Here it is, the PS3 Slim!
Anthony: Yup, it's here alright. I mean, it's definitely exciting to be one of the first people in the world to receive one of these, but I have to say I was unimpressed when I saw early photos and I'm unimpressed looking at it in person as well. It's not that it's the worst-looking thing of all time, but compared to the original design it just kind of looks tacky.
Ryan: Boy, this thing sure is ugly. At least they ditched the Spider-Man font, though. I kind of question why this has to exist; wouldn't a price drop have been enough? Also, note all the fun things it doesn't come with, like component cables and ethernet cables. What a deal!
Here it is next to the original system.
Anthony: When you see them side-by-side, you can really tell how plain the new system looks compared to the old. It'd be one thing if the new system was drastically thinner or smaller, but since the power supply is still internal, it still has some heft to it. Moreover, the fans are replaced by what seems like much more limited vents on the back. I'm curious how hot this thing's going to get when all pistons are firing.
Ryan: Yeah, they should have called this thing the PS3 Slightly Smaller. Seriously, I don't get what the angle is here. And that power supply thing is just... dumb. The whole reason the slimline PS2 was so tiny was because they externalized the power supply. What were they thinking here?
It does have buttons, though. Better than those weird touch-sensor things.
Anthony: The one thing I really like about the new design is the inclusion of actual buttons for the power and eject mechanisms. While I admit it felt kind of cool pressing something Star Trek-style and watching as it happened, it felt weird not having the tactile feedback of an actual button press. The new system has nice buttons that give a satisfying little click. Maybe I'm just easily amused.
Ryan: This is exactly why I'm terrified of touch-screen phones -- I have no buttons to push! What if it breaks!? Anyway, a power button on a PS3 is a far cry from an iPhone screen, but I definitely agree that the buttons are better. Fun fact: Even though the PS3 Slim's casing utilizes non-shiny plastic, it's still very prone to fingerprint smudges. Boo!
