Slim PS3

When the first prototype PS3 was shown to the public it seemed to be designed as if money were no object. It really offered more than anyone needed; 2 HDMI connections (for those who wished to play their games on more than one screen at a time?), 3 Ethernet connections (for homes with 4 Playstation 3s to play LAN games I assume) and 6 USB ports ( for when you need to connection a keyboard, mouse, printer, iPod and two wired controllers to the console).

Thankfully for our wallets most of these excessive connections were trimmed away before the console’s release. Now with the Slim PS3 they have cut it down to only the essentials, only what people actually need; 1 ethernet, 1 HDMI and 2 USB ports. This is one of the ways Sony have managed to cut the cost of production enough to sell the Slim PS3 at little more than Wii console (despite the Wii’s lack of Hard Drive, HD output and modern graphics processing power).

Even before the Slim PS3 hit the market, Sony were already trimming excess features with the removed of backward compatibility with the PS2. Although a fairly nice feature, it’s unlikely to help sell many of the new consoles but did add considerably to the price.

The futuristic touch power and eject buttons have been replaced with standard push buttons. Not quite as fancy but more practical and serve the same function without the extra cost.

A matte finish covers most of the console instead of the glossy finish. While this is controversial, it seems to market is moving away from glassy finishes as with the DS’s redesign to the DSi, perhaps because of the irritation caused by finger marks.

The new logo is a matter of opinion of course since it doesn’t serve a practical purpose but I’m pleased it doesn’t remind me of Spider-Man anymore.

Of course the main thing is that it is 33% smaller than the massive original. It still doesn’t look anywhere near as neat and compact as the Wii but that’s at least partly because there is a lot more going on inside Slim PS3.