Sony PS3 Slim 250GB Available November 3

Sony has announced a 250GB version of the PlayStation 3 Slim will be released in North America on Nov. 3. Priced at $349, the extra hard drive storage will mean more photos, movies and games, but the rest of the hardware and system software remain the same as existing PS3s, which will continue to be available with 120 GB drive in the Slim, or 80 and 160 GB drives in the larger consoles.

Extra storage means that users dont have to backup files onto external drives when they run out of space. Sony claims that "more than 600 million pieces of content have been downloaded from PlayStation Network as of September 2009," so that is a lot of files.The storage boost comes just in time for the holiday season, when gaming console makers sell more hardware than the rest of the year. Sony announced a special 250GB version of the console at the Tokyo Game Show last month, to happen together with the release of Final Fantasy XIII. This was followed by an announcement that Australia would be getting a 250GB version, so industry watchers werent too surprised by today;s announcement.

Gamers and parents anxious that stores will be cleaned out of the new consoles before the holidays will be glad to know they can preorder it online. "We kicked things off early with the new price point and sleek form factor and have continued the momentum with this week's launch of the universally acclaimed exclusive, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves," said Scott Steinberg of Sony Computer Entertainment America.