Judging by the hundreds of reader-submitted tips we've received in August pointing to "totally conclusive evidence" of the existence of a slimmer, sexier version of Sony's home console, we think it's safe to say that PS3 Slim pontification has reached a fever pitch. As video game news conduits, we've frequently been forced to gaze into this swirling maw of speculation in an attempt to gin the might-be-reals out of the most-assuredly-fakes.

One of the prevailing pieces of gossip regarding the hardware is the moment of its unveiling: Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. EST, during Sony's GamesCom press conference. Before we arrive at that potentially auspicious hour, we're going to look through the brief annals of the PS3 Slim's history, analyzing the big pieces of evidence, debunking the obvious mockups, and interpreting data from a poll we conducted over this past weekend.

If you're looking for a "final word" on the subject, you'll find none here. That's for tomorrow's Sony presentation to determine -- or depending on which way the tides of fate turn, to obfuscate even further.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/17/sl...3-slim-so-far/