PS3 Slim Hardware Confirmed

[Scott_Arm]

PCB respins take a long time. Cost reductions to BOMs can also be tricky and risky, depending on what you're doing. They've probably been working on the slim for a long time.

To go from a design like the original to a considerably smaller design like the slim, the PCB layout has probably changed quite a bit. That means a lot of design work, and a lot of qual if they don't want to introduce issues with quality. BOM cost reductions are usually only pursued for large savings because of the risk in introducing problems to your product.

 

[Entropy]

In the reports at ISSCC 2008, the 45nm Cell processor was claimed to have reduced power draw by 40% from its 65nm predecessor.

Whether they have been able to improve that figure further since then is unknown but not impossible.

 

[DJ12]

Just thinking out loud here, does anyone else think they might've stuck a faster drive in there?

BD roms are far cheaper now so it's plausible to quietly add one and still reduce costs a great deal.

 

[manux]

Just thinking out loud here, does anyone else think they might've stuck a faster drive in there?

BD roms are far cheaper now so it's plausible to quietly add one and still reduce costs a great deal.

They have not. Sony press release stated 2x BD drive.

 

[patsu]

As expected, sales is up for now:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/amazon-us-warns-of-ps3-slim-shortages

Amazon US warns of PS3 Slim shortages

I also emailed Kai Staats (The guy behind FixStars) to see what he has to say about the PS Linux on future PS3. e.g., Whether something can be arranged between his company and Sony.

EDIT: Responses from the bosses:
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/20/ea-ubisoft-pleased-as-punch-post-ps3-price-plummet/

How come no one talked to Kotick ? ^_^

 

[obonicus]

Because Kotick calls the shots.

 

[dobwal]

Or even they want the PS3 on top for everyone to see! This new design actually facilitates that. TBH I don't know why people want this console to be stackable when none of the others have been. Save XB. Who here stacked their PS2/Wii/GC/SNES/Megadrive/NeoGeo etc.?!

I stacked my PS2 . If not for the fear of RROD and curve top of the PS3, I would of stacked them both. Well, I do stack them both, my PS3, which my son recently fed to many DVDs (as in more than one at a time) and 360, which didn't RROD but doesn't send a video signal are both stack neatly on top of each other. Im pretty bummed right now .

 

[novcze]

Totally agree with this. The "sensing" button was just annoying on my ps3. It's like you had to hover your finger and wait for it to register, and you kind of always wanted to push it. Maybe if it registered instantly it would have seemed cool.

Maybe is something wrong with your PS3 (or with you ), for my PS3 is slightest touch enough.

 

[DrJay24]

Maybe is something wrong with your PS3 (or with you ), for my PS3 is slightest touch enough.

Ya, a brief tap would turn on any PS3 I've used. The only time you "hover" was to force a power down if something locked up, same way on PCs.

 

[Rolf N]

Clicks (=feedback) are good. But OTOH smooth surfaces are good, too.

My favourite solution would have been a clicky button entirely hidden under a locally thinned out shell surface. It would be one piece of plastic and have no seams between case and button, visible or otherwise. And it would probably cost a lot more to manufacture than what they put in the slim.

 

[RudeCurve]

Clicks (=feedback) are good. But OTOH smooth surfaces are good, too.

My favourite solution would have been a clicky button entirely hidden under a locally thinned out shell surface. It would be one piece of plastic and have no seams between case and button, visible or otherwise. And it would probably cost a lot more to manufacture than what they put in the slim.

I don't think those are more expensive than what is used for PS3 and PS3 Slim. The kind of buttons you're talking about have been used on CE products (remotes mainly) for decades. JVC used those kind of buttons on their CE devices a lot. I also prefer those kind of buttons over the open seam variants as they are much easier to clean.

 

[DJ12]

I didn't think anyone used the power button since they made the PS button do the trick, guess I'm just a lazy git using that

 

[betan]

You use power button when OS freezes.

 

[DJ12]

You say it like it happens all the time, it's never happened to mine.

 

[betan]

It happens, but I don't think it's very important for Slim. PCs have had hard reboot on I/O button for long time now.

 

[Carl B]

OS freezing has definitely happened to mine - of course it used to be more common when Hulu worked on the PS3 browser.

 

[DrJay24]

OS freezing has definitely happened to mine - of course it used to be more common when Hulu worked on the PS3 browser.

Ya, Hulu was an easy way to bork the OS.

 

[djskribbles]

Apparently the Slim PS3 supports bitstreaming for DTS-MA and TrueHD. The fat PS3's had to decode them internally and send them as LPCM to your AVR. Probably doesn't mean anything to most here, but to audiophiles, this is big news. This will tempt a lot of current PS3 owners to either buy a second PS3 or sell their old one and buy the new Slim.

 

[patsu]

Do you have a link ?

 

[V3]

Someone confirmed the bitstreaming support or is it just a guess base on the logos present at the front ?