X360 E vs S, PS3 Slim vs Super Slim

[Deca]

As I mentioned in the other thread, my apartment was recently robbed of pretty much every console I had hooked up. I fortunately do have insurance and will be needing to replace them.

I had the original 360 upgraded to 120GB, which I was planning to replace with an S at some point. I didn't even know the E existed until today.

My PS3 was a Slim 160GB.

I'm not sure if the 360S and PS3slim are still readily available new, but if they are I dunno which way to go. The one time I laid hands on a PS3 Super Slim I thought it felt amazingly cheap, and I'd been really pleased with my Slim. I don't know anything about the actual performance of them or if there's a good reason to get one however. Any input would be appreciated, I've been poking around and reading but have yet to find anything conclusive from a source I have a lot of faith in.

Also need to replace a PS2 fat that was fliptopped...Not sure what the current state of case mods is, but is there anything wrong with the slim models?

[Ed Oscuro]

Apparently the 360 E is quite new - here's a look at it by the late Ryan Davis.

I have a bunch of PS2s around that need to be reassembled...unfortunately can't be at the top of my list of things to do. The Slim models start up without a fan on, although after a while (maybe half an hour) the SCPH 75001 will start to spin up its fan. It's rather noisy but not intolerable. I have a 90000 (Japanese) as well, and haven't heard its fan start up while playing PS1 imports. It draws a little less power overall than the 75001 and also has an internal power supply.

I recall reports about the original PS2 slim models having their lasers go bad but that shouldn't be a problem with the latest models. However I think the last models also give up the ability to use a HDD; no IDE pins to connect a drive to even with modification.

[Deca]

It looks fairly nice from what I've seen, honestly. Not horribly different from the S. Only issue I see is no Component compatibility. I've used HDMI since I've had it available just for the sake of eliminating clutter...not sure if I'd find it necessary to use Component at any point. I wonder how it is with surround headsets and that sort of thing.

That PS3 SuperSlim looks like a complete pile though...I really hope I can find a new Slim somewhere.

[Ed Oscuro]

But reportedly it's quieter than the previous models. You'll be bothered more by ambient noise than something you won't spend much time looking at, right?

[shmuppyLove]

Also need to replace a PS2 fat that was fliptopped...Not sure what the current state of case mods is, but is there anything wrong with the slim models?

PS2 slim is fantastic, but obviously attaching a hard drive either has to be USB only, or I think there was an add-on thingy you could get that sat underneath it from one of the modder peoples

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Since you plan on buying new it's probably doesn't matter but if you do plumb for a used 360S I've heard that the very first ones had dodgy disc drives which were soon swapped for a different model.

From what I've heard the CD drive is the weak link of all slims though. Mine makes the odd worrying noises from time to time.

[Cuilan]

It looks fairly nice from what I've seen, honestly. Not horribly different from the S. Only issue I see is no Component compatibility. I've used HDMI since I've had it available just for the sake of eliminating clutter...not sure if I'd find it necessary to use Component at any point. I wonder how it is with surround headsets and that sort of thing.

That new 360 model does not have optical audio out, nor does it support VGA. It's HDMI+composite+stereo only.

The lack of optical audio-out might be an issue if you plan on using surround sound headphones.

[Obiwanshinobi]

PS2-wise, I recommend one with an external PSU. My SCPH-77004 has been up and running since the autumn 2007. Lens cleaning is the most serious maintenance treatment it has received to date.
P.S. Rarely do I use it as an audio CD player, but when I do, it sometimes stops to play. Not a problem with games on CDs, mind you, be it PSX or PS2 games. Only Vib-Ribbon does not always detect audio CDs.
P.P.S. From what I gather, Final Fantasy XI is the only PS2 game unplayable without a hard drive. Which is also on the PC.

[ZellSF]

But reportedly it's quieter than the previous models. You'll be bothered more by ambient noise than something you won't spend much time looking at, right?

I've heard the opposite, and there hasn't been any chip miniaturization to that revision...

Xbox 360 S vs E: I would take the S, having an optical out gives you more flexibility when it comes to your setup, the new E doesn't really offer any advantages. Remember that Xbox 360 doesn't need HDMI sound, it's limited to Dolby Digital at best anyway and that goes over optical.

PS2: Loading your games from HDD is VERY worth looking into, much less loading times for all your games, you don't have to switch discs... There are lots of games I would actually find unplayable if I had to play them from slow discs, Final Fantasy XI is far from the only reason you should consider a fat HDD system. A v9 (SCPH-5000x) is ideally what you should get, they're the most silent of the fat PS2s and they have a built in IR receiver if you have a universal remote.

[Deca]

I still have my original PS2 back at my dad's place. I transferred the fliptop case to the one that was stolen as the laser died, but it still has the modem and hdd. Is it possible to get an hddloader going without using the optical drive?

I'm still leaning toward having my fliptop modded ps2 replaced with a Japanese model if my insurance will allow it. Is there any real reason not to get a slim for that? Also what would be the best place to buy one, I hadn't realized that they were out of production in Japan as well. I'm only really seeing them on ebay.

A friend of mine also offered to give me one of his US ps2s, and he has both a fat and slim model. I'm not sure what exact revision of each but I would have my pick.

[ZellSF]

I still have my original PS2 back at my dad's place. I transferred the fliptop case to the one that was stolen as the laser died, but it still has the modem and hdd. Is it possible to get an hddloader going without using the optical drive?

Yes, but you'll need to buy a PS3 memory card adapter and an official PS2 memory card.

Or you need to find someone to install an exploit to the memory card for you, but they must already have a modded PS2.

If you have no laser you'll also need some way of installing games to the HDD (and if you have the default Sony HDD you'll want to replace it with something larger) since you can't install it from disc... You'll need a IDE to USB adapter and a computer running a 32-bit version of Windows (VMs will work).

I didn't say it was easy, just very much worth it.

[Ed Oscuro]

How good is loading from a USB drive on the PS2 slims? I see stuff here and there that alludes to it, but damn bootleggers ruin the discussions with the warez requests. I'm talking about using the USB drive to install media (or to run a backup from). It's only USB2 so I'm not expecting miraculous transfer times but it shouldn't be too bad compared to the optical drive.

[ZellSF]

How good is loading from a USB drive on the PS2 slims? I see stuff here and there that alludes to it, but damn bootleggers ruin the discussions with the warez requests. I'm talking about using the USB drive to install media (or to run a backup from). It's only USB2 so I'm not expecting miraculous transfer times but it shouldn't be too bad compared to the optical drive.

It's not USB2, it's USB1.1. It's pretty bad. Worse than playing from disc. Expect longer loading times, compatibility issues and movies to pretty much all stutter.

[Ed Oscuro]

I did discover after writing my post that it was USB 1.1 but the post also mentioned that it wasn't necessarily slower than DVD. But looking at the speed of USB 1.1 Full Speed (12 MBit/sec) compared to 4x DVD-ROM (4x 10.5MBit) it doesn't seem like it could be an improvement. Shame.

About the PS3 Super Slim, according to Wikipedia's information it does use slightly less power than the previous unit - ~70 watts compared to 72-79 watts, for gameplay. Yeah, there's no component shrink, and the fan is now smaller. At a guess, the PS3 Super Slim's major cause of noise is actually the drive itself, which isn't shielded as well as in previous units and seems loud when seeking.

[Jeneki]

Interesting, I had no idea this was coming out. Apparently there hasn't been much advertising for it? I've been considering getting another Japanese 360 as a backup unit.

[Obiwanshinobi]

I read some PS2 games don't work dumped on HDD (Kingdom Hearts II reportedly doesn't) and you still need optical drive to play PSX games.
Good thing about chipping is, you can convert CD images and burn onto DVD. Since the noisiest PS2 discs are the likes of Gradius V and Sengoku Ace, it's very much worth it. My slim is very quiet, but it can't do a thing about speed those CDs spin at.

[ZellSF]

I read some PS2 games don't work dumped on HDD (Kingdom Hearts II reportedly doesn't)

Kingdom Hearts II most definitely works. Everything I tried (around 100 games) works. Of course compatibility isn't perfect, but it's pretty close and you're unlikely to run into a game that doesn't work.

and you still need optical drive to play PSX games.

Correct, HDD loading doesn't work for PSX games. If you want to play PSX games on your PS2 you should definitely get a PS2 with a working laser... but you still really should play your PS2 games from HDD even if you have to rely on slow discs for your PSX games.

[Deca]

Is chipping still feasible/practical? When I poke around it looks like all the retailers and communities are dead these days.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Depends on the country (continent even). Where piracy is rampant, chipping is not a problem (finding a modchip and a person for the job). Anywhere else, I guess buying already modded one is your safest bet.

[Deca]

OK so my insurance claim has been moving along smoothly. I've successfully picked up an NTSC-J SCPH-90000 PS2 and decided that I'm going to go for a 360 E, which shouldn't be too hard to find for the moment since the changeover to the S is still in the process of happening.

What I still can't decide is what to do about the PS3. As much as I disliked the super slim in my initial contact with it, I'm wondering if it's really worth the hassle to try and track down a new slim these days. I do see a very cool looking white Japanese slim on amazon but I dunno what kind of problems could crop up with regional differences there, as far as PSN/dvds/dlc and all that. I'm starting to wonder if I should just go the easy route and grab a super slim.

[Fudoh]

decided that I'm going to go for a 360 E, which shouldn't be too hard to find for the moment since the changeover to the S is still in the process of happening.

S is the old one, E's the new one. The E has no more VGA output (so no SLG/scanline fun) and no more optical sound output. If those aspects are of any importance to you, get a Slim instead.

[brentsg]

You can still grab a PS3 slim online and prob in stores quite easily.

[Deca]

[quote="Fudoh]S is the old one, E's the new one. The E has no more VGA output (so no SLG/scanline fun) and no more optical sound output. If those aspects are of any importance to you, get a Slim instead.[/quote]

Ah, I just had them mixed up. I'd decided to go with the slim mostly due to the optical output.

You can still grab a PS3 slim online and prob in stores quite easily.

My only concern with online is shipping cost as my insurance is only willing to cover up to the MSRP.

[brentsg]

[quote="Fudoh]S is the old one, E's the new one. The E has no more VGA output (so no SLG/scanline fun) and no more optical sound output. If those aspects are of any importance to you, get a Slim instead.

Ah, I just had them mixed up. I'd decided to go with the slim mostly due to the optical output.

You can still grab a PS3 slim online and prob in stores quite easily.

My only concern with online is shipping cost as my insurance is only willing to cover up to the MSRP.[/quote]

I'm pretty sure they are still pretty common in Best Buy and Toys-R-Us. If you can score one online then you dodge the sales tax, potentially. That should offset shipping.

[Deca]

Good call, I hadn't even factored in tax. I checked our TRU already but haven't looked at Best Buy, I'll have to make a trip over there.

[Obiwanshinobi]

That's it, I'm gonna need a PS3 to play two Souls games and 3D Dot Game Heroes on it.
In terms of clutter, I'd sooner buy a Dreamcast or even the original Xbox (modded). Thing is, I'm afraid PS3 is the least future-proof of those three and there might not be a better time to get one than these days.
What I want to know is:
a) whether or not the top-loading models output RGB and
b) whether ot not the same SCART lead I use for my PS2 and PSX gaming will work with every PAL PS3 out there.