PlayStation 3 Review: A Slow Starter With a Classic Library
7/10 — Sony PlayStation 3
Pros
- Fantastic exclusives, from Uncharted 2 to The Last of Us
- Built-in Blu-ray player
- Early models play PS2 games
- Free online play
Cons
- Very expensive at launch
- Early models prone to the Yellow Light of Death
- Hard to emulate; many exclusives are stuck on the hardware
- Interface and online features feel dated
The PlayStation 3 had a famously difficult start. It launched in Europe in 2007 at £425, a full year after the Xbox 360, with complex hardware that developers struggled to get the best out of. Many early multiplatform games looked and ran worse than on Xbox. By the end of its life, though, the PS3 had sold around the same number as the 360 and built a library that’s still loved today.
Models
The original “fat” PS3 is big, heavy and glossy. Early models include hardware to play PS2 games, a feature that was cut to reduce costs. These models are also the most prone to the “Yellow Light of Death”, a hardware failure similar to the Xbox 360’s Red Ring. The later PS3 Slim (2009) is quieter and more reliable, and the Super Slim (2012) is smaller still. For most buyers, a Slim is the best balance of reliability and price, while collectors seek out the backwards-compatible originals.
Hardware
The PS3 was built around the Cell processor, a powerful but notoriously complex chip. It also included a Blu-ray drive at a time when Blu-ray players were expensive, which helped Blu-ray win the format war with HD DVD. Even today, it’s a capable Blu-ray player.
Games
The PS3’s exclusives are its legacy. Uncharted 2, The Last of Us, Metal Gear Solid 4, Demon’s Souls, LittleBigPlanet, Journey, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time and God of War III are some of the highlights. Several have since been remastered or remade for PS4 and PS5, but some, like Metal Gear Solid 4 and the original Demon’s Souls, are still best played on the original hardware.
Online
PlayStation Network launched with the PS3 and, unlike Xbox Live, online play was free. It wasn’t always smooth: a major hack in 2011 took PSN offline for weeks. Today, many online servers have closed, so the PS3 is best for single-player experiences.
Verdict
The PlayStation 3 took a while to find its feet, but it ended up with one of the best exclusive libraries of any console. Its hardware is aging and early models need care. For fans of that era, and for exclusives you can’t easily play elsewhere, a PS3 Slim is still well worth tracking down.
