It looks like Sony is willing to part with its 250GB PS3 Slim as a stand-alone console (i.e. not part of its many bundles). The company announced the new SKU today, which will run you $350 when it launches next month. The company will still offer the standard PS3 at the 80GB/160GB SKUs, making it pointless to get anything other than a PS3 Slim.

I’m still surprised Microsoft hasn’t announced the same. As the holidays edge closer it seems prudent to get a top-of-the-line system out to market as that splurge gift from mom and dad or the elusive fat, bearded guy.

If you’re big into downloaded content or digital storage for your various media, spend the extra $50. It more than doubles your drive capacity for what feels like pennies in comparison with other console storage media.

If you thought you’d have to wait until September for that new PS3 Slim, think again. Multiple sources confirm that several retailers not only have the new console in stock, they’re actually selling them for the official $299 price.

Word first reached me today via Gizmodo, which ran a story on a Florida man who found a palette of consoles sitting center stage at his local Best Buy. He even grabbed a pictured. Over the course of the day other sites started to pick up on the news, and by late afternoon, people were apparently scouring their local electronic stores to see if they could get a hold a PS3 Slim early.

From the sounds of things, it hasn’t been very hard. A lot of Best Buy locations have the console in stock and ready to sell. Retailers like Target and Wal-Mart are also rumored to have stock, though most of them haven’t made it to the floor yet. Regardless, there’s no reason you should still be reading this. Go get yourself a PS3 Slim!