Sony PS3 500GB Super Slim Console (PS3)

Product Information

Blu-rays, DVDs or CDs can still be spun, and the PS3’s multimedia skills remain unchanged: you can stream content from networked devices and through on-demand services such as Sony’s own SEN ( Sony Entertainment Network) and BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, and 4oD. These components draw the most juice from the mains, so we find that overall power consumption is much the same as it was at around 70W.

The PS3 can’t match a dedicated budget Blu-ray deck such as Sony’s own BDP-S390 or Panasonic’s DMP-BDT220, but detail levels are good, colours are nicely judged and motion is handled well enough. It's a little disconcerting to find a digital video interface not transmitting its output losslessly, and some members of the more hardcore AV fraternities believe it is visible to the human eye, something we didn't agree with - so we put it to the test.At this point, the entirety of the flash chip is copied onto the hard drive in a somewhat lengthy procedure. Sure enough, slotting in the 250GB upgrade addresses the problem, restoring the 60 frames per second update. Gone is the quality finish and feel of the predecessor, although the curved design survives to an extent. We ran tests on several games: Gran Turismo 5's install is the stuff of legend, the kind of unoptimised dumping of data that is entirely at odds with the level of technological achievement found elsewhere in the game. After powering up the machine, it auto-recognises the presence of a new drive and the user is asked if he wants to make the switch from flash to hard drive storage.

The available 12GB of space is undeniably tight, but you should be able to install any retail disc game onto the system. PS3 is the most advanced computer system that serves as a platform to enjoy next generation computer entertainment contents in the home, realised through the combination of Cell and RSX processors. Sony is obviously a fan of Apple's 'The New iPad' naming convention, but we're going to go ahead and stick with 'PS3 super-slim.A slimmed-down version launched in 2009, and now there’s this 'super slim' one – which is half the size and weight of the original and almost 25 per cent smaller than its predecessor. If you listen to the rumours circulating industry-wide, the next genuine generation of consoles is likely to arrive in Q3/Q4 2013, which gives this new PS3 a limited shelf life. The unfortunate reality here is that PSN game downloads - including most of PlayStation Plus's excellent Instant Games Collection - won't work on the 12GB model as a consequence. Essentially the flash chip data is copied across to the new drive, while any existing data on the HDD needs to be wiped to accommodate it. Initially, it was believed that Sony had simply gained access to an inventory of small capacity SSDs and would ship them in the PS3's traditional hard drive bay, where it could be replaced with any other 2.

net is owned by Gamer Network Limited, a ReedPop company and subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions Limited. The big news in terms of its design, though, is that disc tray - gone is the touch-sensitive control from the original PS3, and even the bread-and-butter button from the Slim. When we discovered that Sony had opted for an embedded chip rather than an SSD drive, we feared the worst, but generally speaking the 12GB unit performs well, outstripping expectations. We find that there are some improvements here with the 12GB PS3's flash module too, but these are outweighed by some surprising dips in overall performance.

It's an interesting thought, because the potential is there for the bargain-basement PS3 to actually outperform its more expensive siblings. While it's weird to have a lossless output not operating losslessly, the human eye can't tell the difference. IMPORTANT: When Trading-in any console it must be a UK PAL version and fully working with the manufacturers guarantee security seal(s) intact. Our next test subject is the existing 500GB Super Slim, giving us a direct head-to-head comparison opportunity between the two major European SKUs. com Limited is an Introducer Appointed Representative of CarMoney Limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 674094.