Do you want a cheap PS3? Is the current $270 asking price just too much for you? Well, Sony has a deal for you.

The Sony store was quietly updated over the weekend with the PS3 12GB slim system. If you recall, this is the same flash memory-based console that Sony released last year in Europe and Hong Kong. It’s meant as a cheaper alternative for those who would use a PS3 mostly for physical media or streaming content via media apps. Those who want to download and play digital games can still install their own hard drives.

It could be nothing, but the timing of the 12GB PS3’s U.S. debut is suspect. Gamescom kicks off this week in Germany and Sony is said to have plenty of announcements, including the launch date for the PS4. The company could also be using the conference as a venue to announce PS3 and Vita price cuts so that all of its platforms receive plenty of love this holiday season.

A rush to win the holiday sales race has to begin with the PS3, and the 12GB SKU could do very well in that regard. There are plenty of people who buy PS3 consoles for their parents as a blu-ray player that just happens to play games, but the $260 price tag, which includes some bundled games, may have turned some consumers away. Sony offering a plain 12GB PS3 could rope in these consumers just looking for a blu-ray player that just happens to play games as well.

The 12GB PS3 is listed on the Sony Store for $199, but it’s currently sold out. If you really need it, you can grab it from Best Buy. They also have a 12GB PS3 bundle that includes The Last Of Us and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception for $260. It might just be the perfect opportunity to finally get your dad into gaming.

[h/t: Engadget]