With recent architectural improvements and even more recent price cuts, Sony has positioned the PlayStation 3 as THE must-have console for current-gen gamers. While a great system at its original cost, today’s price range leaves no doubt, making it an absolute steal for mature console gamers and home entertainment enthusiasts alike. In fact, the console has become such a steal that retailers have been finding it unusually difficult lately to keep it in stock as gamers almost instantly buy up the entire PS3 inventory as soon as a fresh new supply comes in.
Not only is it work these days to find an exceptional deal on a PS3, it actually takes a bit of effort to find an available (new) PS3 at all at times. But fear not, because all of the information that you’ll need on where to buy your new PlayStation 3 is right here on this site. In addition to that, if you’re also in the market to buy PS3 games and/or accessories to go with your new console, you’ll find some great suggestions for them here as well.
Without further ado, here are the latest PS3 deals:
PlayStation 3 160GB
Amazon.com – Yes! Currently In Stock – $249.96
GameStop.com – Yes! Currently In Stock – $249.99
Best Buy – Yes! Currently In Stock – $249.99
Walmart.com – Yes! Currently In Stock – $249.96
Recently re-stocked, this is the most popular PS3 package offered by Sony by far. It appeals to both casual gamers and hardcore PS3 gamers alike as 160 GB is more than enough space for the casual buyers who would prefer to spend the rest of their money on games and other fun accessories, while the price is just low enough for the more advanced PlayStation gamer who can easily upgrade the hard drive on this model for less money than Sony’s 320GB offering. And they get a new 160GB hard drive to do with as they please in the process.
PlayStation 3 320GB
Amazon.com – Yes! Currently In Stock – $274.99
GameStop.com – Out of Stock
BestBuy.com – Out of Stock
Walmart.com – Out of Stock
Equipped with the largest hard drive currently offered by Sony for the PS3, the 320GB PlayStation is for gamers who want a bit more space but don’t want to have to go through the task of upgrading the hard drive themselves. You get the system directly from Sony with more space than you’ll probably need for a long time, you won’t have to unnecessarily fiddle with anything or worry about compatibility issues, and it only costs about $50 more than the base model for a cool 160GB of extra disk space. Plug & Play.
PlayStation 3 Bundles
GameStop Exclusive – PlayStation 3 160GB for 2 Bundle – $299
Amazon – PlayStation 3 Uncharted 3 Bundle – $299
GameStop – PlayStation 3 Uncharted 3 Bundle – $299
Walmart – PlayStation 3 Uncharted 3 Bundle – $299
Amazon – PlayStation 3 Infamous 2 Bundle – $329
GameStop – PlayStation 3 320GB inFAMOUS 2 Bundle – $299
Walmart – PlayStation 3 320GB Console w/ inFamous 2 Bundle – $299
Amazon – PlayStation 3 320GB Move Bundle – $349
GameStop – PlayStation 3 320GB Console w/ Sony Move – $349
Walmart – PlayStation 3 320GB Console w/ Sony Move – $349
Walmart Exclusive – PlayStation 3 160GB Customer Choice Bundle – $349
Recommendations
Which PS3 should I buy?
When in doubt, go with the 160GB model.
For one, 160GB will be more than sufficient enough for most gamers and even if it isn’t, the process of upgrading the hard drive on the ps3 is so ridiculously easy that it really wouldn’t be too much trouble at all to do it yourself. Secondly, you can spend the extra money on something else, like a game or an extra controller.
Consider that Sony’s 320GB model costs $50 more than the 160GB. A brand new 500GB Seagate hard drive, that’s fully compatible with the PS3, costs only $60 directly from Amazon. So for just $10 extra, you get 500GB compared to 320GB, plus you still have the spare 160GB that comes with the PS3.
To put it more clearly:
160GB PlayStation 3 – $249.99
320GB PlayStation 3 – $299.99
160GB PlayStation 3 + 500GB Seagate Hard Drive – $309.99
Pretty easy choice.
Update: Right now, you can buy a 320Gb PlayStation 3 with Infamous 2 for $299.99. If you’re a fan of the Infamous series (which is a great series in case you’re unfamiliar with it), then that is the best deal going at the moment. Act fast though as it may not last very long.
Where should I buy my PS3?
All things being equal (in stock, same price, etc), go with Amazon. As far as online shopping goes, it’s easily the most reliable retailer on the web. The only other online retailer that I’d say even competes with Amazon on that front is Apple, but they obviously don’t sell PS3′s. On top of that, Amazon will usually offer the lowest price on whatever else you plan to buy with your PS3, allowing you to get everything you want, at the best price, in a single package.
The only time I’d really recommend any of the others is if you have a gift card with one of them, they’re offering an irresistible bundle, or amazon is out of stock. Other than that, again, go with Amazon.
What else should I buy with my PS3?
If you plan on playing with friends, the first thing you might want to consider getting is a second controller. The PS3 comes standard with just one, which is fine if you plan on playing solo for a while but sooner or later some brave challenger will appear and it’ll be useful to have a spare controller available for whenever that time comes.
Next is another minor addition, the PS3 Blu-ray Disc Remote. Now, you can get by just fine using your controller, but the remote is a much better convenience as it allows the console to feel more like a blu-ray player when that’s what you want it to be.
Important: Last among the PS3 accessory essentials is one that I feel is important to note for both your safety and peace of mind. If you’re planning on purchasing anything on the Playstation Network (from the Playstation Store), whether it be a game, a movie, an add-on, or whatever, I highly recommend that you purchase a Playstation Network Card (PSN Card) instead of using your credit card with Sony. As we all know, Sony’s had some issues with security in the past (which is a huge reason why I don’t list them here with the other retailers), and the last thing you want to worry about while trying to play your favorite game is whether or not there’s any funny business going on with your credit card. So, for sanity’s sake, just buy a PSN card from Amazon, which comes in prices of $10, $20, and $50, and use that to get whatever you want from the Playstation Store.
After you’ve considered all of those, it’s time to move on to the main attraction among the PS3 add-ons, the PS Move. But before we go any further, let’s get one thing out of the way:
The PS Move is not the Nintendo Wii.
It’s much, much better.
Now that we’ve established that little tidbit, let’s move on.
If money is no issue and the question is simply whether or not you should buy PS Move, then the answer is a resounding yes, you should, and for two reasons. The first reason is the accuracy of the Move controller. Unlike another motion-based controller on the market, the Move sensor seems to be very responsive to the way you move around with it, which gives you a much more satisfying level of control over games and makes them a lot more fun to play, which leads conveniently into the next reason.
The second reason that the PS Move is a worthy buy is because of its impressive, albeit currently limited, catalogue of highly entertaining games. Games like Killzone 3, The Fight, and MLB 11: The Show (Home Run Derby) which, even if you’re not particularly fans of their respective genres are still loads of fun to play on the Move. Even the stock game, Sports Champions, will keep you entertained, especially when you’ve got a couple of friends around to join in.
All in all, the PS Move adds an entirely different dimension to the entertainment value of the PS3, and once you’ve unlocked that new level of control for the first time, you’ll be hooked just like the rest of us and ready for more.
The only other not-so-essential accessories that I’d recommend at this point are an hdmi cable, which should improve the audio and video quality delivered from the PS3 to your tv, a power stand, for charging all of your controllers, a slim stand, which will add 2 more ports to the PS3 for any of your accessories, and a hard drive, if you know that you’re going to need more disk space than the system comes standard with. That pretty much rounds up the accessories and add-ons. If you’d like to see a more comprehensive list of must have PS3 accessories you can check out the more detailed write-up by going here: Must Have PS3 Accessories.
As far as PS3 games go, that’s really up to you as every gamer has their own tastes, but if you’re just unsure about what to get for now then check out the list of “Bestselling PS3 Games” on the right hand side of this page (scroll up) or go here: Must Have PS3 Games. Both should get you at least 3 or 4 interesting titles to satisfy your appetite with for a while.
{ 0 comments }
