It looks like it could be that, weeks before its official release date, the new style PS2 has been appearing in some stores. The early PS2 redesign launch will allow Sony to capitalize on one final holiday season before the PlayStation 2 platform gives way to the next-generation PlayStation 3 and Xbox 2 console systems. The redesigned console will be still called a PlayStation 2, and is by all accounts surprisingly smaller. It is about one quarter the size of its predecessor, coming in at 9 inches by 6 inches, with a miniscule depth of 1.1 inches. More here.