Which PS3 is right for me?

Greater Malison

Greater Malison

CAGiversary!
Hi guys I'm in the market for a ps3 and i figured this would be a good place to get some help. Let me start by saying I have no desire to use the PS3 for anything excpet games - Im not a movie person and I wont be getting any blue ray dvd's anytime soon. That being said I wouldnt mind having the option to pop in a ps2 game on a rare occasion. Should I go with a 20gb version or are they more prone to hardware failures compared to a newer models? Backwards compatibility isn't a deal breaker I just want to be able to play PS3 games in HD and pay a reasonable price and I wouldnt be opposed to buying a used system either. Tahnks in advance for any input.
 
I was wanting the PS2 BC myself but decided to just get the newer models. I had read that Sony's made some improvements to the systems since they removed BC. I also wanted to get one that still had the warranty.

BTW, you may want to check out sonystyle.com, PS3 section under Game deals. Don't know if it's an option for you, but you can get a minimum of $100 back on the card after you make the purchase there by signing up for a Sony Card. You'll have to read all the fine print and see if the offer is still on.
 
I think the best deal is probably the sony style deal as mentioned above or maybe dell with one of their coupons. As for which version Ive never heard of any drastic differences between models except the BC and maybe a few extra USB ports. I personally think the MGS bundle was the best but I guess its about whats availible and what you think is has the more important stuff. Its been a while since I looked but I dont think ps3 has nearly the issues of 360(no im not tryin to start a flame war MS fanboys, just stating my personal view) which means your choice is limited to what slightly diff features you want.
 
There are only 2 diferent PS3s still in production right now; the 80GB and the 160GB.

If you want the 40 GB model or one with PS2 backwards compatibility, you'll need to get it used.

The PS3s in production today, there is no difference except for the size of the hard drive (look on sonystyle.com or sony's site to verify this, but I'm pretty sure it's correct). Both have one HDMI port (but don't come with an HDMI cable). I bought 5 HDMI cables on Amazon for $6 a piece and they work fine (don't buy an $80 cable).

The 160 GB model is bundled with Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and you get a second free controller. Don't know if you where planning on buying that game and another controller, but if you were, you can get the bundle and get the 160 GB for free (since the 160 GB model is 100 bucks more and if you bought the game and an extra controller, it would cost 100 bucks extra anyway).
 
All PS3's have an HDMI port. Amazon had a deal a few days ago where it was $350, but for most places it's $400 (At Target you get Resistance and Motorstorm 1 with it and at Best Buy you get Quantum of Solace on BR and MLB 09 The Show)
 
I purchased my PS3 earlier this year off Kijiji and got a pretty damned good deal, it was only used for a month +2 games. That being said it was a new 80GB and had no BC which woulda been a price, but the full warranty is a good exchange for that. So that might be an option to keep your eye on it and wait for some one to unload theirs. Another option if you want new is to wait for a good bundle from FS. Every so often they will throw in 1 - 3 games with the purchase of a PS3.
Good Luck!
 
Sorry im a PS newb what exactly is FS? When you say you got the Full warranty is that something the original owner purchased separately for an additional price or is it automatically covered by Sony for 80gb models & if so for how long.

Thanks for all the other info guys I appreciate it. What about the older 20gb & 40 gb hardware vs the newer models in production has there been a significant upgrade there?
 
[quote name='Greater Malison']Sorry im a PS newb what exactly is FS? When you say you got the Full warranty is that something the original owner purchased separately for an additional price or is it automatically covered by Sony for 80gb models & if so for how long.

Thanks for all the other info guys I appreciate it. What about the older 20gb & 40 gb hardware vs the newer models in production has there been a significant upgrade there?[/QUOTE]
Future Shop is a Canadian store. I don't think he realizes that you aren't from Canada.... :lol:
 
[quote name='Greater Malison']
Thanks for all the other info guys I appreciate it. What about the older 20gb & 40 gb hardware vs the newer models in production has there been a significant upgrade there?[/QUOTE]

When I was researching which PS3 model to buy, I thought I read that the newer ones were much quieter. I don't know anyone else who has a PS3, much less an older PS3, so I don't know first hand if this is true or not. I do know that my PS3 that I bought last month is pretty quiet (for now at least).

Even the blu-ray drive isn't loud when it's reading the disk during a cut scene or while you're watching a movie.

The warranty issue, I doubt it is transferable. I bought the extra 2 year warranty; I was told that you can extend it before it expires (asked the salesperson).
 
[quote name='jh6269']The 160 GB model is bundled with Uncharted: Drakes Fortune and you get a second free controller.[/QUOTE]

The 160 GB bundle comes with a second controller? I'd not heard that.

I'm currently looking into PS3s myself and if the bundle does have another controller, then it might tip the scale. I was just going to get the 80 GB and swap out the hard drive for a 320 if it seemed like I was going to run out.
 
[quote name='Kurai_Seraphim']The 160 GB bundle comes with a second controller? I'd not heard that.

I'm currently looking into PS3s myself and if the bundle does have another controller, then it might tip the scale. I was just going to get the 80 GB and swap out the hard drive for a 320 if it seemed like I was going to run out.[/QUOTE]

I've seen it on Amazon a few times, but they do have it on www.sonystyle.com where I bought it. The trade off is that I had to pay sales tax on sonystyle. And now you can get a second free controller with either system (80GB or the 160GB).

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...0151&langId=-1&categoryId=6148914691233368166

If you're going to buy a second controller and Uncharted anyway (which you should buy Uncharted--I loved it and I didn't think I would like it at all), the extra $100 you pay for the 160 GB pays for itself. If you're able to do the credit card deal, you save even more (minimum $100, max $300). I got the first $100 back, and I'm almost up to the second $100 off (dog had to go to the vet $250, car needed maintenance $400, bills, etc. almost up to $1500 for the second credit). Wife will charge her $400/month tuition on the card and I should be able to get the full $300 back on the card and thus will have paid $199 for my PS3.

If you have enough money for the PS3 right now, and your bills are NOT greater than 500 a month, normally, go for this deal ($150 credit back):

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...0151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644595898

If you do have a car, insurance, a pet, a family, a house, etc., and spend 1500 easily within 3 months, then go for this deal and go for the $300 back:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...0151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644604396

Just remember to pay off the initial charge for the PS3 before you start making charges--they apply your payments to the 0% interest 1st--so if you do not pay it off and put more on the card, you risk paying finance charges and fees (and your $100 credits just disappear before your eyes).

Another cool thing is that you also get 5 points for each $1 you spend on the PS3. So, if you buy the $500 one, you get 2500 points.

I've been downloading tons of crap off of the PSN store (demos, trailers, themes) and I'm down to 117 GB out of the 140 GB of free space you have out of the total 160 GB (probably lose some from the formatting just like any other hard drive).

Now, keep in mind that lots of games aren't even 2 player games anyway, so I don't know if it's worth it to buy a second controller or not. But it's nice to have another controller if you need one.

Anyway, don't rush into buying one--make a spreadsheet and figure out which is the best deal overall.
 
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[quote name='UjnHunter']If I couldn't find a 60gb PS3, I would never have bought one.[/QUOTE]

I still never regret paying a $60 premium for my 60gb PS3 on eBay when it first came out. It's funny how Sony's only been making the console worse since then (hardware-wise).
 
Of the new ones I would just get the 80GB at either Target or BB and get the free games. You can upgrade the HD later if you like but you may want to get the 160GB if you feel Uncharted, a second controller, and double the HD is worth another $100 (the game and controller retail for almost that much.)

If you want PS2 backwards compatibility you're going to be looking for the original 20/60GB models, or the old 80GB systems from the Motorstorm/MGS 4 bundles. None of the 40 GB models had BC as far as I know.

The 20/60GB models are full hardware emulation, while the old 80 GB ones are software emulation and some games have isues, there's a page on Sony's site that lets you search any PS1/2 game for any documented issues playing on PS3's.
 
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