Sony has finally responded to criticism that its next-generation console is too expensive, slashing the price of the original 60GB model to £350, and introducing this new 40GB unit, priced at £300.
Apart from the smaller hard drive, the differences are minimal. Your £50 saving will only lose you two of the four USB ports, the multi-format card reader, an Ethernet cable and the ability to play SACDs. If that was the end of the list, we'd say there was no contest -- get this cheaper unit.
There is one more omission, though, and that's that it won't play your PlayStation 2 games. This was previously handled by a combination of chips and software, but Sony has decided to save money on the chips and let the PS3's games stand on their own. This may not be wise: since release, only the online multiplayer shooter Warhawk has stood out as an impressive title, whereas Microsoft's Xbox 360 has had several high-profile hits in that time.
Of course, this lack of backwards compatibility doesn't matter if you haven't got many PS2 games, in which case, this remains a brilliant multimedia home entertainment system. The 40GB hard drive should be large enough for most users and it's by the far the cheapest Blu-ray player on the market.
Update: A new version of the PS3 has been launched. Read our full Sony PlayStation 3 (80GB) review here.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
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rishi shah 19 February 2009
Good: processing power
Bad: price tag
Comment: not worth the price tag..
university lectures show that the processor is only single ppe and not multi ppe.
when its cheaper it will be worth it. blu ray player is not the best, firmware updates have made it so good but not actually that great. do not buy until it is cheaper.
a few good cames releasing to the ps3, but DLC exclusives mainly on the xbox, just way up all options between both consoles. price is the main factor not blu ray. its about the current games that are being released and the xbox will have more since there are more people and different styles of gaming.
ps3 does not have cross game invitations and chat.
MS is a software company, so believe in the software.
sony is a hardware company so believe in the hardware.
Lemon_Toast 8 August 2008
Good: the modern look of the system
Bad: Not being able to play PS2 games on it , price
Comment: there are some peaks to the product .. but overall i can see mainly flaws..
from the price for the system
the price of the games - though granted that games average from £19.99 - £40 .
the inability to play PS2 games,
check out the PSP or go for a xbox
nobbythesheep 30 June 2008
Good: Quality Build, Blu-Ray, Gaming Experience, Future Proof
Bad: No Dualshock Controller or HDMI Cable as Standard
Comment: The ps3 has a huge potential in terms of games and performance. Its blu-ray disks can hold more information than other games consoles and once the systems capabilities are harnessed by software designers it will be the clear market leader in terms of games. The volume of games can only increase now that the ps3 is selling well.
In terms of build quality the ps3 40gb is superb. It is solid and sturdy and weighs about 6 kg's. Put in a well ventilated area and it is virtually silent, and can be left on for 10 hours without it even getting hot or noisy (the 40gb new model has a better processor and is better at cooling itself than the earlier larger hard disk models). The hard drive can be easily changed to 120gb. (if you want to do this then you-tube it) Supposedly this does not void the warranty but i would check with Sony before doing this.
Aesthetically the design is pleasing and curved, it attracts a bit of dust but a gentle quick swish of a feather duster sorts that out. I believe it to be the more stylish of all of the games consoles currently out.
However, the most important aspect of a games console are the games, the ps3 is fantastic fun to play and will satisfy the gamer in you. Sound, graphics and game play are all top notch and my experiences in this area have been completely positive, i would say it performs even better than i expected it too.
Don't worry about this model not being able to play ps2 games, theres a reason its called a next-generation model, its for next generation games. Anyone with a large selection of ps2 games will already own a ps2, so this is a non issue.
The ps3 is the same price as some blu-ray players, which is a huge bonus. The system is much more future-proof than all of the other games consoles and this is reflected in it's price.
The systems other bonus is that it can be used as a multimedia center for videos, music and pictures, with so many features one begins to see the reason for the hefty price tag.
In terms of online game-play, compared to its closest rival it is free to play online and to have an account, whereas another system (xbox) will charge you a permanent charge of five pounds per month, and that would add up
In conducting my research i was initially put off by the price tag pf the ps3 but after several days of research i could see the huge benefits and capabilities of the system. When i bought it i was not disappointed.
I decided the ps3 suited me because of its potential for better games than the xbox could produce in the near future and its all round quality. If you just want lots of games now, or a particular game on the xbox the xbox is fine, but in the long run i decided the ps3 was actually better value for money despite its larger fee, in this case you get what you pay for.
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