Our favorite pseudonym company out there,
Sand Dollar Enterprise, is back with a pair of new filings with the FCC pointing to a refresh of the PlayStation 3 Slim hardware. We don't know specifically what has been overhauled inside, though the two new SKUs, CECH-2101A and CECH-2101B, mimic the coding scheme of the current hardware, which is CECH-2001A and B. The alphabetical differentiation relates to different hard drive sizes inside, with 120GB and 250GB options available today and likely to be replicated in the forthcoming consoles. Looking at the FCC's radio testing, we find the same 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR transceivers as are in the
current Slim, leading us to believe the changes are elsewhere or, as
PS3 News suggests, maybe Sony has just found new manufacturers for the same chips and had to run them through the validation committee again. It's just that the latter is far less exciting than the idea of Sony starting up an upgrades war with some tasty springtime spec bump.
posted February 22nd 2010 3:17AM
Question: Would an FCC filing be needed if these were going to just be limited edition consoles with the same specs? For example, God of War 3 is around the corner and it wouldn't surprise me to see a special color for a PS3 of some sort.
@Biopsidy For a limited edition paintjob? No. It'd need to have some new internal component for the FCC to care.
@Biopsidy
I'd hazard a guess at a hardware respin to further reduce costs - IIRC Sony wanted to get the base hardware to break-even/profit early this year.
@Biopsidy
I don't think they can afford to increase any specifications on these things . . . they just found a way to make the same thing cheaper I bet.
@nicholiservia
i think this is 3d the current can already do it, it is just that this version would be made for 3d.
@nicholiservia let your PS2 go man. just let it go
It's the models that are dipped in gold.
Bravo for new hardware. PSN stills fail (non transferable, non refundable, non mergeable, non sense!).
@cdf74dc9 Non transferable? Could you elaborate? Nothing about the psn seems non transferable to me.
@scots79
You guy really don't know what I'm talking about do you? You can't merge 2 account, you can't transfer game/funds from one account to another. To do that you must deactivate one account rendered it useless.
@cdf74dc9
Why would u want to, its better than live, and why would you create multiple accounts, make one and stick to it. i have 2 PS3's a slim and an original 60GB. i use the same PSN for both, it syncs my trophies, and i have the same amount of credit/money on both ps3s. Also PS3 wins in online vs 360 because it has less nub users that are anoying as hell. Also PS3 online is FREE, and if you were to take online into a factor PS3 would be cheaper after owning it for 2 years than a 360. And the ps3 has more percentage of its users online than the 360.
Dear Sony,
Please update the systems so that they don't sound like I've allowed a jet engine to turn on in my living room whilst watching a Blu-Ray movie.
@skitzogreg
You can actually hear your PS3 at all? Mine is pretty much whisper quiet. Either that or my surround sound system just kicks that much ass. Only console I can hear is my 360, which is just ridiculous how loud that thing is.
@skitzogreg I don't think I've ever heard my ps3 make any noise dude.
@Biopsidy
agreed...i have a wii and my brother has a 360. my ps3 is by far the quietest of all the new gen consoles.
@Biopsidy true, a friend of mine has a PS3 and a 360 and he doesn't even play the 360 because it's too loud.
@jellotime91 I don' hear my 360 and I don't have surround sound system. You know u can download the game to play off the hard-drive witch makes the system silent.
@centeredtype
You can download Modern Warfare 2? Are you sure?
@skitzogreg I agree. My PS3 is also running loud and more noticeably so after the latest software update. Are we the only two who suffer from this terrible affliction????
@Tes
He means you can install on to the HD, that means the DVD drive is not used except to verify the disc and it does make a difference in the noise level. But every 360 I've had, #4 is the current one, has cycled the fans to max when games are played. Also they're louder at Idle than an over heated fat PS3. I have both console
@centeredtype no its still very loud its the fans that cause the noise aswell as the drive.
@BluescreenOD & @skitzogreg.
Is it fan noise or HDD noise? reason I ask and I think Im not in a minority here, but the PS3 is the quietest console I've owned since my Megadrive (Sorry yanks... Genesis) If its the fans have you made sure there's nothing blocking the vents on your PS3 so its not overheating? If its HDD noise, well prepare for a ... (Whats the PS3 equivalent of a BSOD ;-p)
@Biopsidy my fat ps3 is pretty loud actually, all from the fan noise. But i guess the slim is a lot quieter?
@Biopsidy
Newer X360s are much much quieter. Sometimes a spike in noise, but otherwise, purrs quietly. Oh so quietly.
Hey, anything for Sony to try to usurp the 360... or the Wii... wait...
@centeredtype same here. I always find it very fascinating when people complain about the sound of the 360.
@psiberman The jet engine type noise is fan noise, even after cleaning out the vent's and using console is in a well ventilated place the problem still persists. My PS3 is the launch 60 gig model, and the problem only stated after the latest software update but prior to that it was oh so whisper quiet. Strange but true!
@BluescreenOD No, mines loud too. What systems are running loud? Mine is the old 60gig. Maybe it's only Some systems, though I thought the extra space in the old ones would allow for better cooling.
@EI8HT
Quieter than the wii? The only sound the wii makes is when the disc is spinning, and that is pretty darned quiet. Maybe your Wii is faulty.
@EI8HT
my ps3 is as quiet as a mouse fart
@Biopsidy +1 I can't hear my slim but the 360 sounds like it's going to blow up every time it's on.
Wishful thinking perhaps but could it be something to do with backward compatibility...?
@PeterPan
That was my first thought when I saw the post. The lack of backwards compatibility, as silly as it may sound, is why I haven't bought a PS3.
@genesse So buy a PS2 for £30? And honestly, I kind of doubt you'd use it - I haven't played a PS2 game in nearly a year.
That aside, if you really want to know, Sony can enable backwards compatibility with a firmware update to present PS3s so unless they added an Emotion chip for seamless compatibility, there's not much point in sitting there and waiting for a new model with backwards compatibility.
@Shokz
Just b/c you haven't played a PS2 game in a year, doesn't mean others have done the same. I would love the PS3 to get backwards comp. There are a bunch of great PS2 games.
@Shokz
I own a PS2, and it's about all I play. lol. There are three reasons I'd shell out for a PS3, Assassin's Creed one and two, and FFXIII, and that's not worth $450. Backwards compatibility or Kingdom Hearts 3 would tip the scales, but those don't exist right now, so I'm happy with what I got. :-)
would PS2 backwards compatibility be considered?
@karangamar
No chance if they're desperately trying to break even on each machine still. they're not going to start throwing new stuff in. They made some component cheaper is more likely.
@Tes
I can only, ONLY assume that putting PS2 BC would only, ONLY be beneficial to Sony at this point in time. You can't be telling us that the BC components were what made the PS3 price @ launch exorbitant.
@shadowj0
Apparently so, otherwise why remove it? you don't take years doing R&D and then change the design for some arbitrary reason not connected to cost.
@Tes To take the Emotion chip out it saved them something like $5... There was no reason for it.
@Shokz
By the end of 2008 they are estimated to have sold 16million units. At $5 a unit that's a saving of $80million. Are you mad?
@Tes
Well, when you're making a lot of profit off of it... $80 mil is not that much to lose XD
Hell, it's a great selling point. That 16 mil coulda been 20 mil or more easy.
@karangamar They would have to install the emotion engine for that to work and since they dropped the price and still aren't making money on the system (games is a different story) i doubt it.
Come on Sony- where's 802.11n?!
Fat models need love too. I still love mine :)
@Teslanaut Exactly, I've seen several wii and 360s come and go for me over the years, but my launch 60 gig ps3 is the only one to stand the test of time! (knock on wood)
@Teslanaut
No fat chicks.
@scots79
i
Or maybe they are adding magical backwards compatibility! huh?? huh?? A man can dream..
As I'm thinking about getting a PS3 soon to be my Blu-Ray Player, this is pretty interesting. I was hoping for 802.11n though, after all, I can do that on my 360, why not a ps3?