Editorial: Why the PS3 Slim has a slim chance
By Craig Lloyd on Aug 23rd, 2009 at 12:37AM
Sony Entertainment’s newest creation has come as no surprise to most Sony gaming console “fanboys,” as the PlayStation 2 received a newer, slimmer face lift a couple of years after its initial release. It’s now the PlayStation 3′s turn on the surgery bed, but don’t get your hopes up when the September 1st release date rolls around (or late August, according to Amazon). Just like the PS2 Slim, the new PS3 Slim has its major flaws. Yeah sure, this newer revision is – according to Sony – 32 percent smaller, 36 percent lighter and consumes 34 percent less power, but it’s really not all roses.
Since the 120GB PS3 Slim is priced at a tempting $300, Sony has cut prices on their current PS3 models by $100. The existing 80GB model will now be $300, while the 160GB unit will be $400. See the problem? Why pay $300 for a big and bulky 80GB PS3 when you can get the newer, slimmer 120GB PS3 Slim for the same exact price? I don’t get it either.
Did you ever install Linux on your current PS3 to enjoy some awesome retro gaming goodness or just to plain screw around with? Don’t plan on Linux taking control of your PS3 Slim then. Sony has removed the feature that allows you to install your own operating system. This is not a huge deal because it will not affect the majority of mainstream users and there will most likely be a few hacks that will take care of this eventually, but this is a great example of Sony taking away features on new products rather than adding them, but hey, whatever saves a dime.
Sony has still stuck with two USB ports and no media card reader. Older PS3 models had four USB ports and the card reader, but that has yet to make a comeback. I’m not even sure why they removed them in the first place a while back. In my opinion, the more USB ports/card readers, the merrier.
One of the biggest problems you’ll probably encounter with the PS3 Slim will be overheating. The PS2 Slim overheated and so will this next generation most likely. Granted, this new PS3 includes a more power-friendly, 45nm CPU, thus generating less heat, but that doesn’t mean there’s not going to be any heat at all and smaller space equals less cooling fans and smaller heat sinks being used. Prepare to put this baby on an ice block.
If you want to stand the PS3 Slim up vertically, you’ll probably want to buy the overpriced stand ($24), which will be available two days after the console’s release. Due to the skinnier profile of the PS3 Slim, standing it up on its own without the stand might be a difficult task (although some have attested to it) and $24 seems a bit high for a simple piece of plastic. However, be on the lookout for cheaper stands from third-party vendors shortly after its launch.
Sony still wasn’t smart enough to include an IR sensor with the PS3 Slim, which means that handy dandy universal remote control that you’ve grown to love (and probably used on your Xbox 360) will be completely useless towards the PS3 Slim.
Don’t expect the ability to play your old PS2 games on your new PS3 Slim. John Koller, Sony director of hardware marketing, has mentioned that PS2 backwards compatibility will not be coming back. No worries though, just bust out that old PS2 out from under your bed and play those old titles how they’re supposed to be played! If you’re still head over heels for the original PlayStation, you’re in luck. Those games will in fact work on the new PS3 Slim, but all that seems a bit backwards, don’t you think?
Update: I want to quickly address all of the awesome comments I’ve been getting about this editorial (as you can see below). To put it simply, I made a very bold prediction and I turned out being wrong. It happens to the best of us. For the numerous commenters that mentioned this was a biased and opinionated article, congrats on your obvious statement. This is, in fact, an editorial.
I would really like to rip you a new one, but seeing as the first comment already violated your little one i’m forced to just agree with comment #1 :)
You fucking suck.
You deleted all the comments that were here? o_0 Seriously some of them made good points in amongst those that were less than kind to you personally. But yeah, if you deleted them, then you do just suck as per #3!
!. One might pay the same for the 80gb model because they want to install Linux. I’m suprised you asked seeing that you already knew that that was a plus in the fat model. Also some might pay the same just to get a ps3 two weeks earlier. Keep in mind that you can always install a bigger hdd.
2. When Sony takes away a previous hardware feature people like to b*tch and moan but at least it has features to take away unlike the 360.
3. Since their competition doesnt have a built in memory card reader and never has why should the new ps3 slim if it’s already got more value and it’s being sold at the same price.
4. The ps3 slim is the ps3 slim. Not the ps2 slim. You cant say it has problems overheating if you cant prove it. Thats just idiotic and bad journalism.
5. The $24 dollar stand accessory is nothing compared the the wifi add-on, hd dvd add-on, extra controller, live subscription, and repair costs of the competitor.
6. Once again the 360 never had complete bc so why should the ps3 slim bring it back now that they sell for the same?
This article is an epic fail. Prove me wrong.
http://www.techolive.com... hmm… I’m never coming back here again.
Craig Lloyd… hmm… I’m never reading your articles again.
It seems too many gamers and media whores are too busy supporting badly made, cheap hardware instead of voting with their wallets, showing Microsoft that they won’t stand for shoddy quality. It’s a shame so many people have no balls to stand up for morals anymore.
10. It won’t scratch your discs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CYuyJ4L7aE (and Blu-rays all have protective coating)
It’s even better at playing scratched discs too:
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2006/12/6237.ars
9. Store videos on the hard drive.
Unlike the 360, you can use your massive hard drive as you want.
You can even stream or copy your own HD videos to it with the free PS3 Media Server.
Plus using the web browser, you can download videos and other media straight from the internet. Get your own wallpaper that way if you like.
8. Region free games:
Everyone complained about this and now you have the first console in history to fix that and it still doesn’t make you happy. C’mon now. Chill out and import Aquanaut’s Holiday already.
7. Freedom!
Use your own charge cable, use a keyboard and mouse, make your own themes, your own Bluetooth headset, your own accessories (arcade stick, fighting sticks, PC controllers, steering wheels, etc.), upgrade your hard drive to 500GB if you want! The 360 won’t recognize any of your existing USB devices as they are locked out unless they pay a fee to Microsoft, so if you’re short a controller when your buddy comes over to play Call of Duty, unlike the PS3, you can’t grab your Logitech PC controller as backup. And unless you have the Slim, you can even install Linux. There’s also less limitations with the space of Blu-ray, the standard hard drive and a non-gimped download service (XBLA’s limit is a measly 350MB for most games), showing that Sony would rather not limit the dream of developers to create the best game possible.
6. It’s an amazing DVD upscaler
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2007/05/sonys-newest-update-adds-720p-blu-ray-support-and-upscaling-capabilities.ars
5. Oh and it’s such a good Blu-ray player too
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/11/25/sonys-playstation-3-tops-another-best-blu-ray-player-list/
so good that the Criterion Collection uses it as reference
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10016208-1.html
4. Built in:
Wi-fi, web browser, hard drive, excellent cooling system, long-lasting batteries for the controller. It’s an amazing all-in-one system.
3. Less disingenuous:
400 Microsoft points = $5.00, hm, I wonder why. On PSN things use real currency, so you can buy what you want and there’s no need for silly points increments to take more of your money. They don’t sell $10 battery packs which are just 2AAs in a case. They don’t rape you on costs for charge cables and wi-fi adapters and proprietary hard drives.
2. Games
Yes, the games.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS3_exclusives
That’s just the exclusives and multiplatform games are the same and have been for quite some time. Aside from Ghostbusters being the only real exception, they’ve been identical with 360 for years, and trophies have been mandatory since the start of the year. No, generic shooter #24127 isn’t on PS3, but a superior version is probably on PC if you care that much.
1. It’s reliable, PS3 is built to last and it doesn’t sound like a jet engine when you use it.
http://www.ps3vault.com/how-to-kill-a-ps3-console-1975
oh yeah and there’s this
http://consumerist.com/5338852/xbox-360-failure-rate-is-542-percent-game-informer-finds
You are a dumb-ass. This article blows.
What this price drop does is ensure that the PS3 will definitely survive as a gaming platform, with the best first party game developers in the business and outstanding third party support. Just like the xbox, this is a fantastic machine. (but with bluray and without the failure issues)
Only fanboys care about console wars.
the PS3 slim is a great piece of gaming equipment and it’s head and shoulders above the 360. Although I do own a 360 (on my 5th one btw, I’ll let you guess why) the PS3 is much more reliable and is the only high-performance gaming console on the market. Until now, if you couldn’t afford one you had to go with the 360 but now even the low-income folks will be able to afford the PS3 and get ready to watch the PS3′s sales rise.
*Cough*
God Craig dont you know that 45NM chips cant overheat? Its physically impossible dumbface. Besides, the PS3 slim does infact totally pwn the 360. Even if its not out yet and I’ve never been able to use it and see its disabilities. It also has great third party support like…umm…well, its better then 360 and its Xbox live, and XNA, and .Net framework and Creators Club. Also, the PS3 doesnt need backwards compatibility. Dont you know we’re all dumb fools with stuffed pockets. We’ll just buy a PS2 alongside our new PS3′s.
Also this song is totally wrong,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OwXMWwHYuA
Lol, if you did the research thoroughly you would notice that the new chip is smaller, making the power go to a 2/3 of the fat PS3, that means less heating, which means less cooling is needed. Don’t you think Sony is learning from their mistakes? You’re just making biased assumptions… and I have no idea why… although you smell like a microsoft fapboy :)
Hey Craig, when you get back from teh Future, bring me some X1080 (whatever M$ names its 5 POS gen console) alright?!
You got some real talent there…doing such amazing assumptions….as PS3 WILL overheat and such…as some of my predecessors already wrote, your lack of research skills are astounding…
Keep your fanboy misinformed sh*t out of the interwebs plz!
And so, another POS article hopping for hits get it exactly what it deserves (besides the hits…) PWNAGE!
wow, just another ignorant M$ fanboy posting his jealous ass shyte becuz he couldn’t afford a real system …sad
This is little more than a mishmash of complaints with out any substance and with little evidence backing it up. I guess the point was to stir up some controversy, generate some “hits” if you will.
Anyone with half a brain should realize this commentary (and webpage) is a load of crap.
Yeah, try harder next time little guy. If you’re going to say how one system is better than the other, you can’t use issues with one (that are proven) and list them as negatives for the other. I’m talking about over-heating, lack of features, lack of memory options and over-priced add-ons. You’re either a fanboy or a retard, or maybe both since fanboys are retarded.
Wow, what a pretentious hater you are.
1) No one gives a damn about a Linux OS, hence why it was removed to save money.
2) People care even less about a card reader, hence why it was removed and it’ll never come back to the PS3.
3) They reduced the price of the 80GB model after the majority of stock was cleared, as the slim had been around since July. Would it kill you to do some research on your article topic, or is that too much to ask for, and the best your readers can expect is an unsubstantiated bash at Sony?
4) Nice crystal ball there mate. “One of the biggest problems you WILL encounter with the Slim is overheating”. I’m going to presume you’ve had your slim overheat many a time?
5)There are videos showing the slim can be stood vertically without the need for a stand.
Would it have hurt to have mentioned the things that mattered. e.g. the price cut, the larger HDD?
How about the less speculative bullsh*t, like the HDD is noisier, but the console is quieter overall, or what about little features such as it no longer has touch buttons?
I guess because you can’t put a negative slant on them you didn’t bother to mention them.
Plus, who the f**k owns a univeral remote control? People who don’t live in moms basement.
PS. Sales have already increased in the US by 30% for the PS3, and that’s before the Slim model has actually gone on sale. So much for your “slim chance”.
The PS3 slim will “Melt Away” the 360? Yeah, let’s see how well that goes over once they release Project Natal.
mate you’ve obviously done no research.
its not called the slim.
no where on the box or console or even in the press release does it say slim, its the PS3 LITE not the PS3 SLIM, lites not on the box but that is the official name.
the system runs A SHIT LOAD! quieter, i have one in my office now its been downloading the wet demo and has been for several hours because my nets been capped, and i cant hear its on and its cool as a cucumber.
sonys removed allot of the vents on the top side of the console, they have removed some of the fans so its bloody obvious they wouldn’t do that if there’s risks of heating problems.
the only console that had heating problems was my original 60GB launch system, took it into sony and its been much better, not as good as the lite but still good.
im sick of the press shooting down what ever sony does.
first its to expensive.
than it has no games.
now it has heating issues?
do you even have a lite, and stress tested it?
dident think so.
the media hate of the ps3 needs to end its pathetic, i dont understand why the media loves to hate the ps3.
the lite ps3 runs a hell of allot quieter and cooler than the ps3 fat.
and i love it how you try to make it sound bad on sony for dropping the price of the fat ps3 till the lite releases.
how the …. is that a bad thing?
you, i, lots of people would want the fat ps3 because it looks a hell of allot better than the slim, that matt finish looks so cheap.
i wanted, and was buying a ps3 lite till i saw that crappy cheap finish and clunky buttons instead of the nice futuristic touch buttons.
in fact i think the ps2 slim looks better than the ps3 lite………. now thats sad.
I smell a troll.
Are you paid by microsoft to write this sort of garbabe? You wouldn’t be the first to be an online hate minion.
@Lucas Carter
Project Natal? Nothing really new for playstation. The ps2 eye had something kinda like what natal is doing now and that was years ago. Natal maybe improved it but there is a ps3 eye and the motion control wands. Look up eye toy for ps2. No controllers needed. Natal is only building on that but so is sony so natal isnt as groundbreaking as most think
Wow, look at all these keyboard warriors, can’t even use their real names.
I agree with most of Craig’s points, although, consoles in general suck. PC gaming FTMFW!
Wow this is a really bad article. How bias can you get. You could at least though a couple positive features just to make it seem fair. But no, you could to go into full blown fanboy rant mode. Before everyone attacks me for being a PS3 fanboy, I’m a xbox 360 owner and I’m thinking about getting a PS3 because of the slim. This is exactly what I have been waiting for.
im wondering what PS3 fanboy forum this link got posted in to get this kind of reaction, obviously people dont care about playing good games, they just want a cool looking box to sit on their entertainment center/milk crate. i mean who cares about halo, natal, xbox live, netflix streaming and all the other cool stuff the xbox does, i just want a cool black box to complement the interior of my moms basement.
@KillaK3
First of all, great name. Secondly, The PS2 Eye? I’m fully aware about how it came out years before the 360. The reason why nobody cares? It was a terrible piece of crap. The most fitting feeling I have about it (and a chunk of sony products) would be best summed up by The Onion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyVh1_vWYQ
“BUILT TO ASS!” can you tell me what this actually means??? i understand you are trying to make a play on words but can you at least have it make sense? and this is a big boy forum where you already said ass so why write “PR*CK” lmao
Did I touch a nerve “big boy”!? YES I DID LOL! OK I’LL SAY IT! YOU’RE A PRICK!! Built to ass makes perfect sense in comparison to xbox 360! ASS = SHIT….XBOX 360 = SHIT!!!
Notice how Josh Stump, or the PRICK, as we all know him, didn’t have anything positive to say about the 360, he just took a cheap shot at pointing out that I typed PR*CK instead of PRICK and then apparently he laughed his ass off about it!! (I think he needs to get out more) Well from now on, instead of writing PRICK, I’ll write Josh stump! Example: Josh stump is a Josh stump and he sticks his Josh stump in his xbox360 = ASS
haha, i personally don’t care about any system, i just get a laugh out of people having no lives and needing to defend a piece of plastic to make themselves feel good. does that get you off or something?
P.S. im not the prick you were referring to in the previous statement so if you are going to talk shit about someone you should probably be consistent in who that someone is, at least call me a different name lol
You’re a bit of a doofus aren’t you Josh stump? You say you “don’t care about any system, u just get a laugh out of people having no lives and needing to defend a piece of plastic to make themselves feel good! Yet you have tried to defend the 360 in a previous comment and if you get a laugh out of people having no lives then your life must be even worse than having no life!
P.S You weren’t the original prick I was talking about but you made it clear that a prick is what you are, and no, I don’t have to only talk shit about one person (is that a rule where you come from??) I could have called you something else (CUNT) but I was happy with my decision…YOU FUCKING JOSH STUMP (PRICK)
im not going to argue about who has what kind of life because im better than that and dont need to prove anything to some little kid on a forum, all im going to say is i understand that the ps3 is an ok system but what really makes it worth getting this worked up over….you tell me that and I’ll tell you what a vagina feels like ~ daniel tosh slightly modified to fit the situation
Sooo…..I WIN! No but thank’s Craig Lloyd for being a man and owning up to being wrong unlike the Josh stump! By the way Josh stump, what does a vagina feel like?……(A Little while after Josh stump read this comment, he went back to his mom just so he could try and work out what a vagina actually felt like!) FUCKING YOUR MOM IS WRONG YOU JOSH STUMP!!!
“By the way Josh stump, what does a vagina feel like?”
I lol’d.
But, remember; ‘internet bullying’ is BAD! If this is happening to your child, get help!
LOLouder! “if you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the…xbox360….sorry that was crap lol!”
Yo man I think both you guys should jus kiss n make up!
Darren Dallas, you one funny ass nigga! even if you a white boy
You two need your own side-show. The amount of abuse here is pure gold.
While you guys are here, don’t forget to check out the other articles. Who knows, maybe you’ll find another article to start a nice flamewar over.
would like to make note that none of the ps2 slims suffer from overheating – the first slims (70000 series) that were equipped with the PVR-802W laser suffered from a random hardware error which froze the chip controlling the coils on the laser responsible for focusing the lens. problem with this is that when the chip freezes, it holds voltage to the coils which then melt the plastic lens if you don’t kill the power within a few second. this can happen the first time you turn it on or after 2 years of problem free use. usually during the boot up cycle and more likely with difficult to read media (burnt dvd movie/copied game). while it was a major flaw, it’s pretty silly to suggest that because ‘something’ happened to ‘something’ ages ago, you can look forward to the same thing happening to ‘something else’. I went searching for any genuine flaws or issues with the new model before I buy one, ended up reading an article full of unfounded speculation that was about as useful as a used band-aid.
Myself and some others owned PS2 Slims back in the day and all of us had heating issues with it. I’d always have to put mine on blocks and point a box fan at it to keep it cool. Not sure if we all just happened to get defective units, but my experiences weren’t great with the PS2 Slim.
My PS2 slim also overheats regularly
they feel warm to touch because the heat sinks are very close to the top of the case on the left.
they monitor their own temperature… if it ACTUALLY overheats it will turn off and the standby light will flash red. if you’re having other problems it’s got nothing to do with overheating. if it does turn itself off either the fan is jammed because someone has stepped on it… or you have it in a relatively sealed space where the air just goes round and around (like a tv cabinet).
i’ve found that most people if they have a problem at all with any type of console… the first thing they notice is that it is warm/hot and then proceed to blame that for their problems.
remember the kid who put his xbox 360 power supply in a plastic bag and in a pot of water while running to cool it down? poor guy was experiencing the first stage of motherboard problems and ‘by the power of the internets’ managed to electrocute himself!
It does that. Turns off, standby light flashes red. Fan spins fine. I’ve even been playing it OUTSIDE and it’s turned itself off from overheating. This was on a relatively cool day of 20degrees C
So, where’s your answer for my problem repair tech? Oh, what’s that? It’s so common that you don’t have one?
Darnell, how come I’ve had 3 PS2 Slim’s. First overheated and died. Second, the laser wore out and costs too much to replace, so I just bought a new one. And my current one, overheats, and I’m afraid it’s going to die soon, ya jackass.
Shit man! 3 PS2 Slims?! They alllllll fucked up?! You are one unlucky mother fucker lol! Did you break a mirror or something?? I think you should stop buying your ps2 slims from the 2nd hand store, ya ssakcaj.
i knew it was a bad idea sharing information gathered from working with hundreds and hundreds of ps2s over the last 7 years. for my own sanity i won’t reply again. dylan you should try and work out what you’re are doing wrong, we have a lot of really stupid customers doing some really stupid shit to their consoles, and nobody has ‘luck’ like that. good luck!
There are not a lot of PC gamers simply because it’s expensive to be a PC gamer. A console costs around $300-$400 while a decent gaming PC can cost anywhere from $700 to well over thousands of dollars. Also, as PC games get more graphic intensive, you have to upgrade your PC, which obviously costs even more money.
Lol. Because games are cheaper, the platform is crap. Is that right Darnell?
LOL……yes.
And for someone that doesn’t think too much of consoles, you sure have a funny way of showing it by suposedly buying THREE PS2 SLIMS YOU IDIOT! PC Games are SHIT and I’d rather be sitting infront of my 50″ TV than a fuckin pc monitor while I play my games!
Some people hook up their PCs to their big screen TVs sometimes. It’s not like PC gamers are limited to a certain screen size.
No I was just being stupid earlier, can’t diss pc’s they’re what makes the world go round, but consoles are much easier and more practical for gaming, they look better, don’t cost as much and have great games made for them, I think saying that pc’s are far superior when it comes to gaming is a bit of a snobby and exagerated comment! And yeah, 3 ps2 slims for someone that doesn’t like consoles just sounds stupid.
PC’s ARE far superior. And I didn’t buy three myself, they were gifts. But then again, you’re probably from Texas, and the only gifts you get from there is your fathers cock.
LOL! “PC’s ARE far superior” You li’l whining bitch! You talk SHIT! So I’m “probably from Texas” huh? (NEW YORK ACTUALLY) Well then you PROBABLY from FAGLAND where you SUCK ASSS ALL DAY…you stupid, daddy fuckin, inbread cunt. You shouldn’t use people on forums as a way of passing on all those bad memories of when daddy used to sneak in your room at night and say “pssst…. if you suck daddy’s dick and let me fuck you in the ass, I’ll buy you another PS2 slim” YOU 3 PS2 SLIMS DADDY FUCKERRRRRRRRRR!…..
Lol. How am I whining? Just stating fact. Not going to bother arguing, the mentally retarded can’t see sense.
You ain’t statin’ shit daddy fucker! Yeah people usually stop arguing when they are losing! BUT…. I see where you are coming from now and why you are so defensive over your PC bullshit…..pc’s are far superior…..AT FINDING YOUR GAY PORN, YOU ASS SUCKIN, DADDY FUCKING, CUM GARGLING, FAGLAND CITIZEN!!!
i really love the playstation but when i test the ps3 slim OMG its hot on the backside…and im thinking would it last for a 24hrs playing time….
you guys are all morons.
Yes it did die. Sony don’t want to know about it either.
OMGLMAOROFLWTFSTFUYOUFAIL!
What was that about people who are losing usually stop arguing???
I’ve been readin through that dick head’s comments (Dylan campton) and back up a bit, he’s talkin about he’s ps2 slim over heating and PC’s bein far superior…..what the fuck are you doin still playin a ps2 slim anyway you divvy cunt? Go fuck a pc you lying little wanker :)
You’ve been found out, daddy fucker! Fanboy or not, everyone can see you’re just a lying weasel! keep writing your dumbass comments, and we’ll just keep shooting you down.
Lol. Have spoken to Sony 5 times about it. They want the store to replace it, store keeps telling him to go to Sony. Where does the crap end?
Just incase someone takes a cheap shot at me spelling Obvious “obious” I already know so shhhhh….
Why would I have to lie? Have you not read all over the internet how shit playstations are? Come back when you’re not a blind fanboy
We’re going to disable comments on this post for now on. This has pretty much turned into a useless fanboy argument. Please argue elsewhere.