Sony officially announced two new PS3 models this morning that will be on sale starting September 28. Official recommended European prices will be €229.99 for "wallet friendly" 12 GB flash version, and €299.99 for the 500 GB that will apparently come bundled with a copy of FIFA 13 (according to the official EU Playstation Blog). Expect UK prices to mirror those for a slight hike up in price with the new slimmer and lighter model.
The blog also made mention of how owners of the 12 GB model will be able to expand the capacity - "connect a 5 inch SATA internal hard drive with use of an official Mounting Bracket, or opt for purchase of an official PlayStation 250GB internal HDD".
To coincide with the launch of the new model Sony are also launching their PS3 Essentials line - where you'll be able to find great old games on the cheap. The initial line up includes the following titles:
1st Party Titles:
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune*
Resistance Fall of Man
inFAMOUS*
Motorstorm
Heavenly Sword
MAG*
God of War III
LittleBig Planet*
Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction
ModNation Racers*
Sports Champions*
EyePet & Friends
Start The Party!
DanceStar Party!
Medieval Moves*
Move Fitness*
The Fight*
3rd Party Titles:
Assassin's Creed II*
Assassin's Creed*
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood*
Far Cry 2*
Prince of Persia*
Driver San Francisco*
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2*
James Cameron's Avatar: The Game*
Prince of Persia - The Forgotten Sands*
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood*
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2*
Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X
Deus Ex: Human Revolution*
Tomb Raider: Underworld*
Just Cause 2*
Sniper: Ghost Warrior
Tekken 6
SEGA Mega Drive: Ultimate Collection
Sonic Unleashed
Virtua Fighter 5
Darksiders: Wrath Of War*
Homefront: Ultimate Edition*
At retail these will go for €19.99, and the * denotes they will be available for €14.99 online. Obviously if you can find most of these titles in a store still, they are probably already marked down - so while it's a nice hook for the casuals - it may not have that much sway on the core audience.