Slimmer, Cheaper PS3 Coming In September
In a move to spike slumping PlayStation 3 sales, Sony revealed the long-rumored PS3 Slim will be slinking onto shelves Sept. 1.
In addition to its smaller form factor, the PS3 Slim also sports a sleek price — $300, half of what the high-end version of the console cost when it was released in 2006. The new 120GB hard drive has twice the space of the original, but lacks the ability to play PS2 games and the tech geek-adored trait of letting you install Linux to use it as a computer. Maybe that's why the old 60GB model, no longer on store shelves, is going for $950 or more on Amazon.
Also, the other PS3s on the market drop to $300. The cheap new PS3 seems exciting, especially for holdouts who were waiting for just the right time to upgrade from the PS2. But those folks may want to hold out even longer, for Sony to release its inevitable 250GB follow-up.
Does the new console iteration have any of you thinking about taking the PS3 plunge now?
Sony announces PS3 Slim for $299 [Techtree]
(Photo: Techtree)
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Why was I in such a rush to buy a ps3 and a wii? I never play em :P Maybe I'm gettin too old for game systems :(
"Does the new console iteration have any of you thinking about taking the PS3 plunge now?"
No.
I purchased the PS2 when it first came out for it's DVD player, being our only DVD player at the time.... and about 2 years after that, a power surge cooked it... took the insurance money and decided to just buy a nicer DVD player rather then a new gaming console.
The PS3 is tempting to give myself a blue ray player, but naaaa... I think I can wait longer.
Considering they keep removing features from the system with every new iteration, I'm glad I was an early adopter. 60GB represent!
Anyway, not sure I like the new matte finish, but at least it won't get fingerprints on it just by looking at it funny.
I'm tempted because it would give me a viable system to play some cool games and get the videos off my computer and onto my tv. But.. I can do that with a mac mini or a mac tv if I really wanted to anyway. Plus, it would run linux.
The lower price helps but I'm still waiting for a solid GT5 release date. I've been waiting for this since the original launch and have switched to XBOX 360 in the meantime. Its been so long I'm not even sure I'll even get it at all.
Just curious, I have the original 60GB that I got when they did that initial price drop almost 2 years ago. It has four USB hubs in the front. I see that the ones in the picutre above only have 2 on each of them. How do you do things like Guitar Hero where you have 2 receiver things for two guitars, 1 for the drums and the mic gets plugged into one as well. Are the other two hiding somewhere or doe you have to buy some sort of spliter?
So its no longer orginal Xbox huge?
Took them long enough.
@roshambo: You have to buy a USB hub. IIRC, this was an issue with the original Rock Band package for the PS3.
@jodark: I don't have a problem with the size, myself. If you stick the 360's stupid power brick next to the unit (the PS3's power supply is built-in), it's even larger than the PS3 together. I don't know about you, but I take my consoles with me to LAN get-togethers (not quite parties), and having to grab the brick too is a huge inconvenience.
Frak the CECH-2000, I'm waiting for the CECH-CHNG model.
I was interested in this until they were like "Nope, still no PS2 backwards compat." I still don't understand that decision. They make a god damn PS2 to PS3 converter for your memory cards still.
@RecordStoreToughGuy_IsTakingItBack: Both for me. :(
Can't complain too much about it, though. Sony's charging less for, well, less. So, good for them?
I'm dumb about these things. Why would it need a 120gb hard drive? I understand games will run faster if it stores some data on the hard drive while playing, but 120gb just seems excessive and unnecessary.
@RecordStoreToughGuy_IsTakingItBack: I'd heard that it WAS going to be backwards compatible. This is really disappointing news. :(
It is tempting, but I've got more important things to spend my money on (stupid out of network emergency room visit!).
@henrygates: It can store movies and music too.
Plus, with my Xbox, I can store multiple games and that's why I invested in a 120gb HDD for it. Without the disc spinning, it means less heat, less power, less noise and faster load times.
I thought I had heard they were going to improve backwards compatibility significantly with a firmware update that would use the PS3's hardware to emulate the PS2 instead of the software emulation it currently uses.
In any case, I still have my PS2 for the games that don't play well on a PS3, and I really mostly just use my PS3 for Blu-Ray more than gaming. Not enough time or money.
@roshambo:
Yeah, like the two above me said, you had to use a hub. And, like the one said, the initial run of the games didn't come with a USB hub. But, I think they do now.
@roshambo:
RB2 has a hub built into the receivers, so you only need 1 USB connection for all 4 peripherals
@bloggerX: Can you elaborate as to why it matters so much? Not why you thin linux is awesome, but why you would really want to put it on a game console? (I mean, is there something about it that makes you really want to try to use it as a computer as opposed to just using a standard computer?)
@farker: I think so, but don't remember - that was many years ago - my fridge, 2 of 3 TV's, 1 or 2 window air conditioners, a computer monitor, and I think something else... can't remember now - high winds caused it somehow - I personally think the power coming into our house was close enough to our chimney to rub it and cause it with the high wind, but the power company said it was far enough away to not be an issue.... Anyway, ended up giving the dead box to a friend who needed a part when he was doing surgury on his own for something....
@henrygates: You still need the disc in the drive to verify that you ya know, own the game and all (or atleast have a physical copy, cough cough), but it doesn't spin. It's a great feature. Both the Xbox360 and PS3 have it.
@JustinSane07:
1. Low demand. This was based on extrapolation from a survey they took [ two of the choices for primary reason for buying the console were backwards compatibility and bluray; I chose the bluray :( ]
2. Money ( on two sides ). First, they wanted to increase PS2 sales ( for people who hadn't bought them already ) or increase sales of the more expensive PS3 models with BC ( back when they had them ).
3. Difficulty in development. The PS1 is easy to program ( with a good emulator, it'll work on any PC ); therefore, they left it in. However, removing the EE chip and replacing it with software-simulation of it dropped compatibility from 99 to 85 percent. Apparently, they haven't figured out how to simulate the GS ( or won't due to cost ).
4. Games. PS3 games are 10 to 20 dollars more than their PS2 counterparts ( plus come with the bluray license bonus to SONY ). So, it encourages PS3 owners to purchase the PS3 version.
5. Cost. They wanted to appease the people and drop the price ( and with it, BC, SACD support, media card readers, 2 of the 4 USB ports, and now linux support ).
@Nascar24Dude:
EDIT: I guess I should have said the above reasons are why SONY removed backwards compatibility.
@Oranges w/ Cheese - now with 50% more kitty!: You can't play games with your Mac.
BA-ZING!
No, really, you can play WoW and....Warcarft III!
"The cheap new PS3 seems exciting, especially for holdouts who were waiting for just the right time to upgrade from the PS2."
Try waiting for the right time to upgrade from my PS1. I just got a HDTV and was thinking about getting a PS3 since it can also serve as a BluRay player. This is good news.
@catskyfire: added use to a very sophisticated machine. Even though sony crippled the linux implementation it still added a lot of functionality to the machine.
I don't even understand the appeal if you can't play PS1 or PS2 games on it.
@JustinSane07: Honestly, i bought a used launch console (60gb) with the express intent of playing my PS2 games, i even bought the memory card transfer thingie. I fired up GT4 ONCE to prove it worked. And i haven't played a PS2 game since.
Yes it can, but you still have to have the disc in the system to play (on 360 at least). This is to keep people from renting a game, installing it to the hard drive, and the returning it. But it definitely speeds things up and makes it quieter/faster.
@Panoptic: HOO HAW!!
Original PS3 owner here. Hardware is still going strong, and I love it.
I also love my 360 for the game selection as well as my Wii for the fun it gives my family.
@JustinSane07: While that is true, I'd honestly get more use out of a PS3 as a media center. In which case a mac mini would be just as effective for me and about $200 cheaper.
No Linux means no purchase for me.