$350 250GB PS3 hits US Nov. 3

Nearly two months after the 120GB PlayStation 3 Slim went on sale in North America, Sony has officially unveiled plans to release a higher-capacity version of the console domestically. Today, Sony Computer Entertainment America used the official PlayStation Blog to announce that it is releasing a 250GB PS3 Slim in North America on November 3 for a suggested retail price of $349.99.

The larger hard drive-equipped console was released in the UK and Europe on October 1 in a variety of bundles, including one containing the acclaimed PS3-exclusive Infamous. However, despite reports of an Uncharted 2 bundle bearing a North America-only ESRB rating label, so far SCEA has only announced plans for an a la carte version. Japan will be getting a limited-edition 250GB PS3 Slim packed in with Final Fantasy XIII in December.

Today's announcement will surprise few Sony-watchers, as the 250GB PS3 Slim was first revealed in August via a Federal Communications Commission filing. It will be the seventh hardware configuration of the console in the US, following the 120GB, 160GB, 80GB, 40GB, 20GB, and 60GB models released since the platform's 2006 launch.