To buy or not to buy...?

[samroob]

Hi, guys

I've a big-big question: to buy or not to buy used PS3? I've an XBox 360 already, but I'd like to play wit God of War as well. PS3 is overpriced I think, so I considered to buy a used one. Do you have any experiences with used stuffs mainly with PS3? And what do you think where I can buy used console from calculable person (for example on Ebay?)

Thanks

[ppietro]

Hi, guys

I've a big-big question: to buy or not to buy used PS3? I've an XBox 360 already, but I'd like to play wit God of War as well. PS3 is overpriced I think, so I considered to buy a used one. Do you have any experiences with used stuffs mainly with PS3? And what do you think where I can buy used console from calculable person (for example on Ebay?)

Thanks

Just be aware - many of us PS3 owners are fairly upset with Sony right now due to the removal of the OtherOS feature in firmware update 3.21.

OtherOS is what allows you to run Linux on the PS3 - which is one of the hardware platforms this Linux distribution supports.

We have basically been told that we can either have Yellow Dog Linux - and forgo all Sony Playstation Network functions and system updates - or give up Linux so we can keep using our PS3s.

I'm not sure how objective we can be at the present time. I certainly don't feel qualified to answer your question from an unbiased perspective.

That being said, here's a couple of things to consider.

1. The first & second generation "phat" PS3s have PS2 backwards compatibility. The backwards compatibility is not the same - first generation BC is completely in hardware. The second generation BC is a software/hardware solution. It is generally considered that the full hardware BC is more compatible than the software/hardware hybrid. If PS2 BC is important to you, you will have to buy used to get this. No currently available PS3 has PS2 BC.

2. The phat PS3s draw a considerable amount of power. The slims are much more efficient

3. There are reports of failure over time for the phats. This is referred to as the "yellow light of death". Any used phat PS3 may fall victim to this. If so, Sony will charge you $150 to swap you for a refurbished PS3. There are some 3rd party places that can sometimes fix this by performing what is called a "reflow" - but there's no guarantees, etc. It is generally considered that the slims are not affected by this.

4. I have read on the Playstation forums that Sony can "lock out" consoles for flagrant terms of use violations. Folks then try to sell these locked-out consoles on ebay, etc. Once locked out, these consoles apparently can't be re-registered without contacting Sony customer service directly. Wiping the hard disc, etc. won't allow these locked out consoles back in. I don't know much more about this, but it's something to be aware of.

Cheers,
Paul

P.S. For more on the OtherOS removal, read here:
OtherOS removed in Firmware update 3.21

[samroob]

Thanks for your help! It is enough detailed. But I have some more questions yet. I was trying to find different kind of supplies and I

found some.

On ebay it is backwards compatible, and the price is good too.
On bestbuy it is a high price (which I wanted to avoid) but it might be authentic.
On gladriel it is a raffle, but they say it's original!!! It would be fun to win!

What do you think which of these is the best for me?

ps3 on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Playstation-3- ... t=Video_Ga

mes&hash=item19bc3aadc0

ps on bestbuy:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp ... entoryLink


ps3 on gladriel:
http://www.gladriel.com/auction/details/content/1871/

(By the way PS2 compatible is not important for me.)

Thanks a lot,
samroob

[billb]

What do you think which of these is the best for me?

ps3 on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Playstation-3- ... 19bc3aadc0

When they say "it has the YLOD" they're saying it's BROKEN -- it has the "Yellow Light Of Death" which indicates a general hardware failure.

[Repa]

If you want to run Linux on your PS3 then you have to buy a used (but not broken ) one with firmware 3.15 or earlier on it.

I have had Ubuntu on my PS3, but didn't used it much frequently, and about two weeks ago I switched from Ubuntu to Fedora on my desktop, so I decided to make that switch also on my PS3 and replace the Ubuntu with YDL, but I realized that I cannot install Linux on it anymore... There's a hope though: a guy called George Hotz is working on a "custom firmware" that may re-enable OtherOS support, but it's not ready yet. (There's some info on his blog about his work, but did not post anything in the last month: http://geohotps3.blogspot.com/)

[Legendary_Agent]

Hi, guys

I've a big-big question: to buy or not to buy used PS3? I've an XBox 360 already, but I'd like to play wit God of War as well. PS3 is overpriced I think, so I considered to buy a used one. Do you have any experiences with used stuffs mainly with PS3? And what do you think where I can buy used console from calculable person (for example on Ebay?)

Thanks

You could get a ps3 but only if you like exclusive games for that console simply because all multiplatform games look like trash on it compared to either pc or xbox360, its not hardware issue with the ps3, infact ps3 is alot more powerfull than a xbox360, its because people first optmize the game on the xbox360 and then port it to ps3 without using the cpu cores (6 spe) making it perform slow and worse in graphics... while on exclusive games it beats anything xbox360 has to offer because its actually proper coded and using all the cpu cores in games like uncharted 2, gt5, gow3, killzone 2 and so on...
So the real question is, do you think its worth it for exclusive games? for me it was, if it is for you then go ahead and get 1, if its not then you shouldnt consider buying 1 atm.

[ppietro]

(By the way PS2 compatible is not important for me.)

Is Linux on the PS3 important for you? If the answer is no, I'd skip used and buy a new PS3 slim.

The used PS3 slims aren't that much cheaper, and you get Sony's warranty for a year with the new ones.

Cheers,
Paul

[samroob]

I was interested in Linux but as I see some people say it isn’t worth the trouble currently, so I prefer to get a new one.

Thanks for your help,

samroob

[ppietro]

I was interested in Linux but as I see some people say it isn’t worth the trouble currently, so I prefer to get a new one.

Who says that? We're all running it.

It's the ability to run Linux that has kept me from upgrading my PS3, for example.

I'm not trying to confuse you - but I personally dig Linux on the PS3. It's not the same as running it on an x86 PC - but I still dig it.

Let me list a few pros and cons about PS3 Linux:

Pros:
1. Great way to learn Linux.
2. One of the few non-x86 non-Intel platforms around. (The PS3's Cell has a PowerPC core)
3. Probably the easiest way to learn Cell programming.
4. Works great as an adjunct to PS3's GameOS, filling in missing gaps with a better web browser, game emulators, word processors, etc.

Cons:
1. Adobe has no Flash for PowerPC Linuxes - including PS3 Linuxes like Yellow Dog. We have to use workarounds to use YouTube.
2. No direct access to video hardware. CPU driven framebuffer display only.
3. Only 256 Megs of system RAM. You can use swapfiles to extend system RAM.
4. Sony discontinued Linux support. In fact, they won't let you on the PlayStation Network if you elect to continue using it.

This last point is the most damaging - especially to folks who consider the PS3 a game machine and nothing more.

I'm not disagreeing with your decision to buy a new one - just pointing out that for some of us, Linux is worth the trouble.

Cheers,
Paul

[samroob]

„some people say it…” means my friends, and colleagues also And I absolutely understand you Maybe I should consider it some more.

Thanks again

[Taellik]

I did the upgrade and my PS3 now is a reborn virgin, the way Sony wants it to be. Will be waiting for my pro-rated class action refund now, Sony.

I bought an Acer Aspire Revo nettop with 2 Gig of RAM from Amazon for $200 ( cheaper than a slim PS3 or an older phat PS3 ) and put Ubuntu on it to make my linux machine to use more current / up-to-date software than YDL had in its distros/repositorities.

R.I.P.
Playstation 3 / Yellow Dog LInux

Taellik

[CronoCloud]

Pros:
1. Great way to learn Linux.

Yep, if you've heard about "this Linux thing" on various websites and want to learn more, the PS3 (and the PS2 before it) is a great way to learn about it.

4. Works great as an adjunct to PS3's GameOS, filling in missing gaps with a better web browser, game emulators, word processors, etc.

vim, nethack, The GIMP....

1. Adobe has no Flash for PowerPC Linuxes - including PS3 Linuxes like Yellow Dog. We have to use workarounds to use YouTube.

Curse you, Adobe.

3. Only 256 Megs of system RAM. You can use swapfiles to extend system RAM.

Yep, which is why I used fluxbox on it, as I did the PS2 before.

4. Sony discontinued Linux support. In fact, they won't let you on the PlayStation Network if you elect to continue using it.

This last point is the most damaging - especially to folks who consider the PS3 a game machine and nothing more.

And I still have regrets about updating my PS3. If I'd had the spare cash I would have got both a second PS3 AND the x86 box I have now. Because I liked YDL.

Ron Rogers Jr. (CronoCloud)

[ning]

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4. I have read on the Playstation forums that Sony can "lock out" consoles for flagrant terms of use violations. Folks then try to sell these locked-out consoles on ebay, etc. Once locked out, these consoles apparently can't be re-registered without contacting Sony customer service directly. Wiping the hard disc, etc. won't allow these locked out consoles back in. I don't know much more about this, but it's something to be aware of.
*/
no wonder why I see some very cheap ps3 160gb on ebay only $45

Someone please help:
When I play *.mov files using Totern movie player, it said there always "A Quicktime demuxer plugin is required to play this stream, but not installed.".
What is Quicktime demuxer plugin, where to download and how to install?

Thanks.