Discussion on:

PS3 Super Slim teardown reveals hardware changes, but no real upgrades

Consoles have to stay fully compatible with the entire line of games past, present and future. You can't expect them to upgrade, else they run the risk of splitting their games lineup into games that work on the new hardware and games that don't. Noone wants to see 'minimum specifications' notices on console games; compatipility is a massive driver in the choice for console gaming, after all.

Really, the only way I imagine you could expect to see upgrades is if they also offerred them as user-installable bolt-ons to the existing models. Design/development of those would surely negate any perceived cost saving from the new model.

I think you are being short sighted on what can be constituted as actual hardware upgrades in regards to a gaming console. Actual improvements such as making the CPU / GPU die smaller to reduce heat and power consumption, adding heatsinks or better quality fans to improving cooling. These ARE hardware improvements that convert to the purpose of increasing longevity and reliability.

Do I need to remind you how many different revisions there was to the Xbox 360 chipset be it Xenon, Falcon, Jasper, etc.

Upgrading the Hardware does not always mean making it faster or adding more clock cycles to the CPU, especially in regards to a console. Many game consoles get hardware revisions without changing compatibility with software, It happened with the PS2, It happened with the PSOne, hell it even happened with the original NES back in 1994 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System_%28Model_NES-101%29

And many others - http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a395003/a-history-of-console-revisions-psone-gba-sp-ds-lite-more-gallery.html

As example with this breakdown there seems to be very little change for the remodel to make a substantial impact regards of buying a PS3 Super Slim over the standard Slim. In fact with evidence of potentially cheaper / flimsier construction such as the sliding door for the optical drive.

This is clearly a case of hardware revision not for the sake of improvement, but revision for the sake to sucker consumers who don't know any better and always assume newer equates to better.

When PS3 first came out, it was understood that, unlike PS2, it would NOT play PS1 or PS2 games--and it never has (since an otherwise-necessary update the first time you go online). According to Sony, if you want to keep playing your PS2 games, then keep your PS2 console, too. It's equally 'unlikely' that PS4 will have any 'backwards compatibility', either; it's expected to only play DLC---no disk drive. What you called 'the games lineup' already *has* been 'split' between Sony consoles, and the 'minimum spec' for PS3 is that a game's box and disk read "PS3", and not 'PS2' or 'Playstation'.
Sony gaming-console customers (and I am one) know that compatipility(sic) is *nonexistent*--not, as you claim, "a massive driver in the choice for console gaming, after all."

But that is what Sony does, they love to crap on their customers.

It did play PS2 games when it first came out. That functionality was removed in later models.
Compatibility within the console(PS3 games on ps3) is a major reason I play console games. When I purchase a new PS3 game, I don't need to check the system requirements. I don't want to get home and find that I need the faster PS3 to play it or that I can play it but it won't run smoothly. Every PS3 game works smoothly on every PS3, that's a lot of compatibility compared to PC.

PC's can still playing games from the DOS era with only a minor effort.

I think people forget just how backwards compatible PC's really are.

You can't pick up a game off the shelf with confidence 6 months or a year after you buy your PC. The PS3 has been out for nearly 6 years and consumers can still play any game on it that would be released today.

Embarrassing. Or at least it should be.

Really? It's embarrasing to make money now? The only embarassing thing here is your comment. You can't get paid if your company isn't making money. So they redesigned it to give them higher margins? So what? If you don't like it, don't buy it. I am so sick of hearing about "evil" companies simply because they want to make a profit.

Give the line the Blue_Oak quoted, I believe he/she was making a comment about my missing a typo in the article, not Sony's PS3 plans.

Yes. I know the difference between "they're" and "their", but sometimes even the best writers and editors miss things. This was one of those times.

So they don't plan on reducing the price? Well, I guess I'll continue not to buy one. Because, after they kneecapped the PS3 by removing Linux boot and PS2 compatability, the unit is priced about 5X more than it's worth. About the only thing I'd want a PS3 (or suXBOX360) for is as a media center & internet terminal at this point.

It sure looks like a big step backwards; looking like cheap plastic now. Oh well, what are companies built for besides making profits (regardless of product quality).

HI,
I just received a PS3 Super Slim 250 GB (New Oct 2012 model) from US.
It also reads 120 Volts as power input.
From what I read hear PS3 slim was compatible with both 120 and 240 volts, does the same hold true for ps3 super slim also, please respond, I have this new super slim model and i havent plugged it in yet for three days into the 220V power supply in India for the fear of frying it