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The slim PS3 is Sony’s downsizing bid to prolong the lifespan of its next gen console and lure new gamers in with a lower pricetag. But six months on from its release, how has it faired? Have revamped innards, a smaller shell and money off convinced you to slap down your hard earned? Read our full slim PS3 review to see what we make of this gaming colossus half a year after it hit the shelves.
Read the rest of our slim PS3 review
Slim PS3 review: Media and storage
Slim PS3 review: Design and build
Slim PS3 review: Online abilities
On the design front, the slim PS3 is a near total improvement on the classic/fat/chubby original PS3. The new matte finish may not be for everyone, but we love the look of the non-shiny coating, and no one can complain about having a bigger hard drive (120GB or 250GB) in a smaller console, for less than before. It still looks much fresher under our telly than the ageing model did six months after we first bought one.
It’s not magic, and Sony’s not cut any corners: the march of time has merely meant that it can stick in a smaller processor that’s just as powerful but can chill in a smaller cabinet, all while keeping the graphics and framerates as spiffy as ever. It’s true that the original PS3 was an obscene behemoth, and though the slim PS3’s curved top means it won’t take set top boxes balanced on top of it still, the size reduction is still a real winner.
Slim PS3 review: online abilities
While Sony’s switched plenty of ports and features in and out over the PS3 generations, the only one we’re genuinely annoyed to see absent still is support for PS2 games. We don’t mind that the number of USB ports is now down to two from four, or that we can’t run Linux on it, but it’s genuinely stingy to remove the PS2 support older models had. And should Sony start offering PS2 games to download on the PlayStation Store, it will be a real slap in the face for anyone with a batch of old games gathering dust. This remains a niggle with the new Slim PS3 and one we’d dearly love to see fixed in any forthcoming updates.
Still, it’s an issue that may never affect you if you simply want to play new titles. If anything, what really clinches the slim PS3 for us isn’t the new hardware, but the software updates and expanding games catalogue we’ve seen since launch in September.
One of our gripes with the PS3 over the years has been a limited games catalogue compared to the Xbox 360, but we can honestly say that those days of drought are over and it’s only getting better. The must have Xbox exclusives evoking green eyed envy are dwindling, and if you’ve not played any next gen console already, the list of essential titles will already ruin many a weekend: Metal Gear Solid 4, Fallout 3, Modern Warfare 2, Grand Theft Auto 4, Heavy Rain, God Of War 3, the list goes on. It seems this revitalised model has coincided with some corking titles, making it even more of an essential purchase than when it came out last year.
The Xbox 360’s updates in recent years have simply seen bigger hard drives deemed the order of the day. Microsoft unveiled its new, cheaper version of the 360 Elite at the same time as the PS3 Slim, and while it’s still an ace console, it still has the same look and feel. The Slim PS3 has, for us, pushed Sony ahead in the race for console domination. PS3 Move will doubtless consolidate this position if it can hit the market ahead of Project Natal.
On the software front, the PlayStation Network now sports plenty of genuinely useful features, from BBC iPlayer streaming to movie rentals on the PlayStation Store, in standard or high definition. The choice of titles is wide, and the background download and streaming options work perfectly: we simply await TV shows landing on the shelves to make it even better. Game downloads and demos work like a charm too, and we’ve never run into any problems buying anything on the PlayStation Store: that access to it and the PlayStation Network as a whole is free is also worth considering if you’re turned off by the subscription fees of Microsoft’s equivalent Xbox Live. The Big M doesn’t appear to be dropping its prices any time soon, so the Slim PS3 remains the best option for those who’d rather save their cash for new games and Blu-rays.
Even if you’d rather play Ludo than the latest first person shooter, we’d actually recommend the slim PS3 still as the Blu-ray player to buy too. It’s reasonably priced as a standalone Blu-ray slinger, has excellent picture quality, a hard drive and other ways to play media too. Nab a PS3 remote control, hook it up to a computer on your home network with free software, and you can simply stream videos over the air form your sofa: with the right file format, it works perfectly. It’ll also play 3D Blu-ray discs too once the requisite update is rolled out, so you’ll be future proofed should you decide to put down for one of those new fangled 3D TVs. If anything, this means the Slim PS3 has improved in its very short lifetime.
Slim PS3 review: Media and storage
What’s actually earned the PS3 an extra star as it’s aged is the evidence of Sony following through on its commitment to a much longer life cycle than ever before. You’re not going to buy a slim PS3 now and then find a PS4 making it redundant come Summer. Sony’s in this for the longhaul, and given the slim PS3’s expanding skills, we’re happy for that to be the case.
The slim PS3 isn’t perfect, but over the generations and years of updates, it’s gradually evolved into the best of the three consoles, managing to satisfy both hardcore gamers with next gen graphics, and casual thumbpad jockeys by acting as a universal set top Blu-ray box too. Now that the price has finally fallen out of the absurd range it once lounged in and is still sailing south, the only reason not to buy one is owning an earlier PS3. The Slim PS3 is every bit as good, if not better, than when it rocked up in September 2009.
Read the rest of our slim PS3 review
Slim PS3 review: Media and storage
Slim PS3 review: Design and build
Slim PS3 review: Online abilities
