With all the attention that the PlayStation 4 NEO has garnered in recent months, it is easy to forget that Sony has another console rumored to be coming to its line-up: the PS4 Slim. It's still unknown when — or if — Sony will officially unveil it, but thanks to recent developments, we might very well know what it will look like.
Apparently, a user on the British classifieds Gumtree is selling what's he alleges is the still unannounced, unreleased slim PlayStation 4 model. Considering that Sony has yet to even announce the console, it is pretty cheap, with the user only asking for £295 ($385).
Now, for the important question: real or fake?
Obviously, the user argues that this PS4 Slim is the real deal (why would he try to sell a console he admits is fake?). On the ad, he says that he is a long-time user of the site (four years) and will provide a receipt to the buyer for "peace of mind."
And for what it's worth, the box and later pics provided at the behest of NeoGAF user Venom Fox look real too.
Furthermore, the design of the unit matches that of a drawing posted by an alleged employee of Taiwanese manufacturing company Foxconn on Chinese forum A9VG in June. That same user alleged, as translated by NeoGAF user Xenoflare, that he also worked on a "thicker model that is almost 10 pounds," which sounds like what the Neo could be, and that "a few production lines opened for a PSP-like device."
Of course, it's one thing to look real and another thing to actually be real. Yes, Sony has set a precedent for releasing slim versions of its consoles in each generation since the PlayStation 2, however, Sony has yet to mention anything about this console, unlike the NEO. If this is real, it looks like it would be a direct replacement for the older version, since the packaging simply says "PS4," and would likely compete with Microsoft's recently released Xbox One S. (It really does seem real though and would likely be proven as such shortly.)
As for when Sony will officially unveil it? Sept. 7, the day Sony will have its special event at NYC, is the prime candidate. It's been rumored that Sony will unveil the NEO at that time, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that it will unveil the PS4 at that time as well.
