The Playstation 3 was a shining example of Sony’s somewhat questionable excesses. Years after the current generation of consoles hit store shelves, the company has finally scaled back, offering a revamped machine at a consumer-friendly price point.
At the $300 price point for the 120GB version, the PS3 Slim puts the franchise on equal playing field with the Xbox 360 in terms of hardware investment. The lighter weight and slim lines add even more chips to its stock, compared to its longtime-leading nemesis. What’s impressive, though, is that you get the same top-end hardware despite the smaller footprint. That means processing power that the 360 can only dream about.
First, let’s look at what’s bangin’ about the new console. We’ve already mentioned the price and the size. Apart from that, it retains the same swappable hard disk, features physical buttons (in place of the touch-sensitive crap on the fat PS3), uses half the energy and features an updated HDMI chipset. The latter gets you bitstream, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio to complement your already-awesome Blu-ray player. Performance is slightly improved with faster loading times than the original PS3.
Now, on to the bad. While the old PS3 featured limited compatibility with PS2 games, the PS3 Slim has removed it entirely. Enjoyed running Linux on your fat PS3? That’s also no longer allowed. It also lacks the mish-mash of card readers and two extra USB ports present in the original machine.
The real problem, though, is not the hardware. It’s the fact that Microsoft already has an established user base with Xbox Live, as well as library of games that puts the PS3 to shame. Given that the user base for the PS3 Slim will likely balloon up in the coming months, the library will probably grow by next. Who knows, Playstation Home might end up being as fun as Xbox Live too (give or take a year or two)?
Is Sony back in the console wars? You bet your ass.
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