Update: it's here... or it will be in September.

Sony's Gamescom press conference in Cologne Germany is still a few hours away, but big announcements aren't made without large amounts of rumbling across the gaming press and retail sources. We've laid out the evidence of the PS3 Slim being made official today, but it looks as if Kmart has given up the latest bit of confirmation: a new PS3 is on its way, and it will cost $299.99.

The ad was spotted earlier today by multiple sources and our inbox has likewise been flooded by reports from gamers surprised to see such public evidence of the Slim. If you click on the ad, you're taken to a preorder page for a $299.99 PS3 Slim. Keep in mind that this sort of retail confirmation often happens before the pricing information is confirmed, but still... a $300 PS3 Slim would be an amazing thing indeed.

That's not all, however. Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation Network will be taken offline "for maintenance" for two hours today... during the Gamescom press conference. That's an awfully Apple-like move, and it's possible the service will relaunch later today with new features or other surprises. The PS3 Slim news isn't surprising, but updates to the PlayStation Network could involve many, many aspects of the service. Wild speculation may begin in the comments.

We'll receive confirmation in a few hours when the press conference begins, and we look forward to seeing how Sony handles "announcing" something that has been public knowledge for so long. There are still many ways the company could surprise us in terms of features or pricing, but we've been sure of the Slim's existence and Sony's timetable for introducing it since the Mole gave us the scoop back in May. Since then we've seen everything occur as the Mole predicted: bundles and price cuts as retailers blow out stock on the existing PS3 inventory and a complete lack of information on the system during E3 in order to keep consumer interest in existing configurations high. The Mole also told us to expect final word in August or September.

The Mole may have stolen Sony's playbook, but we're still excited to get final details on the Slim as well as a likely price cut on existing hardware. Sony could use some more buzz, and the company has quite the punishing collection of games coming in the next six months. A $300 system being released with both Uncharted 2 and God of War 3 on the way—not to mention Heavy Rain—would go a long way to put the swagger back in Sony's step.

Update: Kmart has pulled the ad.

Do you have questions about the PS3? We get the majority of your concerns addressed by Sony's John Koller.