According to FCC filings by Sony, it appears that the white PlayStation 3 that gamers have been clamoring for since launch is finally coming to the western world.

There really isn’t too much to add to this. We know that the model number is CECHH01, and that it will have every bell and whistle the current black monolith-looking PS3s have. Also, it appears that the white PS3 will only be available in the 40GB model. While I could not find anything specifically stating “40GB” in relation to hard drive space, I was able to find this snippet from the manuals regarding possible backwards compatibility:

This model of the PLAYSTATION®3 system is designed to play PLAYSTATION®3 format software and has limited backward compatibility. This system is not compatible with and will not play PlayStation®2 format software. Some PlayStation® format software may play on this system. For more information, visit www.us.playstation.com.

Remember that out of the current SKUs, the 40GB PS3 has no backwards compatibility with your PS-X (yes, I still call the PSOne that) or PS2 libraries.

[FCC]

White PS3 Images (PDF)
White PS3 Instruction Manual (PDF)

UPDATE
A Sony Representative has contacted ShackNews, explaining the FCC filing:

There are many FCC filings like this each year,” explained the representative. “We haven’t made any announcements about upcoming PS3 plans, but are comfortable with our current two sku strategy. We are continually evaluating the market trends and consumer input to determine the appropriate PS3 models for our territory.

Well… that sucks.

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