Silver slimline PStwo to launch in the UK on May 13

Sony has confirmed that a silver version of its slimline PStwo will be in the shops next month - with the new version of the hardware set to launch on May 13th, the day Microsoft's Xbox 360 MTV special will be shown in Europe.

The new design will launch with an RRP of £114.99, ten pounds more expensive than the normal black version of the slimline PS2.

Sony has denied that the launch date has been deliberately planned to spoil the Xbox 360 launch; when asked by our sister site Eurogamer whether the date clash was more than just a coincidence, a Sony representative stated: "Absolutely not."

"This launch has been planned for a long, long time and has absolutely nothing to do with [the MTV special]," he went on.

Rumours of a silver PStwo first emerged back in January, when Argos began displaying a product page complete with picture, but the listing was quickly taken down once the link began to circulate amongst gaming sites.

The launch can be seen as further proof that Sony intends to extend the life cycle of its current console for as long as possible, as it did with the PSone. Its next-generation machine will go on show for the first time at next month's E3, and isn't expected to launch until 2006.