Sony has desperately needed a price cut for the PS3, which it now has received, among other things. The PS3 Slim — technically it’s just called a PlayStation 3 — is about a third lighter and smaller than the previous console. The Cell CPU in the new PS3 is built using the 45nm process, and combined with updates to other parts of the hardware, the console uses less than half of the power of a first gen PS3. It’s still unknown whether other hardware, mainly the RSX graphics chip, is also built using the new 45nm process, but considering the improvements on power efficiency, it doesn’t really matter at this point.

Spec wise, the PS3 has a 120 GB hard drive as standard (which can be replaced by any 2.5″ hard drive of any size), but like the other model, it can’t play PS2 games (PSOne are all playable). It’s also a more stripped down version — there’s no card reader, only has two USB ports, and a stripped down WiFi without draft N support, which is kind of a shame, as almost all devices support the far superior N draft. The new console has the same slot loading 2X Blu-ray drive, and we experienced it to be noticeably quieter when watching Blu-ray movies. Overall, the console seems to be running cooler and quieter, especially during Blu-ray movie playback, as mentioned before.

The body is smaller, lighter, but a bit deeper than the original PS3. It’s also got a matte finish, which is welcomed to everyone who hates fingerprints and dust glowing on a glossy finish — which is pretty much everyone. However, Linux fans and hackers will be disappointed to learn that the Slim does not support installation of the Linux operating system. While this was never a selling point of the PS3, it’s unknown why Sony decided to remove the feature, as the hardware is the same as before.

In all, the PS3 Slim is very stripped down version of the PS3, many of the features that weren’t meant for gaming (like card reader) are gone, and what’s left is a streamlined console that’s not only better than the previous PS3, it’s a lot cheaper and will finally bring some serious competition not only to the Xbox 360, but to the Wii as well. If you’re looking for a PS3, the choice just got a lot more interesting. If you already own a PS3 console, it doesn’t really justify paying $300 for a PS3 Slim as maybe it was justified with the PS2 Slim vs. the original PS2. But if you’re looking at getting into the PS3 universe, or just looking for a Blu-ray player for that matter, the PS3 Slim is definitely recommended.