I agree i like the old model better.

Is it just me or do most ppl here turn a blind eye on the extreme cheapo looks of the slim?

Weren't those first photos/video of it dismissed because back then it looked like a cheap chinese knockoff of the PS3 ? And now that it's officially announced, and looks exactly the same, suddenly it doesn't look so bad ?

I say buy the phat while they still have em in stores. The look at that thing atleast does the tech in ti justice.

I know inventory has been drying up (as production on the 80GB has been stopped for some time now), but that's still somewhat surprising to hear. I'll have to check around locally myself to see if the situation is similar here (major market; San Francisco Bay Area).

Some will still prefer the looks and build of the original model, so a straight $100 off the 80GB SKU is a pretty good buy by any measure while they're still available. They have another 2 weeks of exclusive sales before the slim is available.

And not everyone is vulnerable to the consumer instinct of buying the most recent model, even when the differences are largely cosmetic rather than functional.

I'd say that the biggest feature of the slim is that SCE can manufacture them for a lot less due to the simpler design and fewer parts/materials. The advantage to the consumer naturally, is that SCE passed a lot of those savings directly back to them.

The form factor, while smaller (and over 30% lighter) isn't nearly as dramatic as the transition from the PS2 to the slim was, but when looking at the price, it's somewhat irrelevant.

The new Slim looks better IMO

That sounds to simple to be true.

In all fairness, it looks cheaper (the casing) because it IS cheaper. Cheaper to manufacture, including the case. Keep in mind that the original 60GB SKU case itself reportedly cost over $60 to manufacture. It has a lot of pieces and they were all made out of high quality material.

I see and feel a noticeable difference even between the original 60GB model and the later 40GB model (weighs less, the chrome trim was replaced with a silver matte trim, the logo was originally raised, embossed and chromed, replaced with silk screened silver paint, etc.). I have one of each so it's an easy comparison.

The new casing looks as though it could almost be made out of two main pieces; once piece top and a one piece "bucket" bottom in which the motherboard is fixed. Compared with the assortment of puzzle pieces that made the original case, one can tell it's a considerably simpler design.

As for the matte finish, were there really that many complaints about the Xbox 360 casing? I recall hearing a lot more gripes about the "fingerprint/dust magnet" PS3. FYI; matte and high gloss surfaces collect dust and fingerprints at the exact same rate; you just can't see it on a matte finish even though it's still there.

Correct me i im wrong but from what i gathered, the ps3 components have gotten smaller/less over the years, so basically the slim is just the same (reliable) tech in a different, smaller casing, since they dont need the big ps3 casing to house the smaller parts anymore. I agree that the older one looks better, but the slim looks really nice too!

A lot of the space in the old PS3 was actually for the heat sink/cooling fan and to allow proper air flow. If you see one disassembled you'll understand.

The original 90nm CPU/GPU generated a significant amount of heat, which was lessened with the transition to 65nm and again at 45nm.

The motherboard has seen several revisions as well (removal of EE CPU, then the GS GPU), eventually resulting in a reduction of the dimensions of the motherboard.

End result; the 45nm chipset should be more reliable due to the lower voltage required and lower temps generated. All this in a smaller case with lower air flow.

I'm with you on this one...

I'm glad that i've got the phat one (60G BC)..

And the phat looks much better..I like shiny things :)

PS3 phat is sexier.

I will most likely grab a slim when it drops to $200 or so that way I get a 2nd one in the house but for now I am in the same boat as Zen and prefer my shiny, classy looking device.

Doesn't mean I agree with his points about it possibly being unreliable though, I think it will be reliable just as the phat was.