new slimmer PS3 announced

[ejazss82]

A new slimmer and cheaper version of the PS3 just got announced. And they are gonna slash prices on the existing ones too:

PlayStation 3 now $299, slimmer version coming September 1st – PlayStation.Blog

[Magnus]

Since it's not Mac related it seems more appropriate for off-topic forum, therefore I moved it.

[ejazss82]

sowwie...ma mad

[fangpyre]

I hope Sony is able to push these machines.
They have done a great job in making a great machine.
But they weren't able to really make it work out.

[Magnus]

So what's new with it other than "slimmer"?

[fangpyre]

The only thing they added is Bravia Sync, which lets it communicate with a Sony Bravia TV via HDMI.
For example, when you turn on the PS3, the Bravia will turn on automatically and switch to the correct port.
I think that also means that you can control the PS3 using the TV's remote.

Other than that, they dropped 2 USB (originally 4), PS2 support, and the card readers.

[ultrablue662]

Bravia sync would come in handy as both my DVD and LCD are sonys (The LCD is a Bravia)

But Fangpyre, the slim also comes with a larger 120 GB hard drive instead of the current 40 and 60 ones. (Or is it 80?)

They did this same thing with the PS2 back in the day, We've owned 3 and one was huge, and the last 2 were the slim ones.

The PS3 is an AMAZING machine, BUT it has a few drawbacks, one is the really high price, and the 2nd is the games available. They didnt keep much of the game contracts as the PS2, I dont think, as many 3rd party developers are still releasing for the PS2 to not breach their contracts and to make sure games kinda sorta sell.

Sony to this day doesnt really have SONY only games. For example, Crash Bandicoot used to be a PS and PS2 exclusive game, not anymore. Things like Spyro the dragon, and a few others. So basically if you buy a PS3 you have a limited catalogue, that wasnt the case with the PS2.

With the Wii, and sadly, (but hapily, lol) I just bought a Wii TODAY, and it has all the games by Nintendo that we know and love AND things like Crash, and Sonic (A Sega property) and many games that used to be PS2 only like Prince of Persia and Crash.

I didnt buy the PS3 even though I bought 3 PS2s over the years and 2 original Playstations. It just doent have what gamers want anymore. The Wii is by far the most versatile, and the Xbox 360 is also a decent console.

I DO hope PS# starts to get their act in gear, because in 3 or 4 short years the 7th generation of consoles will be done and the winners now will set the stage for the next gen. And right now the Wii is winning in every way.

[fangpyre]

Actually you can get the old PS3 for 160GB (in some markets).
You also lose Linux capability (if that matters to you).

But I agree with you.
It is slowly losing its edge.
Sony is no longer able to keep PS# exclusive games.
This is due to a left-right blow.
Games are becoming more expensive as consoles become more capable.
Add that to Sony's financial problems, and it gets hard.

Hardware wise, the PS3 is the most capable of the lot.
But surprisingly, the Wii is the king despite having the weakest hardware.
The XBox is gaining market share because of Microsoft's huge cash piles.

But like you said.
Nintendo knows how this market is won.

[ultrablue662]

Exactly, they have stayed around in the console market since 1077, even when mightier people like Panasonic, SEGA and Apple (Remember the Bandai/Apple console? lol) bought the dust.

And I agree 100%, on paper the Wii is weaker than the Xbox 360 and MUCH weaker than the PS3. But the reality is they have moved 50 million units when Sony has only moved 25. I think the Wii is their most selling console since the original NES. Not the N64 nor the Gamecube (Which both I owned) were as capable as their competitors back in the day, and still carved out a market for themselves. Sega wasnt as lucky. Remmeber the Dreamcast? It was actually a very capable piece of hardware, we still have ours, but it just didnt have the games, it had poor marketing, and it was expensive.

Nintendo has learned from their past 10 years and the payoff is the Wii outselling everything around. And truthfully, I was ready to go for the PS3 Slim because the Wii has this bad rep of being a kid's console. When I saw how many games that used to be PS exclusive were available (Tomb Raider, Crash, Resident Evil, Prince of persia...) I couldnt believe it.

Plus, the unit is much cheaper, 770 AED, a PS3 is about 1350, the slim will be 1300.

In the UAE we also have another thing driving the Wii... You can get pirated games. I bought 15 games today at 20 AED a piece. An original Wii game is about 170 AED. The PS3 games cant be pirated. Same with the Xbox 360. This has made the Wii the 1st choice in many places where pirated games are available.

If anough people opt for the slim PS3 in markets that will actually see the real 100 USD drop in price, developers might start to offer more. Remember that the Wii was actually lacking in games for almost a year and then studios started porting over games (The last POP game on the PS2 was ported to Wii and smacked with a new title for example)

Time will tell. I blogged baout this here: ultrabluepanda.net

I really hope the PS3 gets on where it should be, because for 2 console generations, Sony was the king of the world. I dont want to see over zealousness (thats what the PS3 was, ALOT of innovation, maybe too much) turn into something bad. It isnt. And too many memories are associated with the PS name for me not to care.

[Magnus]

In the UAE we also have another thing driving the Wii... You can get pirated games. I bought 15 games today at 20 AED a piece. An original Wii game is about 170 AED. The PS3 games cant be pirated. Same with the Xbox 360. This has made the Wii the 1st choice in many places where pirated games are available.

Shocking!