We're jumping the gun a bit here, but it's practically set in stone that Sony will today be announcing that the 40GB version of the PS3 will be availble to buy in the UK before Christmas. Not only that, but it will retail at £299, £56 cheaper than the 60GB console.

The news comes from Pocket-Lint, who claim that numerous retail sources are just waiting for the NDA to clear today and then the new console will appear in their online stores.

They also claim that they'll be numerous deal packs for the PS3, but more significantly they'll be a price drop for the 60GB model, which will now retail at approximately £349.

As previously expected, the 40GB model will not come equipped with a memory card reader, and it will also only have two USB slots.

"Sony is clearly hoping to make a comeback against the Nintendo Wii, which is currently outselling the PS3 four to one", an industry insider told Pocket-Lint.

At this moment, we still need to treat this as a rumour, but we're fully expecting Sony to make a statement later today.

Source :: Pocket Lint