Sony PlayStation 3 Slim 120GB Comments

I'm sort of on the fence for finally buying a console -- I'm now running Ubuntu 99% of the time, and there were only a few Windows games so far this year that occasionally made me reboot. Plenty of console games that looked nice, though. However, I'm not going to buy both a PS3 and a 360, and since both (or all three, if you count the Wii) seem to have compelling exclusive titles, this makes the choice so hard that I guess I'll end up buying neither, again.

What a lovely article. All my thoughts echoed in a sensible manner and now i've gotten used to it i actually prefer the look of the ps3 slim as well.

*Grabs some popcorn and sits back, waiting for this to turn into yet another thread of flaming fanboys*

I would add Metal Gear Solid 4 before the fanboys come out to play...

Overall a very negative review, the competition plays less types of media, is less open or standards compliant, has less built in and has equal or lesser software. Name a big game outside Halo not on the PS3 or which doesn't have a PS3 equivalent? I really would like to know one.

Also about PSN, I suppose you have missed the latest round of rumours, whereby Sony are adding cross game chat, party chat etc... Not sure what XBL would be charging for after that, Facebook and Twatter I suppose...

Total cost of my 360: £120 for my 60GB pro + 2 x £23 for Live = £166.

Total cost of my PS3 slim: £250 + £5 for the HDMI cable.

This total cost of ownership argument is utter crap. Yes the PS3 has more bells and whistles but so it bloody should for the price.

@ravmania

Surely a more balanced argument would be, total cost of your 360: £120 for your 60GB pro + 2 x £23 for Live + £45 for wireless network adapter + £130 for budget Blu-Ray player = £341.

And what price 'peace & quiet'? Every time I switch my 360 on it sounds like a damned helicopter lifting off!

@needlegun
No it wouldn't. My 360 works fine with ethernet and last I checked the games were on DVD. It really annoys me when fanboys use this argument. As I said, yes you get more but you pay for it. And they're nice extras but they're not needed. If the PS3 hadn't had them maybe it would have been £100 cheaper and I would have got one ages ago.

@ ravmania & needlegun

I think together you've reiterated what this generation has been about, ergo, it depends how much 'stuff' you want, as to whether it's good value or not. My own personal taste is that all the "bells and whistles" have been worth the money, as I place a high value on Blu-ray. (Incidentally, I really wish Apple would concede the blatantly obvious that people still use discs!).

Admittedly, I'm still waiting for that killer game though, and I haven't quite found it yet, though that might be more to do with the state of gaming as a whole, as I want the intense HD graphics of hardcore action gaming, but the simplicity of gameplay found in previous generations, that evades me in today's GTA/Halo world. Or maybe I just suck at video games and should stick to films!

If the games are installed on the hard drive the 360 is not too loud, not like my good old dreamcast, that had a loud disk read, and the ps2 was fairly loud as well

@drdark - you didn't have to wait very long, lmao!!

@needlegun - I guess it depends on whether you use/value the wireless networking and blu-ray on the PS3 or are just looking for a console to play games. My PS3 is on a wired ethernet connection, so you could argue that I wouldn't have shelled out for the Xbox 360 wifi adapter if I'd gone down the MS path. However, my PS3 does multiple duty as a blu-ray deck, media streamer and games console, so for my use it is a great device.

@ravmania - slightly pedantic, but it's not really fair to include the cost of your HDMI cable in the TCO of your PS3 - the PS3 does (if I remember correctly) include an AV cable that you could have used, and your Xbox 360 pro doesn't even have HDMI output (only the elite does). Like you, when I got my PS3 I chucked the bundled AV cable in the back of the cupboard and stumped up for an HDMI cable, but it wasn't necessary to do so.

Finally, to your point about Live, why have you only included 2 years' subs? Presumably that is your cost to date, but I expect to get more than 2 years out of my PS3. I guess the same is true for you, right? If so, why not take (say) 5 years at £23? That puts your total cost for Xbox 360 (no wireless, no blu-ray) at £235 and your total cost for PS3 (excluding HDMI cable) at £250. Not so different, right?

Thanks for the article. Seems balanced to me.

Until recently I was using a (borrowed) XBox360 Arcade, but then it went the way of the RROD. I was exactly half way through BioShock and I now have to decide whether to get another Xbox so I can complete the game and see what happens using the data I have saved, or get a Slim, and start again, safe in the knowledge that I'm much less likely to suffer a hardware failure again.

My overriding impression of the Xbox, along with the impression of my wife, and those of my friends who don't own a console (should that be the "inconsolable" ones?!) is that its just so loud!

As I don't already own a Bluray player, I'm ideal Sony target material, so I am leaning in that direction. The integrated iplayer is a draw too. Can anyone confirm whether the other channels' catch up players work on the PS3 too, albeit through a web browser?

Superb, and balanced, review. The only thing I'd take issue with is this "you can stream programmes direct from the BBC at something very near SD broadcast quality". iPlayer on the PS3 is not anywhere near SD broadcast quality. In fact it's sub VHS quality, and the frame rate is appalling. Totally unwatchable on anything but the smallest of screens (I have a 37" TV).

@ravmania - can you REALLY buy a new 360 Pro console for £120? Really?

@needlegun - exactly.

@ravmania

Lets not forget either that the 60gb pro is officially discontinued. The stocks online at the mo arnt going to be around forever. so you can add £80 to that price for the elite.

The other thing about price i would like to add is that i have had to buy two 360s cos of there rubbish reliability while im still on my first ps3.

oh and dont forget those pesky rechargeable batteries u will need for the controllers.

That's implying that rav has a need or want for wireless (wifi sucks imo + already have enough delay between my console and my lcd to not want to add wifi on top of it), blu-ray player (dont buy dvd's let alone blu-ray's). A console is for playing games, to get a console to your house and play a game is most expensive with the ps3, fact.

The price for me isnt a factor, theres just no games that appeal to me enough that I would buy a ps3 for them yet. Cant see any on the horizon either which is a shame, will prob end up skipping on the ps again this generation. Plus XBL for me makes the system, soon as MW2 comes out im renewing my sub :D

I have the original 40GB PS3 and have probably used it more for Blu Ray playback than games as I can't play all these first person (shooter) perspective games that seem to be the normality these days.

The quieter operation of the slim model does interest me as does the direct bitstream output over HDMI. During the summer months and Blu Ray playback, the original PS3 does get hot and the fan blasts out which isn't ideal when watching a movie.

''...and how many of us really took the memory card from our camera and plugged it straight into the PS3 anyway?... ''

This is a particularly stupid comment to make. I am one of the people who use the card reader and find it to be very effective and of great benefit. If all digital cameras had DLNA (that worked), wifi, or even bluetooth then perhaps the card reader could be considered useless but thats not the case. Watching your pictures from your digital camera on the ps3 is brilliant. Better than transfering from the camera to pc, then copying to usb then popping the usb stick in only to realise you need to disconnect one of your charging controllers due to the lack of additional usb ports. lol

@ravmania

How much does the 360 cost now though? Still £120 for a 60GB? Well that would be difficult since it has been discontinued. The Arcade for £140 which doesn't come with a HDD (which you will have to buy a proprietary HDD for £90) or an Elite for £199? Well?

See your 360 may have been that cheap, mine was £99 from Sainsbury's, and they gave me a Pro by accident, doesn't mean people can get one for £99 now...

Hell, my PS3 was only £199, but I don't assume that it is the standard price for all people.

Oh, and 2 years of Live? More like 5 if you are any sort of serious Xbox gamer. Which is around £120-150 for Live alone. Plus £60 for a wireless adapter (which even the Wii includes at standard price because most people don't have ethernet near their TV) and £20 for a play and charge kit (which the PS3 just uses a USB cable for, any USB cable) and £2.50 for a HDMI cable...

@Needlegun

Ravmania claims to have both a 360 and a PS3 slim - why would he need to factor in the cost of an additional Blu-Ray player?

Also, aren't you being kind of presumptious about the need for a WiFi option? I use direct Ethernet connection to my router beneath my living room TV and Devolo 200mbps powerline networking through to the other parts of the house with AV gear (conservatory, study, spare bedroom, etc).

It's all about choice - and not everybody needs or wants the extras Sony includes, at the higher price point - so the savings available on a 360 are potentially still very significant for many owners.

All that said, I'm not a fanboy and I do agree that the PS3 is now a more interesting proposition in it's cheaper 'Slim' guise - but for me, the PS3 still lacks any real killer functionality or stand-out game title to justify the spend or space needed for me to invest in a third 'next gen' console.

I maintain that my launch 360 (now nearly 4 years old) with 120GB HDD is quiet, reliable, offers brilliant upscaled DVD and Windows Media Centre playback, whilst also making the perfect playback device for my home-rolled HD video projects (holiday footage, work training projects, etc) and soon will also be used as a Sky box.

I have a BlueRay deck, which gets some light use via a LoveFilm subscription, but sadly the format is a long way off offering much in the way of diversity (I collect lots of rock concerts, music vids, etc - which simply don't exist in any quantity on BlueRay) - and at normal sofa viewing distances, the benefits of BlueRay are not as pronounced as I'd have hoped.

But *most importantly for me*, when I get a couple of hours to play Gears, Forza, Call of Duty, Beatles Rock Band, Trials HD, Geometry Wars, etc - I can easily communicate with and 'meet up' with friends and colleagues regardless of what they happen to be doing on their 360. I can spend my leisure time alongside people whose company and humour I enjoy - and that counts for a lot.

In comparison - Sony's networking features have always felt like an ill-conceived and flakey afterthought to me. But again, this may be something that Sony have rectified with the PS3 'Slim' and it's refreshed firmware?

Interesting to see if I get flamed here for widening the discussion to cover some key factors not discussed in the review.

Nobody cares about what you bought and how you use it. I bought a new toothbrush yesterday, want details?

Nice article. I'm certainly going to be grabbing one now - as I chose the 360 Elite over the PS3, and now this has given me good enough incentive to purchase one.

Having owned a 360 while in England for a couple of years and now a PS3 and Wii here in Portugal I have to say that for playing purely games the 360 is better, the controller is much more comfortable and xbox live is worth the money they charge hands down the PS3 has some nice exclusive games like MGS4 etc but I still feel the 360 is best I am tempted to purshase the new Elite I miss it so much, but then I think to my self how long until the new Xbox comes out???

@John Mclean
It's fair to add the cost of blu-ray and wifi to the 360 but not HDMI for the PS3? Even taking the fiver out the argument still stands. And my 360 does have HDMI but I use the component cable that came in the box and it works great. Only a moron or someone without a HDTV would use the PS3 with the included composite cable, especially if they bought it for blu-ray.

The Live was for the two years worth that I have paid so far. I definitely agree that I will add another three years to this which will take it towards the current PS3 price. However if I could have paid for the slim in the same way I would have happily bought that ages ago instead of waiting for the price cut. It definitely lightens the hit.

@Wildkard
Got it for £180 from Play with Gears 2, Fallout 3 and PES which I traded for £20 each. And they were all new and top games at the time. A similar PS3 bundle at the time would probably have approached £350.

@Grouse
Play and charge kit for a fiver from HMV. Using AAs was very annoying. Sorry, should have added that to my total cost! RROD hasn't been an issue yet but I happily bought it knowing about it and the 3 year warranty helps. The slim does just feel like nicer hardware and the quality is definitely better than my 360. No arguments about that. Again, you get what you pay for. The same argument could be used for Live.

I now have all three consoles and I'm not just sticking up for Microsoft. I wouldn't have just laid out £250 for a console just to then rubbish it on online forums. If anything I'm an ex Nintendo lover who now can't stand the big N (anyone interested in a second hand Wii by the way?). I've been wanting the PS3 for ages and I love it now I have one. I didn't actually make a negative comment about it. I was just specifically questioning the total cost of ownership arguement. Yes I hunt for good deals but with the PS3 even the best deals weren't that great value to me up till now.

No more comments for me now. Off to play Uncharted. :-)

Well im a long time xbox owner, upgraded to an elite early this year.

Twice ive been in store about to buy a PS3 and only one thing has stopped me both times, The choice of games! There are a few good games and with GT5 coming soon and uncharted 2 its getting better but still the 360 has forza and ODST :D

If there was a better choice of exclusive games I would have bought a PS3 a long time ago, I dont really want a blu ray player but at the £250 price point its a nice extra.

The comments about the controller being not as nice I can understand but I dont see that as a deal breaker.

I have an xbos 360 120GB and a ps3 slim. they're both awesome, and so am I. You all lose.

Darfuria: Nobody cares about what you bought and how you use it. I bought a new toothbrush yesterday, want details?

Okay I laughed for real. That was funny. Encapsualted the debate really well I think.

Awww man, I ran out of popcorn and they're still going.

@Steve32:
Exactly, doesn't take long.

@Hugo:
I wouldn't blame you for not bothering to host any more gaming stories. Although since these devices usually have several other functions these days, you can't exactly do that either. Maybe just save yourselves the bother of checking the comments sections for such stories...

"All it needs now is the software."

this is the most ridiculous review i have ever read, "needs now is the software"? are you serious?

PS3 has more exclusive games then any console this year plus all multi platform games.

2009

Killzone 2
Infamous
Demon's soul
Uncharted 2
Ninja gaiden sigma 2
Ratchet and clank A crack in time.
Eyepet.

i find it very funny that some people still say it has no games. lol

*Pizza arrives in time for round 2*

@Ahlan, that has to be the funniest post so far (and there is plenty of competition on that front!). You mock the review for critising the lack of software then you proceed to justify this by listing a bunch of titles which are not released yet - brilliant! rotflmao!


I am with drdark and hugo, why do TR even bother covering consoles when the level of discussion that follows would be better placed in the school playground. TR readers are normally way above that. (Not all posts have been bad, but only a few have raised some interesting points in a balanced way)

The few games I want are on the PS3 but £250 is too much for me to pay for just a games machine, which is all I'd use it as. If the slim played PS2 games then at least I could sell that on...

I have a Blu-ray player but I also have a Logitech Harmony One remote so I'd need an infra-red adapter to use the SP3 as a Blu-ray player! I've heard these are unreliable and will they have settings on the Harmony database? Urgh.

@drdark - I think this thread has been fairly civilised compared to what happens when TR dares to review Apple stuff.

It seems that you buddy hugo, got stuck in 2006 and 2007 days, when the 360 had all its glory, but things has changed and PS3 getting way better then any console on the market

"listing a bunch of titles" are getting really high score from 9 to 10/10, don't believe me go check out Metacritics.com

and that not all, PS3 has more exclusives from 2008 and 2007, and the online games have dedicated servers and FREE NOT like the XBL peer to peer servers were have to pay 30 pounds.

anyways,

Fanboys will be fanboys I suppose ... overall

Didn't realize consoles needed a review and score ;p

it's all opinion/politics - I wouldn't take anything serious on the internet
OR I'D BE A NIGERIAN MILLIONAIRE BY NOW

Can there really be anything more pathetic than the 360/PS3 fanboys that seem to flock to reviews such as this like flies round poo?

Does anyone know if cartridges from the Atari 2600 are compatable with this?

that was a well written balanced article well done. as Lord Comben III stated, it was 'all my thoughts echoed in a sensible manner'

I liked the days where a console was defined by one game. For me £120 on an N64 with goldeneye was value without even buying a single extra game or accessory.

With the more expensive consoles these days that's a bigger ask - hence the 'my games catalogue is longer than yours' banter perhaps. I think xbox 1 had Halo as it's definitive game. What would you say defines the current crop?

darfuria: Yes, I want more details about your toothbrush-purchasing decisions. I bet you are a Colgate fanboy. Epic fail - Aquafresh pwns your plaque.

Shirley now this makes the Ps3 the breakfast of Champions!

Brilliant article. I actually thought, "what a nicely balanced article" well before I read these comments. Got slightly annoyed by the first person to mention the "F" word and the first person to start an argument.



What stood out in particular was the mention about Wireless being included as part of the PS3. I learnt something about the xbox360 bringing wireless-n connectivity in the future.

The continued 'debate' over which console is the best still amuses me...any true gamer would simply own them both and enjoy the benefits and 'exclusives' both have to offer :-)

Wrote my comment before Ahlan joined in :) Now, this thread is just as bad as any Apple one - but somehow it's strangely compelling to see who can make the biggest claims(?).

@Pbryanw: Sorry for not replying to your earlier comment, but I was hoping everyone'd just calm down and lose interest in the thread :S...
I also believe the fact 2 other threads have already been commented on heavily may have reduced some of the more "WTF" comments. Oh, and I'd also hate to think what the comments may have been had the score been either a 7 or a 9.

@Ataripower: you forgot one ;).

Whoops, didn't realize I was starting off a flame-war... LOL

No, no, no, no, no! Stu, what have you done? *waits*

In the meantime, everyone knows multiplatform games are better on the PC, and there would more exclusives if it wasn't for those pesky pirates!

I already have a worn zombied to death Xbox360 that I have had to send back 3/4 times since March'06. And finally the PS3 is a good proposition in it slim incarnation. But it just isnt different or significantly powerful enough (compared to the 360) for me to consider it essential.
On the Games side the Uncharted and God of wars and up coming Heavy Rain (like here in Manchester) sound good but I already have a glut of games on 360 to get through.
I really like the standout games on the 360 esp Mass Effect so I dunno - I have a decent enough PC to and really Microsoft could do me a great big favor by allowing streaming Blu-ray from pc to the 360.
Anyways is the PS3 good - err yeah
Do I need it - NO not really.

@Jordan Russell
The lack of Infra red on the PS3 is a bit of a pain for Harmony users. There are 3rd party solutions for IR-BT conversion, and Logitech themselves now sell an adaptor to allow control of the PS3 with a Harmony remote, but it does seem to retail for around £60 which is shocking.

Damnit! I was trying to stay out of this one.

@Stu - does this mean we're getting a review sometime soon?

@smc - I haven't been a PC gamer for some time now (I can't you see, I'm a Mac user) but don't you have to spend over a grand to get a gaming rig that can make a current gen console blush?

@Cub - No, that's a fairly common misconception. Leaving aside that fact that it's a far more multifunction device and you could arguably subtract the cost of the average PC that most people have for everyday use, the current generation of consoles are now horribly outdated (and were, in fact, on release). The graphics chip in the PS3, for example, while top of the range at the time, is at least 4 generations old now (depending on how you look at it), with each generation bringing anywhere from 10-100% improvements in performance over the previous generation.

Which means that today a graphics card (i.e. what makes a gaming PC different from a regular PC) that will give similar performance to either the PS3 or 360 will only set you back around £50, giving a total of around £400-£500 for an average spec PC that can perform the lowly duties the console does of running games at 30FPS @ 720p resolution (well, that's for the components themselves, you'll be paying a lot more for a pre-built system). Sure, some people spend thousands of pounds on their computers every few years, but that's only if you really must live on the bleeding edge of technology, which is never a good idea if you don't have much cash.

However, I still have a PS3 myself, but that only really serves as a media centre/Blu-ray player and for the occasional console exclusive games. All other games I buy on the PC, which have the added benefit of being around £10 cheaper than the console versions, especially on release, adding to the overall cost savings as a gaming platform.

@smc8788: just want to thank you for effortlessly summing up all I wanted to say but couldn't be bothered to :D.

smc: And now the other side of that coin:

I used to be exclusively a PC gamer, but have been won over by the current generation of consoles (by which I mean the PS3 and 360). I agree that you can certainly get a fairly powerful gaming PC for a very reasonable price, which can shame any console in terms of graphics detail and framerate. The games are of course cheaper. Finally, PC games tend to be more "flexible" for example the ability to create or use mods, and you have more options when it comes to setting up or joining multiplayer games.

BUT... as someone who spends far too much time playing games, I have come to realise that life is too short to sit around waiting for a PC to boot up... or to download one patch for a game and another for the anti-cheat software because it's not properly integrated... or to swear at the screen in frustration because of ridiculously excessive anti-piracy/DRM measures... Or to be distracted by the many issues that are likely to pop up in XP or Vista before I can even begin playing (This may not be a problem with Windows 7). For me, consoles take the pain out of gaming. Yes, there are drawbacks: For example playing online with my PS3, the less-than-perfect network will often bugger about trying to find a decent game and I will wish I could choose the server. And the reliability advantage over a PC is not so clear with a 360. But still, consoles make my life easier, and to me that more than compensates for the drawbacks. As for the technology in consoles being outdated - true, but then I don't really care. Games like Uncharted 2 look more than good enough, and when the gameplay is excellent, the fact that they might look or sound a bit better on a PC doesn't really bother me.

@MrGodfrey - I guess for me it's just a case of the benefits outweighing the drawbacks. Besides, I seem to get some strange sort of satisfaction of getting everything to run optimally before I can even play the game.

Unfortunately with the addition of annoying DRM like SecuROM and GFWL things are becoming increasingly difficult, but then on the flip side you have Steam, which in general makes life a lot easier (especially with things like patches and updates), so I would hope that's the template most companies will follow in the future rather than the more draconian measures the likes of EA have attempted so far.

and on PC DLC is free where it's £7-10 on both PS3 and xbox which is a lot if there is upto three map packs ect.

Having bought a PS3 to replace an XP media centre PC, this machine for £266 inc remote and 2 movies and a game is an absolute bargain. To upgrade the PC with a new player, graphics card, wind dvd, more memory would have cost as much. Then there is all of the PC problems, and unreliability. I am surprised that Trusted reviews don't list the PS3 under 'Sony Blu Ray players'. Where else can you get music, and blu ray under one roof, i.e not lots of boxes and then separate remotes such as the Popcorn thingy etc. You can't. Then it upscales SD DVD's as well. Oh yes it plays games apparently if that's what you want. Sony really need to address my market of wanting a media player that does everything most people want, and does it extremely well. Sony should re align this product as a media player as well, and market it in those markets. I have now recommended this to two other people who would not have considered a games console. Thats a missed opportunity for Sony, because its not just a games console. Alternatively Sony could put the guts inside one of their other boxes and make it look like a piece of hifi and re badge it and sell it for a higher price. It would work.
The only real niggle is the inability of not being able to look at other tracks when playing music. That is very annoying.