What's the Point of a 12GB PlayStation 3?

I'm planning on buying a console relatively soon because I really want to play Grand Theft Auto V. No, I do not want to wait 6 - 8 months to have it ported to PC, so I was thinking of picking up a PlayStation 3 again. Now, what exactly is the point of a console with 12GB of internal memory? Aren't there mandatory installs with certain games? I already know I won't be storing any music, photos or videos on the system. I'd like a console purely for games (Grand Theft Auto V won't be the only game I'll get, of course). Can I play whatever amount of games on a 12GB PlayStation 3? The $199.99 pricetag sure is attractive, but I want to be sure I won't run into troubles.

Edit: Xbox 360 has a 4GB model for $149.99 (limited time price). What the hell can you do with 4GB, even if it's just gaming?

To your last question, I have the 360 4g slim. I bought an external usb flash drive for 20 bucks which gives me an extra 16 gig. So 20 total. You can buy a higher one also.

4 Gb alone simply isnt enough, it's only enough to save your game progress on it. But I like to install games to my 360 so it runs better and loads faster. I have two games installed at once, and delete and replace as I beat them.

To your first question, Yes alot of games come with a mandatory install. So you will probably need to buy a usb flash drive also. The price tag is not bad at all. That GTA V 12g ps3 bundle is a pretty good deal.

Do you plan on buying alot of games? If so you might want more hard drive space.

on the 12GB version the actual usable memory is around 9GB, plus you will need to download the online portion of GTA 5 for multiplayer.

keep this amazon disclaimer in mind.

In order to provide the best possible experience for such a massive and detailed world, the game will have installation requirements on the PS3 and Xbox 360. For PS3, GTAV ships on one disc and will install content as soon as you insert the game - the install is roughly 8GB, and players will be able to play as soon as the install is complete. For Xbox 360, GTAV will ship on two discs; Disc 1 will be used for a one-time mandatory install and Disc 2 will be used to play the game. After the install, players will be able to enjoy both Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online without any need to switch discs.

Amazon

If you feel comfortable doing the HDD swap yourself (which is pretty easy to do), then you could easily turn that 12gb PS3 into a 500gb PS3 for only about $70 more.

That said, I just checked Amazon and it looks like they have a 500GB PS3 with GTA V for only $270 (LINK) and that's definitely your best bet.

The only point I can think of is to sell a cheaper version for those that really wanted a PS3 but couldn't afford the more expensive versions.  (I have no idea if that was the case though). Otherwise, none, since that memory space is going to fill up pretty fast with the mandatory installs many games require.

Buy a 500gb system.

I have a 12gb model which I've just recently upgraded. I did some research beforehand and it seems like there won't be any games that you'll be unable to play if you buy a hard copy, but it is very frustrating to be so limited in how many you can install. You also won't have space for much PSN stuff, and there are even some things that are too large to download even if you clear your drive. I didn't think I'd care but it turned out I did, especially after I learned about PS+.

That being said though, it's probably still better to get the 12gig version and then upgrade it yourself.  Shop around for a bargain and you can get more than 500gb for less than sony are asking. I ended up with a 700 (750 according to the packet) hard drive and saved myself about £30 over sony's 500gb version.

if your going to buy a ps3 and gta 5 for ps3 u should get the bundle on best buy u get a ps3 with a 500gb hardrive and gta v for $269.99

Honestly, for people who buy lots of games and download games, there is no point unless you already have an internal drive or can get one for cheap. I got my 250gb system with Uncharted 1/2 and Infamous 1/2 for 200 last year on Black Friday.

Very casual gamers and uninformed parents might look at the price point though and snatch it up quickly without really caring about the specs.

I believe Gran Turismo 5 has a 10 GB install, so yeah, 12 GB isn't enough.  I don't get why they sell it, but it seems to be the thing for companies to have a lower priced model of something to be like a price leader, but in reality nobody will ever buy it.

The point of the Playstation 3 12GB flash memory model is to reach the magic $199.99 price point for Sub Urban Soccer mom's shopping for a brand new console for little johnny. Sony has released this to appeal to people who are very late to the Playstation 3. At the $199.99 price point for a brand new console this will appeal. To people who are cutting edge about information about console. May only wish to play a few games at most. This SKU will mostly hurt Nintendo since the Sub Urban soccer mom. Will see the $199.99 price point compared to a Wii U 8GB basic set for $250.00 and $299.99 Wii U 32GB SKU.

Plus if your PS3 dies then this is a cheap replacement. Just throw in your old 20/40/60/80/120/160/250/320/500 GB PS3 HDD into the 12GB flash model and your go to go playing PS3 games.

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I hope you're not all disappointed with the following, but I picked up a 4GB Xbox 360 for $149.99 yesterday. I had a spare 32GB USB stick kicking around that I'm currently using as storage. So far so good. Worst case scenario (space wise), I have an external HDD I can format and use.

The point of the Playstation 3 12GB flash memory model is to reach the magic $199.99 price point for Sub Urban Soccer mom's shopping for a brand new console for little johnny. Sony has released this to appeal to people who are very late to the Playstation 3. At the $199.99 price point for a brand new console this will appeal. To people who are cutting edge about information about console. May only wish to play a few games at most. This SKU will mostly hurt Nintendo since the Sub Urban soccer mom. Will see the $199.99 price point compared to a Wii U 8GB basic set for $250.00 and $299.99 Wii U 32GB SKU.

Plus if your PS3 dies then this is a cheap replacement. Just throw in your old 20/40/60/80/120/160/250/320/500 GB PS3 HDD into the 12GB flash model and your go to go playing PS3 games.

Megavideogamer

Good point about it being a replacement model, I keep forgetting how easy they made it to replace the HDD in these systems.

It's just for playing one or two games at a time. You'll have to delete game installs to play other games, and you'll not be able to store large digital games. You get what you pay for I guess.

My friend has one because he only cares to play Call of Duty, FIFA and NBA. The typical brogamer.

My friend has one because he only cares to play Call of Duty, FIFA and NBA. The typical brogamer.

Ricardomz

For hardcore gamers = pointless

For Hardcore racing fans = Gran turismo 5/ 6 = perfect

Or someone who only wants to play one title...eg gta5... = perfect

I wouldn't buy 12gb ssd though

For hardcore gamers = pointless

 

For Hardcore racing fans = Gran turismo 5/ 6 = perfect

Or someone who only wants to play one title...eg gta5... = perfect

 

I wouldn't buy 12gb ssd though

vpacalypse

The full install for GT5 is something like 10 GB.  And then there are about a gazillion updates that have come out since launch.

I bought a 12GB PS3 to replace my broken 250GB and just threw the 250GB in there. The 12GB by itself though I'd say is a pointless console. It's mostly made for people who play games once in a blue moon or for people who watch alot of Blu-Rays.