Sony first launched the PlayStation 3 during the latter half of 2006 in the USA and Japan which was then followed by a March release the following year in the EU. At the time the console was criticised for its high price and bulky design which most considered to be reason enough not to invest their time and money in Sony's third home console.
However, as previously announced, Sony have developed a redesign of the PlayStation 3. Being dubbed as the "slim" by press and gamers alike the new console comes with a smaller form factor and a new price at $299, which some regard as the magic price point that will give a boost to sales across Sony's territories.
This model has now been launched following September 1 across America, Europe and Japan and arrives with a 120gb and the same general specifications as the previous models.
The new model was joined in its launched with a firmware update that was also revealed to be joining the launch of the PS3 "Slim". Released early in the morning on the September 1, the update brings new functionality that includes a quick launcher for recent games that is joined by thumbnails of recent news and PlayStation Store Items.
A new feature added to the Xross Media Bar (XMB) is that of animated and dynamic backgrounds, which using the existing theme feature of the PlayStation 3 gives the user more options to customize their XMB.
New themes will be released over time for free or will come with a premium price tag, joining themes will be a wealth of new Avatars that will also be available for free or more specialised ones that will be charged for, price has yet to be announced, but the first batch are expected to arrive this Thursday coinciding with a PlayStation Store update.
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