Sony shrunk the PS3 and called it 'Super Slim'. Following the superhot route taken by smartphone and tablet makers, the Japanese firm upgraded the 'look factor' of its half-a-decade old game console by shaving off unnecessary heft and weight.

The result was proudly displayed by Sony in Tokyo on Wednesday. The gaming device lost significant body mass and volume to assume 'a sexy and sleek' look that is normally attributed to the mobile devices that have become the rage of the tech world in the past few years.

Sony, analysts said, hopes to capitalise on the trend of forging an eye-candy product that is also packed with all the bangs that could convince consumers they're getting a fantastic buy for their hard-earned cash.

Like Nintendo, which unveiled the Wii U last week, Sony is marketing the PlayStation 3 as the ultimate entertainment device for the average household although its game console has been more of a hardcore gamers' delight owing to the game titles and hardware specs that were attached with the brand.

The overall look has been radically altered and improved, Sony said, but the basic enjoyment that the PS3 offers remains the same, and more.

It can still spin games such as Assassin's Creed and Uncharted, fresh versions of which come bundled with specific packaging of the product, plus some 4000 more titles that are now ready for downloads from the PS3 network.

Music and movies, which are now prime commodities of tech consumers, have been added as come-on for those who would sign in for membership on PlayStation Plus, en exclusive PS3 club that also offers free game downloads for Sony's loyal gaming subjects.

And for the rest of the family, Sony Japan game division chief Hiroshi Kawano said they would be likely hooked on the new PS3's network attractions - streaming movies and some loads of karaoke sessions.

"Even after six years, the PlayStation 3 has not lost momentum and continues to deliver powerful home entertainment," Mr Kawano was reported by Agence France Presse (AFP) as saying on Wednesday.

The new PS3's configurations were mostly differentiated by the flash memory and storage capacity - from 250GB to 500GB internal HD - that they will be deployed with. The starting price is $US249.

But in Australia's case, local consumers will remain burdened with higher tag prices for tech products and the PS3 proved not an exception, Fairfax said.

A 500GB model with 12GB of flash drive is expected to hit Aussie store shelves on Sept 27 and retails price will be $399.95, the media firm. The cheapest edition will be sold at around $299.95.

Gaming experts agreed with Sony that the new PS3 is prettier but most were in doubt that the physical upgrade applied on the console would lead to voluminous sales that would give the ailing firm some leg for recovery.

"I don't think consumers are as interested in the prettiest console they can find, but rather the one that has the best value," Colin Sebastian of R.W. Baird told Yahoo! Games blog Plugged-In Wednesday.

The same blog also reported that Sony's marketing strategy will likely encounter stiff challenges coming from Microsoft and Nintendo.