I maintain my PS3 plugged in for one essential purpose

The PS3 could have been launched all the best way again in 2006, an absolute relic in know-how phrases, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a console that many look again upon fondly. It had a tough launch because of its $600 price ticket, however when the value got here down, the PS3 managed to make up a ton of floor in its competitors with the Xbox 360.

That prime worth was a tricky capsule to swallow, nevertheless it’s not prefer it wasn’t considerably justified. For starters, it was the primary sport console to return geared up with a Blu-ray participant, primarily as a result of PS3 video games had been printed on Blu-ray discs. This additionally meant it was an excellent choice for folks seeking to get into the then-new Blu-ray format.

Over time, I’ve amassed fairly a big physical media assortment, and whereas I’ve largely moved on to 4K, I nonetheless decide up a Blu-ray disc right here and there. I do most of my watching on my Sony 4K Blu-ray participant, however I nonetheless maintain my PS3 plugged in simply in case I need to pop in a daily Blu-ray. Certain, I may use my 4K participant, however typically I really feel like watching someplace apart from my lounge. I even have the additional advantage of my PS3 with the ability to hook up to a CRT TV.

The Blu-ray participant remains to be good in 2025

A really underrated facet

Blu-ray gamers are fairly low cost these days, particularly when you’re on the lookout for one which’s strictly for Blu-rays and never their 4K counterparts, however none of them have the flexibility to play video games. A PS3 is not too troublesome to trace down, even 20 years after its launch, and when you’re affected person sufficient, yow will discover one for round $50. I grabbed mine years after its launch so I may play the Steel Gear Stable assortment, however what I did not know was how lengthy I might proceed to make use of it after I finished enjoying the video games.

The Blu-ray participant nonetheless works, and I am undecided if it will ever give out. All electronics fail finally, so it is certain to occur, nevertheless it does not appear to be it should be any time quickly. My PS2 can nonetheless play CDs and DVDs, however I do know the clock is ticking there, for the reason that disc drive tends to be a weak level on the console. As for my PS3, it has proven no indicators of slowing down, and a part of which may be due to how little I take advantage of it. Regardless of shifting 3 times now since shopping for it, I nonetheless get it arrange and able to play motion pictures. It does not have any fancy bells and whistles such as you’d see in a contemporary Blu-ray participant, however I am unable to actually count on that from a sport console that is near 20 years outdated now.

I do not know when, or if, Sony plans on dropping help for the PS3. It acquired an replace in 2025 to update the Blu-ray encryption key to make sure discs proceed to play, and it looks as if these updates will proceed to occur periodically so long as the corporate desires to maintain it working. In case you’re fortunate sufficient to nonetheless have a purposeful PS3, I like to recommend giving its Blu-ray participant a attempt as a result of it is nonetheless a stable machine for that purpose alone. It is largely been outclassed by dedicated players, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a powerhouse.

Your PS3 performs video games, too

And it does it fairly effectively

I do know I have been happening and on about how good of a Blu-ray participant the PS3 is, nevertheless it’s additionally a sport console. The principle factor working towards the PS3 immediately is lots of the console’s finest video games — The Final of Us, Demon’s Souls, Shadow of the Colossus, and lots of extra — are higher performed on newer consoles. If you do not have entry to a PS4 or PS5, then the PS3 variations of those video games work simply nice. It is the primary (and solely) method I’ve performed The Final of Us, and regardless of higher variations being obtainable, I have not given them a attempt.

One other benefit of stepping into the PS3 in 2025 is you may decide up video games for reasonable. I discovered that the Xbox 360 and PS3 generations have not seen a giant enhance in sport costs, so you must have the ability to hit a used sport retailer or eBay and decide up fairly a bit with out breaking the financial institution. The PS3 retailer remains to be open as effectively, so you should buy video games digitally, one thing I am unable to say in regards to the Xbox 360.

I would not say you must exit and purchase a PS3 immediately, however in case you are serious about a few of the video games that have not been remastered for the PS4 or PS5, then I might say it is value grabbing. In case you’re shopping for it for its Blu-ray capabilities alone, I might say to get a standalone participant or a PS4 or PS5. Each of these latter consoles can play 4K Blu-rays together with common Blu-rays, so there’s extra versatility.

A part of why I like utilizing the PS3 for its Blu-ray participant is one half nostalgia, and one half is it is simply easy to arrange and takes up no area. It additionally helps that I have already got one in good situation. My Xbox One could be very cumbersome and has that energy brick that takes up extra space than it ought to. The PS3 slim suits in properly on a shelf and has a daily energy twine that does not take up a lot room.

If in case you have the area for it, I do not see any purpose to not maintain yours plugged in, as a result of it truly is a flexible little machine that continues to obtain updates. It does not have the graphical prowess of your PS5 or Xbox Sequence X, nevertheless it’s not anticipated to be. All I need out of mine is the flexibility to play Blu-ray discs once in a while, and if I really feel like popping within the God of Conflict assortment, then I need it plugged in and able to go. All these years later, the PS3 nonetheless has a spot in my residence, one thing I am unable to say for a lot of of my older consoles. So long as it retains receiving updates to maintain the Blu-ray participant purposeful, I would simply maintain utilizing it till it breaks.