Modder Restores Original PS3, Community Says It Looks Better Than PS5

A Reddit user recently stripped down their dusty launch PS3 for a full restoration—Novus scratch remover, polishing compound, fresh thermal paste, the works. The glossy shell came out looking factory-new.

That piano-black finish on the original PS3 was striking, but it was a fingerprint magnet that scratched if you looked at it wrong. Sony wised up with the Slim revision, switching to matte plastic—less flashy, far more practical.

The comments split hard. Some called it Sony's best-looking console ever; others dunked on the PS5 for looking like a toy with a collar. Fair point—the launch PS3's heft and curves still hold up today.

If you've got an old PS3 collecting dust, a deep clean isn't a bad idea. Swap the thermal paste, buff the shell, and it might run for years. The early models played PS2 games natively, which makes them decent collectibles now. Just don't expect it to handle modern AAA titles—it's better suited for revisiting old libraries.