Sony cuts the PS3 price to $299,announces PS Slim

[Steve615]

From Yahoo:

After months of rumors and speculation of a price cut coming for the PS3,Sony made it official today.

Effective today,the 80GB PS3 is now priced at $299.

On 9/1/09,Sony will release a 120GB version of the PS3,named PlayStation Slim in North America and Europe.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/sony-slashes-ps3-price-to-299-announces-new-slim-model/1344378


8 photos of the PS Slim can be viewed at the following link.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/featurescreenshot?eid=1344379&index=0

[davring]

I think this announcement will move me from atop the fence:)

[koji68]

I'll be getting one soon! At $300 it is a great deal.

[Chris Blount]

I hope upgrading the hard drive is as easy as it was on the old model. It took me a whole 5 minutes to upgrade from 40GB to 320GB.

[Hansen]

Chris,

What type of harddrive does that use? I assume a 2.5 " SATA like that used in laptops?

[davring]

Chris,

What type of harddrive does that use? I assume a 2.5 " SATA like that used in laptops?

A 2.5 drive is correct. I read an article/review on C-net and they reported the drive is now even easier to change.

[Chris Blount]

Chris,

What type of harddrive does that use? I assume a 2.5 " SATA like that used in laptops? Yes. Very easy and cheap upgrade for $60. Works like a charm.

http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Scorpio-5400RPM-WD3200BEVT/dp/B0011U65F2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1250711050&sr=1-1

[braven]

This announcement should help move a ton of units. Especially this holiday season!

[Shades228]

With this price it puts it on part with BD players. The PS2 interface was not very kind in laying dvd's but it would work. How is the UI for the BD player in the PS3? With this price drop I may get one now as I can justify the cost of another gaming console as I would use it for more then that.

[Shades228]

No opinions?

[ncxcstud]

Shades -

From what I've heard and read (don't have a PS3), the PS3 is a very good BluRay player. With the ability to play games and browse the internet (even if you don't use those features) at 299.99 it is a great deal...

I'd wait till September to pick up the PS3 Slim version though...

[say-what]

With this price it puts it on part with BD players. The PS2 interface was not very kind in laying dvd's but it would work. How is the UI for the BD player in the PS3? With this price drop I may get one now as I can justify the cost of another gaming console as I would use it for more then that.
I have nothing to compare the UI with, but I use the PS3 as a blu-ray player and have no problems with it. I just put the disc in and it goes to the blu-ray's menu. I did get the handheld remote, but other than that it worked as any dvd player I've ever used.

[dave29]

Wow, I think I paid $599 + tax for my 80GB a couple years ago.

$299 is a great deal for an 80gb model, I may even buy another.

[Ron Barry]

Has this new modeled been hampered in any way? Any difference from this model and what is currently out there besides the smaller drive?

[Steve615]

Ron,

AFAIK,the PS Slim is basically the same machine as the current PS3 that is in stores now,with the exception of the 120GB HD.

On another note,here is another recent article from Yahoo.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/analysts-without-price-cuts-wii-could-be-in-trouble/1346831


That article is about the Wii,but at the end of the article,it states that Amazon is already warning consumers to expect shortages of the PS Slim.

They have limited their sales to one per household.

Has this new modeled been hampered in any way? Any difference from this model and what is currently out there besides the smaller drive?

[CCarncross]

Same features as the current 60 and 160GB models selling currently. Crippled compared to the 2 versions before that as they completely dropped ps2 game support and SACD support which was another big selling point for me.

[Shades228]

The slim also has a built in power supply rather then external which is a huge plus for most homes.

[The Merg]

The slim also has a built in power supply rather then external which is a huge plus for most homes.

So basically just a regular power cord from the PS3 to the outlet then, huh? That's real nice. Saves even more space than just the new form factor...

- Merg

[Shades228]

So basically just a regular power cord from the PS3 to the outlet then, huh? That's real nice. Saves even more space than just the new form factor...

- Merg


Correct however I have some concerns about heat from the internal PS which is why they stated it was never internal. So we'll see how they did that.

[The Merg]

Correct however I have some concerns about heat from the internal PS which is why they stated it was never internal. So we'll see how they did that.

That might not be an issue now since the specs also state that power consumption has been reduced by a 1/3.

- Merg

[bobukcat]

Engadget did a review of the slim and the only knock was slightly slower load times but it now includes the ability to bitstream the HD audio formats and is much quieter (10 dB) than it's predecessor during BD playback.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/27/playstation-3-slim-review/#continued

[Stewart Vernon]

Over at benheck.com (http://benheck.com) he has bought and disassembled one. I always like his site because he does some cool custom jobs.

I didn't think the slim was available yet, but apparently they hit earlier than the 9/1 date at the top of this thread.

[jazzyd971fm]

I didn't think the slim was available yet, but apparently they hit earlier than the 9/1 date at the top of this thread.

I can confirm seeing the new PS3 in my local Best Buy today (8-28) :)

[Steve615]

Here is another review of the PS3 Slim,from Yahoo:

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/is-now-the-time-to-buy-a-playstation-3/1348503

[ceevee]

Finally a price cut. Maybe I'll buy one now!

[DCSholtis]

I picked up the PS3 Slim Bundle this morning from Amazon. Sorry about bumping an old thread but I didn't see a separate one for Black Friday type stuff.

[james hyde]

why???????????????????????

[james hyde]

i do not have a ps3 it is to much mony i got the wii cheeper then that!!!!!!!!

[kevinturcotte]

I wish they'd just make ONE system, and you pay Nintendo $200 to unlock their portion of it (Play their games), pay Sony $300 for their portion, and Microsoft however much they charge. And they're transferable in case the system dies, or you just want to replace it.
Unfortunately for me, the 2 main series I play are on 2 different systems (Final Fantasy and Zelda).

[dpeters11]

Wow, old thread. Kevin, I certainly see where you're coming from. Unfortunately won't happen. Now, one thing I'm really looking forward to seeing if it will work is OnLive. That looks really cool. But you still won't see Nintendo or Sony exclusive content.

James, I don't think I've seen anyone as excited about owning a Wii as you are. I have one, but just haven't seen compelling games other than some first party stuff.

[The Merg]

why???????????????????????

Built-in Blu-ray, Netflix streaming, free on-line gaming, superb graphics...

That being said I do have a Wii myself and not a PS3 at this time, but there are definitely things I wish it could do that it can't.

- Merg

[dpeters11]

Built-in Blu-ray, Netflix streaming, free on-line gaming, superb graphics...

That being said I do have a Wii myself and not a PS3 at this time, but there are definitely things I wish it could do that it can't.

- Merg

It will get netflix at least. Odd that you can stream movies but not play a DVD movie (licensing I know.)

Problem on some of the other stuff, at least HD graphics, if it had that they'd lose the low cost benefit. But that's eroded a bit over time. A slim is what, about $100 more? Big difference from when it was about $500 in the US.

[The Merg]

Don't get me wrong. I think the Wii is a great deal and when it gets Netflix that will only add to its value. However, the PS3 is a great bargain right now at $299.

- Merg