Everything PS3 made smaller & cheaper!
By Ben Salter
For months we, like so many others in the land of the Internet, speculated that Sony would either have to drop the price of the PlayStation 3, or bring out a slim model. As it so happens they did both. Without question it’s a smaller piece of hardware, but how else has Sony’s console developed?
The PS3 120GB, or PS3 Slim we we’ve come to know it, is 33% smaller and 36% lighter than the original PS3 models, weighing in a 3.5 kilos rather than 5. For the specs and just how the models vary check out our PS3 Slim Vs PS3 Phat guide. Fortunately, the PS3 Slim looks much better in person, than it does in the promo pictures sent out by Sony. It’s not all that much smaller than the original console (not like the PS2 Slim compared to the original), but the size has been reduced enough to make it more attractive for a casual audience, which Sony will most likely target with their upcoming motion sensing wand controller. Let’s face it the original PS3 looked like a beast of a machine and certainly would have appealed to the Wii Fit audience. While it’s still fairly bulky for a machine known as the ‘slim’ version, it fits in to your entertainment set up much better than the original console; for more pictures check out our unboxing. The matte finish has been criticised by some as looking ‘cheap’ but that’s going to come down to personal preference. With a glossy strip over the disc drive and on the console’s sides the shinny appeal is still here and the matte finish reduces the visibility of fingerprints and scratches substantially. The unit itself feels quite solid when you pick it up, so the word ‘cheap’ shouldn’t come into play unless you’re talking about the price.
The price point of the PlayStation 3 has held back many prospective buyers. When compared to the cheaper Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii $700 for a PS3 seemed like a little too much, especially if you already owned another console or gaming PC. Slash that down to $499 and all of a sudden it’s starting to look a little more attractive. The slim design is almost irreverent compared to the price drop. The PS2 slim helped reinvigorated the console 5 years ago, and I’m sure Sony hope the same will happen with the PS3, which is lagging behind the Wii and Xbox 360 in sale. However, it’s the price that’s been the problem. If you’ve been sitting on the fence now is finally the time to enter the world of the PlayStation 3, especially if you’re after a Blu-Ray player and gaming console. The hardware is almost exactly the same as the 80GB model, with double the HDD space, making the release of the slim and more importantly the $200 price drop the perfect time to buy a PlayStation 3.
From a features point of view the Slim is almost identical to its predecessor, with the only omission being the ability to install another OS such as Linux. To be honest this isn’t a big deal, as anyone who was genuinely interested in this would no doubt already be a PS3 owner. The PS3 is a great media hub, as it can stream content from supported PCs, has a great sideshow viewer for all of your happy snaps, and supports MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4/h.264 playback from a USB or disc. The built in web browser is the best of any console, and while it’s not yet at the standard of a PC, you’ll have no problems using it to surf your favourite sites. The Bravia Sync option is a nice little reward for the Sony faithful who own both a TV in the Bravia series and a PS3 Slim. Once enabled you'll be able to control menus and Blu-Ray/video playback with your TV remote. It's a nice touch, and handy as you can't use a normal universal remote with the PS3, but you'll end up using the Duel Shock 3 for most of these features.
On the front of the console you’ll find 2 USB ports for charging the bundled Duel Shock 3 controller, and playing content from USB devices. The touch sensitive power and eject buttons have been replaced by physical buttons that actually click when pressed. Once again this’ll come down to personal preference, and it’s definitely my preferred of the two options. Head around to the back and you’ll find an Ethernet jack (no cable included), an HDMI output (no cable included), an optical digital audio output, and a PlayStation AV output (hooray, a cable). Unfortunately there is no HDMI or component cable included, which will set you back around between $20-$50 if you plan on playing in high definition. On the plus side 802.11b/g wireless is included, making the Ethernet port redundant if you have a wireless network at home. This will set you back around $100 on the Xbox 360.
According to Sony the PS3 Slim is 34% more energy efficient; I haven’t actually been able to test that, but it’s great news for your electricity bill. Even better is the lack of a beefy battery pack. 360 owners will know what I’m talking about here, as the battery pack is almost as long as the console itself. Sony has said that the internal structure of the system had to be completely redesigned for the PS3 to be slimmed down. Anyone who wants to keep their entertainment set up nice and tidy should be thanking the good guys down at SCE, as no external battery pack makes it a lot easier. As well as the energy consumption, the noise of the console has also been reduced. You’ll be hard pressed to hear the disc loading; especially important during quiet parts of Blu-Ray movies. The PS3 was never really that loud, and now it’s even quieter placing it well ahead of the Xbox 360 in that department. The heat seems to be relatively consistent to that of the original console. I guess we won’t really know until we thrash it on the 40+ degree days, but unless you really try there shouldn’t be any overheating issues.
The ability to upgrade the HDD yourself is not only supported by Sony, but recommended, so there’s no need to worry about voiding your warranty. Swapping the default 120GB drive with any 2.5-inch Serial ATA is a quick and painless task. All you have to do is open a panel on the bottom of the console, unscrew the HDD and replace it with your new one. Then download the PS3 system data from Sony’s website, and installed.
The Blu-Ray playback is great, and up there at the top of the range of BR players. Nothing’s really changed from past PS3 models, which is by no means a bad thing. The BD-ROM drive takes and ejects your disks without hassle. You’ll also be pleased to know that the disks shouldn’t get damaged if the console is knocked over or moved with a disk inside; although, neither is recommended. It’s still a little irritating to have to install part (if not entire) games that 360 gamers have the option to jump right into when you first load it up. They load a little faster and keep the system quieter, but having the option to play direct from the disk would have been nice. The fact that you have to buy the stand separately is another minor annoyance since it should have been bundled in. The system stands up pretty well by itself, and many people will prefer to keep it horizontal, but it’s the principle of the thing (damn it!).
Online gaming for free on the PSN network is a major bonus for anyone who just wants a bit of fun now and again. It’s not as good as Xbox Live, but you save yourself $80 a year. It’s a still a decent service considering that it is free, but if online gaming is your forte then seriously consider the Xbox 360. No infrared receiver is another one of those little annoyance, as the PS3’s Blu-Ray player will not be compatible with universal remotes. If you take the cheap generic option of remote most of the time you’ll get a USB IR receiver, which’ll waste one of your limited 2 USB ports. You don’t really need anymore, but we remember the days of 4 USB ports and a card flash reader. The lack of PS2 backwards compatibility still almost brings a tear to our eyes. Is the hardware chip to emulate PS2 games still too expensive? Or have they discovered how to do it via a firmware update, and are waiting for the PS2 to die off in the sales before letting it out the bag? Whatever the case, it seems like Sony have missed a major opportunity here. PS2 backwards compatibility would have made the PS3 Slim standout above the pack. As it stands, those of us who didn’t adopt early are forced to keep pulling out our PS2s.
The Final Verdict
Note: As this is a hardware review we are not going to give it a final out of ten score as we normally do. Instead there is a list of pros and cons with the final verdict.
Pros
- Affordable at $499
- Slimmer, smaller, quieter and more energy efficient
- Matte finish – nicer to look at and will appeal to a more casual audience
- Already a great range of games for people new to the PS3
- Blu-Ray & DVD players inbuilt
- Media hub – streaming off of PC, photos, videos off of disc of USB
- Online gaming is free
- Web browser
Cons
- Still no PS2 backwards compatibility
- Online gaming still lacking compared to Xbox Live
- No infrared support means no universal remotes
- Matte isn’t for everyone, some people will prefer the original glossy design
- No reason to upgrade for existing PS3 owners
- No HDMI, component cables or stand included
There’s never been a better time to by a PS3. If, like me, you were already a Wii60 owner and couldn’t justify the price, the new $499 model is surely beginning to entice you. With a great range of games already available, including the cheaper platinum series, it’s a great time to adopt. The lighter, smaller, quieter and more energy efficient model is still a great media hub, and when you can easily play $400+ for a Blu-Ray player on its own for the price you’re not going to get a better deal for a long while. The 120GB model is recommended to anyone whose been waiting for the right time to buy a PS3. If you already own one then there’s no reason to upgrade.