Migrating to the PlayStation 3 Slim

If you currently own a older PlayStation 3 model and are thinking of moving to the new PS3 Slim, there are a few things you should know. There are some advantages and disadvantages with the new console, though it depends on how you intend to use it. Firstly, the new model is obviously smaller and lighter than the older models and it’s also more energy efficient, saving you some money on your electricity bill if you are a regular gamer. There are also other issues to consider.

Backwards compatibility isn’t much of a bug deal now as it was removed once the 60GB console was phased out in Europe (80GB for North America). You can, however, still enjoy your old PSOne games (if you have any) – only PS2 games are affected. OtherOS has also been removed, but this only means you can’t rip Blu-Ray discs or play emulators via Linux. The PS3 Slim also needs a vertical stand to keep it upright, safely.

If you are planning to migrate your savedata and PSN accounts to the new model, there are serious restrictions that will affect you. Firstly, remember to use the backup utility on your old PS3 to backup all the data (user profiles, savedata, videos etc). You can then restore the data on the new PS3 using the [Restore] option from the [Backup Utility]. Note that your downloaded games and copy protected savedata will not be backed up.

Games like Killzone 2, Guitar Hero 5, and others have protected saved data files. Saved data for these games will not be backed-up using the [Backup Utility] and you cannot move these files in any other way. You will have to start these games again on the new console, if you wish to play them. A serious oversight by Sony and the developers.

You trophies are stored on your PSN Account so these do not need to be backed up. Just remember to Sync your trophies on your old PS3 (press on your old PS3 and select [Sync Trophies]). Once your data has been restored on your new PS3, enter your PSN Account details and re-sync your trophies. Depending on the number of trophies you have, the sync process can take several minutes. If the sync process is interrupted, it will continue where it left off.