In an unprecedented move, Sony will release a colored version of its PS3 console in a country other than Japan. The company is not launching the red custom model for U.S. but for UK instead. The move means that the sleek red PS3 console is not exclusive to Japan anymore. The console comes with a capacity of 320 GB (just like the piano-black model) and a matching DualShock 3 controller. PS3 lovers in the UK are waiting anxiously for the release to hit the retailers' shelves soon. Top retailer Amazon will be selling the release for £250 from April 27 while Play.com will be selling it for £10 less beginning May.

Eurogamer reports that the move does not mean that Sony will be bringing the blue model to the UK. According to the report Sony reps will not be bringing the model from Japan to the UK. Keen purchasers are set to see the listings for the red 320GB PS3 show up in various retailers across the UK soon. As many users may have been hesitant to get PlayStation 3 because of limited colors in which the game system comes, the latest development could be a clue to the direction that Sony intends to take in a bid to cash-in on the benefits of developing custom models and designs of console.

The move has sparked speculation that Sony may be preparing to release a special-colored PS3 in other countries around the world as well. So far the only disparity between the regular model and the new 320GB version, which is bound for the UK, is that the former is black and the latter is red. The console comes with a red controller and its release in the UK marks the first time Sony has released a console model in an English-speaking region. Over the past years Sony has been lavishing Japan console game loves with special versions of the gaming system.

Sony could be taking after the tasteful releases that Microsoft frequently does for its consoles. Slashgear reports that the move has not come with any indication that the red version will be making any way towards the U.S. after its launch in the UK. "In addition, other colored models of the PS3 will not be making their way to the UK. So perhaps this won't lead to anything else, but at least it's a good sign that Sony is looking at ways of shaking up the market," Slashgear reported.

(reported by Gugulethu Nyoni, edited by Surojit Chatterjee)