Sony Toyed With Interesting Ideas For PS3 Slim Model

In comparison to its "fat" predecessor, the PS3 Slim is between 30 and 35% slimmer and lighter, and it's also 34% better on power consumption. But did you realize that it could've been even smaller?

According to a recent Nikkei interview with SCE's Masayuki Chatani, a member of Sony's strategy planning department, they had initially intended to make the Slim even slimmer, but the issue of HDD sizing got in the way. They had the idea of using flash memory instead of the standard hard drive, which would've allowed them to significantly cut the size and weight even more (and even the noise levels would've dropped a little farther). Another plan was to eliminate local storage entirely and simply rely on the PlayStation Network to handle all the game save data, personal files and settings. Both theories were considered but dismissed due to price concerns; after all, the primary goal of the revamped model was to introduce a much more accessible $299 price tag. That's what's important but we find it interesting that if they cut down on the Slim's current size, it "would have imposed restrictions on transport and use, making it harder to use freely." So it's not like Sony didn't try a bunch of different possibilities when producing this new model; they obviously had a few pretty drastic ideas on the drawing board.

But I think the Slim came out well and most are happy with the result. Will it go through another structural change some time in the future? Perhaps. But for now, it's all about that $299 price tag and everything else the machine offers.

12/14/2009 10:31:39 AM Ben Dutka

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Comments (42 posts)

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Zorigo
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 10:53:36 AM
Reply

I think they've done well. The psn storage idea doesn't sound too great, imagine having to rely on the netwrok all the time, it can go down, but the idea of flash memory doesn't seem so bad. But it's done well, and has a huge HDD. and the price cut is a success, even if i'm miffed, i mean, my 40gb cost me £300 with 2 games, and nowadays, about £280 would get me 250GB of storage and a game or something,

The look is a little hmm... i mean its a bit square, and the buttons annoy me, but it is good. i'm happy with my 40gb tho. mainly coz i can't afford an uprade.

Last edited by Zorigo on 12/14/2009 10:56:04 AM

3 up, 2 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 4:40:31 PM

I personally am glad they've kept the current HD format. It's practical and very affordable compared to what MS uses.

Plus in regards to the look or size I could care less. I have both types of PS3s and I like the slim because it's quieter and uses less energy.

I predict in a few years there will be yet another PS3 model just as there was another PS2 slim introduced. If so I'm sure I'll end up buying that one too.

2 up, 0 down

Gone
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 10:59:40 AM
Reply

Probably in a few years Sony will make the PS3 as small as the PS2 Slim.

Sony is very innovative wink wink Ben.

4 up, 0 down

King James
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:59:34 AM

Ha! Best Avatar name & pic this season!

0 up, 0 down

Gone
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 12:00:33 PM

Thanks

1 up, 0 down

JackC8
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:01:34 AM
Reply

Glad they didn't go with the online game saves - that would have been somewhat of a negative for those of us who don't have our PS3's hooked up to the net :)

Yeah, I know, it's like a bathroom without an aromtherapy candle...

3 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:38:30 AM

Network storage for game saves is a bad idea regardless. I want total control over my saves.

4 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 12:06:30 PM

I would like it as an option (not mandatory). If you use more than one PS3, for example when visiting a friend, it would be nice to be able to create a local profile and access your game saves wherever you are.

11 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 12:58:02 PM

Err let me refrase. Mandatory network save storage is a bad idea. Choice is good. I agree. I didt think about visiting a friend.

7 up, 1 down

bearbobby
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 4:03:38 PM

What is this, 1992?

3 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 4:18:48 PM

Yea because game consoles had internal hard drives inside them in 1992.

2 up, 2 down

Fane1024
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 @ 7:08:41 PM

It's another line from the commercial, Jawk.

0 up, 0 down

NoSmokingBandit
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:17:37 AM
Reply

Too bad flash memory doesnt help loading times. I'd think about getting an ssd for my old 80gb model, but loading is still restricted by the disc drive unless the whole game on the ssd.
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6192258/index.html

0 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:19:19 AM
Reply

Ooooh nooo thanks. Rather have an HDD. I don't care how fat or slim it is.

4 up, 0 down

photo K
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:24:50 AM
Reply

I love the flash memory idea, but its expensive if you want a large capacity, most people rather have a cheaper ps3 than an expensive one with flash memory.

Maybe one day when 100-200 gb of flash memory is relatively cheap, that would be very nice, I wouldnt mind upgrading in a couple of years.

3 up, 0 down

killzone100
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:28:41 AM
Reply

I have the slim and its alot quiter than the old ones. Damn YLOD!

1 up, 2 down

Naga
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:37:45 AM
Reply

What if it had a SSD instead, I've just heard of this type of storage? its supposed to be dead silent and faster than a hard drive?

1 up, 0 down

coverton341
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:49:41 AM

SSD memory is much faster than a traditional hard drive and also much quieter but the price climb on them is huge. Making a slim with one would not have lowered the price. Also, they have shown that the speed increase from a SSD is only apparent if you are playing a game that installs its data to the hard drive because the bottle neck happens at read time from the BD. Until the next gen when they have faster BD drives we won't see a tremendous speed overhaul no matter what type of memory storage you have.

4 up, 0 down

Kevadu
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:57:38 AM

Uh, SSD (solid state drive) is just another name for flash memory storage (OK, technically it doesn't have to be flash...there are battery-backed traditional memory solutions for instance, but just about everything on the market today under that label is flash). So they *did* consider this option. It would have significantly increased the price, though.

2 up, 1 down

Highlander
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 12:12:15 PM

Flash has a limited life. In SSD applications where you are replacing an HDD, the constant re-writing of temp files and other 'junk' that is cached to the HDD constantly, it's possible to actually wear out the memory in an SSD because all Flash memory has a limited number of write cycles before it starts to fail. Granted the number of writes before failure is around 100,000, so it's not gonna happen immediately. However on a heavily used PS3 after a few years of use, that SSD will have been thrashed regularly. Who knows how it will react to long term use?

Also SSDs save no power compared to current 2.5 inch SATA drives, and current 2.5-inch SATA drives only consume a few watts anyway, so they do not generate very much heat.

SSDs are still much more expensive than similarly sized HDDs, so it really wouldn't have served Sony well.

5 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 1:00:06 PM

IGN tested SSD against HDD and found it was only seconds faster. Not worth the extra cost.

4 up, 1 down

NoSmokingBandit
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 10:47:28 PM

@covertron,
look at the link i posted up there a bit^^
As long as a game is loading anything from the disc the ssd really wont make a difference. Idk how it would affect PSN games like Wipeout and whatnot though.

0 up, 0 down

jaybiv
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:38:21 AM
Reply

Now I would pay to have online game save and profile storage! That way I could easily take my gaming on the road to play with friends.

1 up, 0 down

Zorigo
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 12:58:32 PM

you know that rumoured psn service, that could be a feature...

2 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 6:14:34 PM

Yea that makes sense. Pay Sony to have total control over your save data. Smart.

3 up, 0 down

frylock25
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:47:23 AM
Reply

its always kind of cool to wonder what if...

we are where we are today because of things going the way they did. but what if sony had brought a less expensive system in the first place?
what if M$ had not rushed out the 360 and waited another year?
what if M$ had not even joined the console race?
what if Sony had not joined the console race? would we still be playing sega and nintendo systems without the hi-def advancements we have now?
what if Sony and Nintendo had joined together to make that game system they worked on?

i personally love my "fat" PS3. the slim is cool i just think they took the coolest parts out of the system.

3 up, 0 down

coverton341
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 11:51:35 AM

To be honest I think they took the coolest parts out of the system after the original 20 and 60 Gig models.

2 up, 0 down

frylock25
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 12:05:11 PM

how so? the original 80 gigs had almost full b/c, memory card readers and 4 usb ports. after that i agree with your statement if you include the 80 gig i own. and from what i remember though im not sure the 20 gig had no wifi.

Last edited by frylock25 on 12/14/2009 12:07:29 PM

0 up, 0 down

WolfCrimson
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 12:07:32 PM

You talking about the chrome plating and writing?

Last edited by WolfCrimson on 12/14/2009 12:07:55 PM

1 up, 0 down

coverton341
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 1:11:24 PM

I am talking about the emotion engine chip. Like I said it is my opinion. I know that the 80Gb has almost full BC but it is emulated, the 60 and 20Gb did it with hardware, granted the 20Gb did not have wifi.

Again just my feelings on it as I like to have all the features built in not software driven, though I do software in my job and hate working with hardware.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 2:19:02 PM

@Coverton

Couldn't agree more. I love my old 60GB and will not give it up. When they took the EE out, they also removed the GS and replaced it with a piece of custom silicon that was designed to provide GS functionality in a way that could be used by the EE emulation running on the Cell. That lower compatibility for PS2 games in the 80Gb systems isn't due to flaws in the EE emulation, it has more to do with trying to run them on the emulation and the imitation GS.

1 up, 0 down

Sir Shak
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 12:25:55 PM
Reply

I am happy with my fat one but I will exchange it for a slim when the price drops again in a year or so .

0 up, 0 down

Alienange
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 1:16:38 PM
Reply

I rather like the buttons on the slim. My brother has one and I thought it was pretty snazzy. These features they were contemplating though ... thanks goodness they left that out. Sony has got to stop adding expensive "features" and just let the thing be a gaming console.

3 up, 0 down

Fane1024
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 @ 7:12:31 PM

Odd. That's my least favorite aspect of the slim.

0 up, 0 down

godsman
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 2:15:26 PM
Reply

The flash memory is a good idea. The fan could be smaller and the whole form could be smaller. Although, to achieve the 120 Gb equivalent memory as the hard drive... I can't imagine how much they will have to sell it. The common flash memory for 32Gb is pretty expensive already.

1 up, 1 down

Highlander
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 2:20:33 PM

The HDD doesn't generate very much heat, it uses just a few watts (I think that they peak at about 4 watts, and idle below 2 watts). The thermal contribution of the HDD is really not very significant in a PS3.

4 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 2:47:52 PM
Reply

And how on earth were people supposed to handle mandatory installs if everything was on PSN?

1 up, 0 down

photo K
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 3:13:47 PM

you'd have to be connected to the internet in order to save and access your files, lol. good thing they didnt go this route, I'm sure that was the reason for not going to online storage. Maybe one day, but not now.

2 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 3:39:08 PM

But you'd still need an HDD for those 5 gig installs.

4 up, 1 down

Charger7302
Monday, December 14, 2009 @ 6:18:48 PM
Reply

The only use for psn storage I would find useful would be to have your tv shows and movies, bought off the playstation store, saved on the network. I don't understand Sony's policy to have all the playstation's video store downloads be FINAL.

0 up, 0 down

___________
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 @ 12:54:44 AM
Reply

why the .... would you go against solid state drives?
i mean the read times are SO SO SO SO SO!!!!!!! much faster.
got one for my gaming PC the other day and so glad i did, its booting up in a third of the time now.
sure their sizes are limited but that will change soon enough, and seriously who needs a 500GB HDD in their ps3?
ive got like 20 PS1 classics, MAG beta, battlefield bad company 2 beta, GOW 3 demo, dantes inferno demo, music, videos, pics and im only using 90GBs/120 GBs.
that and the case are the only 2 things i would change.
the shiny finish looked so much better, looked classy out of the red light district.
the slim looks like a $2 cheap knock off out of china.
i know people were complaining the shiny finish gets smudges to easily, but seriously who moves their console that often?
since i bought my slim on release i have touched it once, when i went to melbourne.
thats it.
even if your moving it every 2 minutes, get a cloth and wipe it.
whats so hard about that?
i cant believe how lazy society has gotten these days.

0 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 @ 11:55:45 PM
Reply

If Sony can shrink a PS3 down to fit on my keychain.......

"I swear I'll never misplace my keys again".

1 up, 0 down

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