A source from the land of the Rising Sun claims that rumors are circulating within electronics retailers suggesting that a new version of the Sony PlayStation hardware is coming, and will likely be released before the holidays.

The new PlayStation 3 hardware will feature the latest in Sony’s cost reductions and be smaller and more efficient and will feature a cooler looking design. The new unit is said to trim weight off the PS3 slim and reduce power consumption from 230W to 200W. The new unit is also said to come standard with a 320GB hard drive.

The big change under the hood, however, may be significant changes to the design to make the unit “hack proof,” or at least way more difficult to hack. Rumors of a newly revised console have been floating around ever since the first round of significant hacks arrived a few short months back.

Sony never had any official comment, but a number of hackers in the underground claimed Sony would have to make major revisions to close down the holes that the latest hacks exposed; and they could only do this with new hardware. For the time being, it all seems to be nothing more that speculation.