PS3 Slim contracts signed - report

By Robert Purchese Published 1 July, 2009

Production aiming for July.

Taiwanese site UDN claims Sony has signed production contracts to begin manufacturing the PS3 Slim.

Companies Foxconn and Pegatron are working towards delivery in July, says UDN (translated by Engadget).

This coincides with reports that Sony will launch the PS3 Slim this autumn, after first cutting the price of the existing PS3 and limiting the 80GB model to clear space at retail.

Sony has consistently declined to comment on the reports.

'PS3 Slim contracts signed - report' Screenshot 1

Is this the PS3 Slim?

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Brianstorm #1 3 years ago

    They will announce it at the Tokyo Game Show in September.

  • Toothball #2 3 years ago

    Hmm, I was planning to get a PSPgo around that time actually. This might be a costly Christmas.

  • NotSoSlim #3 3 years ago

    Announced at TGS with a GT5 bundle..heard it here first lol

  • MeBrains #4 3 years ago

    time will tell... I only hope the shot is not representative of the final product. it looks ugly and cheap and so on...

  • Darren #5 3 years ago

    The PS3 Slim looks ugly if those screenshots are anything to go by. It doesn't look like it's designed to stand vertically either, certainly not without a stand of some kind. And what the hell is that fugly bit sticking out on the left-hand side of the photo?

    Not that any of the current consoles are exactly attractive but the original PS3 does have a certain quality about it with its dark sultry looks and chrome trims. The slot fed Blu-ray drive helps attenuate the feeling of something modern and sexy. Or maybe I just think that because I paid £425 for it! :)

  • Gaol #6 3 years ago

    That photograph looks like the known fake those Chinese guys produced a while back, as part of some intended ebay scam.

  • Darren #7 3 years ago

    Let's hope so. I'd like to think that Sony can still reduce the size of the PS3 and still retain the quality build and look of the larger models.

  • rotmm #8 3 years ago

    @Darren, "And what the hell is that fugly bit sticking out on the left-hand side of the photo?"

    Erm.... exactly the same fugly bit that's on the current PS3 maybe?

    As you have a PS3 yourself, maybe you've noticed that the slot-drive is recessed in the top half of the machine, with that fugly bit on the left connecting with the bottom half of the machine to give it that sleek, George Forman look.

  • GreyBeard #9 3 years ago

    There was no "fake ebay scam", (internet bullshit at its finest) just those leaked images of an unfinished shell from a Taiwanese factory.

    Honestly guys, you can't judge the look of a piece of hardware from a third of its bodyshell, its a piece of raw plastic! What do you expect it to look like!

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #10 3 years ago

    Yes, that's just the top plastic casing of the new PS3, if it's genuine. There ought to be a slightly larger bottom piece we can't see, so it won't be all that slim.

    I'm glad they've ditched the spiderman font, though.

  • PrinzPils #11 3 years ago

    Aren't Foxconn and Pegatron Transformers ???

  • GreyBeard #12 3 years ago

    @svd_grasshopper

    Depends on who you ask! The Chinese government for example considers Taiwan to be fundamentally Chinese. Just run by a breakaway rebel administration.

  • Dizzy #13 3 years ago

    they (old) pics were from a chinese mystery factory if i recall correctly

    Most Taiwanese companies have factories in mainland China.

    Also, like somebody else said, China considers Taiwan part of China.

  • Stormflood #14 3 years ago

    Unless I can fix my beloved 60GB bluray drive, I may be picking one of these up.

  • cherryuk #15 3 years ago

    it looks like a spare PSP battery

  • El-Dev #16 3 years ago

    Paint it red, it realy worked on the 360.

  • peterfll #17 3 years ago

    That looks like the battery for my Sony Cybershot camera.

    I'm going to start a campaign "Keep 'Em Chunky!".

    *Hugs PS3 Fat*

  • Darren #18 3 years ago

    @rotmm - Excuse me but my PS3 is only recessed in the top half, the bottom part is totally different from the new design in that it has something there! If the original PS3 was designed like that photo above then it would have looked both odd and hideous.

    Also the "sticking out" bit actually contains the memory stick ports on my PS3 because it's the original launch model but I understand newer PS3s don't have these, they were removed some six months after launch with the 40 GB and 80 GB HDD models. If that's the case then there is absolutely no need for that bit on the redesigned slim-line machine at all, unless Sony are reinstating the memory stick ports (which seems unlikely).

  • knightmt #19 3 years ago

    If they crest 200 I might get another.
    Though the pics look a bit naff.
    Hope it has a decent harddrive.

  • AOFanboi #20 3 years ago

    <em>Also, like somebody else said, China considers Taiwan part of China.</em>

    As do (officially) the U.N. and all countries - except a handful.

  • MeBrains #21 3 years ago

    donnie: for crying out loud. how is it possible you utter such bollocks?! what you said is:

    got to say in the photo the slim ps3 looks crap but i think this is a last gasp at next gen dominance for sony and it will not effect sales much.i still think a system has to be a big sucess for a company to start launching slims or different colours etc.would every one have bought the N64 or original xbox if they slimmed them down in their 3rd year,doubt it.the only reason the slim ps2 worked was because it was the dominating console last gen.this has been shown with the ds etc

    this is not the last gasp ffs. PS3 is NOT doing as bad as you seem to imagine it is doing. it IS doing quite damn well - even at its premium price! Do us all a favour and look up the amount of PS3 machines Sony has sold in its first three years. Compare it to the amount of 360 machines MS has sold in its first three years. Which has sold more exactly?!?!

    Sony is doing quite well - contrarily to what you believe. And if they indeed slim down, it will be accompanied by a price reduction, making it an extremely atractive alternative to 360. Sony's machine - just compare the high level specs, since there is no average joe fickle who knows the details - are a LOT more attractive than 360's at this moment. Just to make sure you do comprehend: PS3 does offer WiFi, BT, BluRay, an HDD and free online in ALL their skus. pfffffrrrrrrttttttt.... *sigh*

    you know, i did doubt Sony's judgement about PS3 at a certain moment, but it all seems to piece together now. Respect to Sony for keeping their heads cool during the firestorm they endured from unsavvy potential customers like you.

  • Drakron #22 3 years ago

    As do (officially) the U.N. and all countries - except a handful.

    Also themselves considering the name is Republic of China and they claim exactly the same territory as of The People Republic of China + Mongolia.

    They only started to sing the "we are not China" when they realized the The People Republic of China was not going away any time soon ... and I could type many amusing facts about Taiwan that people either do not know or convenient forget ...

    But back on topic, I doubt they can "slim" the PS3 considering the need for ventilation, noise reduction and other factors.

  • Drakron #23 3 years ago

    Oh and "MeBrains" ... despite all their claims they remain in 3rd place, right now the winner of this generation is the Nintendo Wii and Sony only have very narrow window in order to bypass the Xbox 360 that would be some type of victory for then at this stage considering they come from the undisputed leader of the last generation to the last place in this generation (since there are only 3 consoles).

    At this stage there is no longer a "alternative" to the XBox 360 that already sold over 30 million consoles (the Xbox sold 24 millions) as people that own a Xbox are unlikely to just "ditch it" in favor of the PS3, even less the Wii that sold over 50 million consoles.

    As it stands they can sell the PS3 for people that already own either a Xbox 360 and/or a Wii since at this stage they are not going to get any market penetration.

    If you want to argue, I warn you what you are going to say is likely similar arguments I heard about the Xbox last generation ... as it stands, its over. They can sell consoles and raise their sale numbers but the market share percentages are unlikely to change.

  • MeBrains #24 3 years ago

    Drakron: where do I dispute the fact that the landscape has changed since last gen?! where do I say that "Sony still is on top and teh greatest and leetest"?! I don't; I know as well that Wii's phenomenal success is something no competitor of the Kyoto based company would have expected. I also look at the 360's numbers and do see that - at this moment at least - the machine has sold more than PS3. But you can't be blind for two other notable facts, which are: (1) 360 has been on the market a year longer and (2) 360 is dirt cheap in comparison to PS3. If 360 would be doing so well, it would have been outselling PS3 by a large margin for some time now (and we would have had a cheaper PS3 by now too). But surprise, 360 does not and PS3 keeps up, regardless of its outrageous, never-before-seen, hideously expensive price. Price is not the only differentiator - far from it. Cheap perfume doesn't sell.

  • BonzoBanana #25 3 years ago

    Lets not forget a lot of 360 owners have replaced 360s due to faults. A lot of 360s have gone unrepaired by Microsoft themselves. I don't know how to factor in this into the sales figures but the huge reliability problem of 360 has generated extra sales. Just look on ebay at the number of duff 360s being sold and the sellers stating they've bought a new 360 now. Times that by a year and then all over the world then factor in the 360s that go direct to landfill etc. I suspect the number of active ps3 owners may not be that far behind the number of 360 active owners. Also I only have one ps3 but two 360s. A later more reliable one and my old dodgy one.