Sony PS3 Versus PS3 Slim comparison

13 September 2009

30 Comments

Posted by:Josh

Newly added to the Sony family is the PS3 Slim. Clocking in at a cheap $299 price point, it is a super skinny version of the by comparison fat PS3 system.

Let’s start you out with an official video from Sony’s Jack Tretton announcing the PS3 Slim and its new features, as well as some of the improvements over the PS3. Watch it here:

* The same PS3 you know in a much slimmer package. The chassis is thinner vertically and horizonatally. However instead of a rectangle it is almost a square, as it is much deeper than the previous system. It’s also 32% smaller and 36% lighter.
* It consumes 34% less power than the previous model.
* The touch-sensitive buttons for power and eject are gone, replaced with ACTUAL buttons (depressable keys that aren’t touch sensitive but must be pressed). The back standby power switch has also been removed.
* The PS3 Slim is now a 120GB model, up from 80GB.
* The PlayStation logo has been changed, no more Spider-Man font!
* You don’t have the ability to install a second operating system on this model.
* There is no backwards compatability so the system won’t play PS2 games. However it will play some PS1 games on disc. And, naturally, you can download games from the PlayStation Store, including classic PS1 titles.
* You can still upgrade the HDD with one of your own. If you can figure out how.
* There is no IR port added. Though you can use the Logitech Harmony remotes, a $60 adapter that translates IR commands to Bluetooth.
* There are no ports for Compact Flash Cards, Memory Sticks or SD Cards. It does have USB ports though.
* The system seems to play Blu-ray movies, DVDs, and CDs just the same as before. You can also stream media from other PCs or DLNA-capable media servers for instant action.
* However the disc drive is louder than before when playing games (but not movies or Blu-rays).
* In the box you get: the console, a single Dual Shock 3 controller, USB cable (for charging the controller), AC power cord, and composite AV cable. There are no bundled games in this version of the PS3.
* The system cannot be stood vertically. It’s so skinny it’ll fall over too easily. Though Sony will apparently sell a stand for it.
* The system lacks the shine and polish of the original PS3. Instead it has a matte finish. This means that it doesn’t suck up fingerprints like there’s no tomorrow. However some people think it makes it look “cheap and plastic-y, like a toy.” Personal preference should come into play though, as some people prefer no fingerprints to a prettier design.

Here is a comparison video of the original PS3 to the Slim.

Here is the full specifications sheet:

Product name: PlayStation 3
Product code: CECH-2000A (Charcoal Black)
CPU: Cell Broadband Engine™
GPU: RSX
Audio output: LPCM 7.1ch, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, AAC.
Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM, 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
Hard disk: 120GB 2.5″ Serial ATA
USB 2.0 ports: 2
Networking: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T), IEEE 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 (+EDR)
Controller: Wireless Controller (Bluetooth) x 1
AV outputs: HDMI x 1, AV MULTI OUT x 1, Digital out (optical) x 1
Resolutions: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, 480i (for PAL 576p, 576i)
BD / DVD / CD drive (read only): BD × 2 (BD-ROM), DVD × 8 (DVD-ROM), CD × 24 (CD-ROM)
Power: AC 220 – 240, 50/60Hz
Power consumption: Approx. 250W
External dimensions (excluding maximum projecting part): Approx. 290 × 65 × 290 mm (width × height × length)
Mass: Approx. 3.2kg
Included in box: PlayStation 3 system × 1, Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK 3) × 1, AC power cord × 1, AV cable × 1, USB cable × 1

Via CNet, Gizmondo, Engadget, Image via Gizmondo