Want a (used?) PS3 - but which model?
December 15, 2013 7:09 PM Subscribe
PS4 is out, so time for me to get a PS3 and enjoy a sweet, sweet back catalogue of cheap, cheap games. But given that I also like to 'open' my consoles for media playing / emulator goodness, which new or used model should I buy? The main concern seems to be downgrading the official firmware from whatever it is now to 3.55 so that unofficial firmware can be installed. Is this easily done on all models (for example, the latest 12gb or 500gb jobs) or only older slim / fat models?
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As you noted, jailbreaking requires the console to be running v3.55 firmware. This rules out models that were released with newer versions of firmware, since they can't be flashed back to 3.55. For consoles that were released with firmware <>
Note: there is a ton of contradictory info on the web with claims for easy, no-hardware-hacking downgrades that work on the newest models, etc. This is all garbage. Just like for the iphone jailbreaking scene, you have to be very careful about the sources you refer to. Many are just lures for scams and online marketing black holes (endless surveys).
That said, your best bet is to buy a console that is already v3.55 and jailbroken. You can find them on Ebay and Craigslist, though I would steer toward Craigslist, so I can have the seller demonstrate the machine for me. I would want to make sure the machine works properly and the jailbreak is operational.
I looked into all this some months ago when I thought it would cool to open my uses for the system. A couple days of heavy reading later, I decided not to bother. My console was borderline on being able to be downgraded, and I decided I wasn't that anxious for the modification.
posted by insert.witticism.here at 7:16 AM on December 17, 2013