Playstation have a history of introducing slimmed down iterations of their consoles with the PSOne, and PS2 Slim and as the rumour mill turns the interweb has been alive for some time with suggestions that a PS3 Slim is on its way. The company has publicly stated that it currently has no plans to redesign the PS3. However, all this was thrown into doubt this week when the following photos emerged from what is apparently a manufacturing plant in China.

[Photos removed for fear of legal repercussions] – google… sorry please use your search engine of choice to locate them.

The pictures are of dubious quality and so their authenticity is not beyond question. I fell obliged also to point out the rather  questionable-looking plastic shell on display which certainly looks more like a cheap knock-off than a finished console shell. Currently the PS3 sports a shimmering, mirror effect plastic outer shell and the move to this alternate housing is rather unconvincing. Admittedly it is possible that these picture may instead be of a prototype model and consequently their leaking.

One thing which I can’t help but question  however is the apparent move away from the well known Playstation brand ‘Spiderman’ text to this rather more rounded one. A logo change during the middle of a console cycle is a risky business move and one which Sony have not been keep to adopt before, it is indeed not a common practice during a products lifetime. However, Ken Kutaragi is no longer running the show at Sony as has been the case throughout most of the Playstation brand’s life. Maybe the newby is trying out some new tactics?

If there is anything to pin your hopes on with regards to this slimming exercise, it may in fact be the rather more convincing box displayed above. This certainly looks the most convincing of the lot.

The changing of hardware design is always a daring move, but a complete rebranding is even more adventurous. As has become the phrase of choice on this blog, “only time will tell.”