"If you're still in the market for a new PS3, are the 90 extra gigabytes worth ..."

I thought 250-120=130, not 90. This new math continually astounds me!

Sounds like Sony is getting desperate. Who has $350 to blow in this economy? A smarter move would have been to release the bigger version first, and then the cheaper one just in time for the holidays.

I don't get why your calling the older obsolete. This seems a bit like complaining when a manufacturer releases a new version of the same product each year.

Sony also released new TV's this year. Does that make last years obsolete?

Both the Xbox and PS3 have undergone a series of improvements. This generation of products is fundamentally different than the old ones. They can keep the same core functionality and still add better specifications.

If this system came with the motion controller THEN I'd say the older systems were obsolete.

The funny thing is.. me and my friend were just complaining the other day that the PS3 and Xbox 360 systems have had more SKU's then any other gaming platform ... like... ever.

It's all too much.

But probably a result and sign that the next generation isn't going to be out for awhile and perhaps this will be the last generation of gaming consoles as we know it.

all this PR stuff is annoying. you can get a 320GB HDD for $60 on the egg.

[www.newegg.com]

@jaya9581:

Who has $350 to blow in this economy?

you could just buy a 320gb WD drive for $60, and swap out the old drive.

Giving consumers a choice is a total pain, it's as though they expect me to be an informed buyer and make a decision based solely on my needs. Also, increasing memory only makes the smaller memory version obsolete, sure the graphics are the same, the games are the same, but still, it's an unplayable brick with it's meager 50% smaller hard drive.

Years ago I recall an early laptop (lugable) manufacturer who having released the industry leading machine and making great sales... then boasted that if you think this is great wait until you see the next one just around the corner... sales plummeted and the company was in serious trouble...

Could it be that Sony is going to do the same sort of thing to themselves with this sort of product update cycle?

A bump in hard disk space for additional money does not make the previous version obsolete in any way.

@tonberry: I've done just that with my old, fat PS3. Easy as pie, in case anyone's wondering.

Just make sure to back your game saves up on an external HDD. I deleted all the movies and game demos from my drive before I did this to make the operation faster, and that also gave me the opportunity to properly rename all the movies I put back on there.

Of course, the PS3 hard drive is user-replaceable, so if you need more storage, you might as well get the best bang for your buck by buying the 160 GB version and a 500 GB drive.

@Techguy1138: "I don't get why your calling the older obsolete."

Agreed. This new model plays the exact same games and discs as the first PS3 release. This posting is nothing but sensationalist hyperbole to make this non-story more interesting.

@idip: "It's all too much."

Why? Each SKU plays the same discs as the next, so what's the problem?

Much in the same way that Dell sells different configurations of PCs and laptops to fill different markets, Sony and Microsoft are doing the same thing.

@Techguy1138: Especially since Phil even points out it's the exact same except for a bigger hard drive.

The best thing to do is to install a 7,200 RPM hard disk drive into your PS3.

You can either use a SATA to eSATA cable and go with a large high performance drive, like the Samsung Spinpoint F3 or you can go with a fast laptop drive.

I chose the Hitachi 7K320. It is significantly faster with loading games, installing games and booting up that the crappy 40GB 4,200 RPM Seagate that Sony installed in my PS3.

You can buy a 320 GB 7,200 RPM drive for $70 on newegg.com. Good drives to consider are the Hitachi 73K320, the WD Scorpio Black and the Seagate 7200.4.

The fastest drive currently is the 7200.4 from Seagate. It's around $120 for a 500 GB drive.

@Techguy1138: actually the older ps3s have quite a few features the latest ones don't:
*backwards compatibility with ps2 games(depends on model and only the oldest ones play most of teh ps2 games).

*digital media card reader(only the launch units have those.

*dual OS compatiblity with Linux(this isn't available in the new slim models)

*neato 0-movement buttons on the actual unit

*SACD playback

@GMFish: Well, no... the first PS3 release had backwards compatibility. If anything, the new systems are the obsolete ones, because the older systems had more functionality and still work just as well, with the firmware updates. Are these new systems offering any improvements other than hard drive size, which is largely irrelevant as even larger hard drives can be purchased and installed in the system; and a smaller profile, which helps very little because if there's not enough space for the larger model, you probably shouldn't be installing the smaller model there either due to airflow concerns?

@GMFish: Actually as mentioned in the previous thread, not all PS3's will play all the same disks. The 360 will across all of it's iterations...BUT the first releases are more likely to red ring than actually play.

@Jeff-er-ee: This is probably the PS3 he's referring to with his new math.

[www.amazon.com]

@Firesoul1: Agreed. Some people get anxious tampering with their systems, though, even if it doesn't void the warranty.

@Nidoking: The newer systems are much more energy efficient and generate less heat. The original systems used more energy than a refrigerator.

@logicalnoise: Just had to correct you on one count - the 80gb MGS4 PS3 model also had media card readers and it was not a launch unit.

@jaya9581:
I just spent $300 on an iPod Touch. Not everyone's finances are in the crapper.

Well I'm still not getting one, not while I still have a bunch of PS2 games I haven't finished. I probably would get one if the new PS3 had backwards compatibility with PS2 games.

@logicalnoise: Interesting, so the newer models are the obsolete ones!

has anyone tried to install a Solid State Hard drive in a PS3? Just wondering.

@Skunky: "not all PS3's will play all the same disks"

But they all play PS3 discs, right? I'm still not seeing why idip or anyone else thinks this is "all too much."

@Nidoking: "If anything, the new systems are the obsolete one"

Which I find hilarious. Thanks for the info! Leave it to Sony to make the new model worse than the old model. Isn't that basically the plan with the PSP Go?

@Burzmali: That's an old phat PS3, not a slim.

@jaya9581: "A smarter move would have been to release the bigger version first, and then the cheaper one just in time for the holidays." This is true, but then again Sony's never been that smart when it comes to marketing..and making money.

@Buckus: [kotaku.com]

barely made much of a difference from what i heard.

@Burzmali: I was considering that to upgrade my measly 20gb 360 HD, but it turns out you have to buy a very specific brand and model...and then load it with all the xbox software and such to make it work. I'm guessing PS3 is the same?

1st PS3 Slim: $300 - 120 GB
2nd PS3 Slim: $350 - 250 GB - Difference of 130 GB and $50.

This post should have said 130, since it's about the Slim on the market already being obsolete.

@downwithmonstercable: Nope, the PS3 will work with any 2.5" laptop hard drive. I put a 7200RPM 200GB drive in my moriginal 60GB PS3 a while back.

@downwithmonstercable: No, you just take out the drive tray, put the new drive in, and the PS3 handles the rest.

Still no linux. Still no PS2 compatibility. Still no buy.

Heck by the time you bring ANY piece of newly purchased electronic equipment home these days, its already obsolete.

Just buy the cheaper one and buy a SATA HDD with as much space as you need.

"If you went out and bought a PS3 Slim, thinking your new system would at least avoid obsolescence for the rest of the year, think again."

Whoever wrote this is an idiot. And is subverting the usefulness of this site.

The hard drive size has no bearing on the features or functionality of a PS3. The hard drive is officially user-upgradable (it doesn't even void the warranty). The introduction of this SKU changes nothing about the features or performance of the existing model, and to use such sensationalistic language is over the line for The Consumerist.

Seriously, you're criticizing them for this? Sony made it easy to replace the hard drive. You can replace the 120 GB hard drive in the Slim for $50, and then you can do whatever you want with your extra 120 GB drive.

This isn't new... IIRC Sony had annouced their plans to release this right when they released the new PS3 slim. I think....?

So they added more space and bumped it $50. Still won't buy one though.

@GMFish: I don't know enough about the PSP Go to say for sure, but I know the Nintendo DS-i was sort of a sideways step. They removed the GBA slot, which was at least a nod to backward compatibility in the previous DS models as well as a requirement for Guitar Hero On Tour, but they added internal flash for downloaded content, WPA compatibility, the cameras, etc. If the PSP Go has any features beyond what the previous PSPs offer, I haven't heard about them. Heck, I might be satisfied if the batteries can hold a charge for more than a week with the system off at all times.

@Révolution:

That fact alone encourages me to get a ps3 more.

@Révolution: Just be careful with the screws securing the hard drive in the tray... they strip easily. I recommend using pliers instead of a screwdriver. Once that's said, it's a pretty simple operation, and there are great tutorials online. Sony even made the upgrade easier with their data backup utility, provided that you have an external USB hard drive to back up to.

@logicalnoise: That doesn't apply to the most recent batch that Phil is referring to. Those are all from MUCH older machines

@Nidoking: The PSP Go offers the follwoing over the original
large internal flash memory for downloadable games
bluetooth internet tethering.

Other than that you get the following:
smaller screen
no UMD
no way to move UMD titles to the Go
new memory stick size, (another purchase required)
No gurantee that what is shipped to UMD will be available for the Go unless its a first party title
all existing add-on hardware isn't compatible

@jaya9581: Perhaps, but this is the same model that Microsoft used, albeit drawn out longer, and it worked for them.

Also, if you're going to sink money into a console, 300 to 350 isn't a significant difference, considering.