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Sony has introduced a newly redesigned PlayStation 3 console for $199. This is the lowest price that Sony has thus far sold the PS3, and reflects the consoles relatively low (12GB) of on-board flash storage. The stand pictured is also sold separately. Sony Electronics U.S.A.

Sony has released a new version of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) with 12GB of onboard storage for $199 in the U.S., originally slated exclusively for Europe and Hong Kong. The $200 PS3 is now available for purchase by U.S. customers in Best Buy stores, as well as Sony’s online store and BestBuy.com. The console is not for sale at Amazon.com.

The new 12GB PS3 reflects the lowest price at which Sony has sold the PS3, and it reflects a relatively small amount of hard drive space. The 12GB of built-in flash memory in the $200 PS3 has far less storage space than other consoles, some of which come with up to 500GB when bundled with a game, such as the $269 PS3 console combined with Grand Theft Auto V.

The $200 PS3 has a newly redesigned body, which Sony calls the “slim” P-chassis. The new PS3 ships with a black console with 12GB of onboard flash memory, a matching Dualshock 3 controller and the power cord. Like previous PS3 consoles, the device free online play-ready and streams video services such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu Plus.

The price drop is in anticipation of Sony’s newest console -- the PlayStation 4. Sony will announce a PS4 release date at a press conference prior to the Gamescom event, at about 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, or 18:00 BST (British Summer Time).

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