A source, who some how has an inside scoop on two competing gaming consoles, has the latest deets on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

The 80GB PS3 will be eventually phased out to make way for the greater inventory 160GB PS3s.  Assuming the 160GB models sell out as quickly as the 80GB than we should expect a slimmer PS3 with a sorely needed price drop to follow.  Convoluted?  Yes.  I personally think that Sony will phase out the 80GB PS3, drop the price on the 120GB to the 80GB price and then roll out the slim PS3 for the holidays.

As for the Xbox 360: It looks like the current Pro model will be discontinued in July or August to make room for some additional bundles, like the Halo/Fable one we saw a few months ago.  Concurrently, Microsoft will apparently take the 120GB Elite system and rebrand it the new Pro system in September at a Pro level pricing, which makes sense since the Redmond company is set to roll out their new on demand game store in August.  Lastly, expect a new bundle to hit sometime in October to round out their holiday strategy.

When the dust settles I still think the Xbox will be the sales leader come Q4, but then again Sony could throw a serious curve ball, perhaps a knuckle ball and crush both Microsoft and Nintendo for the 2009 holiday season.  But, Xbox does have a few exclusives coming their way, such as Ubisoft’s “Splinter Cell” which is set to be a massive hit.

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