Welcome back! It is nice to see you back again.

Even before the Sony PlayStation 3 Slim 120GB came knocked out in Sep 2009, there were rumors that a 250GB beast got on the horizon. In spite of the low-key launch, what we have here is the best PlayStation 3 system you are able to purchase.

That said, it is essentially precisely the same as the 120GB version, but with 130 more of those treasured gigabytes packed in for good measure.

That extra computer storage capacity is probably to become priceless in the future. With the PlayStation Network (PSN) bettering all the time, and with downloadable games, demos, movies and HD content becoming more mainstream, you could that you fill up a smaller HDD quite rapidly.

But it depends upon your usage naturally, so if you can not see yourself downloading HD movies or purchasing games from the PSN, you might be better off plumping for the cheaper choice.

It is worth calling attention that at the time of publishing, the 250GB PS3 Slim is retailing for around £270. That’s £20 costlier than the 120GB version – but with more than double the storage capacity, it looks like a great deal to us.

It is also available as part of an Uncharted 2: Among Thieves bundle at no extra cost, so make sure to snap that one up before they sell out.

The first thing to note about the PS3 Slim is without doubt the design. It has split opinions in the office as yet, and though this reviewer thinks the design is an abomination, others think it’s actually nicer than the original. The differences are: the design is very similar, but one third smaller. So it really looks like something of a smaller brother to the original PS3.
Rather than a nice glossy finish, what we have here is a dull matte, flimsy plastic casing that neither feels classy nor sturdy.

Gone, too, is the sexy chrome trimming, with the silver ‘PlayStation 3′ writing being substituted by a lacklustre ‘PS3′ logo embossed on the top of the case.

The on/off and disc-eject touch-sensitive buttons are also conspicuous by their absence, and they have been replaced by real buttons that give way when you push them.

Once you get over the new-look design, and in spite of the slimmer, more power-efficient innards, the PS3 is still basically the same beast. Once you have turned it on, the differences end. The interface is the same. The controller is the same – though you do get a DualShock 3 controller rather than a standard SIXAXIS – and the user experience is the same.

We did some very basic real-world benching and found out that the PS3 Slim does really boot a couple of seconds slower than our original 60GB PS3, though in practise that makes zero difference. The time it takes to load games and play DVDs are precisely the same.

Read more about this product here:  PlayStation 3 250 GB