According to our friends over at T3 Magazine they’ve managed to score some inside info from a mysterious source at Sony that says the new design is currently being worked on will hit the shelves before the end of 2008.

The rumour is not surprising considering Sony's history of giving their previous consoles the weight loss treatment and it would makes sense for the PlayStation 3 to be the next on the chopping block.

Specifications should also be very similar if past Sony slimming experiences are anything to go by although they could surprise us all and beef the specs up while still retaining the slim figure.

Sony has been very cagey about the rumour and have declined to comment officially on whether the unit is on the drawing board or not. But at least you can stare at the “artist’s impression” from T3 Magazine and imagine a slim-line PlayStation 3 in your hands.