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Sony Announces PS3 Slim, Price Cut, Improvements To Home
Sony's press conference today at the Gamescom convention was full of announcements. They officially revealed the PS3 Slim, which will be 36% lighter and 33% smaller than the normal PS3. It will come with a 120 GB hard drive and list for $299 when it hits retail stores in early September. Normal PS3s will drop to that price as well starting tomorrow. (Unfortunately for Sony, their unveiling was spoiled a bit by several retailers jumping the gun on new advertisements, not to mention the rumors that had been swirling for weeks ahead of time.) Sony also announced a PS3 firmware update as well as new features and customization options for Home. In addition to that, the PS3 and PSP will be getting a digital reader service. At launch it will bring access to Marvel comic books, and will expand from there. They didn't talk much about their upcoming motion control scheme, but promised more details next month at the Tokyo Game Show.
I'm gonna buy one. This is a good deal.
..... If Sony restored backward compatibility with PS2 games. That and not the price nor the size of the console is why I haven't bought one yet.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
"Removal of 'Install Other OS' feature
The new PS3 system will focus on delivering games and other entertainment content, and users will not be able to install other Operating Systems to the new PS3 system."
http://www.scee.presscentre.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=4842&NewsAreaID=2
Sony abandoning Linux on new skus means they are effectively doing the same for the old ones.
Epic failure.
When is the mod-chip coming out?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Sony PS3, SLIM PRESELL 1
Bring the shiny back :(
This seems like a case of too little too late for Sony. With video game purchases already down significantly ( http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=4794 ) for 2009 and the price point for this new console at $300 it begs the question of why not do this 6 months or a year ago? I can't see this causing a large jump in sales when it is priced $100-$150 more than the 360 and Wii, respectively. It seems like Sony just can't quite get its act together with respect to selling the PS3 to the American/European consumer (although it does well in Japan). This Price should have been the price 2-3 years ago (when the 360 and Wii dropped theirs).
According to the BBC the UK price is amazingly £250 or about US$413. Which is a ripoff. At this price there is no way that I would consider buying one.
PS3 (40 GB version): $600
PS3 games: $100
Yeah, I'll skip.
We all reel in shock and awe. We totally did not see that one coming, did we?
The rpice is still a hundred bucks too high for my taste, but it's a step.
150 million PS2s have been sold worldwide. 120 million or so are waiting for the PS3 to drop in price down.
No one gives a shit about some fucking retard and his piece of shit RRoDbox. Upgrade to a PS3. Don't upgrade. The gaming world couldn't possibly care less about the tiny Xbox fanboy niche.
buy a new tv.
How about they release "PS3 Reliable edition"?
Of the two PS3 owners that I know (a friend and myself), both have had the Blue-ray drive fail. And mine failed just after I sold the console on Craigslist, making me look like a fraud.
There have been one or two games I'd like to play that are on the PS3 only, but they are some coming that I'd really like to play (God of War 3, possibly FF XIII, I know there are others). I didn't want to spend $400 for a game or two. Having the price down to $300 helps.
Of course I'm not going to jump at it yet. I'll wait for the inevitable God of War III bundle.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Any news on how much juice the Slim sucks? I heard it would be less.
And I assume that Stanford's Folding client still runs on them?
I've got Linux on mine, but I haven't had a chance to use it much. The annoying thing is that there's no real equivalent to a bootloader. If you set it to boot Linux, it will always boot to Linux until you boot the PS3 "Game OS", at which point it will always boot Game OS until you explicitly change it again. Makes it annoying to experiment with when the kids use it, too.
PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
So, new changes coming to Home. More customization options. More places. Neat, I guess.
Except for the part where they apparently think people are willing to pay $0.29 for a pair of shoes that no one is going to see. Likewise the $5 to buy a new "personal apartment" that basically no one except yourself is ever going to see. (Sure, you can invite friends over to your virtual apartment but, really, how much is it worth to have your virtual self live in the Ghostbusters station?)
Not to mention the charges on logo-ed shirts. I can't remember prices, but I think those were in the $0.50-$1 range. So I'm expected to pay money to be a walking virtual advertisement. Sure...
If the Home avatars had any use outside of Home (like the Miis and the Xbox Live Avatars) I could almost see the more pathetic fanboys paying money to dress them up in a T-shirt with a Ghostbuster logo on it. But $0.50 for a virtual shirt that can only be seen in a single virtual space in which there is essentially nothing to do? Please!
Last time I checked (which was a month ago, so not terribly long ago) PlayStation Home was still just like this Penny Arcade cartoon. The only difference I found from the beta last year is that the stores now actually sell something rather than being completely empty.
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
Does Sony not realize we are in a recession? $300 is not low enough to get people to buy it, especially if people already have PS3s. I know I don't have one, I have my PS2, and that's doing just fine thanks.
Lower it to $199 and maybe I'll think about it.
And that's why Apple's secrecy is so important.
i will not be gettin this as it is over priced
Methinks we needs a taggie.
Sony == rootkit
Don't forget, don't forgive!
Sony will however sell you a PS2 compatibility kit to go with your PS3. It's 100% compatible with all PS2 games and even comes with an original PS2 controller.
I made this same point in a recent article, but somebody pointed out the following reasons why just buying a PlayStation 2 console is not perfect:
The 'fat' PS3's price is being cut to $299 and it retains the "OtherOS" feature.
But how long will the 'fat' PS3 continued to be manufactured?
New Features:
Things People Actually Want:
Thanks a bunch, Sony.
I've always told my friends once the PS3 price would be on par with the 360, it would sell more, why would that be? Because the PS3 is a better console hardware-wise and can play Blu-Ray discs. On games, think about it, most third party games are made for both consoles, the differences are mostly Halo and GoW for the 360 and Uncharted, Gran Turismo, Infamous and others for the PS3. So it is a matter of taste. We'll seethis holiday season wich console sells more.
I want to be able to do more than read Comic Books with a reader program. I want to be able to read PDF, ODF, RTF, HTML, CHM, and other formats that eBooks come in.
If I buy a PSP or Slim PS3, I want an educational value for it as well as a gaming one. I want more than a Language Tutor program or BrainAge, I want to be able to read eBooks as well.
I am sticking to a PS2 because the PS3 price is too high and they took away backwards compatibility with PS2 games on most PS3 models. I might as well buy a Wii because it runs GameCube games, or an XBox 360 with a hard drive that can run XBox games. Sony really needs to learn a lesson here to run legacy software like the others, or risk losing these console wars.
No more Rootkits either, ok? Sony we are sick of them.
Remember, Slashdot does not have a -1 disagree moderation, and no, troll, flamebait, and overrated are not substitutes.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Sure, the PS3 Slim is nice. But what I find interesting is the PSP Digital Reader Service. The (very brief) article mentions that Sony is teasing about extending it beyond comics by the end of the year. Not coincidentally, that's also when they plan to have their eBookstore migrated over to the ePub format. Considering the iPhone/iPod Touch are among the most used digital book-reading devices, and the PSP has a screen resolution that's similar, this could be a very wise move. Assuming this actually happens, you'll also have the ability to buy new releases directly from the PSP using WiFi (something that many people are wishing for in a new Sony eBook reader). Interesting times ahead...
This guy's the limit!
Don't like it? Don't buy it. What's the problem?
Anyone can "stand up for what they believe", but it takes a very brave individual to change what they believe. - Loundry
You forget that we live in a world where people will pay $1.99 for a ringtone, when the a copy of the whole song would cost $0.99.
Not to mention the charges on logo-ed shirts. I can't remember prices, but I think those were in the $0.50-$1 range. So I'm expected to pay money to be a walking virtual advertisement. Sure...
Hell, people pay 20-30 bucks (and more) all the time to be walking real-life advertisements.
This guy's the limit!
...you get a decent midrange gaming PC for $500 these days, with dual core, 4 GB RAM and one of the better 128 bit GPUs. The PS3 still has more CPU power, but I think the PC wins in all other things.
While this is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison, it shows the PS3 is not THAT much cheaper than a PC with decent gaming performance. Which is also useful for your home office. So I tend to agree about "too little too late for Sony".
C - the footgun of programming languages
It's not a problem, so much, as it is a question of whether the new Home content is actually going to be worth anything or if it's all going to be worthless options locked behind a pay wall.
The article says that Home will be getting "new character customization options" - are we expected to pay for these? Since they're currently charging money for the current "character customization options" in the forms of virtual clothing, it seems quite likely that these new options may simply be more paid clothing.
Likewise, the new areas are apparently branded advertising areas. (The examples given were an Audi and SingStar area.) Will there be anything to do there? Or is it yet more walking around 3D models with the option to buy branded clothing?
In other words, is Home still a virtual shopping mall where the only things you can buy are virtual goods that can only be used inside the virtual shopping mall? That's the problem - there's nothing to do in Home except buy useless digital junk.
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
Well, if Sony wanted to entice people to actually participate in Home they'd make that sort of thing free.
And secondly, it's the principle of the thing. Companies only take advantage because people allow them to do so. If consumers formed a united front and took at stand against this sort of nonsense a lot more DLC would be free. It's one think when they're offering a substantial add-on to a game and another thing altogether when it's some costume piece.
I also don't understand how anyone could tolerate paying for clothing emblazoned with gigantic logos. These people have paid to be walking billboard. It's ridiculous in real life and in games, but then I suppose people are more concerned about image than principles.
to describe their probable sales volume. There's very little there in terms of improvements for PS3 owners. For those of us who bailed on PSx line after #2 I don't see anything enticing enough in terms of new features to make me consider purchasing a ps3 slim.
Things People Actually Want:
I'm with you on most of this, except:
PS2 compatibility ... really? I'm a huge gamer, but I just don't go back there anymore. I still have a mini-library of PS1 and PS2 games that I just can't seem to give up (the original 'Tomb Raider' series, 'Ico', 'Colossus', ...) but can't remember the last time I said "hey, I should play that old game." I'm too busy playing the new PS3 games, even games from PSN.
MKV video. I used to think this mattered, but I honestly don't care anymore.
Backup the PS3 ... not really. I move copies of movies and music from my PC to my PS3. So in a way, the PS3 is already a backup of other stuff. For me, I don't care about backing up the PS3. And those games I buy from PSN ... you can re-download them later once you've already purchased them (my friend had to do this after the disc player in his PS3 died, and Sony exchanged his unit for a new one.)
It would be nice if they would have included an infrared port for universal remotes. The PS3 is reportedly the best Blu-Ray player, but it is hard to integrate into many people's home theaters because of the RF remote.
But at least those are real shirts that perform the purpose of a shirt. The virtual shirts do nothing exxcept have a logo, they don't keep you warm.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
Sony is retarded for removing backwards compatibility. It's the only one of the 3 consoles where the developer got the bright idea to remove features.
I bought a PS3 last year since I wanted to play Metal Gear, but I also wanted to get rid of my PS2 (DDR is still played on occasion).
You can still find them on Craiglist/etc. Be sure to look for the 60 GB one as it's the only one that has it in hardware.
(But it's not as good as Nintendo's. You have to buy a memory card converter to actually get save games on it and buy another peripheral if you want to use you Guitar Hero instruments on it (is there another way to play the GH1 track?). But the play itself is solid/perfect as far as I can tell.)
-- Political fascism requires a Fuhrer.
True enough. But I'm sure you've heard kids in the store going "But Mom, that one doesn't have a big Nike swoosh on it."
This guy's the limit!
I agree. What I think they should do is offer those items as accomplishments for in game goals, and have a place to shoe them off. Use the peple desire to collect and show off stuff to sell games.
Shocking, I know.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Yeah, unfortunately they didn't. My PS3 is almost exclusively used for Blu-Ray movies (most games I purchase for my Xbox360 - if Sony would allow developers to use the machine to the fullest rather than parcel out power over the years...)
However, there are options.
If you own a Harmony remote, the Logitech PS3 adapter is the best and cheapest option. And if you have a home theatre, you probably ought to pick up a Harmony.
But then again, if you have a Pronto or other such thing, you probably can find the remote codes for the PS3 adapter as well. If not, you have the IR2BT Tci, a pricey $150 adapter that supports basically whole system integration with its built-in RS-232 port and such. Cheaper option is the PS3toothfairy, which at $55 looks cheap, but you also need to spend $20 on a PS3 remote and install it (it fakes the PS3 button pad).
Who said there was a [problem? what is it with you people who pull out this bullshit when people are just discussing what they don't like about a game?
Ironic, considering your sig.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
"Worlds greatest gaming system"
Based on what? certianly not sales.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Here's a rumor posted on the PSN boards: http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?message.uid=42798489 I said rumor but the post raises some questions that no one has addressed so far:
- "OtherOS" support has been removed.
- A Cheaper Blu-ray drive is being used. It wont be any slower, but expect to see similar issues that another competitor had a while ago.
- Touch-sensitive buttons on the front for power/eject are gone in favour of cheaper push buttons.
This makes the first batch of PS3s that came out, the "best" ones to own (backwards compatibility with PS2 games from having the full emotion engine on hardware, ability to swap in drives as big as 500GB and being able to install other OSes)
Just a satisfied customer.
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
Street Fighter IV did this.
You can get a "Dan" or "Akuma" shirt as unlockables, here's a video showing them off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am3eFHxjT18
So use component for one of them. At HDTV resoloutions and refresh rates that should be more than sufficiant for a good picture.
note: i'm known as plugwash most places but i screwd up registering that here somehow in the past and now can't register
A mod-chip.*
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Microsoft does that shit too. The most annoying thing about the "New Xbox Experience" is all the pages of advertisement crap that I can't disable or get rid of.
They waste my bandwidth to pull down bitmaps and even *movies* that I have absolutely zero interest in ever seeing. There are no options to control this or disable it (other than trying to block it at the firewall; good luck to you).
I get it, they are making a sanitized version of Second Life! Brilliant!
I use my Playstation 3 primarily as a media centre in my bedroom.
Using PS3 Media Server I am able to watch or listen to any format media I have in my collection, streamed and transcoded if necessary. This includes 1080p 264 rips of various shows / movies.
Although the Xbox 360 is also capable of such usage it does it nowhere near as well as the Playstation does in terms of ease of use.
First and foremost: I own a PS3, an Xbox 360, and a Wii. I love all of them.
:- )
My girlfriend loves my Xbox. She bought her own controller that she put stickers on. She's often the one bringing up the idea of playing video games or checking out 1 vs 100.
The draw? She LOVES her Xbox avatar. It seems like every time she comes over she's completely overhauling her outfit. She made an offhand comment about how dressing up her avatar replaces her need to go shopping. Me, on the other hand? I rarely change my avatar. I did give him a monocle a couple of weeks ago; its pretty awesome
But yea, if this stuff doesn't apply to you, don't worry. It isn't meant to. It does, however, bring girlfriends closer to the gaming, which we can all agree is a good thing. Who knew we could learn so much from Nintendo?
And hopefully no longer requiring new power plants for every quarter that has had a few of them under the trees.
Amazon UK have put up a page with the new 120GB PS3 Slim at 249 Pounds Delivered, for the moment ill stick with my PS3 Brick :)
Whos actually gonna buy one ?
So it's an expensive doll house?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Slim?
Time to remake this then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7PhJp3ciRQ
Games are a huge part of the equation. There are hundreds of kid friendly titles out there at modest prices.
- Kid friendly means parents don't want their 5 year olds playing first person shooters, many kid friendly PS2 games, few xbox or PS3.
- Kids tear up DVD game discs at an alarming rate (since difficult and possibly illegal to copy).
- With the large disparity in game quality today, less risk for lower priced games.
With Respect to the Console
- $100 is much easier to swallow than $300-400 when you know the kids are likely going to abuse them anyway.
- PS3 won't play PS2 games (with exceptions, but hard to find).
- A large percentage of households still have SD TV's.
You guessed it, we bought our kids a PS2 for the reasons above. I really wanted a newer system for myself, but simply could not justify the extra expense. If we could have purchased a $200-300 PS3 that was hardware compatible with PS2 games (eliminating the first set of objections), we probably would have purchased that instead.
LED
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
You can get HULU on your PS3? I thought they blocked it.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
For mysterious reasons, Sony is slugging those of us in the EU and Australia an extra US$120 for the honour of buying their console.
When you do the maths based on the prices in each area then they work out at:
US: US$299
EU: US$422
AU: US$413
Converting to local currency, it should really be costing about AU$360 in Australia (not $499, as it will) and 211 euros in Europe (not 299 euros).
Sony, you've done it again!
Read Pynchon.
PS3 Slim - Only two USB ports. I guess you'll need to pick up a USB splitter if you want to play Rock Band. - Still can't stack it. I guess you probably shouldn't anyway, but it's required for some setups. I've seen more than one PS3 perched atop a 360. - I never owned a PS2 of my own, so I'm one of the people who really miss the full, hardware backward compatibility. Price Cut - The price cut has made me reconsider buying a PS3. It was always too expensive for me to justify considering how few quality exclusives it had. At least one of those issues has been resolved. - Why do the hard drives keep getting bigger? Some models had only 20 GB to begin with. It seems that anything less than 120 GB models will be discontinued soon. Home Improvement - ...
- Well, at least Trophies are viewable by your friends through your profile now. Yay Sony.
Pretty much. It looks amazingly like a graphically souped up SL with fixed content. Why they didn't just get Linden Lab to do a client for the PS3 is beyond me, or get the source and do it themselves
The problem is, there isn't enough pretty stuff for female avatars in Home, especially if you're used to having all sorts of stuff in something like Second Life or the Sims. I've got tons of pretty hair, clothes, shoes, and skin (essentially makeup) for my SL avatar, but the choices in Home are less than inspiring.
I totally seen this coming and a month ago I sold my PS3 so that I would not loose money when the old PS3's drop in value.
Why does this exclude playing at the TV? That expensive graphics card almost certainly has DVI output and so will plug into an HDTV, and probably has s-video or composite output for an SD set. Add bluetooth peripherals and you can keep the PC in a cupboard.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
an update that let my BD drive alone. can sony pls explain why BD starts mysteriously to fail all around the world. has to be the only solution (for the bad quarters balance)? a 150$ fee and youÂre ready to go.. dont ship consoles below its cost price no more sony. next time learn how to design and developer good and afordable all in one, customers cant pay sonyÂs some genious director errors. PS3UPDAT = CHEAT
Hi,
I have an old PS/3, with linux already installed.
If I upgrade my firmware to 3.0, will I lose my OtherOS feature on my old PS/3?
thx
Bram
http://www.stolk.org/tlctc
But I'll wait for the old models to drop in price 2nd hand. My local shop currently has 60gbs with PS2 b/c for £250. Once they hit £200 it's mine.
I agree 120Hz is great since it's a common product of frame rates, but the interpolation of any "good system" can be bad for games. The interpolation introduces lag because it delays the picture display while creating the artificial frames. That's bad for any interactive situation, but what's really bad is that some of these TV's don't give you the option to disable it.
I recently overheard somebody trying different types of video cables for his Xbox360 because there was lag on his new LCD. He had no idea it was the new TV causing the problem. And how many salespeople are knowledgeable enough to warn people?