post music: london elektricity, anile, zara kershaw - unfrozen
oh, the valueless playstation 3,
lacking in backwards compatibility,
but still posessing the old pieces,
they say you are unreliable,
but they were also not careful,
and so your value decreases,parts may your destiny be,
but CECHG you are the one for me
and now I have two of them
Okay, so that was a weird cold open, but I figured if I titled this "an ode to CECHG", there better be an actual ode in here.
In the world of the PlayStation 3, there are three major models: fat, slim, and super-slim. While slim and super-slim are pretty straightforward, fat models are more complex. Most commonly, they can be found split into two "generations": those with PS2 backwards compatibilty and those without. A reasonable assumption to make. Allow me to introduce you to these:
These are two CECHG01s, "second generation" fat model PlayStation 3s. They are notorious for being one of the least reliable PS3s while also somehow having parts that are pillaged and used in older models. However, I'd argue that these are actually "first generation" PS3s. Huuh? A non-backcompat PS3 being "first generation"?? Hear me out on this one.
I did just mention that parts are pillaged for older models. The power supply on the CECHG is of a lower wattage than on older models, while still having the same compatibility. CECHGs that suffered the yellow light of death are particular candidates for power supply pillaging.
However, the part that I feel makes this a first gen over a second is that it still has onboard NAND flash. On first gen PS3s, the system firmware is stored on a 256MB NAND flash. The biggest advantage of this is when you install a new hard drive, you don't have to get a USB stick with a firmware update on it to install-- the firmware is already there. On second gen and later PS3s, the onboard flash was a 16MB NOR package with a minimal bootloader; the system firmware was moved to the hard drive.
But because of the lack of PS2 hardware backwards compatibility along with its perceived reliability, CECHG sits as the least valuable PS3. Nobody wants these. People who are looking for a PS3 depending on their needs will end up with a third gen fat (CECHL, M, P, Q), a slim, or a PS2 compatible model (CECHA, B, C, E). Or whatever they find on used marketplaces. As a result of this, almost nobody wants a CECHG.
And that's what makes them cheap as hell.
Both of my CECHGs were $80. Sought after models will usually set you back between $120 and $150, unless it's a PS2 model-- be prepared to fork out three hundge minimum for those! They came in, got a full clean and refurb, hard drive upgrades, and even a softmod to enable homebrew and adjust the fan curve for better heat management. I will probably die before these PS3s with the amount of care and attention I've put into them.
Actually, I bought this second PS3 because-- and this is going to sound totally bass ackwards considering what I've already gone over but hear me out-- I bought it to play PS2 games. I bought a PS3 that is not PS2 hardware compatible... to play PS2 games.
See, I had recently bricked my childhood PS2 due to a mishap with a hardware mod, hard brick, completely gone. Now, if this were some years ago this would've been easily solveable by just buying a used PS2 either locally or online and it'd all be good. However, retro gaming has caught up to the sixth generation and now PS2s are becoming more and more expensive to pick up. It was then cheaper to buy a worthless PS3, softmod it, and patch the emulator used by PS2 games on the PlayStation Store to play arbitrary games, than it was to buy a PS2.
But perhaps that was how it was meant to be. Technology obsoleted and unwanted often found its way here and I'd let it live out the remainder of its life the best it can. The CECHG is exemplary of this meaning.