Posted: 6/29/2008 9:30:42 PM EDT
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So Grandpa wants to buy his grandson (mu boy) a PS3. I was planning to get the 80GB version, but now it seems their not shipping anymore...? What gives? I liked the 80 because of supposed backwards compatibility, but in reality it's really not that big of a deal; I also figured that "bigger is better." Amazon has a -used- one for like $550, but I'm pretty skeptical about that. Please help! |
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It's late, and I'm tired, so I'm prolly speaking out of my a**, but as I remember it the 60 gig is the "best" as far as backwards compatibility. I don't believe it's being made anymore. I found this out last fall and searched locally and luckily found one at Hastings Bookstore. We have a ton of PS2 games so it was important to us. I *think* that the 80 gig is your next currently made choice for backwards comp. Seems it only uses software to convert old games, while the 60 actually had a separate processor that made it about 100% for old games. I believe the new 40 gig isn't hardly backwards capable. The above statements are in no way guarantees. Do some looking around, I browsed Amazon.com a while and read what the ratings were for each machine and went from there. Don't know what to tell you about the used one you saw for sale there, if it were me I'd keep looking, especially on the EE as they go up for sale occasionally. HTH |
| They don't make the 80 or 60 gig anymore. All you can get is the 40 gig, unless you buy used. I paid $600 for the 80 gig Motorstorm bundle new, so the price you were told seems a little high. I heard a rumor that Sony was coming out with a 120 gig, but I haven't seen one yet. If you don't want a new 40 gig, I would just see if you could get a good deal on a nice used 80 gig from Ebay or something. |
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I wouldn't go with the $550 unit, used or new. A new 80GB bundle (list price $500) was released about two weeks ago that includes the recent release "Metal Gear Solid 4," which is a contender for Game of the Year across all platforms. (I don't know if you would find it appropriate for your son or if he is familiar with the earlier titles, etc. It's a little bit mature but is a far cry from something like Grand Theft Auto.) It has the added benefit of including the latest version of the controller, the "Dualshock 3," which brings the rumble feature back. Not sure if the 40s out there include it yet. Almost everyone prefers the Dualshock to the old SIXAXIS controller. (They look the same, but the new one's a little heavier and the vibration feature is nice.) The bundle can be tough to find because demand has been very, very high. Lots of people were waiting for MGS4 before buying a PS3. They also don't sell the 80GB unit outside of a bundle these days, so the markup on the used market you're seeing is partially due to that. If backwards compatibility doesn't mean anything to you (there are a lot of good PS2 games, though, and two of MGS4's predecessors are on PS2), the other thing the 80 has going for it are a few slots for memory cards. (Compact Flash, Memory Stick and SD.) That's handy for copying pictures / movies / music from your camera or whatever right to the PS3. Otherwise, you can always upgrade the hard drive in the PS3 with a Philips screwdriver, so the 40GB unit is no slouch if you don't care about the aforementioned stuff. It takes a standard SATA laptop drive you can get anywhere. The upgrade is painless and explicitly supported by Sony, so there's no warranty risk. I put in a 250GB drive a few months ago for $108 shipped from newegg.com. |
^ this man knows what he is talking about. nicely done here is my response buying used electronics from an unknown person can be risky. it costs $150 to get fixed at sony. some people buy used, others dont the issue with BC is up to you. if you will be keeping the PS2 there isnt any real reason that you need to play PS2 games on the PS3 except for the convienence of having one system hooked up to the tv. you can visit the playstation website and they have all the flaws associated with playing PS2 games on an 80GB system. they are title specific so you tell them what you will be playing and it tells you what will happen. if you dont have any PS3 games, then it doesnt even matter. get the 40GB system and when the hard drive fills up, get a bigger one and transfer everything over. |
This is all good info, and I appreciate it. We have the PS2 on a separate TV, so it's no biggie, our plan is to use the PS# as a Blu-Ray player as well on our main TV, and it seems like you can do alot of other features like picture viewing/storage, etc. So the reason I'm wanting the 80 vs. the 40 is that it seems to have more of these other non-gaming features and capabilities. Is that right so far? Thanks SO much for the help! |
The 40 will do all the same non gaming stuff as the 80. |
The main non-gaming differences are the media card slots. With the 40, you can still use a standard USB adapter to connect your media cards to the PS3. The picture viewer and other abilities also exist on the 40, the difference is just in your options for getting the media onto the PS3. From your situation, since you're willing to relegate the PS2 games to second-string status and keep 'em in the other room, it sounds like you would be well served by either version. Bonus tips: - The PS3 does a really great job upscaling standard DVDs for your HDTV if it's connected with an HDMI cable. It won't upscale over other kinds of connections, though. - Regarding the 80 ... if you want to copy saved game files from those old PS2 memory cards, you have to get a special adapter. I think it's about $20. - That $550 bundle above is probably a decent way to go, considering it's got that spare controller. The game is nearly free in the original bundle as it is. - This is a pretty excellent time to be a PS3 owner! |