The PS3 in 2023

[vivigamer]

Hi,

It's the begining of the year and I've been going through my game stock once again. Something that has become very apparent is my disinterest for my PS3.

The Console is Slow! - When did you last boot up your PS3? have you nicted how terribly slow it is? This isn't me tyring to compare it to modern consoles, it wasn't always this bad! I don't know if it's just a multitude of updates but the console is a chore to navigate one.

The Dualshock 3 - I have nothing wrong with the functionality of the controller, however trying to find one in this day & age is really difficult! I rememebr I bought a couple 'NEW' off eBay a few years back and while official they were bought lightweight and the analogue sticks didn't rotate natually (They'd stagger like the edge was an octogon rather than a circle). Maybe I just got duped but I'm not finding many pleasant alternatives out their either. Strangely you can use a PS5 controlelr wired up but even then I have noticed issuse when holding shoulder buttons down.

Not 1080p - This may not matter for retrogamers here but for me I always like to aim for the best experience possible on consoles and sadly it feels the PS3 doesn't offer this so much any more. I know a couple of gamse run in 1080p but for the most part games are set to 720p and it shows - This coming from someone who doesn't even have a 4K display yet. I know you can get HDMI plug-ins to upscale the content but they're hardly at accessible prices online.

Backwards compatibility - While not about the console itself this topic is very prominiten to my issues with the consoles content. The battle between 360 & PS3 gamse was very hit or miss, at first it seemed many games were made on 360 then ported to PS3 as the PS3 was renown for being difficulty to develope for. So it really is a case by case scenario as to what title is better one what system. I have been working on gathering replacement copies of PS3 game for their 360 counterparts and this is mostly due to the appeal of backwards compatibility. Now Xbox's BC is hardly perfect, a lot of original Xbox games accessible on 360 were dropped for Xbox One/Series & I have noticed that many of the game that are accessible via One/Series BC aren't even upscaled. Still, beyond all that, the notion of not having to deal with the PS3's archaic hardware is enough of an incentive for me alone.

Am I being too harsh? I noticed I didn't use my PS3 once last year, the year previous we had the panic notion of the PSN going down - I just have little positive to reflect on about the console in modern days.

I'm going to continue going through my collection but I have noticed I have already put aside some sale items.

[telekill]

I had sold my PS3 shortly after RE5 was ported to PS4. By that time most of my favorite PS3 titles were already ported or in the process of and I wanted to consolidate my collection as much as possible.

I remember being frustrated with the slowness of the PS3, especially the PS Store on it, as it seemed to take ages to get anywhere... and that was damn near a decade ago.

I haven't touched the PS3 controller in years but after playing with the PS5 controller which is very solid and feels well built, even the  PS4 controller feels like a cheaply made toy in comparison. The difference is staggering. I expect the PS3 controller would feel the same.

[telly]

I still enjoy using my PS3. The disc drive in mine had died a few years ago and after I replaced that It's been working fine ever since (fingers crossed that it stays that way for a bit!). I play about one game on it a year. It's also the only way that I can play PS1 games anymore, so it has added value there.

I think the PS3 controller is the worst of the bunch but it's still fine. The two that I have feel particularly cheaply made, but we've had them for a long time. I have to play with mine plugged into the PS3 because the battery doesn't last that long anymore.

[vivigamer]

Yes, Remasters are also another big part of the disregard I have for the system - Sure there are still games I value which haven't been ported but if there is an alternative way to play the game on another system I'll try go for it. I have a seperate box of PS3 games tucked away which have been ported to PS4 - Can't quite let myself rid of them as there is a big bundle and they're not worth much at all now.

I use to use the PS3 for PS1 Emulation until I saw how badly compressed the image quality was in comparison to an emulator - Which is how I play any PS1 game from now on. My friend has a Polymega which still makes use of the discs, my PS1 & PS2 games are all just in storage.

[undertakerprime]

I still play my PS3 regularly. One of my kids loves to play NBA Jam On Fire Edition with me, and I will play Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection or Pinball Arcade (it still has the Williams/Midway tables you can’t get anymore). I also use it for PS1 emulation; not the ideal choice if you’re going for a perfect non-compressed picture, but it works for me. Since my X360 CD drive went kaput I can’t play my ESIV: Oblivion disc so I’m planning to get the PS3 Game of the Year edition soon.

[burningdoom]

I still play my PS3 regularly. One of my kids loves to play NBA Jam On Fire Edition with me, and I will play Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection or Pinball Arcade (it still has the Williams/Midway tables you can’t get anymore). I also use it for PS1 emulation; not the ideal choice if you’re going for a perfect non-compressed picture, but it works for me. Since my X360 CD drive went kaput I can’t play my ESIV: Oblivion disc so I’m planning to get the PS3 Game of the Year edition soon.

Isn't the PS2 Slim emulating when it's in PS1 mode? It does it flawlessly. Seems weird the PS3 would have issues.

[Cartagia]

I haven't touched the PS3 controller in years but after playing with the PS5 controller which is very solid and feels well built, even the  PS4 controller feels like a cheaply made toy in comparison. The difference is staggering. I expect the PS3 controller would feel the same.

I've always thought that the DualShock 3 felt light and cheap.  Definitely not just in hindsight.

I still play my PS3 regularly. One of my kids loves to play NBA Jam On Fire Edition with me, and I will play Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection or Pinball Arcade (it still has the Williams/Midway tables you can’t get anymore). I also use it for PS1 emulation; not the ideal choice if you’re going for a perfect non-compressed picture, but it works for me. Since my X360 CD drive went kaput I can’t play my ESIV: Oblivion disc so I’m planning to get the PS3 Game of the Year edition soon.

Isn't the PS2 Slim emulating when it's in PS1 mode? It does it flawlessly. Seems weird the PS3 would have issues.

I'm sure that could be chalked up to the notoriously clunky PS3 hardware.

[brothertuc]

Personally, I love my PS3.
I still collect for it, and I still play it regularly.

I will agree that the controller is the worst of the bunch. It feels very light in the hands. 
But the PS3 is still my favourite PS console of them all.

[bikingjahuty]

I definitely agree to an extent with most things you said. I still really like the PS3, although it has fallen out of favor more and more over the years. Probably because it was the shiny new console during the middle of the 7th gen, I thought it was the best thing ever (well...almost), and had a lot of enthusiasm for its game library and many unreleased games for it at the time. However, over the years I feel like many of its games just weren't as good, iconic, or memorable as many of the games for its predecessors, and even its successor. I'm not entirely sure why that is, but it's certainly my least favorite Playstation console (not including the PS5 since it's story isn't over yet). There are still many games I love on the PS3, but I've definitely downsized my PS3 collection quite a bit due to lack of interest in many games I thought I wanted to play back when it was still Sony's main console.

[telekill]

It's the games that made PS3 great. Hardware was good for its time but we all obviously expect faster processing and navigation. There are still a couple series that I wish got HD remasters for PS4/5...
 - Warhawk
 - Army of Two

[brownd]

I recently got a PS3 super slim and set up a hybrid 1TB Game Drive into it, so it doesn't take long at all to boot. Not sure how bad it was on the stock HDD tho.
Personally don't mind most games being in 720p, as long as you set up your display properly it won't look that ugly. That being said, I always preferred multiplatform games on either PC or 360 unless there's some PS3 specific feature or content to try there.

[aliensstudios]

We've been playing a lot of light gun games via PlayStation move lately, plus I've really been enjoying some of the digital only games like the Castle of Illusion Remake and Double Dragon Neon. I don't like the controllers at all so I got adaptors that allow PS4 controllers to be used on PS3 and it still feels like a pretty modern machine with fun games to me at least.

[exeorder66]

Been going through my PS3 backlog over the past year and I am loving it, so many exclusive and hidden gems that have not yet received a next gen update and most probably never will.

[Warmsignal]

As I've stated before, PS3 was and is probably my least favorite Sony console. It was too expensive at the start for the good model, Xbox beat them to the punch which a console that was cheaper, had more games, more solid ports, and better exclusives for the first half of the gen. Sony was busy playing it safe, publishing a bunch of predictable and samey titles that just mirrored what the rest of industry was doing at the time. Being a tend follower, instead of a trend stater.

I didn't get one until after PS4 was out, and even then, I rarely ever touched the thing. I've collected every exclusive game that has captured my interest, but nothing has seemed compelling enough to make me to sit down and spend time with the thing. I loathed the way they basically just rehashed the same PS1 and PS2 controller AGAIN which I was never a fan of. Since mine was used, it came with drift in one of the sticks, further diminishing my will to ever use it. I think I'd need to go and buy a third party controller, if I were to play PS3.

Right now, the PS3 best serves me as a means to play PS2 on my modern TV.

[wolff242]

PS3 is my 2nd favorite console of all time, and my favorite Sony console. I play it still, and plan to for many years to come.