So, the PS3 Slim has been launched in most major markets, notably the US, Japan and Europe. Even Hong Kong and Taiwan has launched the PS3 Slim already. PS3 fans in Singapore however, were left hanging without a proper release date and had to use methods such as buying import sets to get their PS3 Slims. Well not anymore.

From CNET ASIA,

Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong (SCE HK) has finally announced the availability and pricing for its latest gaming devices. Its 120GB PS3 Slim and 16GB PSPgo will be launching in Singapore from October 1 for S$512 (US$361.71) and S$412 (US$291.06), respectively. The former is available in charcoal black and comes bundled with a free limited-edition T-shirt, while the latter is in piano black or pearl white with a complementary umbrella. Launch details for the remaining Asia markets are pending confirmation.

So yeah. On top of the PS3 Slim finally being launched here, we’ll be getting the PSP GO! as well.

Another interesting tidbit from the article is this,

Tetsuhiko Yasuda, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Asia, clarified during the press event yesterday that there will not be any price revision for the existing “fat” PS3. There will also be no plan to launch the rumored 250GB Slim kit spotted in the US.

So yeah. I’m guessing the whole “USD$299″ thing won’t apply to us folk in Singapore, which really sucks because I really liked the whole $299 campaign.

The prices for the PS3 Slim are pretty high though. The set will be launched on Oct 1st for SGD$512, which is somewhat higher than what retailers are charging now($490+) for an import set. I mean sure, we pay the $512, we’ll probably get our in-store warranty for a year, but how often does a Playstation 3 breaks down, as much as a 360’s RROD?

Another thing I’d like to rant about is the price of the PSP Go! is it’s exorbitant pricing. At $412, one could almsot buy a PS3. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me, but I really don’t see much of an improvement on the PSP Go! from the original PSP. For one, the set became smaller which may pose a problem for some people. The screen has seen a reduction in size. The UMD slot has been removed so I guess current PSP users won’t be looking to convert to a PSP Go! anytime soon, due to the fact that their current UMD games would be totally useless. I guess the only positive thing about it, would be the inclusion of Bluetooth onto the PSP Go!. Then again, how many people would make use of that Bluetooth connection.

So yeah, I’m pretty glad that the PS3 Slim and the PSP Go! are finally being launched. Not so glad about the high prices and the fact that the current PS3s will not be getting a price drop. This is bad because it’s now harder to ‘poison‘ guuzen to get a PS3. Oh wells.

Source: CNET Asia