Last year was a sad year. Sure, I got some new consoles and handhelds, which is always fun, but I also said goodbye to my Wii, my Xbox 360 and my Nintendo DS, all replaced by newer, more expensive machines. Lots of good memories there, lots of good times to say goodbye to. My PS3, however, lingered on.
Know that I’m ruthless when it comes to old consoles. Given my line of work – and a finite number of AV ports in my house – I have to be. Same goes for old games; as fantastic as so many PS3 games were, I have so many new games coming in (especially since I do a lot of PC indie stuff) that I don’t have the time to replay old titles even I wanted to.
So from the day I got my PS4, aside from a Yakuza 4 binge, I didn’t play anything on my PS3. Didn’t even turn it on. And yet despite my ruthlessness, it remained, plugged into my main TV in my main gaming room, waiting for the day that its last hurrah – Persona 5 – was released. I was that ready.
This week, that plan went right out the window. The game, one I am so excited for I kept a console for it, is also coming to PS4. So I’ll be getting it on that.
And just like that, my PS3 was done for.
It’s already been moved into the living room to serve as a Netflix machine for my kids, which means it probably has only a few weeks/months left to live before its controller is smashed and its buttons filled with the kind of hellish paste that only juice, cereal and snot can combine to form.
Before you go then, PS3, I’d like to say goodbye. And thank you. And maybe sorry for subjecting you to such an undeserved fate. I never played you as much as my Xbox 360, but the games I did play on Sony’s console were certainly some of the most memorable. I’ll never forget the colour palette of the village battle in Uncharted 2, grinding my fingers to a bloody mess on Gran Turismo 5, gasping in horror/delight at The last Of Us or drifting through Journey with a very kind stranger.
I’d also like to thank you for the little things. Your XMB menu system is still the best around, a fast and logical means of getting to every setting and program you need to get to in the shortest amount of time. Your controller batteries were a blessing (even if the controller wasn’t). And your boot-up sound was maybe the classiest of all time.
I remember one of my first “assignments” at Kotaku was to cover the console’s launch in Sydney in early 2007. The launch was a disaster, as it had been everywhere else, and it looked for all the world like Sony had a dud console on their hands. The $US1000 I’d spent to get my hands on one (living in Australia has its drawbacks) seemed like the worst investment I’d ever make.
Yet here I am now, writing a teary farewell. What a difference seven years – and a procession of classic video games – can make.
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59 responses to “Goodbye, PS3, It Was A Fun Seven Years”
Not in cruelty
Not in wrath
The REAPER came today;
A SONY visited
this gray path,
And took PS3 away
Brings a tear to my eye….
You got rid of your DS when the DS mode on the 3ds sucks so bad?
You messed up.
How so?
Getting rid of mine after Kingdom Hearts 2 HD. The news of Persona 5 coming to PS4 was so good, now I don’t have to hold onto my PS3 well into 2015.
Persona 5 was the sole reason I had the thing connected. I don’t even care if the PS4 version doesn’t look better, now I can safely get and play a PS4.
I’m still keeping mine for bluray duties. Not sure if PS4 has fixed the audio-picture sync issues, but PS3 is still a better DVD/Bluray player regardless.
I’m happy enough with the BluRay playback on PS4, but for any other media functionality like playing music or video off the hard drive I still have the PS3.
My bluray issues were the audio sync. I haven’t tried since launch though, so maybe they’ve fixed it. It only just got 3D support too.
Otherwise, I do have some DVD’s to play back and PS4 has pretty much zero options for adjusting playback quality. PS3 allows you to upscale etc.
They really need to sort out the whole media situation on PS4. I suspect there are a lot more people who would use that than the game sharing functionality which they’re bringing in the next firmware update.
Yes, especially since game sharing simply will not work due to circuit physics.
But Blu-ray playback and home media streaming only really increase the value of the initial console purchase rather than providing an ongoing revenue stream. If people are still buying the consoles as fast as they are being produced, why spend more money on those sort of features?
Instead, they seem to be focusing on things like their streaming game rentals, which will provide an ongoing revenue stream if they actually manage to convince anyone to pay the prices they’ve set.
It’s probably wise to keep using the PS3 as a blu ray player since the ps4 uses a heap more power, id only suggest using the ps4 as a game machine and nothing else
What issues are these?
I just watched a BR movie for the first time on my PS4 and there was nothing wrong. Maybe there was a fix in a recent update?
Yeah maybe it was. I have home theatre speakers, so have the lip sync correctly set (very minimal adjustment from default). Movies play fine on PS3, xbox, PC, etc. When I got PS4 near launch it would play with almost a full second delay between voice/picture (I can’t remember which). My HT didn’t let me adjust lip sync for each input, only globally, so I couldn’t use PS4 for movies. Games seemed fine however, so I believe it was a problem with the 24p setting.
Otherwise, PS4 has maybe 5 options for blu-ray playback, whereas PS3 is a complete bluray player with every option under the sun. Examples: upscaling, colour space, black level, true pixel, 24p full control, etc etc.
Maybe lip sync is fixed, but PS4 still has pretty much no options, and it just got 3D support recently. So, for me, I’m sticking with Ps3 as my disc player.
The PS3 shall be remembered as one of the greats, bringing us many games, such as the Uncharted series, Batman, Assassins Creed, Final Fantasy, God of War, The last of us and of course the HD remastered series, including Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid. And many more.
God of War originated on the PS2.
Final Fantasy goes back to the NES, but in PlayStation terms started on the PSX.
Other than those, yes, the PS3 brought us the rest.
Are you still on the original model PS3? Complete with backwards compatibility and complete card reader slots? Must be one of the few surviving ones. We had 4 of the original models in my family, and three of them succumbed to the yellow light of death.
Surely it deserves a better fate than this.
Salute, to a fallen soldier.
Mine is a first gen fatty, backwards compatibility and all that Jaz.
She only broke once in her 8 year life span and has defied death as she lugs about the gaming landscape in her old age
I may not play her as much but I won’t get rid of her, now she is upstairs in the bedroom for Bluerays and the odd PS3 title I get.
Funnily enough, I haven’t turned my PS4 on in about 3-4 months! Maybe more! My PS3 is used every second day. Been Playing Batman, GTA V, Sleeping Dogs (which I hear is being re-done for current-gen with all DLC included….), GT 6 and F1 2013! Still love my PS3 dearly! Both of them!
My launch $999 model only YLODd 2 years ago after hundreds of hours of use, i got it repaired for $100 but brought a slim PS3 to fill in the gap between the PS4.
I dont know what to do with it now but it deserves a special place in my house.
I’ve still got my original fatboy. Sadly doesn’t read disks anymore but I’ve got it in my bedroom for media streaming etc.
I still have my day one 60GB! I have completely taken her apart, thoroughly cleaned her sensitive parts, and applied top quality thermal paste to all required areas. Runs smooth and quiet. Like a gem!
Still got mine plugged in. When the PS4 got plugged in, it replaced the 360. I still have to finish Ni No Kuni and Dragon’s Dogma!
~The wind is pushing me, into the clouds again, I feel the blood in my veins~
God I hate that song, but man I love dancin to it when I play
After building a gaming SteamWindowsBox last week I finally unplugged the PS3 too. GT6 was keeping me going, but after playing Forza 5 there’s no reason to keep it around anymore. Plus I needed the HDMI port.
Cool, what you build? I’ve got a SteamBox too. 🙂
It’s thoroughly mid-range but does a good job of 1080p and 60ish FPS, so I’m happy with it for $1100!
Core i5 4690 3.5GHZ
GTX760
8GB RAM (will probably upgrade that first)
120GB SSD
2TB HDD
hooked up to a 42″ LG LCD
Cool! 🙂 I started with: i5 3570K, 8GB RAM, 2TB HDD – for HTPC use. Picked up a HD 7970GHz and shoved that in, and a 500GB SSD and I have a nice SteamBox. 😀
Mine is my media player (and of course, those PS3 games I still have that I love), it will remain with me for as long as it lasts.
PS3’s time doesn’t end until Tales of Zestiria for me. And that’s assuming that it doesn’t get anything else subsequently, which is looking less likely now but not impossible.
Got a PS4 a few weeks ago in that Dick Smith sale. It’s a nice machine but for the time being I still use my PS3 more. I have so many games for it, it’s great for the media server and the Blu ray remote is better than using a controller. Does the PS4 even have a media remote yet? Getting Destiny on Tuesday so that will all change.
And unlike Luke, I keep all my consoles. I have way more than I have time for but I also have the space. There’s still life in the old girl yet!
I never got the PS3 remote. I bought a device from Logitech that received infrared remote signals and emits the Bluetooth signal to the PS3. I wonder if it’ll work with the PS4.
Hmmm, that device you mention sounds interesting. Haven’t seen one of them before.
Yeah it’s funny. Here I am complaining about the lack of remote on the PS4, yet I have way too many remotes for my set up. I’m going to get one of those all in one programmable remotes I think.
I’ve owned a lot of consoles over 30 odd years.
I had a PSX and a PS2…. But never got any urge for a PS3. For me it never picked up from the launch and things like Skyrim issues and developers saying it was a pain etc never convinced me I needed it to complement my X360.
Still got my PS2 hooked up to the component connection of the TV. I’ll play those tales games eventually!
Still need to play my PS3, Need to finish Tales of Xillia since fiance just bought me Xillia 2. Not to mention I’m halfway through drakengard and nearing the end of FFX – HD. Fairy Fencer F is coming as well
Don’t forget Natural Doctrine and Ar no Surge are coming out soon too.
PS3 games are still coming out into 2015 so still gotta keep mine going… I still think it’s an absolute hunk of crap compared to the 360 though. Crap menu, incredibly slow to do anything (downloading, installing, patching etc)… would give anything for the PS4 to be backwards compatible just so I wouldn’t have to use a PS3 again.
The PS3 has terrible networking stability. Downloading patches always drop out on me, I’ve given up on having games like GT6 up-to-date as the day one patch was 1.6 GB or so.
The PS4 has never had an issue in this regard. All patches download fine or continue if there is any error while downloading, so it’s not my connection, it’s the console and it’s crappy patching system.
I have an Xbox One so i will will be holding onto my PS3 just for Final Fantasy 14 Online.
It’s amazing on ps4
yeah but i have it on PC. only reason i have the PS3 version is to quest in bed lol 🙂 cant justify a whole console for 1 game.
Oh yeah pc is way better. Chat on dual shock is a nightmare
hahaha yeah i don’t bother trying to chat on the PS3… lol
Second screen on samsung s5 is kinda ok, but still massive pain
Sold my 250gb original slim for $220 about 2 months ago with one controller and one game… hadnt turned it on since i got my PS4 november last year. Then took the rest of my games and got another $165 trade in value for the rest of my games and put all that towards an xbone with 4 games 🙂
im amazed about how much JB gave me for the ps3 games… i got about 15 for most games, which is more than i paid for some whilst bargain hunting…. and none of that was released in the last 2 or so years with the exception of Black Ops II which i got $20 for…
The PS3 is my media server. I was shocked to find PS4 couldn’t do the simple things I had apparently taken for granted with my PS3.
So, yeah… I’ll be keeping my PS3 for the foreseeable future.
Sad fact is I’ve also been playing more PS3 games than PS4 games over the past 6 months…
I’m a collector, so I’ll have mine as long as it still works. It’s still plugged in under the TV and I have no intention of packing it up yet – my pile of shame is still too large.
Damn you. You reminded me about my pile of shame.
Agreed. I have around 20 consoles. Way too many but I am a collector and some times I have a need to play a particular game on a particular platform from a particular gaming era. Pile of shame indeed.
So yeah, the PS3 still has plenty of use for now.
Don’t keep a pile of shame stacked under your TV. Dan Ryckert will just come and piss all over it.
Mine is still hooked up to use as a bluray player because I prefer a remote over a controller
I still use my PS3 slim for GT6 and a few other games, Red dead redemption which I still need to finish. Plus all the free stuff they give you on PS gold.
I am thinking of putting in a 500g HD too.
Mine is alive and well.
The PS4 just gets net flicks streamed through it’s innards.
as a PC gamer, I only bought couple of consoles in my life.
PS3 was by far the best. Specially in terms of exclusive games.
I really don’t get this getting rid of the old consoles thing, maybe if the next gen ones were backwards compatible sure – like for instance i got rid of the gamecube when i got the wii but seriously there are still plenty of awesome last gen only games coming out. for instance on the xbox 360 there is fable anniversary and borderlands the pre-sequel just to name a couple.
Finally someone who gets it.
In that case, keep the 360 around but literally, the only thing holding me back from packing up the PS3 was Persona 5. After they announced PS4 availability a week ago…
I’m actually getting more use out of my PS3 than my PS4, and as pointed out, it’s still a better blu ray player.
Likewise here. Playing Tales of Xillia 2 to death at the moment, and more JRPGs due in the next few months. It always takes a while before the JRPGs migrate to a new platform.
On the other hand, my PS4 has had very little of my attention…
I’ll be keeping my PS3 forever, just like my PS2 and maybe in the next year or so I’ll get a PS4.
What can I say I’m a hoarder and unless the PS4 is can play PS2 and PS3 games. I’m not selling either and that’s final.
Got caught out buying a PS3 thinking they’d play PS2 games….now PS4 wont play PS2 or PS3…WTF?…Shell out for a Xbox just to spite the turds at PS this time…and if Xbox don’t make games retrospective next edition, probably swing back to PS