New Ps3 not so nice.

[mantis]

Hello all,
I installed one for the first time yesterday and I'm not impressed with it. The built quality is striped down and you lose 2 usb ports on the front. Then the card reader section is completely removed. No SACD. No IR port added which would have made everything somewhat except able.

[Keiko]

The former gen didn't do SACD either, nor are they backwards compatible with the PS2 games. Sony's completely f#%ked up, IMO.

[cnh]

You lose the USB ports on the front...God...we've already lost 2 USB ports from the earlier generation in the model I own which is less than 2 years old...not having SACD is a mistake, I agree....

But according to Jeff not only did the earliest 80 gig generation have 4 USBs and SACD it was also backward compatible.

So in my model, although I'd say the build quality is still SOLID!! It would've been nice if we had it all.

If USB ports are not on the front, are they on the back....? It has to have some?

cnh

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

The USB ports are still on the front, there are 2 of them.

Dan's a little behind the times on the PS3 news, they haven't had BC or SACD in couple years now.

The slim isn't as heavy as the other ones, but I have no issues with the build quality. It doesn't look as nice, but it's also not $500...

[Keiko]

How's the load speed on the new slim?

[mystik610]

The PS3 was getting its ass kicked in sales because of the high ticket price of the older PS3 SKU's. They stripped the PS3 down little by little until they reached a price-point where they are competitive with the 360. In the eyes of the mass consumer, SACD, backwards compatibility, and IR support don't justify a higher price. In the eyes of the mass consumer, a PS3 that is built with shoddy materials, has less features but is slimmer is a good buy. Personally, I think Sony should have made a more expensive 'elite' type SKU. One that kept backwards comparability, SACD support, and all that for a higher price.

[leroyjr1]

My older PS3 is here to stay. Like the build a finish and has since taken the back burner to my new elite bdp but the picture quality is still great.

[AsSiMiLaTeD]

The new Slim is not built with shoddy materials, geez guys you make it sound like they built these things out of cardboard. It's not as heavy and doesn't look as nice, but it's not like the things is held together by paper clips and duct tape.

They're not going to offer an Elite version because it doesn't make sense financially to do so - there's a very small number of people who would be willing to pay that price (as evidenced by the fact that they weren't selling when they were available) and alot of those guys already have 'the good' version.

[venomclan]

I had my eye on the PS3 since they came out. Sony overshot their intended market with an insane price point. I may pull the trigger on the slim since it appears that it is also quieter than the last version and uses less power. I was amazed to discover that the large version of the PS3 uses close to 200 watts of power. That is close to what my Plasma uses.

As for SACD, I cannot see even 1/10 of 1% of PS3 purchasers knowing what that is. I have an 8 year old PS2 still going strong, and a 5 year old slim still used everday without problem. Hopefully the new slim can do the same.
Venom

[wingnut4772]

I prefer my old one but the Blu Ray drive crapped out. The slim gets much hotter. When I pull out a disc it is very toasty.

[SolidSqual]

I got one of the 80 gigs that came with the MGS4 bundle. I think this was the last fully functional PS3 released by Sony after they came up with the 40 gig models. That being said, I don't really use any of the features except the Blu-ray and games.

[dvran]

There is nothing like the piano black gloss finish of the older PS3s.

They are coming out with a new SKU for the slim line PS3s. The new ones will have a 250G drive and also expanded capabilities for web streaming, like Netflix built-in.

Sony could have even saved more weight if they had the power regulator on the plug externally rather than built into the unit, but I love what Sony has done.

The Sony products are no where near the 35% failure rate of the Xbox 360s.

[BIZILL]

dunno about that. been reading over at the ps3 forums and it seems a slew of recent firmware updates are killin' many ps3's. most of those being the first gen models. the original 60gb, 20gb and some 80gb. is this what happened to your ps3 wingnut? i'm thinking about just switching out the bluray drive later down the line in hopes of resurrecting it.

[packetjones]

i was looking at getting a new ps3. I was planning on using it for blue ray and SACD. I was talking to a friend and he told me that they did not support SACD any more. I also wanted to install Linux on it but he said that was removed as well. Now it looks like i may just get a cheap BR player unless i can find an older model cheap.

[Sami]

If oneone wants to trade their slim for an early gen 60GB version with SACD and backward compatibility, I'll do it. It will save me some space and give me HD audio bitstreaming as well as LPCM. Because it's slimmer, to me it looks nicer. I have never liked the shape of the PS3, I was wishing they would have made the slim look more like a regular BD player.

[Sami]

i was looking at getting a new ps3. I was planning on using it for blue ray and SACD. I was talking to a friend and he told me that they did not support SACD any more. I also wanted to install Linux on it but he said that was removed as well. Now it looks like i may just get a cheap BR player unless i can find an older model cheap.

Come down to Dallas with a Slim and you'll get one with Linux already installed... :)

[Fongolio]

I lucked out and bought at just the right time 2 years ago. My 80 gig is the full function sacd version. I just recently figured out how to stream high res audio from my computer using PS3 Media Server. I've got almost a hundred cd rips on my computer that I no longer have to burn to disk or play the original. I stream them to the PS3 via ethernet cable and then from the PS3 directly to my pre-amp via the a/v connector on the PS3 and the sound is fantastic. This unit makes a great media server and I assume the new slims can as well. For those inclined, you can use the optical out on the PS3 and run to an external DAC for possibly even better sound. Not sure if the slim has optical out but I would assume it does.

[KASR]

You lose the USB ports on the front...God...we've already lost 2 USB ports from the earlier generation in the model I own which is less than 2 years old...not having SACD is a mistake, I agree....

But according to Jeff not only did the earliest 80 gig generation have 4 USBs and SACD it was also backward compatible.

Didn't the 60gb and the 40gb also do back-compat? I seem to remember that somewhere.

[Sami]

Didn't the 60gb and the 40gb also do back-compat? I seem to remember that somewhere.

Yes, the first generations did.

[dvran]

Yes, the first generations did.

The 40G does NOT have backwards compatibility.

[Sami]

The 40G does NOT have backwards compatibility.

Wasn't it 20GB and 60GB for the 1st gen, the 40GB was a 2nd gen? Anyways, if you want backward compatibility, 1st gen 60GB is a safe bet.

[BIZILL]

the original 60 and 20 gig models have the "emotion engine" which is hardware for backward compatibility. not so sure on the 40, but i think it lost the EE. software emulation was put into place after that. but even that likely got killed after a few waves of the 80's came out.

[BIZILL]

If oneone wants to trade their slim for an early gen 60GB version with SACD and backward compatibility, I'll do it. It will save me some space and give me HD audio bitstreaming as well as LPCM. Because it's slimmer, to me it looks nicer. I have never liked the shape of the PS3, I was wishing they would have made the slim look more like a regular BD player.

if i had not just gotten hold of another 60 gig i would have purchased you a brand spankin' new one in trade for your older one. someone oughta take sami up on this.

[SolidSqual]

I'll trade my 80 gig for a slim as well if someone is interested.

[mshan242700]

They have to match the Microsoft on the "nominal" price.

After you add all of the stuff you might need (wireless adapter, hard drive, XBox Live Gold subscription), I think price is pretty much same as PS3.

Probably depends upon which game exclusives you like to play, and if blu-ray and possibly sacd are important to you.

[mantis]

The USB ports are still on the front, there are 2 of them.

Dan's a little behind the times on the PS3 news, they haven't had BC or SACD in couple years now.

The slim isn't as heavy as the other ones, but I have no issues with the build quality. It doesn't look as nice, but it's also not $500...

This is true as I have not installed one until the other day. I think it sucks. I have the 80g model sacd support and it just needed a IR port or IP control and I would be happy. The whole streaming thing would be nice as the new one does but I will not be buying one.

[Burningcoals]

I love my slim. I prefer it over the older gen, have no issues with it, bitstream works flawlessly, built in wireless is nice. Less power usage/heat. I only use 1 USB port for controller charging, as the Logitech IR adaptor is bluetooth itself and works flawlessly with my Harmony one.

I doubt slim owners will find any shortage of people wanting to trade their older model for a slim :P

[dorokusai]

I have owned a 60g, SACD and BC, for a couple years and never played a SACD on it. I could care less about that feature.

[cnh]

I lucked out and bought at just the right time 2 years ago. My 80 gig is the full function sacd version. I just recently figured out how to stream high res audio from my computer using PS3 Media Server. I've got almost a hundred cd rips on my computer that I no longer have to burn to disk or play the original. I stream them to the PS3 via ethernet cable and then from the PS3 directly to my pre-amp via the a/v connector on the PS3 and the sound is fantastic. This unit makes a great media server and I assume the new slims can as well. For those inclined, you can use the optical out on the PS3 and run to an external DAC for possibly even better sound. Not sure if the slim has optical out but I would assume it does.

I was getting into this a couple of months before I left the U.S. Using the free Google PS3 server software....worked great.....even to an AVR with decent DACs....but adding better ones would certainly improve that.

I agree with Doro..my unit does not have SACD capability but I would probably play SACDs on another unit if I had a lot, which I don't.....for Cd-streaming, gaming and Blu-ray....it gets the job done..

cnh

[m00npie]

Where is cheddar? Sworn defender of the Sony brand.