Those who were expecting a new PlayStation 3 or a price drop at this year’s E3 might have left a little disappointed, but the folks over in Japan will now have something to smile about. Sony Electronics of Japan is releasing a brand new 320GB PlayStation 3 (CECH-3000B) system for Japan, which, from the outside, appears the same as the recent PlayStation 3 Slim. However, upon further inspection, new owners will note that the unit weighs in at 5.7 pounds, as opposed to the previous Slim which came in at 6.6 pounds. Besides weighing less, the new PS3 Slim also uses less energy as well, reducing power consumption to 200W, versus the previous 230W. No reports yet if this model will make way to the United States but we can’t imagine Sony wanting to make many different variations of the PS3 so a Holiday release of this model shouldn’t come as a surprise. However, don’t expect a huge fanfare behind it since, for most people, it will still be the same PS3.

[Via PlayStation Japan]