PlayStation 3 120 GB

What I really like about the slim is that it still has the same functionality as the old PS3 (except the install os) for a lower price. I respect the 360 for Live, cross chat, and a good XMB, but think of the long term benefits with the PS3 slim. The slim consumes less power than the 360 thus cutting costs from your electric bill. Also, the slim has a big fan inside which helps prevent the system from burning. This is a problem for the 360: the lack of a good cooling system. Had Microsoft cut the price AND redesign the cooling system of its system, I would be giving a lot of thought on which console to purchase. However, Microsoft just cut the price and that's it.

Also, the PS3 will be getting a lot of high quality exclusives. Its lineup is much more diverse than the 360. Yes, 360 will have Fable III, Alan Wake, Halo ODST, and Forza 3, but the PS3 will have Demon's Souls, White Knight Chronicles, Uncharted 2, Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, EyePet, Gran Turismo 5, God of War III, Heavy Rain, MAG, ModNation Racers, Quantum Theory, and Afrika. Later on in 2010, it will get The Last Guardian, Agent, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and Last Rebellion.Get more detail about PlayStation 3 120 GB.

PlayStation 3 120 GB Review

I just received my PS3 Slim today - I am also a current owner of a PS3 60gb version with hardware backward compatibility to the PS2.

My initial thought is that the new PS3 Slim is fantastic - nice and small, certainly about 50% quieter than my original PS3, and everything works as it should. Just make sure you get a remote control if you will be using it a lot for movies, as the standard controller is not as form friendly.

I am not a major gamer, so I will mostly use the unit to watch movies (Blu-rays 95% of the time) and also access my music, photo, and video collection I have stored on my PC. You can't do that with a standalone Blu-ray player.

In addition, for a small $[...] cost (actually now it is $[...] until August 31st if you use coupon code AUG10OFF) you can install PlayOn software on your PC and then stream Netflix, Hulu, CBS, ESPN, and more to your PS3. It works great and makes the PS3 the best media solution regardless if you play games on it or not. The wireless works flawlessly (I have everything else in the house hardwired to ethernet thru routers/switches) even for streaming video with PlayOn.Get more detail about PlayStation 3 120 GB.

PlayStation 3 120 GB Top Quality

PS3 fanboys love to spout about how reliable the PS3 is compared to 360. Well guess what, nothing is rock solid. I got my PS3 Slim yesterday, got it all hooked up and initialized and was having a fine time exploring its features...until I actually tried to play a disc.

I started with the Coraline (Two-Disc Collector's Edition w/ 3D) Blu-Ray and was somewhat disturbed when I couldn't get it to play. So then I tried the DVD included in that combo package and it loaded and played immediately. Back to Coraline Blu-Ray, still no luck, so I thought I'd try a Blu-Ray from Sony: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete [Blu-ray]. Also didn't play. At this point, I was pretty sure there was a problem, so tried what's supposed to be the console's main purpose: a PS3 Blu-Ray game disc, namely Resistance: Fall Of Man. Didn't load. At all. And these were all brand new, just opened, never been played discs. Guess what's getting returned? And yes, I realize that Blu-Ray discs take quite a bit longer to load but I encountered very obvious disc drive glitching sounds and eventual timeouts.

I will admit that the form factor is much better now with the slimmer and lighter design, although it's not very pretty to look at. Surprisingly, it makes the 360 look large when they're side by side. I also like that it now has actual buttons for power and eject instead of those ridiculous touch-sensitive pads on the old system. However, its navigation just isn't as intuitive as the 360's. And don't believe that it runs "cool"; with the current chipset and the power supply inside instead of an external brick it's practically hand-burning temp underneath, which makes me very leery of its chances to avoid burning out over time.

Good to have a Dualshock force feedback wireless controller instead of the lame Sixaxis motion-sensitive non-force feedback one they launched with. However, it feels cheap and small compared to the 360 controller, even though additional controllers are roughly 50% higher than the current 360 controller prices on Amazon. Also, you can't just swap out its internal battery for off the rack AAs in a pinch like you can with the 360, so you're pretty tethered to its entirely too short USB charging cable even though it's wireless. And really, the basic design hasn't changed at all since the original Dualshock released what, 12 years ago? Might be time for a refresh, product designers.

Assuming I get a functional model in the future, I'm still concerned about the weak software library they've managed to build in the last three years I've been ignoring them. Aside from their key exclusive title Metal Gear Solid 4, they've got a whole lot of nothing from my perspective. I'll play Resistance and may get Uncharted eventually, but compared to the 360's vast library (which admittedly had an additional year head start), it's frankly a joke. So ask yourself if you really need to spend $300 for the opportunity to play a handful of worthwhile exclusive games. I'll ultimately use mine for Blu-Ray movies far more than games, which makes this a fairly expensive Blu-Ray player.

This is the system and the price that they should have launched with three years ago. Just hope that you get one that actually works. And remember, only one year warranty compared to Xbox's three year warranty. Get more detail about PlayStation 3 120 GB.