shrinking and simplifying the case.

    @aine


    What do fake iPhone nano's look like? Exactly like iPhones!

    There is no way you can put the alleged slim into the same category as it looks COMPLETELY DIFFERENT to a normal PS3!

    What I want to know is why people are so determinedly skeptical about it being real?

    Based on the facts at hand, Ockham's (not occam ffs...) razor would indicate it to be real. For it to be fake requires some sort of scam or conspiracy to be taking place, whereas the more obvious answer is a light-fingered Filipino sailor lifted a crate of PS3's off a ship and sold them on to an unscrupulous friend in Manila.


    Edited by GreyBeard at 13/07/09 @ 21:13

  • GreyBeard #47 3 years ago

    I'd like to add one last point.

    Yes there are fake Wii's, Ps2's and iPhones.

    What do those products have in common? Answer they are all hugely successful.

    Unlike the PS3.

    Why would you counterfeit the 3rd-placed console of its generation?

  • yagisencho #48 3 years ago

    If it's real, and available for purchase (albeit via grey or black market), then wouldn't someone have already created a infinitely more viewable video showing both the unboxing and first boot-up?

    This particular video smells bogus.

  • Beano #49 3 years ago

    I'm amazed some of you guys still doubt it's legit. It's more or less confirmed that the leaked images are real (same package design as PSP Go, "PS3" name instead of "PlayStation 3" which is now widely used by Sony since E3, etc.). The device shown in the YouTube video is the same unit. The only question now is when we will see it and at what price. My quess is late august or september at TGS.

    EDIT: And why make a fake PS3 what doesn't look like the official PS3 - at all!
    Edited by Beano at 13/07/09 @ 22:26

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #50 3 years ago

    For it to be fake requires some sort of scam or conspiracy to be taking place, whereas the more obvious answer is a light-fingered Filipino sailor lifted a crate of PS3's off a ship and sold them on to an unscrupulous friend in Manila.

    The reason I doubt that explanation is that it seems never to have happened before. I don't recall tales of DSIs or new models of PSP or Xbox for sale in southeast asian markets before they hit retail in Japan or the west, let alone before they're even announced.

    But the place where the video is shot is exactly the sort of place where one would find a Chinese knock-off console for sale.

    Or, since the video is so blurry, perhaps it's just down the local market of the viral marketeers. We don't really have enough evidence to apply Occam's razor.

  • GreyBeard #51 3 years ago

    @evilfoxhound

    Errr, where did that come from?

    I'm just pointing out the obvious. Why would somebody focus on counterfeiting a product that hasn't been a massive success? As opposed to one that is selling more strongly?

    I'm not making a qualitative judgement on the value of the PS3, just pointing out that based on global sales figures faking up a "new" 360 would seem to be a better opportunity for a scam or other criminal enterprise.

    You are being way too defensive

    @Mentalist(air)

    I'd agree with you if this same "fake" slim PS3 hadn't shown up in more than one leak. Those factory shots from Taiwan clearly show the shell of the same device, and then there's the C&D orders that followed the release of the images.



    Edited by GreyBeard at 14/07/09 @ 12:34

  • Stu #52 3 years ago

    Man that video takes shakycam to a whole new level...