Sony Producing New PS3 Hardware, Slim Appears Likely

The Opposable Thumbs blog reports on a confluence of rumors and information leaks that suggest Sony will be unveiling a PS3 Slim sooner rather than later. Despite waning console sales, orders for PS3-related hardware have risen sharply. There's evidence to suggest that Sony is phasing out its 80GB model, which would help clear the way for a hardware revision. Some expect the official announcement to come as early as August 18th, during the gamescom expo in Germany.

Comments

Do not want!!

[Macthorpe]

Unless the price comes down to 360 levels. It's not like the PS3 has an exclusive I particularly want anyway.

Re:Do not want!!

[seizurebattlerobot]

It's not like the PS3 has an exclusive I particularly want anyway.

Wipeout HD? Despite the advertising controversy, it is, IMHO, the best racing game of this console generation.

Re:Do not want!!

[krou]

The summary doesn't mention it, but there are signs that they may announce a price drop for the PS3 at GamesCom as well. For example, they've doubled PS3 production since the cost of making the PS3 has dropped some 70% since launch, while Amazon reduced the cost of one of the 160GB bundles by around US$50. Probably won't be anywhere near Xbox360 levels though.

Re:Do not want!!

[Davemania]

Comparing the price of a base PS3 to XBox360 is quite frankly ridiculous. The extra features of the base machine offered is completely different, if you get the Xbox 360 with the addtional attachment cost included, comparing the cost would than be more realistic. I do think that the PS3 price need to come to but not necessarily down to 360's.

Re:Do not want!!

[Macthorpe]

The difference I see is - I can buy a 360 without the additional attachments. With the PS3 I have no choice.

Not sure why my original post is a troll though - I guess that it could offend someone, though I'm not sure who.

Re:Do not want!!

[Macthorpe]

That's a good suggestion, and don't get me wrong, I love Wipeout. I just wouldn't buy a whole console for it.

Back when it was Squaresoft, Metal Gear and things like Tekken, I would have half considered it, but the number of games that are going cross-platform removes the need for me to own two.

Re:Do not want!!

[Glonoinha]

Take a look at Forza 2, or the upcoming Forza 3 if you want high fidelity in a racing console game. As I understand it, it models all the way down to the non-Newtonian physics level at the interaction between the tires and the road, with different interaction as the chemical compounds in the rubber heat across multiple levels. Any race sim that models the sheer angle (the twisting of the sidewalls in the tires during a hard cornering) and the weight of the drive shaft and flywheel with respect to how the difference in angular momentum affects acceleration - is a good sim in my book.

Disclaimer - only for the 360, and probably worth buying a used 360 just to play this one game.

Re:Do not want!!

[FishWithAHammer]

I don't own a PS3, but there are a few exclusives I've enjoyed when hanging out at a friend's and a few upcoming ones that are making me tempted (although I'll probably get a 360 because I'm involved in game dev and my company wants to try to branch to consoles with our 3D engine):

Metal Gear Solid 4 (it's coming out on the 360, but I strongly doubt it'll look anywhere near as nice)
Wipeout HD
Uncharted and Uncharted 2 (I thought they were lame when they were first released, but they grow on you fast)
Gran Turismo 5 (not out yet, but a definite exclusive)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Fat Princess (don't knock it till you've played it, this shit is hilarious)

Re:Do not want!!

[wc_paladin]

That may be true, but can you go 900 mph and shoot missiles?

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

MGS4 isn't coming out on the 360. I don't know where you heard that, but it isn't true.

Re:Do not want!!

[Front Line Assembly]

Speaking of Forza 2. It's a great game but the physics seem a little lacking with some cars. They just skid all over the place like on ice. Even with traction control etc. Anybody can explain this?
I doubt Forza 3 will correct this, they seem to have concentrated on graphics and track/car amounts.
Don't get me wrong, still a great game.

Re:Do not want!!

[tzhuge]

Saying it's ridiculous is ridiculous :p

It's a perfectly valid comparison for price of entry (the only thing that matters to the vast majority of consumers). Also, this should be obvious, people buy products, and not feature lists.

Re:Do not want!!

[RiotingPacifist]

people don't care, they see they can get an xbox360 for alot less than the ps3 they don't care that:
ps3 can run normal software and browse internet, watch DVDs, etc
ps3 on-line gaming is free
ps3 controllers are bluetooth and can be used on computers
ps3 has much better hardware
ps3 games can contain much more content .'. better graphics
about a million reasons that ps3 is technically better, all they see is xbox360 is cheaper+ everybody else has then+ more friends to play online against

Re:Do not want!!

[Narishma]

Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't coming out on the 360.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

You need to go take physics again I think.
Forza 2 has insane sweet physics, once you get the hang of it any other racing game is a piece of cake and simply too physics-retarded to be anything close to a challenge.

Re:Do not want!!

[interkin3tic]

Comparing the price of a base PS3 to XBox360 is quite frankly ridiculous.

Features or not, they're both gaming platforms of the current generation with most of the same games. It's not like we're comparing a gameboy original to an alienware computer.

And we're talking about him wanting it or not. It's entirely up to him. If he didn't want it because it had a "P" in the name, that might sound ridiculous, but it's all the criteria he would need.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savage_Moon

That reminds me, just downloaded the updated map pack yesterday .. need to go .. play .. now ..

Re:Do not want!!

[Macthorpe]

He may be getting confused between MGS4 and Metal Gear Rising, which is what I'm talking about.

Re:Do not want!!

[nine-times]

Yeah, don't price drops often coincide with "slim" versions? My impression is the slim versions of these things are a result of improved manufacturing of the chips and such, which often (though I suppose not necessarily) means that they're able to produce equivalently powerful chips more cheaply.

I'd be happy if they just made a flat-topped PS3, so I could stack other things on top of it.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

PS3 is still cheaper than buying a standalone BRay-player

Re:Do not want!!

[LordNimon]

Looks like I need to dispel some of the FUD from this Sony fanboy. How anyone on Slashdot can be a Sony fanboy after their rootkit fiasco is beyond me, but here goes.

ps3 can run normal software and browse internet, watch DVDs, etc
What do you mean by "normal software"? I agree that the PS3 can browse the Internet, but I'm not sure that's so useful. The Xbox 360 can play DVDs, too.

ps3 on-line gaming is free
Xbox Live is far superior to the PS3 offering, and I pay only about $35/year. I don't *want* a free, crappy online experience.

ps3 controllers are bluetooth and can be used on computers
So? Why would I want to use my console controller on a PC?

ps3 has much better hardware
Excuse me? Care to back that up with proof?

ps3 games can contain much more content .'. better graphics
Overall, I believe cross-platform games look worse on PS3 than they do on Xbox 360. For example, Ghostbusters. But that's just minor. I have yet to see any single PS3 game that looks superior to anything you find on an Xbox.

Re:Do not want!!

[ScrewMaster]

Unless the price comes down to 360 levels. It's not like the PS3 has an exclusive I particularly want anyway.

Besides, this is just going to be another one of Sony's stupid box things that doesn't fucking do the thing it's goddamn fucking supposed to. Most of Sony's products are motherfucking time vampires anyway and are completely ass backwards as fuck, even if they do have more megabytes and megapixels than all the TV shit that I already have.

Yes, I shamelessly ripped off the ONN.

Re:Do not want!!

[gbarules2999]

Not really. They've both sold quite a bit (about 30 million 360's to 24 million PS3's), so it's not like EVERYONE is flocking to one console. you exaggerate.

I for one will not buy an Xbox 360 because they continue to fail and fry themselves. I'll save up for PlayStation 3.

Re:Do not want!!

[gbarules2999]

If the past is any indication, the old fat models' prices will fall while the slim models take their place at the top of the hill. Once the fat models are wiped from the shelves, then the slim slowly drops down to the fat price level.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

I sense great fanboyism in you, troll.

Re:Do not want!!

[wakingrufus]

I own neither a 360 or a ps3, but if i were to get one, i see the ps3 as the cheaper option. once you factor in the wireless adapter for the 360 and the monthly fees for xbox live, it is the more expensive option.

Re:Do not want!!

[gbarules2999]

Add to the list: Ratchet and Clank, Resistance 1 and 2, Killzone 2, and inFamous.

Re:Do not want!!

[gbarules2999]

You misunderstood him. He's saying that while those might be true, people still go and buy the 360. Funny that you jumped right on his back, there. You're seeing Sony fanboys where there aren't any!

Furthermore, PSN isn't nearly as bad as you suggested (it was at launch, but firmware heals all wounds!), and the Playstation 3 can run Linux very easily.

Re:Do not want!!

[dst907]

the ps3 is best. http://www.domainbargaindeal.com/

Re:Do not want!!

[Toonol]

I think this is more likely. Isn't there still a massive backlog of unsold fat PS3s? If a slim model was announced that was cheaper, the millions of units of old inventory will never sell. I'm sure the slim version, if released, would be the premium model, even though it would cost less to manufacture.

Re:Do not want!!

[dank zappingly]

Yeah you can buy a 360 without the additional attachments, but if you do buy them, they are going to hose you with their proprietary hard drives and wireless adapters. If you end up spending $130 for a 120gb hard drive and $77 for a wireless adapter and the PS3 isn't really more expensive, plus you get free online play. I'm sure not everyone needs a blu ray player(well aware of the people who still insist that it barely looks better than a regular dvd), or wireless, and that xbox live is superior to PSN, but I think that for the average gamer there really isn't much of a price difference once you take everything into account.

Re:Do not want!!

[Enderandrew]

I'm not a console fanboy. I buy all the consoles each generation. Let me debunk your FUD.

What do you mean by "normal software"? I agree that the PS3 can browse the Internet, but I'm not sure that's so useful. The Xbox 360 can play DVDs, too.

The PS3 can install Linux out of the box and can play BluRays. A BluRay player is still $200+, and $250+ for a decent one. Add $250 to the price of an XBox 360 and then tell me which is cheaper.

Xbox Live is far superior to the PS3 offering, and I pay only about $35/year. I don't *want* a free, crappy online experience.

XBox Live is better. I agree. But I prefer a free experience since I don't have 25+ hours a week to play my console online.

So? Why would I want to use my console controller on a PC?

I still play PC gaming, and I love the PS2/PS3 controllers. I don't have to buy separate PC controllers for PC gaming. That is nice. You can connect them with the USB cable or bluetooth, since it uses a standard USB connection. This is still a benefit of the PS3 over the 360. You said you were debunking FUD and in reality you're offering opinions, not commenting on facts.

Excuse me? Care to back that up with proof?

How about the litany of developers who claim their games won't run on the 360, or the fact that now that developers know how to code for the PS3, that 360 ports look worse, or that developers have had to lower draw distances for 360 versions, or that the cold hard facts show that the PS3 has more power? Again, you're offering opinions rather than facts.

Overall, I believe cross-platform games look worse on PS3 than they do on Xbox 360. For example, Ghostbusters. But that's just minor. I have yet to see any single PS3 game that looks superior to anything you find on an Xbox.

That was certainly the case when the PS3 first launched, and they just took 360 games and ported them poorly. That certainly isn't the case anymore.

Re:Do not want!!

[Enderandrew]

And I'm honestly curious out of the 30 million 360 sales, how many were replacements for broken units? Everyone I know that has a 360 has replaced their unit at least once.

I replaced my PS3, but it wasn't a fault of the hardware. My daughter just filled the optical drive slot with pennies.

Re:Do not want!!

[ravenshrike]

You can buy a 360 without the additional attachments sure, but only if you like playing in the same room as a jet engine.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

You probably are not aware how much data Polyphony Digital collects from cars from ACTUAL driving?

Oh, and I would only advise my enemies to buy a used 360. *cough*RROD*cough*E74*cough*

Re:Do not want!!

[gbarules2999]

I replaced my PS3, but it wasn't a fault of the hardware. My daughter just filled the optical drive slot with pennies.

Hilarious. Let me guess; she overheard you saying, "Damn, I wish I could see some change in this machine!"

Re:Do not want!!

[ravenshrike]

Proof? Well, while the graphics cards and total memory are comparable, the processor on the PS3 is much, much better than the 360's, albeit harder to code for given that RISC coding across multiple processors was prior to the release not exactly a much needed skillset in the world of gameing; and the blu-ray player and positioning of the usb ports make it a much superior design as well. Seriously, that stupid little flap thing on the 360 was clearly designed by poo-flinging monkeys.

Re:Do not want!!

[FishWithAHammer]

Yeah, after a bit more research I found that out. I vaguely remembered hearing a rumor and the Google results seemed to be trending that way, so I added it to the list. My bad.

Re:Do not want!!

[ravenshrike]

Actually, there's a few models as cheap as the PS3. However, all the models comparable in performance are indeed much more expensive.

Re:Do not want!!

[Macthorpe]

Actually, it's the S.

Fuckin' S.

Re:Do not want!!

[sznupi]

Uhm, what is non-Newtonian about it?...

And I wonder how it compares to Richard Burns Rally ;) (though TBH...I like games that know they are games, focusing more on stimulating perceptions/giving illusion to our senses; modeling with great attention to details dynamics of a car doesn't do much to increase realism...)

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

PS3 is a good value, but not a good price.

Comparing the ps3 to the 360, you'd be stuck comparing the 360 pro to the ps3 80.

xbox 360 pro: 299 (often cheaper if you look around)
comes with:
*wireless controller
*headset
*60 gig hard drive
*ethernet cable
*av cable (I believe this one includes options for HD tv)
*Xbox live silver membership (can talk to people online, can browse their stores, that's about it)

PS3: $399 (can occasionally be found cheaper)
* wireless controller
* wifi
* 80 gigabyte hard drive
* bluray player
* av cables (I believe just composite cables)
* psn network membership (nothing is restricted)

Honestly, the two systems aren't much different. If you consider all of features being equal (which they are certainly not), then it really looks like you're paying $100 more for a console with a bluray player (a good one) and a wifi card, losing the ability to play last generation games. It's more or less a toss up, and it's totally fair to consider these equal machines.

This is even more pronounced when you consider that these machines are direct competitors, and so a person deciding on which console to get as a first console would have to make this decision.

As for the price drop: yeah, if it really wants to compete, it needs to have a reasonable sku price at 360 levels, +/- $20. The absolute best move they could do, if they didn't want to decrease the price that much would be to include a voucher for 1 free game of your choosing, either on the PSN network, or at a retail outlet.

Re:Do not want!!

[nutshell42]

I won't buy a 360 due to the way MS treats the PC. It's not so much that they no longer release anything for the PC (although it's funny that Sony seems to make more games for MS fucking Windows than MS), that's their right. It's the sheer hypocrisy. The way they tout their efforts to "enhance" PC gaming while even their head honchos admit that they want to kill it because they have more control over the 360 - not to mention that they get their cut of every game sold. (see here)

If you're a smug 360 owner and don't give a fsck about the PC then remember the fate of the original Xbox. Sony's keeping the PS2 around forever and they'll likely do the same with the PS3, you're still gonna get new games years after the PS4 launch. MS killed the Xbox immediatly after the 360 launch. Oh, they say it's gonna be different for the 360 because they don't have to pay intel and Nvidia etc etc, which brings us back to all the crap they spout about their support for PC games.

Re:Do not want!!

[hattig]

The way you rush to debunk the "PS3 fanboy", missing his point entirely (i.e., those aspects don't sell the hardware, having fun with your mates does), just goes to show that you are a clear-cut 360 fanboy.

You can watch DVDs? Why would you do this - a DVD player is cheap, doesn't sound like a turbo-jet, and doesn't get a red ring of death. A PS3 owner can watch DVDs and BluRays, and the hardware gets top reviews for these functions.

XBox live is superior? Is it? Two years ago it clearly was, but is that the case now? What about people who don't care about it? What about people who have to spend a lot for the 360 wireless dongle to get online? What about 5 years of live - an extra $150+ on the price of the hardware.

The 360 uses proprietary APIs for its controllers, which is why getting third party controllers is really difficult. The PS3 uses standard bluetooth. And they're useful on the PC, for PC games that benefit from analogue controllers.

The PS3 has reliable hardware. RROD on the 360 pretty much makes this one a dead win for the PS3. Sorry. I think that technically, the 360 is better hardware, the graphics hardware especially is better, but reliability is a major issue for many purchasers. Also it has more features built-in by default, such as wireless. I do think the ability to run Linux is worthless, the hardware hasn't got the necessary RAM for a decent experience. Likewise the web browser is awkward, even with a Bluetooth keyboard (do they work with the 360?)

Re:Do not want!!

[Dutch Gun]

Not sure why my original post is a troll though - I guess that it could offend someone, though I'm not sure who.

Because there's way too many gamers who, for whatever reason, seem to have tied their sense of self-worth to whichever gaming platform they've chosen. I've never understood that, and likely never will.

Myself, I don't want a cheaper, slimmed down PS3. I want a deluxe mode. I would likely pick up a new console if Sony would create a new PS3 with full hardware PS2 support. Yes, I already have a PS2, but I would love to be able to get rid of it and just play on the newer system. Oddly enough, my PS2 is still getting more gameplay time than my PS3 (I currently have a 20GB model) as I plow through a lot of the great older PS2 titles I missed (some JRPGs, Tales games, Ico & Shadows of the Colossus, etc).

It feels like Sony hasn't had a clear direction with their hardware for a long time. They keep changing models and reducing features (except HD space in later models). I guess this economy is more conducive to less expensive systems, so they felt they had to cost-reduce at the expense of features.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

How about the litany of developers who claim their games won't run on the 360, or the fact that now that developers know how to code for the PS3, that 360 ports look worse, or that developers have had to lower draw distances for 360 versions, or that the cold hard facts show that the PS3 has more power? Again, you're offering opinions rather than facts.

You're not exactly offering facts yourself here. Ignoring the fact that flop for flop, the PS3 out calculates the Xbox 360, the games don't seem to be showing much of a difference. I would advise logging on to the Lens of Truth and taking a look.

That was certainly the case when the PS3 first launched, and they just took 360 games and ported them poorly. That certainly isn't the case anymore.

In his defense, Ghostbusters was only launched a month or two ago, and was supposed to be a PS3 game ported to the Xbox 360.

Re:Do not want!!

[Toonol]

If you're concerned about the United States, though, the discrepancy between the two consoles is much more exaggerated. Still, Sony's done a lot of catching up over the last year or 18 months; for a while after launch, it seemed like the PS3 would be an absolutely tragedy. It's managed to stay competitive and gain some ground.

Of course, the Wii blows both away.

Re:Do not want!!

[Osty]

The PS3 can install Linux out of the box and can play BluRays. A BluRay player is still $200+, and $250+ for a decent one. Add $250 to the price of an XBox 360 and then tell me which is cheaper.

You can't do much with Linux on a PS3. Sony won't let Linux use the GPU, you can't play Blu-Ray disks from Linux (you have to reboot the box), etc. Also, BDLive-enabled Blu-Ray players are down to $100 bucks now.

XBox Live is better. I agree. But I prefer a free experience since I don't have 25+ hours a week to play my console online.

There's more to Live and PSN than just online gaming, and the Silver account for Live is free. The Xbox game and video stores are much better than PSN in terms of interface. For example, on Xbox the demo and full version of a game are in the same place. On PSN, I have to track down the demo vs. the full game in two completely different locations. Also, Xbox has its XNA/Community/Indie Games. PSN doesn't have anything comparable to that. No, games written for PS3 Linux are not the same since as mentioned above you don't get the full power of the console available to you. Your only viable option for homebrew PS3 games is to hack your console, and with the rate Sony sends out dash updates that's a risky proposition.

I still play PC gaming, and I love the PS2/PS3 controllers. I don't have to buy separate PC controllers for PC gaming. That is nice. You can connect them with the USB cable or bluetooth, since it uses a standard USB connection. This is still a benefit of the PS3 over the 360. You said you were debunking FUD and in reality you're offering opinions, not commenting on facts.

It's a matter of preference, but at least for me the 360 controller is much better ergonomically than the DualShock. Also, the 360 controllers have replaceable batteries so you can get a new pack when your battery life starts to drop rather than having to buy a whole new controller. Finally, the 360 controllers work just fine on a PC, and have better Windows support than the PS3 controller. For wireless, you do need to buy a separate dongle since the controllers don't use Bluetooth, but then if your PC doesn't have Bluetooth (and many don't) you'd have to buy a separate dongle to use the PS3 controller. The wired 360 controllers use regular USB (unlike the original Xbox controllers), and plug right into your PC just fine.

How about the litany of developers who claim their games won't run on the 360, or the fact that now that developers know how to code for the PS3, that 360 ports look worse, or that developers have had to lower draw distances for 360 versions, or that the cold hard facts show that the PS3 has more power? Again, you're offering opinions rather than facts.

Name some that haven't gone back on those statements. Bethesda first claimed that they couldn't do Oblivion on a single disk for 360, but they went back on that and were able to do so successfully. Id has claimed that Rage on PS3 runs worse than on 360 and PC (they're still working on that and hope to bring the PS3 version up to par, but when developer god Carmack says the PS3 is worse I tend to believe him). Valve has decided they're done porting to the PS3 after the Orange Box ran so poorly (granted that was a case of shopping out the port to a 3rd party that did it poorly, but Valve's not big enough to invest in an in-house PS3 team and have said they're not doing PS3 ports again until they do). Most multi-platform games are developed on the 360 first and then ported (poorly) to the PS3.

That was certainly the case when the PS3 first launched, and they just took 360 games and ported them poorly. That certainly isn't the case anymore.

That's definitely still the case, and will likely remain the

Re:Do not want!!

[Osty]

total memory are comparable

Not quite. While both have a total 512MB of RAM, the 360 uses a unified memory architecture so that you can use more memory for processing vs. graphics if you need it. The PS3 has a 256MB/256MB split and the two can't share. This is a huge issue when running Linux on the PS3, for example, since it can only access the 256MB main memory and can't access the GPU at all.

the processor on the PS3 is much, much better than the 360's, albeit harder to code for given that RISC coding across multiple processors was prior to the release not exactly a much needed skillset in the world of gameing

Also debateable. The main CPU of the PS3 is exactly the same as one of the 360's three cores. You're referring to the seven Cell processors, which are just glorified vector units. In terms of raw power, the 360's 3 full cores (each with 2 hardware threading units, effectively giving you 6 cores to work with) are easier to use and more versatile than the PS3's single core (with 2 hardware threads) and 7 Cells. Both require multi-threaded programming concepts to work with, but each thread on the Xbox can do any processing you like which the PS3's Cell units require you to break down your work in a much less obvious manner.

positioning of the usb ports make it a much superior design as well. Seriously, that stupid little flap thing on the 360 was clearly designed by poo-flinging monkeys

I've never had an issue with the 360's USB flap. On the PS3, the fact that the USB slots are underneath the overhang can be a bit annoying if you have the PS3 positioned vertically and your gaming position is to the left of the console (the cord has to bend around the overhang). With the current PS3 hardware, both only have two usable USB slots (the 360 has a third on the back, but that's pretty much only intended for the wifi dongle or for transferring hard drive contents) and thus require a separate hub if you want to connect more than two USB items at a time (for example, wired Rock Band controllers, charging cables, etc). I'd call that a wash for both.

Re:Do not want!!

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Why are some of these features optional though? It made sense, in 1998 to make the hard drive optional. in 2001, it made sense to mandate the harddrive on the xbox. Why is it now suddenly an "option?"

You can't even have a decent selection of XBLA games or *any* disc installs with out a hard drive even with the onboard Flash. So one of the major features of the machine is now moot with out forking up big bucks for an out dated, undersized hard drive that uses a proprietary enclosure to even operate with the console.

Re:Do not want!!

[Vu1turEMaN]

You better look over the list of exclusives, and then try a few. Seriously, alot of them were completely amazing for the PS2, and I bet the exclusive list for the PS3 will be just as good. If it can play blu-rays as good or better than the old one, then i'll get it for a dual-purpose player.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

At first I didn't understand your message, then I checked the prices for those consoles on Amazon.
80GB PS3: US$399.99
60GB XBox 360: US$299.99

Which I find pretty weird, considering prices here in Brazil:
80GB PS3: R$1499.00 (that's US$822.54)
60GB XBox 360: R$2399.00 (that's US$1316.39)

So, while in the US the XBox is US$100 cheaper, in Brazil it's over US$490 more expensive. That doesn't make any sense to me.

Re:Do not want!!

[jandrese]

Apparently Sony has been starving the supply chain for the PS3 for a month or so now in an effort to work through the old systems before announcing the new one. I'd also expect stores to offer deals on old fat PS3s "while supplies last" to get them out of the door.

Re:Do not want!!

[Deneidez]

That was certainly the case when the PS3 first launched, and they just took 360 games and ported them poorly. That certainly isn't the case anymore.

G.I. Joe - The Rise Of Cobra
http://www.lensoftruth.com/wp-content/gallery/h2h_gijoe/gi_joe_full.jpg

Battlefield 1943
http://www.lensoftruth.com/wp-content/gallery/h2h_battlefield_1943/bf_1943_10.jpg

...
etc.

Those are the newest. I have heard way too many times that brainwash crap from sony camp that its starting to be pretty hilarious. Year 2006-2009 should have been year of PS3 according to sony camp, but as we have seen they haven't been. Now 2010 will be the year of PS3! Behold! Lol....

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

10 million. Microsoft refused to replace the other 20 million, blaming the customer for the failures.......

Re:Do not want!!

[david_craig]

Myself, I don't want a cheaper, slimmed down PS3. I want a deluxe mode. I would likely pick up a new console if Sony would create a new PS3 with full hardware PS2 support.

I have the 60GB European model that came with PS2 software support, and I have to say that it's compatibility with PS2 titles is pretty remarkable. When it was first released there were a lot of games that were listed as incompatible (such as Gran Turismo 4 and GTA III) that work great now due to firmware updates (I think around firmware 1.92 backwards compatibility got a lot better). I suspect that the US model with hardware support for PS2 titles may not have benefited as much from software updates. PS2 games (on the European model) can be upscaled to 1080p, and it's great to effectively have as many save games as you like rather than manage memory cards. I gave away my PS2 as I stopped using it.

Unfortunately they don't sell that model of the PS3 anymore, but there are quite a few gaming sites that it is still available from second hand (as well as eBay).

Re:Do not want!!

[Jonny_eh]

Ninja Gaiden Sigma isn't really an exclusive. It's just a port of Ninja Gaiden with a couple extra features. Hardly worth buying a new console for.

Re:Do not want!!

[Waccoon]

Consumers only [i]care[/i] about base cost. They don't keep track of how much money they spend. Hence, free phones with outrageous texting costs.

People can easily end up spending $500 on a Wii if they get a bunch of the optional accessories. None of these people will admit the PS3 is a better deal in any given case. Hell, how many people beat that horse about DVD not being necessary, because they can just buy a $40 player separately?

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

RRoD is not an issue on new models.

Re:Do not want!!

[JoeMerchant]

I have a PS3 from about 6 months after release - it is a jet engine too... I'm hoping the slim has some minor flaws that create a market for the original with the PS2 compatibility chips, I really want to get rid of the fan noise - my PS3 is used 40% to play music, 55% to play videos, 3% to mess around with Linux, and 2% to play games, the fan noise is seriously annoying when you want to turn the volume down to "ordinary" levels.

Re:Do not want!!

[JoeMerchant]

I'd like a deluxe edition PS3 too - one with 2GB of RAM, and maybe a little clock-speed boost in the cell management unit (that Linux runs on...)

Re:Do not want!!

[ShakaUVM]

>>Oddly enough, my PS2 is still getting more gameplay time than my PS3 (I currently have a 20GB model) as I plow through a lot of the great older PS2 titles I missed (some JRPGs, Tales games, Ico & Shadows of the Colossus, etc).

Try playing Shadows of the Colossus on your PS3 (with software upscaling turned on), then try to play it on your PS2. It's rough. The PS3 actually added a lot of life to games like FF12, which were so horrible looking on the PS2 that I had trouble playing them. It's not a whole lot better, but it does help.

The software support is actually pretty good now. The only reason I keep my PS2 around is for: Singstar (the original), and DDR. Both of which have external controller thingys that don't work with the PS3.

Re:Do not want!!

[metaforest]

Honestly I couldn't give a rats ass about the game offerings....

That cell chip, and a linux distro has me interested.

Just not sure how to fit it into my stable yet. And that as the only reason Sony doesn't have my cash.

Re:Do not want!!

[Vastad]

At first I was going to call you on liking Tekken, but not buying a PS3 for Tekken 6: Meaningless Subtitle....until I checked Wikipedia and was surprised to see that Namco have not made the next Tekken a PS3 exclusive. You'll be able to get it with the Xbox360. No doubt there will be exclusive characters just like Soul Calibur IV did.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Though most that that isn't objectionable or particularly questionable, there is:

How about the litany of developers who claim their games won't run on the 360, or the fact that now that developers know how to code for the PS3, that 360 ports look worse, or that developers have had to lower draw distances for 360 versions, or that the cold hard facts show that the PS3 has more power? Again, you're offering opinions rather than facts.

[citation needed]

The complaints I've heard about the 360 centre around the fact that the hard drive isn't mandatory. That's definitely a huge issue (huge). Another issue would obviously be the 360's more limited media size. But 360 ports looking worse, and cold hard facts showing that the PS3 has more power? These are questionable. The PS3's CPU is probably more powerful, though possible harder to deal with; the PS3's GPU is lacking.

Eurogamer continues to run comparisons between multiplatform games, and many or most still lean toward the Xbox 360 (with not the least reason being that many PS3 games use Quincunx AA rather than the MSAA that the 360 does, resulting in blurry textures)

You're presenting claims of fact without presenting corresponding evidence.

Re:Do not want!!

[indiechild]

After I bought a PS3 I did quite a bit of reading and the unanimous conclusion was that the XBox360 had superior hardware capabilities, and was also easier to develop for than the PS3.

Pound for pound, the XBox 360 would be the console to get if you wanted to concentrate on gaming. The PS3 has the Blu-ray capability going for it, among other things.

Re:Do not want!!

[Dutch Gun]

Try playing Shadows of the Colossus on your PS3 (with software upscaling turned on), then try to play it on your PS2. It's rough. The PS3 actually added a lot of life to games like FF12, which were so horrible looking on the PS2 that I had trouble playing them. It's not a whole lot better, but it does help.

Now you're just being mean. You need to re-read my post. ;-) Believe me, I'd love to be able to play those games with software upscaling to take the rough edges off. I have a 20GB PS3, so playing PS2 games on my PS3 is impossible. Sony has completely abandoned even software compatibility in their newer models, so I'd have to buy an older model, which may not even be supported in the future.

It's a little strange. You'd think the PS3 should be powerful enough to simply run a PS2 emulator of the Emotion chip right on the Cell, and provide some sort of thunking / emulation layer for graphics without any special hardware.

Re:Do not want!!

[clone53421]

No... she just wanted the gumball, but it never came out.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

At least the PS3 hardware is capable of lasting that long.

I'd rather have the system that doesn't die every couple of months, thanks. I've seen so many RROD horror stories that I'll never touch the Xbox.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

xbox 360 controllers use a standard USB connection, so i dont see how the ps3 using it aswell is a benefit over the 360?

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

"It feels like Sony hasn't had a clear direction with their hardware for a long time."

They had a very clear direction, and it was cut cost and features to increase their profit.

This caused a real decrease in the feature quality of their machines. If you look at the evolution of the PS3, they went with a beautiful, feature packed machine with PS2 hardware support, SACD, etc., to PS3 with PS2 software emulation, to no PS2 or SACD support at all. They've cut all corners and it's just a flat out console really, not an all and all great entertainment and console machine it once started out as.

A couple months ago, you couldn't even buy a PS3 with any PS2 software or hardware support except if you get the Metal Gear Solid 4 edition which wasn't being made anymore.

"Myself, I don't want a cheaper, slimmed down PS3. I want a deluxe mode."

Total agreement. I have a 60gb model which is glorious. I also ended up buying a MGS4 edition since I couldn't pick up a 60gb new. I personally would like a dual drive version, one for the console, one for Linux so we don't have to go through the games of partitioning or external drive hacks, with all the features of the 60gb.

If you look at Wikipedia, they have a pretty good layout of the various PS3 models, and Sony has been taking step upon step backwards, and in my opinion, reducing sales because of it. The PS3 really isn't justifiable with the reduction in features and similar price structure; granted they did come down compared to the release prices, but they were high to begin with.

I'm someone who never owned a PS2 because I couldn't afford it at the time they were around. There are people like me, as well as a generation of upcoming gamers who know of the PS2 but don't own one that Sony is excluding from game sales by killing the PS2 emulation or hardware from the PS3. Sony being Sony I suppose. I don't know how many new PS3 games I've picked up, to realize it's a sequel, gone to pick up the early version, only to find it out of print/dicontinued or runs on the PS2; if I didn't have backward compatibility, I wouldn't have bothered to pick up a PS2 separately or the game.

Re:Do not want!!

[master811]

Not everyone may need a blu-ray player, but a lot of games do - you'd never get anywhere near the amount of content MGS has for instance on 1 DVD.

Re:Do not want!!

[Ascagnel]

Its not that the physics are wonky -- cars really are that slippery in real life. I was lucky enough to take Chevy Lacetti (a pretty common European touring car) out on a road track in PA -- and it is incredibly hard to drive at speed without skidding. Wheels lock up, breaks lock up, and you spin off the track. If you want great examples of sims, look at the GTR/GT Legends/GTR2/Race/Race 07 series for PC. They all blow even Forza 2 out of the water in terms of realism. When I started on those, it took me a good half hour to even complete a lap without going off. An aside: Forza has had damage modelling since day 1 (although Forza 2 let chunks of the car come off), while Gran Turismo has long been without damage. Having no damage is killer for a sim, since you can take a hairpin at full speed and just ram another car to slow down and turn, all without any penalty.

Re:Do not want!!

[SenorCitizen]

MS killed the Xbox immediatly after the 360 launch.

No kidding. And it wasn't just the consoles, but peripherals as well. Xbox controllers vanished within a month from everywhere, and original MS ones are now almost impossible to get in a decent nick. There are 3rd party controllers, but they are much much worse.

Re:Do not want!!

[Guspaz]

It all depends on what you want. The basic 360 has half a gig of Flash, like the Wii. That may not be ideal if you want to download XBLA games or demos, but is probably sufficient for saves, patches, and a bit of DLC.

The 360 doesn't have wireless, which can be a major problem if your console isn't near a network jack. But you may not need it if it's close enough to a router (my TV is next to my computer, so wireless would be overkill to get network connectivity 3 feet).

The 360 doesn't have an HD-capable optical drive, leaving it unable to play BluRay discs. But that may not be important if you already have one, or have a computer with one, or don't want one. Or if you already have a PS3 ;)

It all comes down to different requirements. Not everybody needs the missing things. Many people do need them. If you do need them and want to save money, I'd point out that buying a wireless router that supports something like dd-wrt micro and using it as a wireless bridge is usually a far cheaper solution than buying Microsoft's overpriced wireless receiver. And BluRay capabilities are probably better served by buying a BluRay burner for your PC anyhow; they cost less than $130 USD, and can be used to burn BluRay discs; if you already have an HTPC, or can run an HDMI cable from your PC, you're golden. Of course, that really brings up the cost, but it's a lot more flexible.

There isn't any doubt that Sony needs to bring the price down on the PS3. But then again, so does Nintendo, and even Microsoft to an extent. The cost of PCs that can match the performance of the consoles is rapidly approaching the cost of the consoles. I doubt they'll ever completely get there, but when your choice would be between a $400 console or a $500 PC that can match the performance, the PC will do a heck of a lot more!

Re:Do not want!!

[Kankraka]

As someone who played his fair share of GT1 through 4, Forza 2 did it for me the most. It was challenging, the physics are great, the tracks are very detailed, there is a great assortment of cars; it's only missing rally. Add that and it would be all I'd want in a racing sim on a console. Now Microsoft would have to also address the issue with the terrible steering wheel. The ps3 gets the Logitech G25, and the 360 is stuck with crap. I must say that one difference is causing me to consider a PS3 when GT5 is launched.

Re:Do not want!!

[Kankraka]

I'd already much rather have a PS3 with the Emotion Engine hardware and not software emulated; there is already a market for exactly that ;D.

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't all 20GB PS3s have hardware based backwards compatibility?

Re:Do not want!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, The emotion engine chip was included in the 20 and the 60 GB.

Re:Do not want!!

[brkello]

I think the problem is your are mixing politics with your gaming decisions. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. But if you are really paying attention, you would know that you can come up with reasons to pretty much not buy anything. All companies have and are doing some pretty crappy things. If you ignore the politics, you can just have fun. I really like my 360 and the games I have played on it. What some execs say and do don't really matter as long as I am having fun.

Re:Do not want!!

[Gizzmonic]

Have you ever tried putting a PS2 game on your PS3? Because the 20GB model does have full backwards compatibility. Give it a shot, I don't know where you got your information, but you're wrong.

Re:Do not want!!

[Gizzmonic]

RRoD is not an issue on new models.

Heard that one in 2006, again in '07, '08, and '09. And still they fail. Not to mention, if you're a loyal MS customer and you bought the 360 at launch, you won't be getting a Jasper motherboard (the newest revision). Most of my friends have paid out of pocket to replace their 360 at least once. I won't spend money on a system that I know will fail within a year, it's pointless.

Re:Do not want!!

[Glonoinha]

As the rubber in the tires heats up, the way it interacts with the road changes - all the way through the temperature range (getting greasy at very high temperatures.) Granted it's probably all simulated using friction coefficient charts for the different temperatures, but it come across as interacting differently at the molecular level as the rubber changes in structure with abuse and temperature changes.

Re:Do not want!!

[Glonoinha]

I just saw a demo trailer for Forza 3 - it looks like the damage modeling gets taken to the next level and you can get airborne / flip the cars if you try hard enough.

Re:Do not want!!

[craagz]

About this Slim version, we should look at PSP Go for inspiration. I think they are going to do away with the Blu-Ray drive for the PS3 Slim and Price it LOW.
Games will be through the larger 320GB HDD (?)
PS3 will be sold at $350 MSRP with the Blu-Ray drive, just like PSP300X and PSP Go are being marketed at the same time.

Slim-ed down PS3?

[Anonymous Coward]

Are the cost reductions statements about the current PS3 or the new slim? If it's the slim then no they aren't making money, they are just getting rid of inventory. Furthermore, they will probably make some money, but much of that will be offset by the reduction in price we can expect (I think $300 MSRP is probably a fine expectation).

I currently have a PS3 with BC and might consider trading up for one of these. I would like the smaller size and reduction in electricity usage and noise that should accompany it (smaller die, etc).

Overall I would expect this to help Sony's sales a bit. Even just the fact that it will look cooler and compact should help (Remember the new plastic coke bottle from years back?). The reduction is price will help more of course.

I've been very surprised the Xbox hasn't changed their systems design, seems like it could benefit from a redesign as well. Any rumors on that?

Re:Slim-ed down PS3?

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been very surprised the Xbox hasn't changed their systems design, seems like it could benefit from a redesign as well. Any rumors on that?

Yeah, no kidding. Especially considering it's still a very buggy hardware platform. Every single person I know that has a 360 has gone through at least 2 or 3 of them (some as many as 6 or 7!). They seem to fail very regularly even to this day.

If the last XBOX is anything to go by then we will not see a new 360. Microsoft doesn't seem to do that. They run with the old platform in its exact configuration until there is a whole new platform.

Re:Slim-ed down PS3?

[axedog]

Microsoft need to work on their overheating problems before they start on their console's aesthetic design. It beggars belief that new 360s still suffer from RROD. Sure, design flaws are often in products at release, but to do nothing about it and keep churning out the same shoddy goods for nigh on 4 years...? Bunch of cowboys!

Re:Slim-ed down PS3?

[gbarules2999]

Very true, but it's not like Microsoft isn't trying to fix the issue. They tried to with Falcon chipset, which didn't work, and they just tried the Jasper chipset as well. It will be interesting to see if they ever manage to fix it. It will certainly gather my interest if they do.

When's the Yakuza 3 / Ryo go Gotoku 3 NA releas?

[Anonymous Coward]

So when will Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 be available subtitled in English? With the DLC? That's when I'll get a PS3, no sooner. Oh and Kenzan too.

Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Unless it has PS2 game emulation, I have no reason whatsoever to upgrade to it from my 60GB model. A 60GB model which Yellow lighted and had to be repaired so I could save my saves. I'm still using the danm thing despite the imminent risk of another YLOD due solely to the fact that it plays PS2 games with upscaling. I don't want to go back to using a regular PS2 if I can help it. The difference is truly is like night and day.

If there's no PS2 backwards compatibility (and ffs PS1 game texture smoothing), I see no reason for prefering the model to the cheaper 80/160GBs.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Khyber]

How the hell did you get PS2 gaming to work on a 60GB model, when the only PS3 with PS2 capability was the older 80GB models and the newer 80GB ones have no PS2 capability at all?

Besides that, I agree - Sony advertised PS2 emulation capability but they've removed it. They need to bring it back before they get nailed with a slew of false advertising lawsuits.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Narishma]

The only PS3s that have full PS2 BC are the original 20GB and 60GB. Some of the early 80GB versions had partial BC (they had the GPU in hardware but the CPU was emulated in software) but they didn't last long.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[kramerd]

ObsessiveMathsFreak did it the same way I did - by buying a 60 GB PS3 when they first came out, which includes PS2/PS1 emulation ability (you have to make a virtual memory card to save PS2/PS1 files before you start playing, something I noted 10 hours into playing FF VII). Initially, there were 20, 40, and 60 GB models. Then they discountinued the 20 GB and came out with an 80 GB. Now they have 80 GB and 160 GB, without the ability to play the older platforms. Of course, you can now buy a new PS2 for $100, which allows you to play PS1 games.

Sony will laugh at any false advertising lawsuit, because no one advertises features that don't exist. Literacy is a wonderful thing.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Ironsides]

I'm going to 2nd this one, except I'm not going to buy it for the first time unless they put the PS2 functionality back in. If I'm going to get a PS3, I want to replace my PS2 with it. I don't want to have to keep both around.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[andre_pl]

I bought my PS3 (40GB) fully expecting it to have PS2 B/C. (yes, I didn't do my homework, but I didn't think I had to. I never in a million years would have thought Sony would release a PS3 without making it backwards compatible.) Needless to say I was quite disappointed, I would be completely willing to pay more for a "deluxe" model of some kind that had B/C. (and maybe give me back the card reader and some more USB ports too) I have a friend that was going to buy a ps3 recently and decided against it when I informed him about the lack of B/C. I wonder rhow often something like that happens and how much its affecting PS3 Sales. Either way, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would not have bought their PS3's if had known in advance that they wouldn't be able to play their PS2 games on it.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Doctor_Jest]

Being on my 5th 360 and still on my launch PS3 means that your situation might be considered anomalous, and since the hardware is built better than the 360's... I think your PS3 will last for quite some time. So don't worry too much.

As for PS2 compatibility, I find myself simply using my PS2 (fat) rather than using PS3's upscaling (on everything except Pinball Hall of Fame... it looks GREAT smoothed). I don't know how the PS1 smoothing is on the newer models, though. I figure if the slim comes out soon, it will be positioned at a comparable level to the "Arcade" 360. It won't be $199, but it will have more base features than the Arcade model has. And since MS is phasing out their "pro" model... the only thing Sony has to compete with on the high end is the Elite. (And depending upon your perspective, it might be a tough sell with MS's brand so saturated right now, at least in North America.)

I truthfully don't know why I still support MS after 4 dead Elites (one died THE DAY it arrived back from the repair center)... ah well. :) YMMV.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Troed]

"I agree - Sony advertised PS2 emulation capability but they've removed it"

What?

All the models that Sony said could play PS2 can do so. The models that cannot have never had any ads saying they could.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

Being on my 5th 360 and still on my launch PS3 means that your situation might be considered anomalous,

The YLOD is an unfortunately common problem on the 60GB models apparently. Other models are more reliable. Unfortunately, the 60GB model was one of the last which supported backwards compatibility for PS2 titles. Yoy.

I don't know how the PS1 smoothing is on the newer models, though.

No PS3 has ever supported texture smoothing for PS1 titles. It has supported HD upscaling, but that's hardly the same thing. The single best way to play PS1 games remains PS2 emulation with texture smoothing. Later PS1 games like Vagrant Story or Final Fantasy IX gain a whole new lease of life. I would liken it to the effects of the Super2xsai engine for 16 bit titles.

I truthfully don't know why I still support MS after 4 dead Elites

The biggest problem with dead consoles in the current generation is not the repair/replacement process. It's the loss of data. The current generation has moved to hard disc as the primary, and indeed sole method of saving game data of all forms. Unfortunately, they have also moved to full disc encryption as well.

When a PS3 or 360 goes belly up, sending it back for repair means losing your save date entirely. For someone who spends upwards of 200 hours on games they love to play, I can say this is a devastating blow. Losing those saves is like losing old notebooks. Something inside you dies.

The PS3 provides a backup utility, which must be run periodically to be of any use. But who wants to administer their games console like a web server? The current regime of keeping users saves under encryption keys, all while shipping units that go belly up with some frequency is a status quo that needs to change. Save cartridges may have been a pain in the ass, but at least they offer some degree of protection against total data loss.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Doctor_Jest]

Yes, losing is a big issue with the HDD in the PS3. But I keep my original 20GB HDD in a box so if mine ever dies, I'll remove my 120GB drive and replace it with the original for repairs. :) Not everyone will do that, of course... The GOOD thing in all of that is the PS3 isn't like the 360 in that the DLC isn't tied to the console... so you can re-download without much hassle. (Though MS did make that available recently after many complaints, it's still not perfect...) Being a 20GB owner, I didn't know much of the YLOD... though I'm sure I'm susceptible... just not as much so as a 60GB. In spite of this, I'm still surprised by the reliability of the PS3 v. PS2 fat/PS1... and I'm not so surprised the 360 still has issues, since my only repair last generation had to do with my original XBox.

PS1 games suffer still from the same thing on the PS3 that they did on the PS2... they're glitchy (at least some of them were). Fortunately, I don't have that many I haven't played through in my collection. :) And I still have my PSOne in case I wax nostalgic (in a box in the closet....)

I only save my games on my 360 using the memory cards, just in case (I have a 256mb one). I am sure it's not warranted, but judging by MS's track record with their consoles, I don't trust their "hermetically sealed" hard drives. :)

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Toonol]

If I had neither a PS3 nor a PS2, and somebody offered to give me one or the other for free, I would pick the PS2. The PS2's library is far superior to any current console, and the games sell for $5 to $20 dollars a pop.

Lack of backward compatibility is the worst missing feature on the PS3, and removing it was one of the worst decisions Sony made. (And they've made some BAD decisions.)

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Toonol]

That's a bit disingenuous. I see an ad for a PS3 with BC. Later, I go to the store, buy a PS3, and it doesn't have BC. I understand that Sony never advertised BC with that model, and that I should have done my homework better, and so on... but still, it's not an uncommon or unreasonable error for a consumer to make. A number of slashdotters made that error, and they're FAR more tech-aware than the average consumer. Not enough to make Sony legally liable for false advertising, but it's not unreasonable to get irritated with a company for shenanigans like that.

The number of slightly different models that both Sony and MS have of their current consoles is a real strike against both companies, and another thing that Nintendo did right.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[CronoCloud]

There's an option for texture smoothing in the XMB, what the PS3 doesn't have is the PS2's ability to fast-load PS1 games. Funny thing is, the PSP does have that ability.

And you're quite correct that some later PS1 games really benefit from that texture smoothing, IIRC it was released in the US after the PS2 came out in the US.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Troed]

I've never heard of anyone buying a PS3 and not knowing the capabilities. Actually, it was very well advertised when they had it and very up front about not having it.

Sour grapes.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Toonol]

1) Several examples IN THIS THREAD.

2) Not sour grapes. This didn't happen to me. I know better, I was just using myself as an example. Still, I would have to spend significant time comparing researching models before buying a new PS3.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[bmatt17]

What a load of misinformation. "When a PS3 or 360 goes belly up, sending it back for repair means losing your save date entirely." This is 100% false for 360 as you keep your harddrive, once the new console arrives, you stick your harddrive back on and that's it. I've sent mine back 4 times and have not once lost my save data. DRM on live purchases is another story, but they have since fixed that. PS3 I lost my save data the 1 time it broke. Although I think the harddrive got hosed when it died as I couldn't get the PS3 to even recognize or format the drive when I got my PS3 back. ( I sent it in with a new harddrive so I could keep my save files). So I'm not sure if it's possible to keep your data if the PS3 dies.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Troed]

Several claims in this thread :) Going by fanboyism, that doesn't say much.

Please let me know what you would spell all that "significant time" on btw. Choosing hard drive size ... ?

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Khyber]

The internet archive seems to tell a different story about some of the cached content on Sony's website. My 60GB was advertised as BC but it most certainly is NOT.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Troed]

If you have a 60GB model then it has BC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3#Models

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Khyber]

Nope, my 60GB is model CECHH01 - not BC and not listed on the Wiki.

Re:Needs Backwards Compatibility.

[Troed]

You have the 40GB model. Two USB ports etc is another dead giveaway.

http://playstation.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/playstation.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=232&p_sid=u1F*a*qj

Maybe you were lucky to get a bigger harddrive, maybe you bought it of somebody who then claimed it to be a model it wasn't. It seems to have happened to someone at least:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090220194654AAIWEMn

Blaming Sony, however, is just stupid.

give it Grand Central Dispatch

[teac77]

The Playstation 3 is a great machine -- I'm just not thrilled that they do not yet have backward compatibility with Playstation 2 games. Honestly, I want to play Shadow of the Colossus on the Playstation 3 with the new emulation technology http://kotaku.com/5304117/sony-patents-method-to-emulate-ps2-on-ps3 that will probably improve the straining frame rates in the game. If they were really serious about the new machine, they would adopt something similar to Grand Central Dispatch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OS_X_v10.6#Grand_Central_Dispatch then they would get SO much more support from developers.

Re:give it Grand Central Dispatch

[corychristison]

Just want to point out that early models releasted in Nov. 2006 had hardware support for PS2 games by embedding the the Emotion Engine CPU into the PS3. The EE CPU is the same processor in the PS2.

I missed the boat on those, but I don't own any PS2 games so it wasn't a big deal to me. A good friend of mine managed to pick one up and had a large collection of PS2 games, and as far as I know hasn't had any issues with them not working.

Re:give it Grand Central Dispatch

[TheRaven64]

Are you just spouting random buzzwords? GCD works by combining thread pools with queues of closures. This is an absolutely terrible model for the Cell. If you'd said OpenCL, then you might not have sounded like you're just repeating terms that you heard someone else say to try to sound clever...

Re:give it Grand Central Dispatch

[teac77]

You know, it really seems relevant, because it's parallel computing. It's interesting how you describe it as "combining thread pools with queues of closures". Kudos to you. Unfortunately, my score was (1) and your score was (2) so now this part of the thread is buried so deep down that nobody will ever read it.

Re:give it Grand Central Dispatch

[TheRaven64]

You know, it really seems relevant, because it's parallel computing

There is a massive difference between parallel computing models. The Cell is basically a NUMA architecture. Each SPU has 256KB of local memory and a fast DMA controller for loading new blocks from main memory. It loads a small kernel program along with some data, runs the program on this data and then writes the result out to memory. This is very close to the OpenCL model (and most GPUs, which is why the Cell was one of the first targets for Gallium3D).

The architecture of GCD is very different. First, it involves a new thread scheduler in the kernel which provides feedback to running applications letting them computer the optimum number of worker threads to avoid excess context switches. Within each process, it spawns a number of threads, at least one for each supported priority level and maybe more if there are underused cores in the machine. Each of these threads has a lightweight queue associated with it. The API makes heavy use of Apple's new blocks extension to C (I've implemented a version of this for other platforms; it's quite nice) which allows closures in Objective-C/C/C++. These are simple functions (like Cell SPU kernels) which can contain references to any of the other objects or data structures in the program (very unlike Cell SPU kernels). This makes the completely unsuited to the Cell model of parallel programming, where accesses to main memory are very expensive unless done in large (page sized or bigger) chunks.

They had PS2 compatibility

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

The original 80GB and 60GB PS3 units had PS2 game support with upscaling. Those motherfuckers at Sony decided to scrap it since PS2 consoles were still selling.

Re:They had PS2 compatibility

[TeknoHog]

I thought the embedded PS2 hardware was just a temporary solution, and they would eventually provide the same compatibility via software emulation. Anyone know what the current status of this is?

Re:They had PS2 compatibility

[gbarules2999]

No news as of yet. Unless Sony is bothering the emulate the (pain in the ass that is known as the) GPU inside of the PlayStation 2, they cannot go completely software. That's why the GPU was included inside of the PS3 at launch. They removed it to cut costs.

Re:They had PS2 compatibility

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

The current status is that Sony can't believe anybody actually fell for that bullshit.

Re:They had PS2 compatibility

[greg1104]

It's true, there was a news report on it recently.

He means the original 60GB one

[NotSoHeavyD3]

Which is the one I have as well. The first 2 PS3's, the 20GB and 60GB both played PS2 games and both had the complete hardware to do so. (Newer PS3 were missing one of the big chips but still could pull it off. Current systems don't have any of the old PS2 hardware which is why they arn't BC.) Anyway I hope they put BC back in. (Either that or I hope my PS3 doesn't break as much as my 360.)

Re:He means the original 60GB one

[popeye44]

Ya, I have an original 60gb "120 now" that had the emoticon? chip and natively plays ps2 games just fine. For my part I own a Wii, 360, and PS3. PS3 is my media center that I game on the 360 is my kids machine that does most of what my ps3 does but also wants me to pay to play.

My son will never have a purchased live account until he's 12 or older so it kind of sucks that some multiplayer features and demos are blocked. "I have a 30 day live account card but I almost never play on his system so why use it?"

While not everyone uses the blu-ray features I do.. but I use it for streaming HD video from my computer just as often.

I'm not a fan boy. I find all 3 systems to be a lot of fun depending on what you want to do. I like that sometimes the deals on 360 games are better so we buy more for it. However the ps3 exclusives have been a blast. inFamous is one kickass game.

I've read a few articles on the 360 coming to a point that the content will not fit on a single DVD which is going to be a seriously limiting problem. It already takes an inordinate amount of time for some content to load on both systems. The wii doesn't suffer from this.

Re:He means the original 60GB one

[Hatta]

Original PS2s are cheap and easy to come by. I a fat ps2 for $25 the other weekend at a garage sale. There's little point in backwards compatibility.

Re:He means the original 60GB one

[CastrTroy]

That reason is the reason I have the Wii this generation, and the reason I had the Gamecube last generation. Nintendo actually cares about loading times. Nintendo does a really good job with their consoles, and creates many games that don't suffer from loading times. There was quite a few games for the GC that had loading times (Need For Speed: High Stakes), but that was due more to bad design than to limitations of the console. Plenty of games like Metroid had almost no noticeable loading time. Loading on consoles annoys me to no end. Maybe it's because I grew up on the Nintendo, but games that take minutes to load are not something I like to deal with.

Re:He means the original 60GB one

[Anonymous Coward]

You save physical room. You have less wire clutter. You free up ports on your TV. The PS3 upscales the PS2 games. And its more convenient. I guess these are all little points.

Re:He means the original 60GB one

[an unsound mind]

Emotion Engine, which is basically the PS2 on a chip. Much better than software emulation.

Re:When's the Yakuza 3 / Ryo go Gotoku 3 NA relea

[KamuZ]

Still unconfirmed, someone from Sega said "no localization" but took it back, who knows really.

http://kotaku.com/5326900/yakuza-3-american-release-still-unconfirmed

I don't give a shit about any of that.

[Lilith's Heart-shape]

I bought my PS3 for Final Fantasy XIII, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Disgaea 3. The fact that Iron Man looks fucking sweet on BluRay is a bonus.

Re:I don't give a shit about any of that.

[olsmeister]

I agree completely. And, I run Linux on mine. www.psubuntu.com

Re:When's the Yakuza 3 / Ryo go Gotoku 3 NA relea

[Narishma]

Then you'll be waiting for a long time. With the poor sales of the previous Yakuza games in NA I doubt they'll bother to release this version.

Citation Needed?

[Shaterri]

Despite waning console sales, orders for PS3-related hardware have risen sharply.

'related' is an odd word to see there; what 'PS3-related' hardware would this be, and where's the evidence for this random assertion? Is this meant to imply that Sony's suppliers are getting more orders for some of the hardware used to build the PS3 (which could mean more PS3s in the pipeline but could also be wholly unrelated), or just a consolist claim that Sony is doing better than its sales figures would indicate?

What it would take

[snarfies]

1) Bring back HARDWARE emulation of the PS2. Not the software version (which isn't even offered anymore).

2) Drop the price.

That is all. Do that and I'll buy. Seriously.

Re:What it would take

[gbarules2999]

Seriously! I want to play the exclusives, like inFamous, Uncharted, Resistance, Killzone 2 and Ratchet and Clank. I really want a system. But $400 is way too much, no matter how many wonderful features are inside of it. I'll stick with my old PlayStation 2 until then.

Re:What it would take

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear prospective customer,

Thanks for your feedback!
How much will we have to lower the price to secure this one sale?

Sincerely interested,

Sony Corporation

P.S. Please, please, please get back to us!

Re:What it would take

[Anonymous Coward]

1) Bring back HARDWARE emulation of the PS2. Not the software version (which isn't even offered anymore).

2) Drop the price.

That is all. Do that and I'll buy. Seriously.

Yeah, I never understood the reasoning behind dropping hardware emulation. The estimates I saw online back when the system cost $600 was that the emotion chip cost them an extra $50. So, they were selling a $550 console instead of a $600 one except that the $550 version is without the single most important feature of the playstation: backward compatibility. I'm pretty sure that if they had kept both versions around, most of their sales, small as they may be, would favor people spending the extra $50.

Sony needs to do a few things. They need to bring back hardware ps2 emulation, they need to force peripherals to use the bluetooth interface (dongle with rockband and guitar hero instruments are unacceptable), and they need to force compatibility of peripherals between all games (so the new guitars work with the ps1 and ps2 guitar hero games). Basically they need to ensure that every game, from the ps1, 2, and 3, work flawlessly and inter-operate with all peripherals.

Re:What it would take

[gbarules2999]

If the price was $250, I would get off my couch and buy one right now.

Re:What it would take

[Enderandrew]

There have been reports that the software emulaation works better, so I'm not sure we need the hardware emulation.

A price drop is a must. However, what many people weren't aware of is that Sony was doing a deal if you applied for the Playstation credit card, you got $150 off a PS3. When I purchased my second PS3, I did it through that deal and paid $250 for a PS3, which is the same price as a Wii, for an 80 GB model. That was a pretty good deal.

Re:What it would take

[Anonymous Coward]

It's quite likely they will bring it back via software.
http://www.siliconera.com/2009/06/29/sony-patents-emotion-engine-emulation-technology-for-cell-processors/ (sorry, too lazy to embed)

With software, you have to POTENTIAL benefit of better AA and REAL upscaling resolution by utilizing extra power remaining in the processor. It's funny though, because I bought the original 60gb (even camped in line for it) and I haven't touched a ps2 game for 2 years. There are a bunch of really good ps3 games, and the PSN bite-sized games have given me TONS of gaming time for the dollar. If I was to do it again, I'd buy the cheaper one that uses less power/puts out less heat.

Re:What it would take

[Kokuyo]

So would I and I think we are not alone.

There are only a few games I really want and since God of War is among them, naturally I'm leaning towards the PS3. Problem is, if you only have two or three packaged games and another couple of downloadable ones that interest you, the average price per game becomes pretty steep.

Now I'm certainly not an average gamer. I'm still shedding a tear whenever I think of the nineties and I have very little interest in graphic fireworks. I seek catching gameplay and so far, I've only had very few games deliver for me.

The question now becomes, does Sony want me as a customer? That is a marketing decision, but if they do, a PS3 should cost no more than 250 for me. Frankly, I'd rather they put the card reader and backwards compatibility back in and rip out the BluRay player... (yes, I do realize that is nonsense since the effing games come on BluRay. All I want to say is I'd have beeen content with DVD media)

Re:What it would take

[Dremth]

This is what I don't understand... I have an 80GB PS3 that can play PS2 games just fine on the latest firmware (2.80), but everyone keeps saying they took out the ability to play PS2 games.

Re:What it would take

[tepples]

Bring back HARDWARE emulation of the PS2.

There is a $100 accessory that will add PlayStation 2 emulation to any PLAYSTATION 3 console.

Re:What it would take

[Hatta]

There is a $30 accessory that will add Playstation 2 support to any console. A Playstation 2.

Re:What it would take

[CronoCloud]

Frankly, I'd rather they put the card reader and backwards compatibility back in and rip out the BluRay player... (yes, I do realize that is nonsense since the effing games come on BluRay. All I want to say is I'd have beeen content with DVD media)

I, for one, don't want to go back to the days of disc swapping, and the forced linearity that caused in RPG's. i.e. once you hit disc 2 you'll never see certain locations again. In the PS2 era there was a least one late PS2 RPG that had to use 2 discs for space reasons

Re:What it would take

[Enderandrew]

I checked, and Sony isn't doing the same deal anymore, but they are doing $100 off a PS3 right now.

http://www.sonyrewards.com/en/gateway/?offerlink=srnowps3

Re:What it would take

[gbarules2999]

Because they did. They removed a chip from the system that they needed for emulation. It simply cannot play PS2 games.

Re:What it would take

[gbarules2999]

Woosh!

Re:What it would take

[Toonol]

Now, print twenty million copies of this letter...

Re:What it would take

[Kumiorava]

1) Bring back HARDWARE emulation of the PS2. Not the software version (which isn't even offered anymore).

I haven't used my PS2 hardware emulation, I tried couple games and then sold my PS2 and all the games with it. PS3 games are just so much better than PS2 games, also I have no intention of buying any PS2 games. If I still liked PS2 games too, then I would have kept my PS2.

Re:What it would take

[kramerd]

1) Woosh

2) A PS2 costs $100. You get $30 when you trade one in.

Re:What it would take

[david_craig]

The Blu Ray disc is pretty vital when you look at the sizes of PS3 exclusive titles. Liar (a much better game than reviews indicate) is about 25GB in size. Metal Gear Solid 4 is even larger and there's no disc swapping. There are already suggestions as to how much of a nightmare the latest Final Fantasy game will be if it is ever release on the XBox360 due to the number of DVDs required.

Re:What it would take

[Hatta]

A PS2 costs $100? You got ripped off. I paid $80 for mine, with the network adaptor that runs $50 on ebay. I saw one the other weekend at a garage sale for $25. $30 is what a PS2 goes for these days.

Re:What it would take

[kramerd]

I dont have a PS2. I paid 600 + tax and shipping for my BC 60 GB PS3. I then sold my PS2 for $175. Back then, they were going for $200 retail.

If you want a legally obtained (ie from a merchant, and with a warranty) PS2, you will pay $99.99 plus tax for new, or $80 for used. I would pay the extra for new for the additional 9 months of hardware warranty. If you want to buy one from craigslist, or your friend who doesn't play games anymore, or your cousin, of course YMMV. If you buy a PS2 for $30, it probably won't work in 6 months.

If you are buying a network adapter for PS2, I feel sorry for your wallet. It certainly isn't worth $10, never mind 50. I just looked, and I kid you not, the amazon version comes with a demo of Madden NFL 2003.

Re:What it would take

[ion.simon.c]

*sigh* @ pages that require Flash to function.

Re:What it would take

[planetoid]

Are you implying that the PS3 has games?

Re:What it would take

[clone53421]

There have been reports that the software emulaation works better, so I'm not sure we need the hardware emulation.

I can't help but think "they must be doing it wrong".

Re:What it would take

[MogNuts]

I want to see PSP downloads on the PS3. I've been thinking about it. This whole making games as downloadable only for the PSP Go could be an awesome thing for the PS3...

Look at FFVII released as a downloadable game on the PSN Store. Notice anything? It's playable on both the PSP and the PS3. Now think about this. Sony has to make an effort to somehow get all the PSP games on the network to avoid its entire user base from defecting. All PSP games will be put on PSN. Think of what this means. That means that potentially, all PSP games could be downloaded on a PS3. The PSP, IMHO, has a pretty awesome and diverse library of games. Releasing these on the PS3 would greatly enhance it's library of games and contribute to its quality. This could be an outstanding outcome for those who don't have a PSP or want one, or those who desire more games to play on his/her PS3, or who want to play it on a big screen (granted you can play it on a big screen anyway via a component adapter, but still)!

That would be a pretty amazing thing.

Re:What it would take

[elrous0]

Dear Sony,

Thank you for the new customer.

Sincerely grateful,

Microsoft Corporation

Re:What it would take

[Gravatron]

A $250 price tag would be awesome, but i'm not sure that gonna happen anytime soon. MS got their price down by gutting the system of near everything, and Nintendo's is low due to their weaker hardware. Sony's already caught flack for removing things, I doubt they would be willing to cut even more just for price reasons.

Re:What it would take

[Kamineko]

Show me.

Said accessory must be available in retail in the United States, and allow for the playing of PlayStation 2 games with compatibility comparable to that of hardware emulation in the PLAYSTATION 3. Functionality must exist as a superset of PlayStation 2 hardware emulation on PLAYSTATION 3, including but not limited to: support for SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controllers, ability to use hard drive space on PLAYSTATION 3 for the creation of multiple 'virtual' Memory Card (8MB) (for PlayStation2) images which may be assigned to the Memory Card slots on the PlayStation 2.

Re:What it would take

[tepples]

Functionality must exist as a superset of PlayStation 2 hardware emulation on PLAYSTATION 3, including but not limited to: support for SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controllers

A new PlayStation 2 console comes with a Dual Shock 2 controller. If I remember correctly, the tilt sensor in PS3 controllers wasn't made available in PS2 format games on those PS3 systems with BC.

ability to use hard drive space on PLAYSTATION 3 for the creation of multiple 'virtual' Memory Card (8MB) (for PlayStation2) images which may be assigned to the Memory Card slots on the PlayStation 2.

Or you can just stock up on used 8 MB memory cards. How many games do you plan to play, and how much memory card space do they take?

Re:What it would take

[Kamineko]

That's just not good enough.

What if one has a full set of DualShock 3 or Sixaxis controllers already? With your choice of words, you have to account for folks owning a PS3 first and then suddenly wanting PS2 hardware acceleration later. A strange situation, but it's your phrasing. An 'accessory for the PLAYSTATION3' would allow just that.

The isometric tactical fantasy wargames produced by Nippon Ichi have save games in excess of 512Kb per file. The State of Emergency games have ridiculously large save files also. As do Ring of Red, the Final Fantasy series, the GTA III-based range, Need for Speed series. The PS2 has a crapload of games (which is why I think it did so well), and they're all dirt cheap now. Allow for multiple players, and that's a lot of space to account for.

8MB Memory Cards are also susceptible to failing in many incredible and bizarre ways, especially used ones. This can result in a number of effects from a single save dying, to them all dying. (Some folks complain that their PS2 won't boot with certain games in the drive. This is sometimes due to games crashing when attempting to verify the status of/autoload a damaged savegame.)

Also, kids aren't going to be able to tear out a 'virtual' memory card or wirelessly connected controller mid game. They're also not going to eat or lose them.

A family buying a PS3 as a media center would seriously benefit from hardware PS2 compability (just as long as they can learn to share). I mean, they're not going to be playing PS3 games on it, are they?

Re:What it would take

[Anonymous Coward]

Your quote was 'accessory that will add PlayStation 2 emulation to any PLAYSTATION 3 console', rather than an 'accessory for the PLAYSTATION3'. Apologies.

Re:What it would take

[tepples]

What if one has a full set of DualShock 3 or Sixaxis controllers already?

Then you probably also have a full set of PS3 games. Use as a media center doesn't need more than two controllers: one packed in and one VCR-style remote.

The isometric tactical fantasy wargames produced by Nippon Ichi have save games in excess of 512Kb per file.

And guess what: if you have two memory cards, you can switch among two dozen of those games, or one dozen if you back up religiously. Had you mentioned my cousin's favorite PS2 games (RPG Maker 2 and Fighter Maker 2), on the other hand, I might have got worried.

A family buying a PS3 as a media center would seriously benefit from hardware PS2 compability (just as long as they can learn to share). I mean, they're not going to be playing PS3 games on it, are they?

Was that supposed to be sarcasm? I can't always tell. And besides, all PS3 versions can run game discs for the original PlayStation console, which one can pick up even cheaper.

Re:What it would take

[Kamineko]

Then you probably also have a full set of PS3 games.

That's irrelevant. I used the case of a media center as an example of a family all sharing the same main console, and only having that one console between them. Perhaps Mom and Pop only like to watch movies, while the kids saved up for their own controllers and other gadgets so they can take them to their friends houses. "No you can't have another console, you little rats!" **

There does exist a case where having a full set of PS3 games promotes the purchase of PS2 games: Smith only has a PS3 and buys a copy of the most recent Ratchet and Clank game and enjoys it. He's told by a friend that the previous titles in the series are nearly identical in every way, so he decides to track them down. There are several R&C titles on PS2, and as far as I know, seperate titles are still being released for both PS2 and PS3 to this day.

And guess what: if you have two memory cards, you can switch among two dozen of those games, or one dozen if you back up religiously. Had you mentioned my cousin's favorite PS2 games (RPG Maker 2 and Fighter Maker 2), on the other hand, I might have got worried.

Two memory cards per person? Sounds unwieldy and expensive. I don't know much about RPGM2 or FM2 as they weren't released in PAL region. If their inclusion here works in my favour however, go right ahead :) . The only Sony Memory Card backup product available in retail that I know of is the PS3 itself. (Another accessory is required to provide the necessary port.) In that case, you'd be using your PS3 as a save game 'vault' for your PS2. That's workable, but not ideal.

Was that supposed to be sarcasm? I can't always tell.

Yes, it was. The PS3 doesn't seem to be doing too well where I am (in the UK).

And besides, all PS3 versions can run game discs for the original PlayStation console, which one can pick up even cheaper.

That's not entirely relevant. But, if you want to use the statement [the PS3 having a fully featured hardware emulator for a previous system is a good thing for a bunch of reasons] in your argument, then I totally agree.

** At this point, the family, hearing that their PS3 doesn't have hardware compatibility (they thought they all did. Sorry, Pop.), curses the name of Sony. They lend a PS2 off Pop's brother, but it's not as reliable as it could be. Pop fills the remaining memory card space with Disgaea saves. He doesn't use them because he doesn't know how to play, but he won't let the kids delete them. Mom deletes them and makes her own Tiger Woods Golf 0x save anyway. Pop blames the kids.

The kids go out and get some fresh air instead. A tragedy. One that could have easily been avoided.

Re:What it would take

[tepples]

Perhaps Mom and Pop only like to watch movies, while the kids saved up for their own controllers and other gadgets so they can take them to their friends houses.

Until you get into some of the newer PS3 games that have network-only multiplayer. They need a separate console, a separate TV, and a separate copy of the game per player, much like DS games or the vast majority of major-label PC games.

Pop fills the remaining memory card space with Disgaea saves. He doesn't use them because he doesn't know how to play, but he won't let the kids delete them. Mom deletes them and makes her own Tiger Woods Golf 0x save anyway. Pop blames the kids.

As far as I can tell, the intended use case has always been that each player has his own memory card. Otherwise, why would the PS2 controller hubs have memory card slots?

Backwards Compatibility

[Enderandrew]

There have been people who have hacked debug/service modes on the console showing backwards compatibility tests on the current hardware. And there was a European version that had backwards compatibility via software emulation.

Is there any good reason to disable this and keep it from consumers paying big bucks for the hardware?

My daughter broke my first PS3, so I have purchased two of them. I like the hardware. I really do. But I feel Sony is holding out on me.

$100 off

[Enderandrew]

You can get $100 off a PS3 by applying for the Playstation credit card. When I did it, they gave me $150 off the 80 GB model, but apparently that deal has since expired.

http://www.sonyrewards.com/en/gateway/?offerlink=srnowps3

BluRay

[Enderandrew]

This may be a little off-topic, but the reason my wife eventually caved and said we should buy a PS3 is BluRay. When we paid $400 for a PS3, most BluRay players were still $500+, and the PS3 was routinely rated the best BluRay player on the market. Add in wifi-fi, gaming, streaming my movies from my PC to my TV, etc. honestly I thought it was a bargain at $400.

If you have a big TV, standard resolution looks pretty crappy. A good upscaled DVD looks nice, don't get me wrong. But good BluRay releases are unfairly gorgeous. And I agree with Lilith here, Iron Man in particular may be the best looking BluRay I've watched to date.

Mornelithe

[Anonymous Coward]

MS hasn't tried to fix the issue, they simply renamed it in a FW update to E-74. Hence the reason why E-74 errors are now covered by the extended warranty.

Meh. Still no price cut, still no BC

[Millennium]

Even if the Slim materializes, I strongly believe that it will retail for the same price as the current PS3 (which may get a fire-sale price just to get rid of the things). Sony can't afford any other move with all the red ink they're bleeding; they need to start making money now, and a Slim can only provide them a profit if the cost savings from making it are not passed on to consumers.

I also doubt there will be any BC. While it would provide the PS3 with a source of good games -its own predecessors- Sony's own arrogance will block the move. They've spent too much time arguing that people don't want to play older games anymore.

Re:Meh. Still no price cut, still no BC

[craagz]

Sony can't afford any other move with all the red ink they're bleeding; they need to start making money yesterday,

Fixed that for you!

Sure there's a reason for BC

[NotSoHeavyD3]

So of course there's the already mentioned fact of upscaling. (Which is nice for those of us with HDTV's. It also means I don't have to make sure that my TV is correctly set up to display an SD signal in 4:3 or anything, the PS3 takes care of that.) Then there's the issue of clutter. Since it is BC I don't need yet another system hooked up to my TV. Of course this also means I don't need yet another set of peripherals. Which reminds me, the plugs on the analog controllers on the PS1 and PS2 would always end up getting dirty. This meant that after I had my system for awhile the connection between the controller and the system would get flakey and drop back to digital mode. Guess what, since there's no wires on the PS3 controllers this doesn't happen. (I tried cleaning them with alcohol but they'd start screwing up after a couple of weeks.) Oh, another advantage with the PS3 is I don't need save cards anymore. (The PS3 just uses hard drive space.) Really, it is a pretty slick piece of work to play PS2 games on it.

Brilliant!!!!!!!!!

[uvajed_ekil]

Because if there was one problem keeping me from buying my very own PS3 it was that it was too wide! The price of the console, price and choice of games, price of the accessories, and online play had nothing to do with it. Now that there will be a skinny one though, I'll rush out to buy two!!! Anything that takes up more than a quarter of a cubic foot of space in my living room is out of the question, but I must have anything that is smaller than its functionally identical predecessor. Sony FTW again!!!

Meh, I will pass

[goldsend]

Likely it suffer from what I like to call "Sony Redesign Syndrome (SRS)". That's where it overheats after the first hour of play and you have to turn it off for a while before you can play it again. Both the PS1 and the PS2 had it. I would not buy the new PS2 after my first such purchase and went to pawn shops to get a new PS2 regular after my slim failed. I am not a PS3 fan (even though I do own one for Blue-ray), and will refuse to purchase a slim.

Re:Meh, I will pass

[Gizzmonic]

Why not get an Xbox 360 instead? You know that one won't overheat!

Others tend to disagree w/ you ion.SIMIAN.c... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

"2) You're talking to APK. He exists to write wall-of-text comments. His depth of knowledge is *really* shallow, so don't expect a good conversation out of him." - by ion.simon.c (1183967) on Thursday August 06, @08:09PM (#28980845)

Others tend to disagree w/ you, ion.SIMIAN.c (here, & in respected written publication, inclusive of respected corporate bodies in this art & science who used ideas of mine to place as a finalist 2x in a row @ Microsoft Tech-Ed in its hardest category - SQLServer Performance Enhancement) :

"My Name is Ozymandias: King of Kings - Look upon my works, ye mighty, & DESPAIR..."

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Windows NT Magazine (now Windows IT Pro) April 1997 "BACK OFFICE PERFORMANCE" issue, page 61

(&, for work done for EEC Systems/SuperSpeed.com on PAID CONTRACT (writing portions of their SuperCache program increasing its performance by up to 40% via my work) albeit, for their SuperDisk & HOW TO APPLY IT, took them to a finalist position @ MS Tech Ed, two years in a row).

WINDOWS MAGAZINE, 1997, "Top Freeware & Shareware of the Year" issue page 210, #1/first entry in fact (my work is there)

PC-WELT FEB 1998 - page 84, again, my work is featured there

WINDOWS MAGAZINE, WINTER 1998 - page 92, insert section, MUST HAVE WARES, my work is again, there

PC-WELT FEB 1999 - page 83, again, my work is featured there

CHIP Magazine 7/99 - page 100, my work is there

GERMAN PC BOOK, Data Becker publisher "PC Aufrusten und Repairen" 2000, where my work is contained in it

HOT SHAREWARE Numero 46 issue, pg. 54 (PC ware mag from Spain), 2001 my work is there, first one featured, yet again!

Also, a British PC Mag in 2002 for many utilities I wrote, saw it @ BORDERS BOOKS but didn't buy it... by that point, I had moved onto other areas in this field besides coding only...

Lastly, being paid for an article that made me money over @ PCPitstop in 2008 for writing up a guide that has people showing NO VIRUSES/SPYWARES & other screwups, via following its point, such as THRONKA sees here -> http://www.xtremepccentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=ee926d913b81bf6d63c3c7372fd2a24c&t=28430&page=3

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Also, it seems I have 108++ "modded up" posts here, which is harder on AC's, considering many folks "filter us out" in their user preferences here on their registered accounts:

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+5 'modded up' posts by "yours truly": (4 of them)

http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1139485&cid=26974507
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1139485&cid=26975021
http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=170545&cid=14210206
http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=175774&cid=14610147

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+4 'modded up' posts by "yours truly": (4 of them)

http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1290967&cid=28571315
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=161862&cid=13531817
http://developers.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=167071&cid=13931198
http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1290967&cid=28571315

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+3 'modded up' posts by "yours truly": (5 of them)

Re:Pay attention

[Anonymous Coward]

Not real niggers... Sophisticated niggers...

Smart niggers drink Olde E.