Side-by-Side Comparison of the 40G & 80G PS3

Similarities

• All models of PlayStation 3 have several things in common. First of all, they all include a Blu-ray disc drive that is used for playing Blu-ray movies as well as PlayStation 3 games. They are also capable of displaying high-definition video in 1080i resolution. Also, they all use the same game controllers, the PS3 Sixaxis controller, which has motion-sensing technology, is wireless and connects to the PlayStation 3 console via a standard mini-USB cable for charging.

Storage

• The most obvious difference between the 40 GB and 80 GB PlayStation 3 consoles is in the internal storage capacity. All PlayStation 3 consoles come included with an internal hard drive, which is used for saving game progress, downloading games, downloading extra game content or add-on packs, and storing information from game discs, which decreases game loading times. The 80 GB system has twice as much storage space as the 40 GB version, meaning twice as much space for saved games and other content.

Backward Compatibiity

• Another important difference is that of backward compatibility. Backward compatibility is the ability to play the software of earlier generations on a future generation game system. The 80 GB version of the PlayStation 3 is capable of playing many PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 games. The 40 GB version of the PlayStation 3 lacks this functionality.

Availability

• The 160 GB and 320 GB versions of the PlayStation 3 have all of the aforementioned features in addition to having larger hard drives than either the 40 GB or 80 GB versions of the console. The 40 GB and 80 GB versions of the PlayStation 3 are no longer being manufactured, so the only way to purchase one is used from a video game retailer or from an individual.