Sony's PlayStation 3 Super Slim console hit Europe with two new colors, and the red and blue versions are slated to reach Japan next month.

Starting Feb. 28, Japanese gamers will be able to get PS3s in Garnet Red and Azurite Blue. According to Sony, the colorful versions will launch in limited quantities next month, packing a 250GB HDD and sporting a ¥24,980 (roughly $279) price tag.

The red and blue PS3 versions already launched in Europe over the weekend, sporting a 500GB HDD and a €329.95 (about $440) price tag on Amazon Germany. The company made no mention of a North American availability, but the console may become available in a bundle at some point.

The console is currently available in a bundle (in Europe), i.e. a 500GB version with two DualShock 3 controllers and other typical accessories. As rumors of the upcoming PlayStation 4 are increasingly intensifying, speculating all sorts of specs and rumored features, consumer attention is automatically shifting towards the next-generation gaming console.

The PlayStation 3, however, still enjoys great popularity across the world and the addition of two new color variants is likely to boost sales even on the heels of the next-generation console's launch.

The Super Slim PlayStation 3 console sports a top-loading disc drive, and has a 25 percent smaller and a 20 percent lighter form factor compared to the previous iteration. When it launched in the UK, the console boosted PS3 sales by as much as 138 percent. Moreover, back in October, the gadget passed the five million units sales landmark in the UK, and it still seems to be going strong.

The PlayStation 4 is expected to be a great leap from the PlayStation 3, and recent rumors even indicate that it will ditch the DualShock controller. The next-generation console is also rumored to be twice as powerful as the next Xbox. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 3 is still a popular gadget and more options usually mean more potential buyers. Diversity is always welcome and the Garnet Red and Azurite Blue variants are likely to spark plenty of interest among gamers.