Or maybe it's because SCEE has been a bit quicker to get the word out to retailers? The three branches of SCE act rather autonomously when it comes to releasing new ps3 SKUs.

And I'm sure after the PSP Go debacle SCEA are trying their best fill in the wholes on their rather leaky ship.

Sony doesn't like GameStop and EBGames enough to tell them?

Surely Europe won't get the Slim before the US?  Maybe it's like the release of the 40Gb PS3.....the cheaper model to try and ramp up sales.

Actually come to think of it....Europe doesn't have a bigger HD version than 80Gb and seeing as Europe has only ever had 60Gb -> 40Gb -> 80Gb, maybe it's their turn with a bigger hard drive as well as a slimmer PS3?

Of course the US WILL get it, but maybe a few months down the line once production has been seriously ramped up to contend with higher sales.

And it's pretty obvious that European retailers HAVE been told something is coming soon seeing as it was only a week or two ago that you could get the 40Gb for £199.99 (a whole £100 cheaper than the 80Gb RRP) and a selection of 60Gb Euro Launch PS3's appeared for £215, now all of them seem to have dried up.

So will we see a launch of the PS3 Slim for Europe along with price cuts for all regions, seeing as the US has a 80Gb and 160Gb model, they may need to reduce the cost of these models in the next few weeks to try and clear the way for the new 120Gb/160Gb PS3 Slim maybe being released later in the year in the US?

Dollar is too weak, so until production cost drops, PS3 Slim will be exclusive for countries with stronger currencies. Or at least this is what Stringer said.

Sony thinks that America is irrelevant right now because there's already a huge gap between the the 360 and the PS3. They want to take the lead from Europe and Asia where the gap is not that big. LOL

Seriously, like the other poster said NA more strict than the others or because since NA is not the strong side of Sony, they are dead last and the gap is huge. Gamestop and other big chains are clearing out the stocks of PS3 and leaking it will will result to less PS3 sold.

Do you have a link for this?

@NoCtiS_NoX

Sony has a dangerously low market share in North America. The reality is it wouldn't take too much at all to knock the console out of a full door at major retailers, or for them to stop carrying the PS3 period. Sony has no margin to perform badly at all. Especially for two or three months. Which is the power of consumers knowing that a better model is imminent. They will hold back on buying until it arrives.

Right now Sony has 17.5% market share in North America, and scoring about that weekly. What would happen if the PS3 started to account for less then 10% market share per week. Answer is the retailers would lay down the law on Sony. Especially going into the holiday season. How do you say a console even merits a door let alone half a door when there are four of five pieces of gaming hardware selling much better then it.

Sony mustn't neglect North America in favor of Europe. They would lose the console war now and forever. Not just for their current console, but their next console probably wouldn't get out of the water. You can't afford to be shoved out of the largest market. The lost developer support alone makes that ridiculous.

The exchange rate, or production rate be damned. They cannot omit North America from their plans. Either go at it full bore globally or wait till you can. Doing it piecemeal is perhaps the worst thing to do. Europe and Japan could withstand it, but it still wouldn't do the sales any favors.

It's unofficial, Stringer said it at an informal dinner with a friend of a cousin of a friend of an acquaintance of mine.

Well US got the PS3 phat 1st in Nov 06. Europe finally getting something 1st instead?

It would be about time...