Sony Certifies New PlayStation 3 Models

Despite the fact that the PlayStation 4 is set to be released later this year (the latest rumours pin the release of the console in mid-November) is seems Sony may not be done with revisions to the PS3.

The listings were discovered on South Korean government website RRA and are for models CECH-4205B and CECH-4205C. The current standard PS3 model is CECH-4000. Given the similarities between the listings it seems likely that Sony has only made small changes rather than any major overhaul.

Earlier this month, a listing for CECH-4200 was discovered on a webpage belonging to Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The slight change between the Japanese and Korean registrations is likely due to regional differences. 

The new systems probably come equipped with better cooling, lower power consumption and smaller nanometer architecture which may help Sony drive down the cost of the console. 

At E3 Sony announced the PS4 will cost $399 and the company will probably wish to differentiate between the two consoles with a significant price difference.

Fergal Gara, managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment UK and Ireland recently said "There's no plans as yet [for a price cut]. The PlayStation 3 is a system where it hasn't been particularly easy to get the costs down. We continue to look at opportunities, there may or may not be any more, I genuinely can't answer that. But it will certainly be a more keenly priced machine in relative to PlayStation 4."

While Gara's comments seem to rule out an immediate price cut it wouldn't be too surprising if they announce a cost reduction for consumers at gamescom in August. 

Source: Kotaku.