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The PlayStation 3 has been around for many years now, but now it has been slimmed down and revamped and certainly doesn't disappoint. First and foremost, the PS3 Slim is cheaper. It's also a third smaller and lighter than the hulking previous version, and a third more energy efficient, meaning slightly lower running costs and, more importantly, near silent operation as minimal fan work is required to keep it cool.
The Slim has gained a 120GB hard drive and exchanged the fingerprint magnet gloss finish for a matte one. The ugly font is gone to, replaced by a new, embossed PS3 logo on both top and bottom.
Furthermore, Sony has dropped the touch sensitive power and eject sensors, ending the frustration of waving your finger to no avail. Instead there are proper, old-fashioned buttons with an agreeably clicky action. The on/off switch on the back has also gone, so you'll need to switch it off at the socket.
There are some cool new ways of controlling the PS3 Slim. Plug it into a Bravia Link-capable Sony TV and you can navigate the PlayStation's media bar menu with the TV's remote, making it ideal for watching Blu-ray's. It even powers down the PlayStation when you switch the TV off.
If you are out and about, you can still get out all your PS3's movies, pictures and music using your PSP, but you'll also be able to access it from certain Sony Ericsson phones.
There is one major gripe with the new PS3. It won't play PS2 games, although some PSOne titles will work. There are also a litany of minor caveats. It only has two USB's, is no longer compatible with Linux, doesn't come with an HDMI cable and you'll have to shell out extra on a stand to make it sit upright. We doubt those are deal-breakers for anyone, but we thought you should know.
In all, though, the Slim is a big improvement, being cheaper, smaller, quieter and more efficient, with new features that further expand its appeal, both as a gaming and lifestyle device. As well as a killer back catalogue, forthcoming titles include Band Hero, FIFA 10, and Red Dead Redemption. A video store also arrives this year.
So, game over? Well, maybe not, given Microsoft has just slashed the price of an Xbox 360 elite. Even so, in this slimmed down, cut-price guise, Sony's PS3 has never looked more affordable or alluring.
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