(Daily Finance) — If you’re in the market for a new Sony PS3, consider yourself $50 richer.  Sony(SNE) revealed yesterday that it isslashing prices on its video game console. The entry-level model with a 160-gigabyte hard drive is going from $299 to $249. The higher-end unit with double the storage capacity is also being marked down by $50, to $299. The new price points are effective now in the United States, kicking in Thursday in Japan.  Remember when the PS3 hit the market five years ago? The 60-gigabyte model set diehard gamers back a whopping $599. Given the limited supply at the time, desperate holiday shoppers found themselves paying even more to secure a PS3 through eBay(EBAY) and other resale channels.