Sony's bargain model 12GB PS3 is now available in the US for $200. Ditching the hard drive for flash-only memory, the cheapo model originally limited to Europe is now on the Sony store (but out of stock currently) for $70 less than the 500GB model. [Sony]

Rumor has it that Sony is launching a flash-based PlayStation 3 with just 12GB of storage in North America—potentially priced at around $200 and available from the 18th August.