Sony Discontinues 80GB PS3 As Rumours Of Slim Gaming Console Emerge

Several sources online have reported that Sony has told Japanese retailers that it will be taking last orders for black, white and silver 80GB PS3 gaming consoles by the 9th of August at 10am at the Manufacturer's request from retail stores 7-Eleven.

Japanese blog Hatimaki (via Kotaku) reported that the Japanese manufacturer has decided to axe the popular gaming console leaving a gaping hole in the product range that could be filled sooner than expected.

Now Sony will take part in the GamesCon conference which will take place in Cologne, Germany from the 19th to the 23rd of August and many are saying that Sony will be launching the PS3 Slim edition there during a three hour press conference.

And surprise, surprise, Amazon in Germany did list a "PlayStation 3 Konsole slim" while others have picked up reports from the far-east that Sony has purchased enough parts to build one million PS3 consoles.

In related news, Amazon has slashed $50 from the 160GB Sony Playstation 3 Gaming console. The retailer's suggested price previously was $499 and included Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and a voucher to download PAIN.

A new SKU would probably be sold at a cheaper price thanks to a more mature manufacturing process. This would decrease the cost of producing the console tremendously as the Bill of Material is slashed (Sony says 70 percent less than the original PS3), therefore increasing Sony's probability of improving its profits on the hardware.