Decide what to buy | the Reevoo.com blog, featuring news on TVs, cameras, laptops, mp3 players & other gadgets, shopping tips and deals, reviews and more

Sony has put its flagship console the Playstation 3 on a diet; they’ve announced a new Slim version that’s two-thirds of the size and weight of the original (and improved energy efficiency means it’ll even cut down on your electricity bill).

The new PS3 Slim will come with largely the same features as the older version, with 120 GB of storage and the ability to sync with Bravia TVs over HDMI. Linux enthusiasts may mourn the ability to install an alternative operating system and, as with the last PS3 refresh, Sony have omitted the flash memory card reader, half of the USB ports & backward compatibility with PS2 games.

It’ll sell at £249.50, a big drop from current prices: the 80GB model of its weightier older brother is available from £294 at present, although Sony have said remaining stock will see a price drop.

The PlayStation 3 Slim will go on sale from the 1st of September, as will an optional stand for those who prefer their consoles in a vertical position.

Grim news today for home cinema fans, as the credit crunch really begins to show its teeth in the AV world. Pioneer, who make the highly-regarded Kuro range of premium TVs, will cease production this time next year in order to focus on in-car entertainment and less competitive home entertainment areas - like DJ kit.

Pioneer will also cut 30% of its workforce - a cool 10,000 jobs - and reduce its manufacturing capacity by 30%. Today’s news comes after Pioneer posted a £1bn expected loss for the year’s operations.

Until last year Pioneer focused exclusively on high quality plasma TVs, which were renouned for their deep black levels. The warning signs came in 2008, when Pioneer stopped making the plasma panels it was so well known for, instead using Panasonic panels, and releasing a new range of LCD TVs.

Pioneer remained a premium brand however. In 2008, Reevoo found that Pioneer was the most expensive TV manufacturer, with an average cost per TV of £1,258. That put the Kuro experience out of range of most TV shoppers, and may have put paid to Pioneer’s TV business.

As I said on Pioneer’s blog, this looks like an instance where the credit cruch has cut both ways. In the notoriously competive television market, the credit crunch has made it harder for Pioneer to manufacture their TVs at relatively small volumes, and it’s made it harder for shoppers to justify the Pioneer premium.

I’m sure there will be more details emerging over the next few days, but for now the message for shoppers is that 2009 could be your last chance to get your hands on a Pioneer TV, such as the Pioneer 5090 or a classic Pioneer Kuro PDP4280XD.

See Reevoo to buy, or just gaze at, the other Pioneer Kuros.