The PS3 Slim.

So Thursday morning I went and purchased my Slim console. I can honestly say, I love this thing and I was a nitwit for selling my older Fat PS3 a while back. But bygones be bygones cause the Slim is in the house. Lets run down the skinny.

Product:  Sony PlayStation 3 (Slim Model)
What is it?: Gaming Console, Multimedia Hub, Blu-Ray/DVD player.
How much?: $299.99 (US Dollars)
Whats in the box?
1 PS3 Slim Computer Entertainment Console
1 A/C Power Cord
1 Composite AV Cables (Y/R/W)

1 DualShock 3 Controller

1 USB to 2.0 connector(for plugging the controller up to the console)

1 Welcome to PS3 and PSN Blu-Ray disc

and User Manual, Warrenty, and stuff.

Features: Black Mattle case, Smaller size, actually “clicky” buttons for Eject and Rest/Power buttons, 2 USB port, Wi-fi, Ethernet port, HDMI port, Bluetooth, Built-in web browser, free membership to the PlayStation Network.

Both Mircosoft and Sony have been battling each other quite some time at the console jazz. Right now the playing field is leveled. PS3 slim, $299.99. Xbox 360 Elite model, $299.99. Being a Xbox 360 owner (since their launch back in05) I never thought I’d be getting a Sony console. All that started to change as I saw them in action, played on them, and Microsoft’s beloved console having more internal issues than an emo kid. The PS3 slim shines in many respects. Its ability to be a media hub is by far my personal favorite thing about it but to get the absolute best out of the console its recommended you’re rocking it in HD.

The dualshock 3 feels much better than the light weight sixaxis. The rumble feature is one expected in games these days.(some games on PS3 even got patched to support it).  Now about Playstation Network…

The PS3′s online service and exp. is pretty damn barebones. Store, Web Browser, Friend’s List, Basic Messaging system…typical stuff. But it does feature(for some of your HDD space) Home. Basically you create your own little dude and let him/her loose in the online PSN Home community. You also get your own room which you can decorate with various game stuff. Once you walk outside, its like you’re playing a game with the character you made, with an actual open world you can freely move about and explore, mix, mingle, and talk to others walking about. Reminded me of playing an MMO.  The store is fairly easy to navigate and unlike Microsoft who makes you deal with those MS Points, Sony just takes the correct amount. Like XBL, you can buy prepaid cards, but even this has some difference. See, since PS3 has no region lock you can buy a forgien prepaid card and access the Store of whatever currency you purchased on the card.

However, setting the PS3 up to do all this fun stuff online was a CHORE. Simple setting on my router was keeping me from fully enjoying the exp. of taking the system online. Something that didn’t affect any of my other internet devices. And I had no clue what was going on. Took a google search and many hours for reading various message boards until I finally found my answer. But once you get it rolling, you’re golden.

Im no fanboy (anymore) of either faction, both systems have their strengths and faults. But I can foresee getting to know my PS3 a little better over next few months. Also, the “clicky” buttons are very real and they light up, so if you happen to have the PS3 in the dark you can turn it off(although, you can turn the thing off with the DualShock 3 as well, most of the time)

The only thing that would make me shit real bricks is if Valve learned to share some L4D love to the PS3. I’d cop that up in a hot minute.  Ah well, Fat Princess is fun enough I say, looking forward to Uncharted 2…even though I never played Uncharted.

The Harsh Reality: 9.7/10
A very solid gaming console with more bells and whistles than the Xbox 360  and features the new wave of Multimedia format, Blu-Ray. Honsetly, I’d purchase one even if you’re not really a gamer. The Slim is just that damn slick. Knocked some points off due to 1. The online set up being a hassle for network scrubs like myself and 2. The fact to set it up vertically, you have to fork out an extra 25 bucks for the stand.