Sony Japan has announced and detailed a new model of PS3 hardware that will go on sale this month.
The company’s official site shows off a CECH-3000B model. Don’t expect any Slim-like revisions; this new kit lowers power consumption to 200 watts as well as cutting the weight down to 2.6 kg, complete with a 320GB hard drive. A DualShock 3, power cable, AV cable and USB cable are included, with the console retailing at ¥34,980.
It’s most interesting feature though? The possible return of PS2 backwards compatibility. Tqcast has spotted part of the system specs that suggest PS2 games are finally back. It reads: “This product, “PlayStation 2? are having a compatibility with proprietary software”. Could we finally play Oni on our PS3s once more? Maybe not; there are no details on a Western release at the moment.
Likely to stay exclusive to Japan is a Tales of Xillia X Edition hardware bundle which also features the new model along with a 160GB hard drive and a copy of the game. It’s got a new custom theme too and will go for¥37,980.
Want, but sadly will probably never have.
Update: The translation about the backwards compatibility was a bit off. Turns out the Japanese specs specifically say that there won’t be backwards compatibility.
