Sony Announces Slim PS3 - It Lives This September!

Kaz Hirai, head of all things PlayStation, announced that the long-rumored PlayStation 3 Slim will be in stores the first week of September. [UPDATED with official pic]

Hirai noted that it will be have the same features and function of the current PS3, with a 120 gb drive. It will be 33 percent smaller, 36 percent lighter.

The unit will cost $299 in the U.S., 299 euros, 29980 yen.

It was widely speculated among the gaming press that Sony would announce a slim version of the PlayStation 3. Recurring rumors of price drops and supposed spy shots fueled speculation for months.

Sony's next major gaming press event is Tokyo Game Show, which begins in late September.