Don't buy Sony's new PlayStation 3 12GB flash drive model

After rumors were reported of a Sony PlayStation 3 12GB model showing up at FutureShop, a Canadian retailer, it was announced that the flash drive model would be showing up in North America as soon as yesterday. Even with select stores bundling it with games and accessories, the retail price and hassle for even casual gamers should be enough to steer away from this model.

A PS3 is not like the Xbox 360 at all when it comes to disc-based gaming. A lot of data needs to be installed despite having Blu-ray discs that hold an enormous amount. Essentially, any big triple-A games will need a huge amount of hard drive space, meaning that only one game could be installed at a time.

Potentially, having just a flash drive should make the installation process faster, but why keep installing and uninstalling games especially for those people that don't just play one game at a time? This is especially awful for those that plan to subscribe to PlayStation Plus. Having to continually download games onto the unit is a nightmare, at least with the Vita it's easy to transfer games to the system or a computer.

I get it, most people will say that this unit isn't made for gamers. Well, with new deals for the PS3 coming out almost daily, it should render this unit not being made for anybody. Deals such as the Uncharted 3 bundle with a 250GB Super Slim model, or the 500GB Assassin's Creed III bundle, have been as cheap as $230 brand new in Newegg sales.

For just $30, there is no hassle of deleting and re-installing games, and there's hard drive space when needed in case those casual gamers need it. If they're already dropping two bills on a console for Netflix and small-time gaming, then they might as well get the full package for a little more.

That, or just get a $100 Roku that has a controller for casual gaming and plenty more streaming options than a PS3.

This flash drive model doesn't suit a PS3 well at all with all the downloadable content available and how much space disc-based games still take up.

[Photo credit: Javier Domínguez Ferreiro]