Is it worth it to buy a PS3 in 2014?

Hey all, I was looking for some advice on whether or not it would be worth it to get a PS3 this late into the game. For starters, my video game library is pretty small compared to most people, mostly PS1 and PS2 games, with very few PS3 games (F.E.A.R. 1 & 2, Bioshock 1 & 2, Devil May Cry HD Collection & 4, Kingdom Hearts 1.5). I had bought these games because an ex had a PS3 and so at the time it seemed like an alright investment for the price. But it’s been a few years and I haven’t gotten to play any of these games since, however, I now have some extra $$ lying around and was thinking of getting a PS3 if there was a good deal around black friday.

The thing is, I don’t really see myself being interested in other games on the PS3 (Probably just KH 2.5). So the primary function of the PS3 would be as a blu ray player (I don’t have one of these either). So would the price tag be worth it just for that? Does a PS3 perform well as a blu ray player? Being as a player would be a fraction of the price, a PS3 seems like a good buy just because I can also play the games I’ve already payed for. I understand the PS4 may actually be a better investment, but I’m not interested in any of the games shown so far, so it seems like a gamble.

Also, if it is worth it, which model/size should I get? With as few games as I have, I definitely won’t be needing 250GB of HD space, but is that 12GB model actually enough? I hear the "super slims" are pretty cheap-feeling, so I’m not sure how comfortable I’d be with it. And being as most of my games library is PS2 games, one of the original PS2 compatible models seems more enticing.

The problem is, they’re all either new and insanely expensive, or used/refurbished and it’s a bit of a gamble on how well they’ll work. The ex’s was capable of playing PS2 games, and seemed to be slow and prone to crashing, but other friends’ that I’ve used since haven’t had this issue at all, suggesting that either her’s in particular was bad or that the newer models just had less problems.

So wat du?

There’s so many games for the PS3 now, I’d say yes.

I’d recommend buying a PS3 as a stand alone blu ray player. It’s excellent and back in the day that was one of the reasons I bought a PSs – still have it in fact – games and blu ray player. (Of course this was when blu ray players were still quite expensive.) As for storage it’s sort of like buying a good flat screen TV – if you can afford the larger screen or in your case more storage space go for the bigger screen or greater storage. It’s better to have and not need then need and not have.

And the PS4 cannot play PS3 discs. Sony is going to make PS3 games available for PS4 consoles via its PS network.

I got a PS3 last Xmas solely to play GTAV.
Those that say it’s outdated are deluded as it still looks fantastic. And the Blu-Ray player is excellent.

There is a large library of great games on the PS3, so don’t be too quick to write it off… It’s also still supported by Sony and games are still being made for it.

One More Thing:
Unless you can get a great deal, don’t bother with more than the 20GB model.

It’s INSANELY easy, and so much CHEAPER, to get your own HDD and toss it in there.

I’ve got 500GB in mine, and I love it.

Thanks for the feedback guys, basically echoing my thoughts 🙂

And the PS4 cannot play PS3 discs. Sony is going to make PS3 games available for PS4 consoles via its PS network.

This is probably the main factor against the PS4, since I would most likely have to pay to stream the PS3 games I do have (assuming they stay up for streaming at all). Of course being forced to pay for any multiplayer features is a big no too. The only thing that tipped the scales in favor of the 4 was the rumor that they would allow streaming of PS2 games, but they haven’t said anything about it in a while and are seemingly avoiding the question when asked about it now. I doubt all PS2 titles would be up for stream anyway since there’s so many, and again there’s the whole paying for a game you already own.

My PS2 is actually one of the original fat ones from launch and has served me well over the years, but it is wearing down (mostly the optical drive); it’s probably an easier solution to just buy a slim one for the $40 or whatever they run for these days.

IF you get a PS3, get PSN+.

It’s worth it.
The bloody thing pays for itself in a month.

Others already got you somewhat covered on the "gaming" part, but still…

– Every single model of PS3 should be able to play original PS1 games on CD, though region-lock is still in place.
– The earlier models capable of reading also PS2’s games right off their DVD/CDs generally suffered from overheating problems, thus, they were more prone to fall victims to the YLOD.
– The Slim standard models, instead, may suffer a bit of issues with the HDMI cables (image on screen may go away and reappear, or flicker). Also, the HDMI port gets fried a bit too easily.
– If you’re concerned about not being able to play the PS2 games, you might like to know that on the PS Store there should still be a section called "PS2 Classics", where they sell some of them as bootable images.
– The XMB isn’t that great of an OS, don’t freak out if it randomly freezes on you.

Probably you didn’t like some of the stuff I said, but I can add that I’ve repaired many PS3s for a living in a store… And those were the most common problems me and my boss had to fix.

It is so worth getting a PS3, if only because digital PS3 game support on PS4 will be minimal, and it will never be backwards compatible with the physical discs.

– The earlier models capable of reading also PS2’s games right off their DVD/CDs generally suffered from overheating problems, thus, they were more prone to fall victims to the YLOD.
– The Slim standard models, instead, may suffer a bit of issues with the HDMI cables (image on screen may go away and reappear, or flicker). Also, the HDMI port gets fried a bit too easily.
– If you’re concerned about not being able to play the PS2 games, you might like to know that on the PS Store there should still be a section called "PS2 Classics", where they sell some of them as bootable images.

I expected both of those models to have issues, so thanks for the confirmation. As for the PS2 games, I doubt they’d have the ones I’m most interested in: the .Hack series, and Star Ocean to a lesser extent; Kingdom Hearts and Devil May Cry have also been rendered obsolete by their HD Collections and the same goes for other great titles like FFX, God of War, Ico, Jak & Daxter, Rachet & Clank, Soul Calibur 2 HD Online, etc.

Indeed it is worth owning one now, back in the day not so much, though it did depend if you really liked sony’s offering’s other than that it wasen’t as great as the library it has now, so it’s a yes.

Yakuza 5 is getting localized in 2015, and it’s PS3 only, so yes.

Depends on the price, of course. But you’ll have access to an awesome game library instantly!

I’m still playing both my 360 and PS3…won’t buy the new consoles for awhile.

Honestly, the backlog just ended up overcoming me. By the time I got to Skyrim new consoles were out…and I’m still playing it.

If you still need reasons to buy a PS3, take a look at its library. One of the most complete systems ever I think.

I am actually positive that one day I will buy a PS3 just to play MGS4. Unfortunately I don’t have as much time to play videogames as I had in the past so a big library is not really appealing to me anymore (looking at you, steam account) and it turns out MGS4 is just the one title I am looking for the most.

Unless you played all the great games on PS3 already, I’d advise everyone to go buy one. There’s so many awesome games you cant play on PC or NewGen Consoles. And since PS3 is old, most of these games are cheap to get.

Personally, I’d opt for the PS4 if you haven’t already got it. Although I’m surprised, even stunned about the cost of a PS3 – the price in the shops even went up recently. The same for PS Vita. Still pricey, making the PS4 look like good value at �300. Like others have said the games for the PS3 are pretty reasonably priced. Sony put out a slim & light version a few years ago, but I would expect them to bring out an even more slimmer and lighter version for substantially less. But that’s speculation on my part.

I’ve noticed that with the PS3, I’ve used it a lot more as a media player rather than for games, as with the PS2. I’ve had no problems with the bluray player and once I figured out how to setup video streaming from my PC, I use it all the time to watch downloaded shows. Netflix works a lot better on there than my barely-smart TV too.

Go for the cheapest you can get and replace the hard drive if you want more space. Replacing the hard drive takes 5 minutes and is super easy. I did it last month. While it is really nice to have backwards compatibility for PS2 games, you run the risk that if/when the BC PS3 breaks, you’ll have to pay even more money to find another BC PS3.