Gamers! This is for you!

Recently I decided that it was about time that I upgrade from my aging PlayStation 2 Slim to a new, fresh PlayStation 3. As I began to unplug and pack away my PS2, I began to envision a PlayStation 3 Slim taking its place. New console, new games, and new capabilities. I went to the computer to start looking at PS3 models and was hit hard with tons of information. Before I knew it, I was drowning in it. There had to be at least 5 different PlayStation 3 models and they all seemed somewhat the same. This is a dilemma many gamers today face and all are asking the same question: Which model is the best? I’m glad to say that I believe I have found the right answer. To find the best PlayStation 3, there are two factors to take into consideration: model type and hard drive capacity. Turn this chaos into order and you’ll soon find what in my opinion is the best PS3 for any gamer.

I want to keep this short and to the point so that my readers don’t have to browse through as many words as I did. I’ll even do one better and just answer the question before I explain it! The best PlayStation 3 model is the 60GB Original Model. Why? The three factors I listed above! Let’s start with model type. There are currently two models of the PlayStation 3 out, the original model and the slim model. Only the slim model is in production nowadays. The advertised difference between these two models is that the slim model is about one-third smaller, one-third lighter, and uses one-third of the energy as compared to the original model. Although these are all good facts, there is one HUGE benefit to the original model. Most original models have hardware, the Emotion Engine CPU chip, that allows for backwards compatibility. This means that these systems allow you to play PS2 games on your PS3. This is best seen in the 20GB and 60GB models, which are about 99% backwards compatible. The 80GB model with the Emotion Engine is about 70-80% backwards compatible. There is a 40GB system and another 80GB system that are original models but are NOT backwards compatible. All of the slim models lack backwards compatibility as well. Because of this, I dub the original model of the PlayStation 3 as the superior.

Now that we’ve narrowed it down to a specific model, we need to look at hard drive size. This is where a lot of gamers will split depending on what they want to use their PS3 for. As far as original models go, there are 20, 40, 60, and 80GB models. If you are a straight up gamer, you could simply go for the 20GB model. It has all of the space you need, but unfortunately does not have a memory card slot or WiFi. This is where the 20GB model suffers in reviews. It is a great system, but it lacks a lot of the capabilities that the PS3 is known for. If you plan on using your PlayStation for photos, music, and videos, a larger hard drive may be better for you. The PlayStation 3 Slim has hard drives with sizes of 120, 160, 250, and 320GB. Although this is tons of space, we already took the PS3 Slim out of the running! In addition to this, these models tend to be more expensive. So if you are just going to be play video games with your PlayStation3, don’t blow all of your money for an 80GB original or a 320GB slim model. You don’t want too much space or too little, and you want backwards compatibility. What model of the PlayStation 3 does that leave you with? The 60GB of course!

At the end of the day, the 60GB Original Model of the PlayStation 3 is the best PS3 model out there. Although it may be a bit bigger and heavier, it has a great deal of space and can play PlayStation 2 games as well. Now, I don’t want to make it sound like this model doesn’t have its drawbacks because sadly, all models do. The original models, besides their large dimensions, have been said to heat up quickly and make noise during gameplay. A change in the processor for the slim model fixed this but remember, slim models don’t have backwards compatibility. Another thing about the original models is that many of them come with Sixaxis controllers rather than DualShock 3 controllers. Although Sixaxis controllers are lighter, they are not capable of vibration because it would interfere with motion sensors in the original PS3 models. DualShock 3 controllers, however, do have this vibration capability. Although this isn’t a big issue for me, some gamers might base their decision solely on that. A final statement that needs to be mentioned is the fact that ALL PlayStation 3 models can play PlayStation 1 games. So if you’ve had you’re Madden 1998 or Spyro hidden away for a while, you can finally pull it back out, dust it off, and play it again. 

To finalize this article, I will once again say that I believe the 60GB Original PlayStation 3 model is the best model out there. Nonetheless, everyone has different tastes and preferences, and the other models may seem more appealing. Even if that’s the case, I hope you find the right PS3 model for you. For those who have heeded my words, I promise you won’t regret getting the 60GB model. I’m not the only one who thinks this is the best model. If you go on Gamestop’s website right now and look up PlayStation 3 models, you’ll find that the 60GB model is more expensive than all of the other original models, and even a couple of the slim models. Clearly Gamestop knows which model is superior, and now thankfully you do too.

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