A SLIM CHANCE

The new Play Station 3 Slim is here,and it is leaner,meaner,and a lot more slicker

The new Play Station 3 Slim is here,and it is leaner,meaner,and a lot more slicker
The X-Box 360 and the Play Station 3 may have been at loggerheads since their launch two years ago,but the two have also undergone a fair deal of tweaks since. But then Sony went a step further and brought in Play Station 3 Slim loaded with loads of oomph factor and hardcore gaming.
It was not unexpected. Way back in 2008 rumour had it that a second generation cousin of the PS3 would follow soon. What people didnt know was the manner in which it would arrive Sony,which did a cosmetic and under the hood revamp for the smaller tyke the PSP Lite,did a similar revamp for the PS3 too.

Firstly,both the box and the console came at a cheaper price. While the first generation PS3 came for a fat Rs 27,000 for the wired version and Rs 30,000 for the wireless one,the Slim costs under Rs 20,000. The version we laid our hands on was much lighter than its overgrown cousin and had slightly lower running costs it is 33 percent smaller and 36 per cent lighter than the PS3. It also sports a 45nm cell processor as compared to the normal PS3s 60nm processor. Plus the minimal fan work ensured that while the internals of the shadow warrior remained cool,it wasnt noisy on the outside.

While the glossy finish added to the cool quotient of the original PS3,it wasnt exactly a great idea for India,where heat,dust and oil only transformed the unit into a glossy fingerprint reader. Thats why the new PS3 comes with a matt finish,which we think notches up good look points. It no longer has dull touch sensitive power sensors. Sony has gone back to the good old days of the click buttons,and also done away with the on/off switch at the back. The unit also gets an embossed PS3 logo instead of the tacky Spiderman font print and can be used horizontally.

Story continues below this ad

But it is at the controls that the new PS3 really scores over its elder cousin one can easily plug in the console with a Bravia Link TV and navigate the PlayStation Xross Media Bar menu with the TV remote,and you can use the same to watch Blu-ray discs. You can also connect the new Sony Ericsson Aino phone one of the first mobiles to feature the Remote Play feature bringing the same menu on the mobile screen to play games. Moreover,the bigger 120 GB hard drive is placed in the front for easy access.

Overall,the new Slim is a big improvement over the PS3. Not only is it cheaper,smaller,quieter,deeper and more efficient,but it also comes bundled with killer applications like the BBC iPlayer. As for the games star cast,the Slim has Band Hero,Red Dead Redemption,Uncharted 2,Heavy Rain,The Last Guardian and MAG up its sleeves. The Indian versions offer two known games,Gran Turismo 5 Prologue,and Uncharted: Drakes Fortune.

Not that it will cause any major reverberations,but PS2 titles do not work on the new PS3,although some of the old PSOne titles do work on it. There are other irritants too. It has only two USB ports and is sadly not compatible with Linux,doesnt come with an HDMI cable,and still promotes the archaic low-grade composite video cable from the 90s. And you will have to shell out some more money to get a stand. But these will not qualify as reasons for not sealing the new PS3 deal.
So,for now,it seems its game on for Sony. Even though the prices of the Xbox Elite have been slashed to a mere Rs 19,000,the new PS3 Slim is sure to give Microsoft a run for its money.

Tags:
technology

In Odisha, Modi mounts ‘loot tantra-vs-bachat utsav’ attack on Congress over GST

India2 hr ago

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday hailed the revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) structures, saying the era of “double bachat (saving) and double kamai (income)” has arrived under the Bharatiya Janata Party rule. Addressing the ' Namo Yuva Samabesh' in Jharsuguda, Modi accused the Congress of indulging in “loot tantra (tactics)” while in power.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS