Hobbies And Interests
Colorware
Colorware is a custom painting company founded in 2000 and located in Winona, Minnesota. The company will paint just about anything for the right price, including PS3 Slims. You can check out a preview of the finished product with their Design Studio app, which paints a virtual PS3 Slim in real time in your browser. Colorware offers more than 20 colors and two finishes: gloss or softouch. It will even coat the finished paint job in a scratch-resistant liquid plastic coating. Prices run from $149 to $174, depending on the finish you want at time of publication. You can send the whole console in for painting or disassemble it yourself, and only send them the parts you want painted.
Pimp My PS3
Pimp My PS3 is a small family-owned company located in Fall River, Massachusetts. It can customize PS3 Slims in a variety of ways, including adding multi-colored LED lights. The company also offers laser replacements, cleaning and overall servicing. Since it offers so many services it doesn't have a price list, but on average it charges $15 per hour for labor and $1 per LED light.
Do It Yourself
If you are artistically inclined and have the patience, you can paint your own PS3 Slim. Be aware that this is not as easy as putting masking tape over the openings and spray painting it. Custom painting your PS3 involves a lot of work and should not be undertaken yourself unless you are confident in your modding skills. Many modding groups can be found on the Web that offer tutorials, advice and examples of previous works to get you started.
Voiding Warranty
Be warned that painting your PS3 will likely void any warranty you have. In general, modifying or tampering with your PS3 will void the warranty. This means that if anything goes wrong with your PS3 after it is painted, Sony will have no responsibility for fixing it. The good news is that Colorware and Pimp My PS3 offer warranties of their own if you get work from them.