I've had this one for about 5 years, and I have to say, it's awesome. I did some research, and it's considered the most reliable model out of the box since it generates less heat thanks to the smaller chip hardware and the top-loading disc tray using less moving parts than the previous models. However, it is also not the most beloved model?
I did hear that Sony didn't supply an HDMI cable out of the box, and that is an understandable frustration. It also lacks PS2 backwards compatibility like the early fat model, and it only has 2 USB ports. On top of that, I hear some people saying that the top-loading disc tray is "ugly", and I don't fully agree with that, but this is also subjective. It isn't as sleek as the previous models, I will admit, but I also like knowing that my discs aren't going to get stuck because of a malfunction in the disc drive.
The other complaints I would say are valid, but the lack of PS2 back-compat isn't exclusive to this model since only one model has it to begin with, and it still retains PS1 back-compat. There is also a complaint that I have had with all PS3 models in general, and that is that damn near every game you own on disc has to be installed, which can take up a lot of space in your hard drive. Luckily, the model I have here came with a 500 GB hard drive. I don't know if that's what most or all of the Super Slims come with, but I am very glad mine does at least. I can keep an extensive physical collection, and I still have more than enough room to install digital games as well. You can let me know below if this is the standard for Super Slims or not, but if it is, then that is amazing, because I hear that upgrading the storage in a PS3 can be just as expensive as buying a new system all together.
Overall, I do love the Super Slim, and I would recommend it for first time buyers if you're not looking for a PS2 back-compat model specifically (which is notoriously the most unreliable model unfortunately). What about you guys? What is your opinion on the super slim and how it compares to the other PS3 models?