Sony Playstation 3 Console (40GB Version)

Having played just the PS2 and Gamecube previously, the step up to a 40GB PS3 is quite a leap in terms of graphics and gameplay possibilities, whether we're talking the 60GB or 40GB version the gameplay and core gaming hardware is the same (tiny nit-picking aside).People kept saying to me "Oooh, you'll want to snap up those 60GB versions, they're so much better blah blah blah", but at £500+ I don't think they're *that* much better.. the games will play just the same, as will Blu-Ray movies, and that's what the console is about after all. You can still load music and photos onto the 40GB one just as you would a computer (via a standard USB port), it still has wi-fi and wired networking, but for me the clinchers are lower power demands which means quieter fan and lower heat output. The fact that it's much quieter means that I can comfortably leave it running Folding@Home in my room at night without it keeping me awake. Folding@Home is included with the 40GB model, or can be downloaded from the Stanford University Folding@Home website.The current price of £279 with a HDMI cable that Amazon are selling at matches anything you're likely to find on the high street, beating most of the chain stores like GAME and GameStation, in fact only HMV came close but their game selection was rubbish at my local store, and I would still have been about £15 out of pocket had I bought from them.I sourced Motor Storm and Resistance Fall of Man on Amazon for roughly £24 each and Oblivion Game of the Year Edition for £33, all brand new. No shops or eBay sellers could match that (in fact those prices are the typical 2nd-hand price for those games on eBay).One thing I would say though is that the 40GB can soon be filled with game data, downloads from PS3 Store, and also demos from the cover of a magazine - just one disc's worth has filled about 20GB, Oblivion uses about 5GB for game data. I have heard that it's possible to easily replace the existing hard drive with a much larger capacity one via a small flap and one screw without voiding the warranty, and dual-boot with PS3 or Linux is officially supported by Sony. The hard drive management utilities are good - there's the capability to format, backup, all sorts.UPDATE: Having had the console for a few months now and really gotten to grips with it, I can say I'm very impressed with the non-gaming features it contains, particularly the photo album presentations and it's capabilities when playing movie files (I use DivX). Motorstorm plays brilliantly online, Oblivion is excellent (but I advise everyone to avoid the Game of the Year Edition as it contains too many glitches) and now I'm just waiting for GTA IV to arrive in the post so that'll be another few months' worth of sheer joy!

Brought this ps3 cause my current ps3 was old and my hdmi was completely broke and I wanted HD for my ps3 games.When arrived it came looking like they just threw it in the box with no care and it came with a completely broke cheap looking plug in controller that did not work, when I went to use it it seemed to work well so I became happy until about 2 months later when I got a red light of death and it completely stopped working tried to fix it but no luck and cause of that I could not return it so I had to bin the whole console, I would not buy from this buyer not very good.

Quick delivery, however I know these are second hand but bought in June and beginning of November the motherboard packed up and told not worth repairing , so now have to replace.Probably better value for money to go for new or elsewhere that offers at least a years guarantee.

Nice. Was originally out to get myself an Xbox360 (sorry, but it does have a better games library), but after experiencing the amount of noise the machine makes, during gameplay, it would not have been convenient for my small room. Waited for the newer quieter versions to be released, but ended up with a nice ps3 in the end :) The 40GB version was a nice release, for Xmas, as the stripped and modified hardware made the console more affordable. There aren't any real sacrifices when opting for the 40GB model over the 60GB one. 2 USB 2.0 ports instead of 4, no PS2 compatibility (every home has a PS2 already) though PSX is supported, no flash card support. The 40GB machine, however, produces less heat and runs quieter (it's quiet) as a result. I "think" it has one fan less than the 60GB model.The built-in hardware, overall, is exceptional. Included: 2.5" non-proprietary HDD 5400RPM, wireless and wired LAN cards, two front USB 2.0 ports, Blu-Ray 2x drive (software upgradable). It comes with just about everything needed to take full advantage, of your home setup, no matter what your setup is (no need to buy a HDD or LAN adapter) You will need to purchase component/HDMI (non-proprietary) cables for your HDTV/Monitor, though. The PS3 supports HDMI v1.3 .The games.. probably the PS3s weakest area. It's been out for a year now and everyone is aware that the PS3 library is quite lacking, however, the common excuse is that the machine is young. I would say 360 had better quality games within it's first year than the PS3, so that excuse has been defeated. Multi-format PS3/360 games also tend to look slightly more crisp on the 360 (research and compare for yourself, but this is my personal opinion), but by such a small margin that it doesn't matter. In fairness, most are ported from the 360 and, until late, lots of visual online comparisons use inappropriate graphics settings, in the PS3, to make such tests completely fair. The graphics processor of the 360 is technically superior to that of the PS3 but, apparently, the real graphics abilities of the PS3 is dependant on certain combinational uses of it's GPU and CPU complex. Programmers will require time and understanding to take advantage of what the PS3 is capable of, graphic-wise, and we will just have to wait and see what happens.However, PS3 and Wii have a bold line up of titles coming this year.Not bothering to mention Blu-Ray (region free games) or the free online gaming stuff of the PS3. These are nothing but great advantages.As I said earlier, I was actually convinced I would get myself a 360 and, yeah, did underestimate the potential that PS3 does offer for gaming. Considering the amount of default hardware you get in the console, developers never have to worry about filling PS3 games with all that is required to take full advantage of this slender gaming device.Other small negatives: The word "potential" is used a lot when describing what is so great about the PS3.-XMB dashboard is not available in-game yet (eg for in-game messaging).-Default controller has no rumble/shock.-Also, the left/primary analogue stick is not placed where your thumb naturally wants to be (where the 8-way pad is). This design was convenient for the original PSX because it's primary control method was through the 8-way pad.-A lot of 1080p games are falsely advertised (this goes for 360 too). They are usually upscaled 1080p.-Dust magnet exterior.Other small positives: Backup/restore HDD content to/from externals.+Changeable HDD+Sixaxis motion sensing of controller.+Quiet operation.+Linux/other OS capable+Use of non-proprietary headset.+USB (yup, non-proprietary) charged controller via PS3 or computer.+Blu-Ray movie playback.+Optical audio out+Internet Browser+Sleek and shiny design+Folding@Home software for medical research+Fancy on/off/eject buttons :P