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Today's Bonus:
NOTE: (Nov. 9, 2010) The PlayStation 3 320 GB with a larger disc is now available for the same price. Another option is PlayStation 3 320GB System with PlayStation Move Bundle which would make sense if the Move was something you wanted with your PS3.
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< BEGIN REVIEW >
Briefly, the PS3-250 is the exact original PS3 'Slim' with a twice as large hard disk.
I had the opportunity to actually see and use a PS3-250 on the Sunday prior to its launch. As I expected, the only difference between the ps3-250 and the PS3-120 is the larger disk with everything else the same. Many reviews of the PS3-120 are HERE.
< END OF REVIEW >
Once the decision was made to get a PS3, 2 important questions might be:
Which model to buy? PS3-120 or PS3-250?
To upgrade or not to upgrade to a 500/640GB PS3?
Based on personal experience and the experience of other PS3 owners that I know, the options are the following remember, these are my views:
PS3-120, no upgrade
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Buy a PS3-120 and do not upgrade if you use it mainly to play movies and you rarely download games from the PSN store. It will take you very far and it should have sufficient room for storing thousands of pictures and a lot of music besides it playing Blu-ray content and CDs.
I found that 120GB would not be enough for me. After a couple of years of use, with a few downloaded games, many more demos, lots of pictures and songs and some videos the kids made with the PS3 Eye we've breached the 120GB threshold. I would not worry about that if all I wanted was one of the better Blu-ray players. In addition, anybody comfortable with backing up/restoring the PS3 and upgrading the disk can postpone the upgrade step for later.
PS3-250, no upgrade
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Buy a PS3-250 and do not upgrade if you do plan to download a few movies and games but not a lot of them AND/or you don't feel comfortable with upgrading your PS3 yourself.
Anyone who is not an almost-exclusive movie viewer and doesn't want to mess with screws and OEM disks should buy the PS3-250. It should have enough capacity to last for quite a few years with good disk space management (delete the demos and downloads you no longer need).
PS3-120 upgrade to 500/640GB
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Buy a PS3-120 and upgrade it to 500/640GB IF you don't mind swapping the PS3's disk. You get to upgrade your PS3-120 to quadruple capacity for very little expense and probably for less than a PS3-250 would cost you (see next paragraph). This should buy you peace of mind for the rest of your PS3's lifespan.
Keep in mind that a 500GB HDD such as the 500GB Scorpio Blue Mobile Sata 5400RPM 8MB 2.5IN or the Western Digital 640 GB SATA OEM Notebook Hard Drive WD6400BEVT (Scorpio Blue) if you don't mind the extra expense can be had for about 90 dollars at the time I am writing this. That would make a 500GB upgraded PS3-120 appear a little more expensive than the PS3-250 BUT you are left with a brand-new 120GB HDD (the drive originally in the PS3) when you are done and you can either sell it or use it as an external USB-powered backup drive or maybe to upgrade your laptop's drive. This would effectively set the price of the 500GB upgraded console to match that of the PS3-250.
There are many online guides that detail the process. I will post a couple URL's in a comment to this review.
PS3-250 upgrade to 500/640GB (not recommended)
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Do NOT buy a PS3-250 if you are planning to upgrade it to 500/640GB unless you really need a spare 250GB external HDD instead of a spare 120GB HDD and think that the price difference is worth the larger spare drive.
EVALUATION
The PS3-250 while not for everyone, deserves its 5 stars. In my view, there is enough value added by doubling the storage capacity to justify the price difference over the PS3-120.
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NOTE: If you want to upgrade you are better off if you upgrade immediately.
This way you avoid the backup/restore hassles and therefore greatly simplify the process. I would include the upgrade HDD on the same order with the new PS3 and maybe add a HDD enclosure if planning to use the drive I removed from the PS3 as an external drive.
Click Here to Read More Reviews >>
I had no idea which unit to buy, the 120 or the 250 GB Playstation 3. I ended up with the 250 out of fear that the 120 would leave me desiring more space later. If you don't know anything, here is what I see so far. On the Playstation network, you can download game demos and marketing videos for games free. I haven't found myself doing this a lot yet. Of course, you can also delete them easily after you watch them.Most playable games even old ones cost to download so I have decided to just buy a couple of the popular ones and am hooked on those and the stunning DVD and Blu Ray movie quality for now. You are not going to be able to download games like Modern Warefare 2 to your hard drive from the PS network that I can see. WHen you buy a game at the store or here on amazon in disc format, you have to install it first. This may take some hard drive space. So far, one game I have takes nearly 3 GB and another takes up less than 1 GB but the games also called for an update download which I don't know how much space that took. At this rate, you could install maybe 100 store bought disc format games.
Playing movies on disc doesn't seem to take hard drive space. You can download movies from the Playstation network. If you do much of this, I image you'll need more space but the movies I was interested in cost the same amount to buy from amazon or wal-mart as to download so if you can wait to go to the store or recieve a package, you don't need to download it. You can rent movies also. I imagine this is a download that is disabled after a time period or after it is viewed or something. You can also download TV shows like "The Office" for $2 an eposode. If you want to do a lot of that, maybe the bigger HD is a good idea.
I am thinking you would do well with just the 120GB unless you know you are going to make a collection of movies and TV shows and low priced downloadable games on your Playstation.
You can also save photos on the Playstation as well as video. If this is part of your plan, well again more space may help. The PS3 has USB ports where I believe you could load photos and home movies from to view on your TV.
You can also access your applications on the www like facebook.
Bare in mind that there are a lot of folkes out there with older PS3's that have only 40 and 80 GB drives who love their playstation and don't feel the need for the 250 GB drive.
I don't feel upset that I spent the extra $50 to get the larger drive because it might be useful later, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have been comfortable buying the 120 for my purposes which is playing a small number of games (not a small amount of time, just a small number of games because they cost a lot) and watching some Blu Ray movies.
If you still find it hard to make a decision, ask yourself if you want to spend more money because both models are the same except the HD size which you can upgrade later. By the time you buy the unit, HD cable, a game, maybe another controller and remote control for Blu Ray, you'll be in deep on the expense and maybe another $50 isn't acceptable.
It is a very good and fun product. After I spent all the money on what I needed, I debated on hooking it up or sending it back because it was a lot of money; I'm very glad I hooked it up and delt with the expense. It is everything I hoped.
Buy PlayStation 3 250GB System Now
Prior to getting the PS3, we had a Sony BluRay player, an Apple TV and a PC hooked up to our Sony Bravia LCD TV. PC was used for Netflix and backing up the Apple TV, Apple TV was used to rent and buy movies, and the Sony BluRay Player simply played BluRay DVDs. After learning about the functionality of the PS3, I was sold.We've had it for about 2 weeks now and I am ever impressed with it's capabilities and quality. Keep in mind, this is the first type of gaming system like this we've owned (we do have a Wii but I put this in a different class). Here's my take on the various functions and their quality, smoothness and quickness of processing/playing.
Gaming Amazing quality with no hesitations at all (playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2) and I've been playing quite a bit since we first got it. Like the Wii, you can download old games like Mortal Kombat II and new ones for PS3 and the PSP. Initially, I didn't think I was going to play that much but the graphics and the games have been really cool. Not much of an online player at the moment but it seems that most have this option available. Even Mortal Kombat II. You can create user profiles on the PS3 which automatically link to saved game data. Automatic and very nice. Create additional users so they can advance at their own pace.
BluRay Discs load quicker than the Sony BluRay player we bought about 9-12 months ago. Thoroughly impressed with the quality of the picture. You can also play older discs and they'll work just fine.
Netflix You'll need to get a disc from Netflix to be able to do this. We've watched Instant Watch movies via PC/Internet on our TV and the quality wasn't too bad. I say acceptable and sometimes the movie would freeze for a few seconds. On average about two freezes per movie. We were expecting the same thing via the PS3 but were dead wrong. The quality is AMAZING and there has not been one hiccup in the video. This really impressed us...and I'm a picky so don't take that compliment lightly. :)
Renting/Buying Movies/Shows via PlayStation Store Lots of shows available for viewing, including the current season of whatever season you're into. We don't rent these but it's nice to know we can in case the DVR gets goofed up for some reason. As for movies, the files are larger compared to Apple TV/iTunes downloads but with this the quailty is much better. HD movies are available but they're pretty big, about 6 GB! If you're buying movies then it's worth the wait and the extra 5 dollars. SD movies are still good quality for basic rentals. However, if you have a good cable connection you may want to rely on your On Demand Rentals to bypass waiting for long HD downloads. Again, PS Store is good for purchases and I encourage it to save on materials/resources...go green where you can. :) Only downfall with buying/renting movies this way is that the files don't have chapter markers so you can advance through sections of the movie like you can with a DVD. Hopefully they change this.
Internet If you need to access the web you can but you'll probably want to pick up the Logitech keyboard to do this. The speed of browsing isn't too fast and the viewing area isn't the largest. I'll walk over to my computer to do a search rather than use the PS3.
Photos/Music Depending on your computer setup (Mac or PC) you may need to get some additional software in order to turn your computer into a media server. Then, through your wireless network you can access the music and play it through the PS3. Same goes for photos...or you can load the photos onto the PS3 directly, same goes for the music. Really amazing features but take a little research on what file formats are compatible, etc.
PS3 Backup With an external drive attached, you can back up the PS3, which is great.
Overall, I say go for the 250GB if you're into being green like me and wish to download games, movies and load photos and music. This device is truly an all-in-one and like I said, I'm picky. Not to mention I understand technology pretty well. If, after taking a realistic inventory, you will use all or the majority of the services, grab one of these suckers. I'd also recommend going Sony for your TV and surround sound. They all work really well together.
Enjoy!
Read Best Reviews of PlayStation 3 250GB System Here
Hi there,Let me give you some background:
I purchased a PS3 60 GB model at launch back in November 2006. I have loved everything about it ever since. I even upgraded the hard drive to a 250 GB hard drive about a year and a half ago.
Why did I choose to purchase this new, slim, 250 GB model?
Honestly, it's a great deal for what you get. It's cooler (temperature wise), more energy efficient, and it takes up MUCH less space than my previous model. (Not to mention the much nicer, matte black finish as opposed to the older piano black finish which is a scratch/fingerprint magnet.)
Thinking about the new 120 GB vs. this 250 GB model? Maybe this will help:
Originally, I had planned to buy the 120 GB model and upgrade to a 250 GB or 320 GB hard drive myself. However, at the $349.99 price point, there's no need to perform the upgrade myself. For a quality Western Digital or Seagate 250 GB hard drive, you'll be spending anywhere from $50 to $70 plus shipping and/or tax, and for a 320 GB hard drive you'll be spending upwards of $75. Honestly, there really isn't any reason for that with this model. Why go through the hassle when Sony offers a great package at the perfect price point?
I for one am happy with my purchase which I received today from Amazon and am happily inagurating it with the GI Joe: Rise of Cobra blu-ray. For almost anyone that I can think of, the 250 GB hard drive will be more than enough space. However, should the need arise in a year or two (or three), a 500 GB hard drive will be dirt cheap and easy enough to install.
Want PlayStation 3 250GB System Discount?
By now, the PS3 has been extensively reviewed and this latest iteration (the "slim") has been out in the 120gb format for 2 months now (since September 1st, 2009).To summarize the benefits:
Slimmer, lighter, and more energy efficient than the prior "fat" PS3
Blu-ray player built-in
Netflix streaming (yay!)
Free online service (vs. subscription based X-box live)
The negatives:
No backwards compatibility with PS2 games
Bluetooth remote only (and not included, so need to purchase a remote to use as a dvd/blu-ray player, no IR (but a number of bluetooth-to-IR solutions like Logitech Harmony Adapter or Infra-red to Bluetooth Adapter)
No more Linux support
With Blu-ray player prices now dropping to the $100-$150 range, the PS3 makes for an expensive option as a Blu-ray player only. As a home media center player/HTPC device, it really shines and is a great deal (you can't build a HTPC with a blu-ray player for less). It IS somewhat limited, however, as a HTPC as its browser is not up to par. Too bad Sony dropped linux support for the PS3. The addition of Netflix streaming (currently requiring a disc but supposedly becoming native in a future firmware update) just ices this cake.
edit to address the HD upgrade issue:
Yes, you can buy the 120gb for $50 less and, yes, you can install whatever capacity 2.5" hard drive you'd like fairly easily as long as you're willing to pay for a new hard drive. BUT, considering that (1.) you'd still have to spend extra money (more than the $50 difference), (2.) spend time and effort to upgrade and (3.) you'd then have an extra 120gb hard drive afterwards to go through the hassle of ebaying (unless you turn it into another usb/backup drive--I've got too many as it is). I find that it is just not worth it. Spend the extra $50, get the 250gb installed by Sony and warrantied by Sony.
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