[GC09] PS3 Slim officially revealed

[DPyro]

You save money by not selling PS3 hardware to places that use it purely for research. Research means they don't sell as many games.

[Bhav]

Glad they're standardising the logos/colours. Definitely grown to like the new "PS3" logo on the unit, and all the videos from GamesCom on the Store feature the new designs...looks really nice.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Or they are planning on using the CELL in a PS4, making a pre-emptive look at next-gen BC.

PS2 BC didn't drive a stake through the PSOne. That still sold over 100 million units, too.

Yes but the PS2 BC coming back NOW, will.

The PS2 software is all dried up, you really only get crap now. People are buying PS2s because they're $99 but also because they can't play PS2 games on a PS3.

Why do you think the PS2 has kept selling years after the PS3 has been in stores? Two main reasons

a) PS3 price

and

b) PS3 has no BC

Now that the price is $100 cheaper, one issue is lessened, more people will want a PS3 now. More people buying and using a PS3 means less PS2 usage, even further less PS2 usage if it had BC, then in return that equals PS2 selling less.

PS2 is making clear cut profit, at over 100k units a month (in the USA alone) that's still a tidy profit. Sony are relying on that small profit to aid the megaton of losses due to the PS3, the PS2 didn't have a megaton of losses against the PS1.

My analysis of it, I'd say it's pretty clear if BC is ever coming back not a single word will be peeped about it until it's ready to be released. A "no comment" to a journalist will immediately = internet going bat **** insane with "BC confirmed". Therefore completely destroying peoples hopes will hopefully = people buying a PS2 for Sony.

Think of it as another "Rumble is not needed in a controller just buy 4 sixaxis controllers" scenario.

[FlibbyFlobby]

Perhaps removing the "Other OS" option is a clever move to shift units. In that Ars Technica review Koller says the old models will still allow "Other OS" installs. If lots of research facilities want to take advantage they'll have to soon, helping Sony clear they remaining fats. Just a thought.

[Kushan]

It's pretty easy to work out why they're removing OtherOS support:

Does it make Sony any money? Y/N

[Belazor]

I bet once the PS3 begins to turn a profit for Sony like the PS2 does, we'll see the ability for devs to hook into Life with PlayStation to create functionality similar to Folding@Home.

The potential for PS3s to be used for something good like that shouldn't be ignored, but I can completely understand them not wanting to sell with unneeded losses.

Besides, who used OtherOS except research facilities? The guy that got Vista running with an amazing boot time of 25 mins? Did any of you here have, or do you know of anybody that has, a real reason for even wanting it? :p

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Arstechnica updated their article on the power brick

[update: after watching a few unboxing videos, it actually doesn't look like they'll be a power brick. There must have been some confusion on this question.]

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

All the new prices

US:$299

EU:299€

Canada $299

Japan:29980

UK:?249.99

AU:$499.95

Australian Neowin, what was it before? $500 still seems a lot, but I have no idea what Australian $ is like.

[Bhav]

$499 over there seems really good compared to what they were paying at launch (closer to 1000 i think!)

And ?249 for the UK seems fair. I object to simple currency conversions, but for those who insist...converting 249 to euros at today's exchange rates suggests the UK is getting is cheaper;))

[GameOverRob]

The only good thing about it is the new logo. The rest of it is frickin' awful. Definitely a low point in Sony's design history.

Nah the best thing about it is that it is now matte and not glossy.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Update on noise as well

Update 3: While our tests were far from thorough, the initial results from our quick-and-dirty decibel ratings show some promise. At a baseline average of 49 db, the Slim averages between 53 and 56 db when in use / playing a game / installing data (in this case, Metal Gear Solid 4), compared to the 55 to 57 db of the original. Blu-ray movie playback is where it becomes noticeable, as the slim peaked for us at 60 db when the original was doing 70 db running the same disc.

It's a little bit quieter then.

[Joel]

$499 over there seems really good compared to what they were paying at launch (closer to 1000 i think!)

And ?249 for the UK seems fair. I object to simple currency conversions, but for those who insist...converting 249 to euros at today's exchange rates suggests the UK is getting is cheaper;))

You guys are getting hosed, though. The 299 Euros equals almost $500 CAD.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

IGN unboxing is quite detailed,

For those that don't want to read they have a video unboxing as well - http://ps3.ign.com/dor/articles/1015007/gc...ing_081609.html

GC 2009: PlayStation 3 Slim Impressions

Did Sony up the ante with its hardware revision and price drop? We chime in with hands-on impressions of the machine in action.

US, August 18, 2009 - Unless you've been living under a rock, you've likely heard that Sony officially announced the PlayStation 3 slim model today, technically still just known as the PlayStation 3. Fortunately for us, Sony was kind enough to drop off a system to our office a couple hours after the announcement so we've been able to hold it, caress it and even play a game or two on it.

The biggest thing is that the system is smaller, obviously. Give or take, it's about an inch-and-a-half shorter, roughly an inch thinner and actually about half-an-inch wider than the old one. It's not a huge difference in size, but it's noticeable. What's more impressive though is its weight reduction. Sony says it's more than 30% lighter, and you can immediately tell. Lugging it around between home and work will be a fair bit easier on our backs, which is nice.

As far as the internals go, you'll find the same parts here as most of the current systems, including WiFi, Bluetooth, a Blu-ray drive (obviously) and all that. It ships with a 120GB HDD which is indeed removable. There's a little flap on the bottom of the system that you flip over to reveal the famous blue screw, and undoing that loosens the drive tray and allows it to slide out from the front. The system only includes two USB ports, so get your hubs ready if you need more than that.

The startup sound has changed slightly. It's still an orchestra sound, but it sounds like it's more string-heavy than the previous opening. It's subtle, and if you weren't using a PS3 day-to-day previously, you might not notice the change. The new PS3 logo pops up on the screen at startup to let you know that you're using the new system, however.

Other than that, it's pretty much the same thing. The XrossMediaBar is obviously identical (though the Other OS option is gone, so you can't use Linux that way anymore). We tried a disc/HDD speed test by installing Street Fighter IV on the new system and an old 60GB, and while the slim console finished a handful of seconds faster, we're chalking that up to simple install time variance rather than a real-world speed boost. In any case, it was a few second difference off of a ten-minute install, so there's not much time saved there even if it's repeatable.

So that's the factual part of our presentation. Now we're going to turn to Chris Roper, Editor-in-Chief of the IGN PlayStation Team, Greg Miller, Editor on the PS Team, Ryan Clements, Associate Editor on the PS Team, and Scott Lowe, IGN Gear's Editor, to see what we think of the redesign.

Chris Roper's Impressions

I've done most of the playing around with the system today, and while I like the size, and especially the weight, now that it's up and running on my desk there's nothing "new" for me to do with it. That's not a bad thing, but if you already have a PlayStation 3 and aren't hurting for shelf space, there's not really any reason to upgrade.

But, this system wasn't made for me. I've had a system from Day 1, so Sony already had my money and continues to get my cash for game purchases. Instead, this is for the folks who have been waiting for the right chance to buy the system, and this is a pretty good change. Everyone in the office kept coming over to check it out today, which is a good sign in terms of general interest. With people just talking about the hardware again, that should mean good things for the PS3's future.

And then there's the price drop, which is really what this whole thing is all about, and is easily the most important aspect of it. If the redesign was necessitated for a price drop, then I'm glad it's here today rather than a year from now (even though there maybe could have been a more significant size reduction). That $299 price tag is much, much more enticing for people than the previous $399 sticker (and certainly the original $499/$599 price as well). And now that games like Uncharted 2, God of War III and Gran Turismo 5 are all just over the horizon, lots and lots of people are finally at the point where it's time to buy.

So thumbs up from me.

Greg Miller's Impressions

Well, it's definitely smaller. Personally, I always thought that the original PS3 got a bad rap for being a big machine. I think the big guy looks sleek and cool under my TV, but whatever. In terms of the slimmer PS3, I do like that it's lighter and thinner, that it has buttons I can actually push down on rather than ones I have to hold and hope work, and that it's packing a simple color scheme of black and silver. There's no multicolor PlayStation logo there to catch the eye ? even though you can't rotate the Slim's logo to match its horizontal or vertical orientation. It's a stupid thing, but I always find myself changing the logo's rotation based on how I've set my system up. I don't particularly dig the new "PS3" engraving on the body, but I can't deny that this thing looks good on my desk. Damn good.

Still, all of these impressions are meaningless. The system is $299. Praise the Lord! It could look like a rotary phone and I'd be excited. So many of my cheap friends are about to get on the PlayStation Network it's not even funny. Excellent work, Sony. Scott Lowe's Impressionsu>

Chances are that if you've read anything about the PS3 Slim rumors on IGN, it was written by me. Since that fateful day in May when those blurry factory photos leaked to the web, I have been following every rumored development in the product's slow, agonizing crawl to formal announcement. When the PS3 Slim was finally unveiled to the world this morning, no IGN staffer was more excited than me -- after several months of PS3 Slim rumor tracking, I would never have to gaze upon another grainy leaked photo or analyst testimony again. But my joy this morning was not exclusively limited to the relief of never having to write another PS3 Slim rumor report, I was genuinely happy to see that Sony finally wised up and shaved some of the fat off of the design and MSRP of the PS3.

Despite its various successes and failures over the last few years, I've been waiting for the PS3 to match the former glory of its predecessor, the PS2, but unfortunately the cost of the system prevented Sony from lowering the price to a truly accessible level, which now they are able to achieve with the PS3 Slim. I've always had a bittersweet conflict with the PS3 - on the one hand, the PS3's technological prowess gets my techie sensibilities all hot and bothered, and to that end, the previous price was absolutely justified, but as a gamer, the end cost carried too much sticker shock for me to stomach, especially when the competition offered a comparable product for less, a sentiment I believe was shared by a fair share of consumers.

While I can't say I'm in love with the new aesthetic approach of the PS3 Slim, I do appreciate the significant size reduction. The rather plain and cheap looking matte plastic shell aside, the slimmed down PS3, while not much to look at, is much less of an eye sore in an entertainment center populated by small, sleek components. Beyond my love/hate with the aesthetic overhaul, the PS3 Slim is definitely packing a fair share of allure with its expanded hard drive and reduced power consumption. Sony claims that operational noise will be limited as a byproduct of the reduced power consumption, but I never thought the PS3 was all that loud to begin with. Instead, I'll more readily benefit from the power bill savings from more energy-efficient movie and gaming sessions.

Finally, I am a little disappointed to find that Sony chose not to reinstate backwards compatibility with PS2 titles via the cell-based emulation it patented back in June, but the technology is likely in its infancy and being left for a firmware update later down the line. Nevertheless, in a perfect techie world, backwards compatibility would have been a huge value-added addition to the PS3 Slim.

Overall, I'd say I'm fairly satisfied with the what I've seen of the PS3 Slim thus far, but as far as the quality and performance of the redesigned chipset and architecture, the blood and guts of the system, are concerned, we'll have to wait and see. Ryan Clements' Impressionsu>

As I was at Sony's press conference here in Cologne, I was one of the first to see the real PS3 Slim with my own eyes. Who would have known it was happily sitting in a podium on stage the whole time. I certainly didn't! From what I've seen (I haven't actually gotten hands-on with it yet) the system looks like a great evolution of the console and the reduced price is clutch. I really hope this is the turning point for Sony, as they have some serious ground to cover. And now, I shall sleep and dream of fine German beer and giant enemy crabs.

Source: http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/101/1015196p1.html

Tired myself out making up for all the missed news covering on Neowin, so good night guys, good to be bac(Y)Y)

[Unrealistic]

It's a little bit quieter then.

Quieter than you think. Every 3db the sound doubles.

The human perception of, for example, sound or light, is, roughly speaking, such that a doubling of actual intensity causes perceived intensity to always increase by the same amount, irrespective of the original level. The decibel's logarithmic scale, in which a doubling of power or intensity always causes an increase of approximately 3 dB, corresponds to this perception.

So roughly, it is 2x's quieter than the old playstation 3.

Have you guys also noticed this is now being called the "PS3" rather than the "Playstation 3"?

[TDQuiksilver]

I don't mind the design at all. It's the damn "PS3" that bugs me. And the lack of a gloss black finish. :laugh:

[SolidSapphire]

When someone makes a really good looking prototype maybe you should just roll with it.

I agree if it had a gloss finish it would look a lot better.

[t0mbi]

HAHA it really does look like a cheap Chinese rip off! ill stick top my gloss black behemoth lol

[Kushan]

Someone once told me that the Japanese actually favour matt black over Gloss black. Like, to them, the gloss looks cheap.

No idea if it's true or not, but considering the new PS3, it makes sense.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Quieter than you think. Every 3db the sound doubles.

So roughly, it is 2x's quieter than the old playstation 3.

Have you guys also noticed this is now being called the "PS3" rather than the "Playstation 3"?

Thanks for that you learn something new everyday (Y)

1UP unboxing video, best quality video I've come across and it's 1UP :wub:

edit: They're the only ones who show the PS3 slim booting up, it has the new logo on bootup.

As for the 'PS3' branding Unrealistic, they're ditching the Spiderman branding in favour of something similar to how the PS2 was branded. Everyone calls them PS2/PS3, it's probably better marketing to do the same officially. Plus while I kind of liked the Spiderman font at first, after the third movie and time to think about it, it's quite a **** design decision. A consoles font should always be unique to it, or at least a standard font not tied to such a large franchise/film/piece of media, etc.

Sony's design team completely cocked up font branding this generation, with about 13 different fonts used to represent the PS3/PS3 games all at once. I love the PS3 game cases for being quite compact, and for being clear allowing you to focus on the artwork (and you get see through inner artwork), but the mass of different fonts used on them is terrible.

Edited August 19, 2009 by Audioboxer

[Kushan]

Didn't you go to bed like an hour ago? =P

[DDStriker]

Better pictures

{snip}

Also the guy who said no OtherOS support told the truth, want Linux, buy a fatty

kinda looks like the megadrive 2 to me :p (or sega genesis if you're in america or something :p)

When someone makes a really good looking prototype maybe you should just roll with it.

I agree if it had a gloss finish it would look a lot better.

ideally it would be nice to have a system that comes on when movement is detected, rather than running all the time. I wonder if there's one like that...with amazing video quality of course.

good prototype? :laugh: that looks similar to the wii

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Didn't you go to bed like an hour ago? =P

Went to bed with my laptop :p

I can't sleep tonight, I was helping do a ton of work in the garden this morning and I had a 3 hour nap in the afternoon which has disrupted my need for sleep.

[SolidSapphire]

good prototype? :laugh: that looks similar to the wii

Maybe but it's still a good looking prototype, At least i think.

[CentralDogma]

Gamestop just dropped their prices for anyone interested in getting one.

[OOOOOOOO]

I have the 80GB PS3 ... it's not that large to be honest. Not really any larger than a 360 overall ... and ... well ... this new one doesn't actually look as snazzy ... I LIKE the glossy finish on the current unit. I like the touch sensitive buttons (I also have that same style on my Samsung T240 PC monitor and it's lush) ... I don't really see the pull here ... surely the only bonus worth thinking about is the lower energy use... but even then, I don't use my PS3 enough to have it dent my electricity bills or the environment too much so on a personal level, it really isn't going to matter to me.