The slim PS3 aims to do away with the reputation of the original chubby PS3. No more is it gargantuan, garish and glossier than an iPod nano wearing lipstick. But is the mini, matte and streamlined version an improvement? Read our slim PS3 review: design and build verdict to find out.
Read the rest of our slim PS3 review
Slim PS3 review: Six months on
Slim PS3 review: Media and storage
Slim PS3 review: Online abilities
We won’t beat around the bush: the slim PS3 is a massive improvement on the older model, if in beauty more than brains. It’s thinner and has a noticeably smaller profile, solving a major issue: you can now squeeze this model in plenty of TV cabinets, and since it’s a third lighter, it won’t cause the shelves to sag either.
The slim PS3 looks better too: gone is the Spiderman font logo, with the matte finish also representing a pleasing change, so you won’t have smeary fingerprints marring it. It actually puts the PS3 above the Xbox 360 when it comes to looks, though we wouldn’t buy a console based on that.
Slim PS3 review: Media and storage
Like the original PS3, the slim PS3 actually has Wi-Fi built in. It’s a vital feature for people living in pads where ethernet cables don’t grow on trees, and means you don’t have to shell out for an extra adapter (Yes, we mean you Microsoft.)
The headline addition though has to be the hard drive: where previous baseline versions topped out at 20, 40 or 60GB, the slim PS3 offers 120GB at the lowest price. As we mentioned in our slim PS3 media and storage review, that’s enough space to cram in 80 movies, but Sony slips in an extra bonus with the PS3. Grab a screwdriver and you can simply switch out the hard drive for an even bigger one of your own: it’s a surprisingly open gesture from Sony and one we’re glad has stayed present throughout the PS3 generations.
Sony hasn’t simply shrunk the plastic casing with the slim PS3 of course: a smaller (not slower) processor inside helps, and it has another benefit too: it’s more power efficient, and as well as saving you pennies on your leccy bill and massaging your green ego, it also results in quieter playback, something the keen eared will notice while watching movies.
The PS3 controller meanwhile hasn’t changed with the slim PS3, though that’s no bad thing. While we still don’t like the SixAxis tilting control it allows for (It’s weak, gimmicky and even caused a drastically different outcome in the game Heavy Rain through being unresponsive), it’s otherwise more comfortable than the clumpy Xbox 360 gamepad, and can be recharged so you won’t race through packets of AA cells as you will with a WiiMote.
At a glance then, the slim PS3 is a perfect upgrade that appears to keep everything intact while thinning things down and bunging in a few extra specs. Dig a little deeper though and you’ll find the slim PS3 loses a few options, some crucial, and some niche. First up, Sony has fiddled with the port options once more. The camera memory card slots of the first generation PS3 are still missing, but it’s also dropped the number of USB ports, from four to two. Neither has proved an issue for us though, thanks to the PS3′s media streaming skills, but for serious shutterbugs it could be nuisance.
The option to run Linux has also been removed, so if you’re the hacking type, you might want to look for an older PS3 on eBay instead. Much more disappointing though is the continued lack of PS2 support: first and second PS3s will play the older generation’s discs. The slim PS3 however, will not, so if you’ve got a big back catalogue this could be a dealbreaker.
Slim PS3 review: Online abilities
Our big bug bear with the slim PS3′s design and build though is its inability so stay steady upright. While the original PS3 is thick enough to balance, the slim PS3 will totter. To get round this, Sony will sell you a separate stand to stop it toppling over. That’s not a hugely satisfying or slim alternative, and we can’t help but feel that if Sony had made one side just a bit more loaded it’d stand tall without an extra crutch.
Box balancing aside, we’re smitten with the slim PS3′s design and build. Unless you plan on going back to PS2 games regularly, it ticks all the right boxes, for a cheaper price than ever before. Does it have the content and media savvy software to excel over the Xbox 360 though? Check out the rest of our slim PS3 review to find out.
Read the rest of our slim PS3 review
Slim PS3 review: Six months on
Slim PS3 review: Media and storage
Slim PS3 review: Online abilities
