The new slimline PS3 and its price cut could boost sales of the console by 60 per cent in the US, NPD reports.

The firm made the statement to Information Week, but warned that price alone won’t see Sony narrow the gap between the PS3 and its rivals, citing the need for big game releases.

"The $299 price point is important to getting to a point where the next segment of price-conscious consumers can jump into the market and it most certainly will re-energize sales of the platform," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

“We would expect to see in the range of a 40 per cent to 60 per cent unit sales increase when September sales are reported.

“Content is still the key motivator of a hardware purchase decision. Other systems might too take a price cut, so there's a lot playing into which system tops sales any particular month.”