The Official PlayStation® Thread: PLAYSTATION 4 ANNOUNCED

• FOR POTENTIAL EUROPEAN PS3 BUYERS: THE PS3 IS VERY LIKELY TO DROP IN PRICE FROM £249.99 TO £199.99, WITH SOME SHOPS PREPARED TO GO AS LOW AS £179.99. VERY, VERY SOON. STAY POSTED.
• FOR PEOPLE WITH A COPY OF DEMON'S SOULS: IF YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE GAME YET AND ARE PLANNING TO, YOU HAVE UNTIL OCTOBER TO DO SO. DEMON'S SOULS ONLINE SERVERS WILL BE SHUT DOWN TO MAKE WAY FOR DARK SOULS SERVERS.
• PSN SUMMER SALE GOING ON NOW! 30% OFF OF 11 GAMES! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.
  

Spoiler:

08/09/2011

Spoiler:

Skins
DecalGirl. They've got a wide variety of skins for all types of electronic devices. For your PS3, they have options for the PS3 Phat, the PS3 Slim, and Sixaxis®/Dualshock®3 controllers.

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Xross Media Bar™ Themes

• allps3themes.com
• ps3-themes.com

Both sites have got a fair amount of cool stuff in their library. Want to make your own XMB theme? Download this XMB Theme Builder first, then download this upgrade. Install them and you can begin creating. Very easy program to use. Below is an image of what the creator/builder program looks like:



You can download some sample theme files by clicking here (Winrar/Winzip required).

You can even edit/create Dynamic Themes! Visit this link for instructions on how to create your own Dynamic Themes!

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Wallpapers
Wallbase. Largest collection of the slickest, coolest wallpapers on the internet, imo. These are great for computers, laptops, and of course, your PS3.

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HDD Expansion
Ran out of space on the stock hard drive in your PS3? Want to upgrade?

• Western Digital 250GB HDD
• Western Digital 500GB HDD
• Western Digital 750GB HDD

Western Digital is the highest quality HDD brand you can get for your PS3, imo. As of now, they don't have a 1TB HDD of the PS3's 2.5" HDD size, so 750GB is the highest you can get now, which should already be more than enough.

While WD is my brand of choice, any 2.5" SATA HDD is compatible with the PS3. Even Solid State Drives (SSDs) and Hybrid Drives are compatible with the PS3, and Drives of any cache size and RPMs are compatible with the PS3, so there are a lot of choices out there. People have claimed to experience notable gains/advantages with Drives with higher RPMs, as well as using SSDs over HDDs, so you may want to keep that info in mind.

Do note, however, that a lot of people have had problems with the Seagate brand of HDDs. Buy at your own risk.

Side Note: Newegg is an amazing website for ordering these things. I don't think they charge shipping for these HDDs (they didn't charge me shipping), and they were FAST. My credit card info was authorized and the 750GB HDD I ordered was at my house a day and a half later. So yeah, I give Newegg my highest recommendations. For those of you late bloomers looking to jump into the HD age, they've also got great HDTVs at great prices, so check them out!

How do you replace your old HDD with the new one you bought?

First off, you will need a regular Phillips Screwdriver to do this.

Refer to the video below for Phat PS3s:
[media=youtube]NNSytaL9hnI[/media]

Refer to the video below for Slim PS3s:
[media=youtube]5sRkj89axOU[/media]

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Intercoolers
If you feel that your PS3 is usually stationed in an environment with inadequate temperature (Read: Hot and muggy as fuck), you may want to look into and invest in an Intercooler to keep it nice and cool.

• Intercooler for PS3 Phat
• NYKO PS3 Slim Intercooler

Also, remember that setting your PS3 vertically is better than horizontally if you're looking to keep it well-ventilated.

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Cleaning the PS3
Cleaning your PS3 is very simple.

For the outside of your PS3, rub dust/fingerprints/whatever off with micro-fiber cloth.

For the inside of your PS3, use a vacuum cleaner's hose to suck dust from the vents. Don't forget to open the PS3's HDD plating and vacuum there as well. Every once in a while, it will be necessary to completely remove the HDD and vacuum out it's housing area. You can also blow the dust through the vents using compressed air. I find cleaning most effective when the compressed air is used first, then the vacuum to suck out any remaining dust. Clean your PS3 out at least once a month.

DO NOT. I repeat, DO NOT attempt the PS3's hidden feature, the Fan Test. This hidden feature has been known to damage PS3s and shorten their lifespans. You have been warned.

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Repairs
Gophermods, LLC. This company is excellent for console repairs, among other things. Not to mention they're cheaper than other repair stores, including official Sony repair stations. They repair your console and return it to you in record time, and their work leaves little, if nothing else to be desired. Very professional group.

• PS3 Media Server
• TVersity

Spoiler:

PlayStation®Network Downloadable Games

• Arcana Heart 3
• Battle Fantasia
• Battlefield 1943
• Beyond Good and Evil HD
• Bionic Commando Rearmed
• Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
• Braid
• Castle Crashers
• Critter Crunch (semi-EXCLUSIVE)
• Dead Nation (EXCLUSIVE)
• DeathSpank
• Dungeon Hunter: Alliance (EXCLUSIVE)
• Fat Princess (EXCLUSIVE)
• flOw (EXCLUSIVE)
• Flower (EXCLUSIVE)
• Gunstar Heroes
• Hard Corps: Uprising
• Hoard (semi-EXCLUSIVE)
• Joe Danger (EXCLUSIVE)
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
• Lumines Supernova (EXCLUSIVE)
• Marvel vs. Capcom 2
• Mega Man 9
• Mega Man 10
• Outland
• Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
• PixelJunk Eden (EXCLUSIVE)
• PixelJunk Monsters (EXCLUSIVE)
• PixelJunk Racers (EXCLUSIVE)
• PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap (EXCLUSIVE)
• PixelJunk Shooter (EXCLUSIVE)
• PixelJunk Shooter 2 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Plants vs. Zombies
• Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty (EXCLUSIVE)
• Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
• Shank
• Shatter (semi-EXCLUSIVE)
• Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype (semi-EXCLUSIVE)
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4
• Stacking
• Streets of Rage 2
• Super Stardust HD (EXCLUSIVE)
• Tetris HD
• The Last Guy (EXCLUSIVE)
• Trine (semi-EXCLUSIVE)
• Warhawk (EXCLUSIVE)
• WipEout HD (EXCLUSIVE)

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PlayStation®3 Disc-Based Games

• 3D Dot Game Heroes (EXCLUSIVE)
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Bayonetta
• Bioshock
• Bioshock 2
• Blazblue: Continuum Shift
• Borderlands
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Call of Duty: Black Ops
• Catherine (EXCLUSIVE)
• Darksiders
• Dead Space
• Dead Space 2
• Demon's Souls (EXCLUSIVE)
• Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (EXCLUSIVE)
• Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
• Folklore (EXCLUSIVE)
• God of War 3 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Grand Theft Auto 4
• Gran Turismo 5 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Heavy Rain (EXCLUSIVE)
• inFAMOUS (EXCLUSIVE)
• inFAMOUS 2 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Killzone 2 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Killzone 3 (EXCLUSIVE)
• L.A. Noire
• Little Big Planet (EXCLUSIVE)
• Little Big Planet 2 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Marvel vs. Capcom 3
• Mass Effect 2
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (EXCLUSIVE)
• Modnation Racers (EXCLUSIVE)
• Mortal Kombat
• Nier
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma (EXCLUSIVE)
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Portal 2
• Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time (EXCLUSIVE)
• Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction (EXCLUSIVE)
• Red Dead Redemption
• Resident Evil 5
• Resistance: Fall of Man (EXCLUSIVE)
• Resistance 2 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Resonance of Fate
• Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes
• SOCOM 4 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Soul Calibur 4
• Super Street Fighter 4
• Tekken 6
• The Orange Box
• Transfomers: War on Cybertron
• Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (EXCLUSIVE)
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (EXCLUSIVE)
• Valkyria Chronicles (EXCLUSIVE)
• Vanquish
• Virtua Fighter 5
• Yakuza 3 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Yakuza 4 (EXCLUSIVE)

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PlayStation®Classics (North American Store List)

• Alundra
• Arc the Lad
• Arc the Lad 2
• Arc the Lad 3
• Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• Cool Boarders 2
• Crash Bandicoot
• Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
• Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
• Crash Team Racing
• Final Fantasy VII
• Final Fantasy VIII
• Final Fantasy IX
• Final Fantasy Tactics
• Grandia
• Jet Moto 2
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
• Legend of Mana
• MediEvil
• Metal Gear Solid
• Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
• Oddworld; Abe's Oddysee
• Parasite Eve
• Rayman
• Rayman 2: The Great Escape
• Resident Evil
• Resident Evil 2
• Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
• Silent Hill
• Spyro the Dragon
• Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage
• Spyro: Year of the Dragon
• Street Fighter Alpha
• Street Fighter Alpha 2
• Suikoden
• Syphon Filter
• Syphon Filter 2
• Syphon Filter 3
• Tekken
• Tekken 2
• Tomb Raider
• Tomb Raider 2
• Tomb Raider 3
• Twisted Metal 2
• Vagrant Story
• Wild Arms
• Wild Arms 2
• Xenogears

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PlayStation®HD Collections

• God of War Collection
• Prince of Persia Trilogy
• The Sly Collection

Spoiler:

Games on the Horizon

• Anarchy Reigns
• Batman: Arkham City
• Bioshock: Infinite
• Dark Souls
• Disgaea 4 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Final Fantasy VI (EXCLUSIVE)
• Final Fantasy Versus 13 (EXCLUSIVE)
• God of War: Origins HD Collection (EXCLUSIVE)
• Journey
• Limbo
• Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (EXCLUSIVE)
• Rage
• Resident Evil 4 HD (EXCLUSIVE)
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica HD (EXCLUSIVE)
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
• Resistance 3 (EXCLUSIVE)
• Silent Hill HD Collection
• Skullgirls
• Sly 4: Thieves in Time (EXCLUSIVE)
• Starhawk (EXCLUSIVE)
• Street Fighter X Tekken
• The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection (EXCLUSIVE)
• Twisted Metal (EXCLUSIVE)
• Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (EXCLUSIVE)
• Zone of the Enders HD Collection (EXCLUSIVE)

Spoiler:

Refer to this link for the list of currently out and upcoming 3D games and movies.

Thanks to Rampage for the contribution.

Spoiler:

If you're into Game-Sharing, we have our very own thread here on SRK! Check it out.

• PS3 User's Guide
• PlayStation.Blog
• PlayStation's YouTube
• Kevin Butler's YouTube
• PlayStation.Blog's YouTube

• Q: Are all PS3's backwards-compatible?
  A: Not exactly. All PS3s backwards-compatible with PS1 games. The discontinued 60GB Phat PS3 is backwards compatible with PS2 games as well. Some special edition 80GB Phat PS3s (Like the Metal Gear Solid 4 80GB) are also backwards compatible with PS2 games. No Slim PS3s are backwards-compatible with PS2 games.
• Q: When my PlayStation+ subscription expires, do I lose all of the games I purchased while under subscription?
  A: No. You only lose the games you got for free.
• Q: When my PlayStation+ subscription expires, are my cloud saves stored on Sony's servers forever?
  A: No. Your saves are stored for 6 months after your PS+ subscription expires. After 6 months the files are deleted from Sony's servers and forever lost to you.

SEND ME YOUR QUESTIONS/ANSWERS