40GB or 80GB. That is the question...
May 7, 2008 5:07 PM Subscribe
I'm looking at buying a Playstation 3 pretty much only so I can have a really good Blu-ray player. It's highly unlikely I'll ever buy any PS3 games beyond GTA4, Rockband and maybe Little Big Planet. Given this, should I just buy the 40GB model of the console or are the extra features of the 80GB model (flash card reader, SACD support etc) worth the extra cash in the long run?
Yeah, the 40GB doesn't play PS2 games, many of which are excellent and cheaply obtained. If your financial situation is anything better than "sub-prime", I consider it a no-brainer. (If your financial situation is "sub-prime", consider getting a DS and some Chinese-made accessories)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:19 PM on May 7, 2008
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:19 PM on May 7, 2008
Response by poster: "80GB is the only one that can play PS2 games. Does that matter to you?"
posted by ALongDecember at 11:13 AM on May 8
Very unlikely I'll ever want to play PS2 games. As a Nintendo fan-boy the PS2 never attracted my attention and I doubt it ever will. That said, my partner is partial to some of the Singstar games but not so partial that she'll ever buy a copy of one of them. So does it matter to me? Not very much, no.
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:22 PM on May 7, 2008
posted by ALongDecember at 11:13 AM on May 8
Very unlikely I'll ever want to play PS2 games. As a Nintendo fan-boy the PS2 never attracted my attention and I doubt it ever will. That said, my partner is partial to some of the Singstar games but not so partial that she'll ever buy a copy of one of them. So does it matter to me? Not very much, no.
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:22 PM on May 7, 2008
You should be asking yourself this question.
My only additional input is that for $500 the new 80GB sku (out next month) will include MSG4 as well as the newish dual shock controller. But seeing that you're not into games, it doesn't really matter.
posted by wongcorgi at 5:37 PM on May 7, 2008
My only additional input is that for $500 the new 80GB sku (out next month) will include MSG4 as well as the newish dual shock controller. But seeing that you're not into games, it doesn't really matter.
posted by wongcorgi at 5:37 PM on May 7, 2008
40Gb is fine. It's the most popular one now, and the ONLY one in some markets, so the 'missing' features are becoming more and more like oddities. Nothing new/important will use them.
posted by rokusan at 5:37 PM on May 7, 2008
posted by rokusan at 5:37 PM on May 7, 2008
Seems to me the extra disk space will, in the long run, turn out to be worthwhile. Anyone who's been around computers for very long soon learns that there's no such thing as "too much disk space".
posted by Class Goat at 5:41 PM on May 7, 2008
posted by Class Goat at 5:41 PM on May 7, 2008
Best answer: The 80GB doesn't play all PS2 games, and even those it does play it does not necessarily play perfectly.
And you can get a PS2 for the price difference between a 40 and 80GB model.
Lord knows the flash reader shouldn't be an issue. Just dump the file onto your pc and share it over the wireless, or dump it to a USB drive, or just get a USB flash reader.
Likewise, the storage space is a nonissue. You can dump any 2.5" hard drive you want into the PS3.
Finally, the 40GB has 2 USB ports instead of 4... but you can just plug in a hub.
Do you already have an SACD collection? If not, I cannot imagine why in a billion years you would pay for the 80GB.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:02 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
And you can get a PS2 for the price difference between a 40 and 80GB model.
Lord knows the flash reader shouldn't be an issue. Just dump the file onto your pc and share it over the wireless, or dump it to a USB drive, or just get a USB flash reader.
Likewise, the storage space is a nonissue. You can dump any 2.5" hard drive you want into the PS3.
Finally, the 40GB has 2 USB ports instead of 4... but you can just plug in a hub.
Do you already have an SACD collection? If not, I cannot imagine why in a billion years you would pay for the 80GB.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:02 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Oh yeah, Assassins Creed does kind of interest me, actually.
So the PS3's life in my living room will be pretty much exclusively as a Blu-ray player since at this stage there's basically 3 games I might own for it; four at the most. That's cool since Blu-ray is pretty much the only reason I want one. Dosen't sound like I'll need those extra features then, does it? But whereas I understand (and agree with) Class Goat's comment that there's no such thing as "too much disk space" (at least when it comes to PCs), I need to know;
If its only going to be there to play my DVDs and any Blu-ray discs I buy in the future, is there any forseeable reason to need an 80GB hard drive?
posted by Effigy2000 at 8:04 PM on May 7, 2008
So the PS3's life in my living room will be pretty much exclusively as a Blu-ray player since at this stage there's basically 3 games I might own for it; four at the most. That's cool since Blu-ray is pretty much the only reason I want one. Dosen't sound like I'll need those extra features then, does it? But whereas I understand (and agree with) Class Goat's comment that there's no such thing as "too much disk space" (at least when it comes to PCs), I need to know;
If its only going to be there to play my DVDs and any Blu-ray discs I buy in the future, is there any forseeable reason to need an 80GB hard drive?
posted by Effigy2000 at 8:04 PM on May 7, 2008
The big reason I'd suggest the 80GB over the 40 is that while you don't think you'll be playing a lot of games on it now, you'll likely have it for a while. You've already identified three games this year that you'd like to buy for it. The thing about the PS3 and the 360 and the like is that they release tons of content for games (Rock Band will likely be putting out new tracks for you to enjoy for ages to come, and the more songs the better -- you will not want to delete them to make room).
Also, I understand that many PS3 games copy many of the assets over to your hard drive for quicker loading. So that's another thing to consider. I imagine in the long run you'd be happier if you got the 80 over the 40, because of it's flexibility with PS2 games (hey, just in case) and how long you'll probably be using your PS3.
posted by pazazygeek at 8:05 PM on May 7, 2008
Also, I understand that many PS3 games copy many of the assets over to your hard drive for quicker loading. So that's another thing to consider. I imagine in the long run you'd be happier if you got the 80 over the 40, because of it's flexibility with PS2 games (hey, just in case) and how long you'll probably be using your PS3.
posted by pazazygeek at 8:05 PM on May 7, 2008
Best answer: If its only going to be there to play my DVDs and any Blu-ray discs I buy in the future, is there any forseeable reason to need an 80GB hard drive?
No. None at all.
pazazygeek, I'd suggest that they just get a PS2 if they want to play PS2 games. A real live PS2 isn't any more expensive than the bump from 40 to 80GB, and if you get a real PS2 you know that all of the PS2 guitar hero controllers will work, and every PS2 game will work.
Likewise, if they ever find themselves running out of disk space, they can just buy a bigger 2.5" drive and put it in at a much, much lower $/GB cost.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:12 PM on May 7, 2008
No. None at all.
pazazygeek, I'd suggest that they just get a PS2 if they want to play PS2 games. A real live PS2 isn't any more expensive than the bump from 40 to 80GB, and if you get a real PS2 you know that all of the PS2 guitar hero controllers will work, and every PS2 game will work.
Likewise, if they ever find themselves running out of disk space, they can just buy a bigger 2.5" drive and put it in at a much, much lower $/GB cost.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 8:12 PM on May 7, 2008
Response by poster: Right well that pretty much answers that for me then. I'll save my pennies and buy the 40GB model and maybe upgrade the hard drive to a bigger size somewhere down the line, if I ever need to. Thanks for your help all!
posted by Effigy2000 at 8:32 PM on May 7, 2008
posted by Effigy2000 at 8:32 PM on May 7, 2008
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posted by ALongDecember at 5:13 PM on May 7, 2008