So how big a HD do I need on a PS3? ...

cmeisenzahl

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I see they have 40gb, 80, 120, 160, 250, and 320. The boy wants a PS3 and the prices just dropped so we're talking about it.

We're used to the PS2, where all the data are stored on the optical disks, and you save your games on small (maybe 32mb?) flash cards.

With the PS3, the games still come on optical media, so what is all the storage for? How much do I need? What might make me want a PS3 with more than 40gb or 80gb?

Thanks!
Chris
 

beerwax

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Mar 12, 2011
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no one else is chiming in, so ill contribute what i can. i dont have a ps3 but i have an xbox.

the ps3 is a blue ray player.
if you have hard drive capacity you can keep movies on the drive.
i seem to recall you can use your ps3 as a tv recorder with the purchase of an accessory - so it functions like a tivo.

on the xbox you can buy games over the internet and download them straight to your harddrive.
on the xbox you can load your game onto the hard drive so that if your game disk gets damaged you can still play.


cheers
 
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LukeA

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You can swap in a larger drive yourself, but I don't know if you'd consider that a viable option.
 

archimedes

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The big difference between PS2 and PS3 is that the former is primarily a games console, while the latter is more a sort of "multi-media server". Yes, it plays games, but it also plays music and CDs, video (DVD and Blu-Ray), stores and displays photos, etc, etc.

Most of the multi-media functions require substantial storage, especially saved video. While many games are played from a Blu-Ray disc, some games and most demos are downloaded directly to the Hard Disk (eg, those from the Playstation Network), and that also uses a lot of storage space. Finally, saved game files are much larger than those on the older PS2.

I had an original 60gb release ("fat") PS3, until it overheated and fried itself (3 times :( ! ), and had found the stock storage to be almost impractically small.

As others here have mentioned, if you have moderate technical skills, it is relatively easy to "mod" the PS3 for increased storage. If you are able to "build" a PC, you will easily be able to upgrade the Hard Disk Drive to a larger capacity one. I had used a 320gb internal notebook drive, and these drives now sell for about $40.

If you do not plan to increase the stock drive, and plan to use it only for light to medium-duty gaming, 120gb or 160gb would probably be adequate...?

Hope that helps!
 
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