12GB PS3 Comes to America:
Very quietly Sony Computer Entertainment of America has brought the 12GB PlayStation 3 Slim to North America at $199. The model was released last October at €229 ($307) as an exclusive to Europe and Hong Kong with no plans for a U.S. introduction. Last week the SKU turned up in advertising from Canadian retailer FutureShop (owned by Best Buy Co. Inc.), and this week in the United States on Sony’s own web store and at Best Buy. The 12GB PS3 joins the similarly flash-based 4GB Xbox 360 at this price point. The North American introduction of the $199 SKU was not accompanied by an announcement from Sony. Included at that price is a top-loading Blu-ray player, Dualshock 3 controller, A/V cable, USB cable and a power cord. An optional 500GB hard drive upgrade kit is also available separately.
