New PS3 model pics surface

The evidence is mounting that Sony will soon introduce the second major revision to the PlayStation 3 hardware. As reported by Tecnoblog, a Sony filing with Brazilian telecommunications regulator Anatel includes details and pictures of a new PS3.

The most prominent changes to the hardware are the system's ridged and uneven top panel and apparent lack of a visible disc-loading slot. That suggests the system will have a disc tray with a flip-top lid (like the original PlayStation hardware or the PlayStation 2 Slim) or a sliding panel. As for the size of the system, it appears modestly smaller than the current iteration of the PS3. The Anatel filing also notes that Sony sought approval for versions of the hardware with three different-size hard drives: 16GB, 250GB, and 500GB.

The new model of the PS3 has been outed before, most concretely through a Sony Federal Communications Commission filing for a CECH-4000 series of the hardware. Additionally, unconfirmed reports had Sony set to announce the new PS3 model at Gamescom 2012 next month. The German industry event also played host to Sony's unveiling of the PS3 Slim in 2009.