If you thought that PlayStation 3 Slim of yours could still stand to lose a little weight, it's looking like Sony may just agree with you.
It appears that Sony has filed documents with the US Federal Communications Commission referencing a smaller-sized PlayStation 3. The documents were originally spotted by Japanese website Pocket News and reported in the West by Eurogamer.
You can check out the FCC documentation here, which show the outline of the new machine, where the FCC label will go and indicates that the new machines will fall under the 4000 series number.
After launching the original "fat" PlayStation 3 in November 2006, Sony introduced its first "Slim" model PlayStation 3 in August of 2009. It was 32 percent lighter, 36 percent smaller and consumed about 34 percent less power than the original PS3. Sony also chopped $100 off the price tag for the Slim model.
Sony revealed the original slim model in advance of the 2009 Gamescom convention in Germany, and many predict the company will reveal this new super-slim PS3 in advance of this year's Gamescom -- which begins Aug. 15.
Of course, the question is: Will Sony also drop the price? It seems likely, especially considering that many game analysts expect both Sony and Microsoft to launch new consoles by the end of 2013. A price drop and a revamp could help convince people that picking up a PlayStation 3 this late in the machine's lifecycle is still worth it.
I've reached out to Sony for a comment and will update this story when/if I hear back.
Winda Benedetti writes about video games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.
