Looks like a zipper scratch.

omg lol man that sucks so bad.
maybe if you guys weren't so exited to get it out the box and hump it so fast and took it out gently.

when i get mine I'm going to open it real slow and enjoy opening the ps3 *plan to take 30min opening it* lol

Looks like they went cheap on the casing to drop below the $700 mark. That's why I love white for many of these kind of electronics.

is your hand made out of steel wool?!

i dont understand everyones problems with scratches, i mean, its plastic, how do you expect it not to scratch.

also i dont belive for a second u just wiping your hand on it made those scratches, u had to have done something else to it.

I really am sick of this on consumer electronics, from the PS3 to the DS Lite and iPod. Are we really to believe that they best they can come up with is a plastic susceptible to scratching by DUST? I hate to think what would happen if a fluffy kitten brushed against it.

the kitty would be shaved and become Mr. Bigglesworth

Are you sure? That looks more like a grease smudge than a scratch to me...

Am I really going to have to wax and claybar this just like my car?

We could either wait for Sony to blame it upon "mass hysteria" or "swamp lights" or we can wait to buy it when they do release a less shinny unit. In any case, I would like to see if you could scratch it "artistically"... (Tip: Cover the unit with sugar, put a cloth over hand and slide it in all directions, to take away the shininess... j/k).

Judging by the placement and direction of the scratch swirls, you probably tried to dust off with your right hand in a clockwise fashion. Everyone knows that its your left hand on counter-clockwise that gets stuff off.

Consumer whores be praised! You PS3 armchair quarterbacks are getting as bad as Mac users with their anal retentive demand for eternal perfection. So the inanimate object that sits under the TV has a scratch on it -- who needs to care?

Go build some sustainable housing or something with that excess of world-changing attitude you've got.

Hahaha, I think I solved this one.

Nocar points out that it appears as if the scratch was caused by a zipper.

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/playstat...

I wonder if the inward facing portion of the zipper on Mr. Chen's pants in the picture above may have caused it???

Case closed.

Your ps3 shouldn't scratch unless you stick it in pants containing a zippered fly... next time try button up fly chinos Mr Chen.

thank you obiter...unless you put a great big shiny light on it, it doesn't matter. if you want to show it off by putting it on a matching shiny pedestal, you probably won't touch it ever anyways, so it disnae matter.

Disney matters.

Multiple Disnae matter.

does it still play video games?

I dunno, if I pay $600 for a video game system, I'd feel like I was paying a premium, and I'd damn well want everything perfect. A $600 game system is a _luxury_ item. It goes with Cuban cigars, a hundred dollar bottle of scotch and an Aston Martin. Do you think James Bond would accept scratches on _his_ game system? I think not.

DUDE, you're right, it's RUINED!

Here let me take it off your hands.

i think DJDARE has pretty much nailed this one. case closed indeed.

"In 10 seconds [...] I wiped [dust] off with my hand, and lo and behold, [my PS3] was scratched up to hell."

Haha! Yeah, right, but only it was 10 seconds AFTER Jason tried to have sex with it, scratching it with his zipper...

Brian and Jason, right now, you guys are the biggest IDIOTS in the gaming community. Hilariously stupid.

I am a serious forensic science student scientist type and that is blatantly not a scratch from a zipper.

Coming soon...Turtle Wax for game systems!

(You think I'm joking, but watch, it's gonna happen.)

yea, I think you should totally sue Sony for it! I'm sure they have ruined your 'experience' or something...

People should chill with the complaining. So, it got scratched...I'm sure someone will sue - why?? No idea! But, I'm sure they will.

At least the battery hasn't exploded yet.

OMG it got scratched!!! What are you going to do? The game play will never be the saaaaaame!!! Kill yourself slowly please.

You all see problems; I see an opportunity. Gadget Wax. To bring back your gadget's lustrous shine. I-Pod scuffed to Hades? No problem. Get your iPolish right here. PS3 showing off some youthful indiscretions involving a certain someone's pants? Buff that puppy to a factory-new shine.

Of course, it's nothing fancier than Turtle Wax, Armor All, and Brasso, but who says you can't rebrand and add an insane mark-up to foist it off on gullible gadget-hounds.

God bless 'Merica, y'all

You people compain because you think there being overly complaining...but millions of people complan about scratches...Like the ipod nano...so many people complained that Apple changed its casing back to the old design...but luckily for them the slapped the name "retro" on it and it still sold good (as if anything only a few years old can really be classified as retro. *rolls eyes*

You should not make electronics shiny...this is why. I dont care if its a game console, mp3 player, cell phone....it doesn't matter, they should not be freakin shiny.

Microsoft got that part right with the 360. (and its rumored that the Zune is pretty scratch resistant.

Don't worry, you can all pre-order my PSJustInCase plastic transparent stick-on shield that will protect every inch of your PS3 from all scratches without comprimising playability. $49.95 plus shipping. We take PayPal.

This guys full of sh*t. No consumer electronics device scratches like THAT from "a little dust and a brush of the hand. Pull the other leg, it's got a bell on it.

Time to create your own custom finish to avoid this kind of thing... bust out the sand paper!

OooOo....you better go hide that ugly duckling in the dark. Plus, if you leave it out in the sun like that you could lose your black sheen.

Actually oxygen is a pretty reactive substance (supports burning and causes oxidation [oxygen -- oxidation get it]). I would suggest substituting a bubble of nitrogen. Cheaper and less reactive. That's it for the chemistry lesson...

probably the whole "stuffing it down your pants" thing did it...

For $600 the damn thing ought to be bulletproof & shiny.

For $600, the damn thing should suck you off and use your semen for coolant.

This picture was taken on Friday. The pants thing happened Saturday. So it was not the pants!

I sent you guys a quick email explaining a few proper ways of getting the finish back. I'll summarize it.

Avoid brasso. Assuming the PS3 is a glossy finished plastic, you'd be best off using Novus Fine Scratch Remover (plastic polish) and a microfiber cloth. It can be had at any Tap Plastics store. A little dab of it with a bit of rubbing should take the scratches out.

If the PS3 is a painted black glossy surface, you'd be best off using a polishing compound called 3M Perfect-It final glaze (with a microfiber cloth again). This will fill in small scratches. If the scratches are deep, you'd be better off using some that cuts more, like 3M Finesse-It-II. This kind of stuff can be found online or a local autobody store.

Hope that helps.

sdsdv10: If we're going to isolate something in an inert gas, why not go the whole hog and use argon or helium?

all you folks saying "for $600, it better be perfect in every way" -- would you rather Sony spend money on the internals or the externals? would you prefer a lesser console that didn't scratch if the price was still $600?

(just a hypothetical here...I'm sure there are plenty of complaints about the internals too...and I'm sure Sony made some compromises on the internals for the sake of the glossy spaceship case).

Thats the same result as you get when placing your cellphone in your jeans. Stop crying you badger.

Even to an amateur like me the direction of drag lines in the photo indicates that a large heavy object(perhaps something with grit or dirt on the bottom) was dragged across the plastic top of the PS3.Wipe some ArmorAll on the scratches and quit whining.

I'm going to wait for the 2nd gen anodized aluminum one.

Edward AngleGrinder-Hands

Yet another benefit of the Wii-- white won't show the scratches like that...

Sockatume,

I a word: cost. N2 is much cheaper. For a practical purposes nitrogen works just as well (execpt in extreme cases of course), and most of your money is already gone after dropping $800-$1000 for the PS3, some accessories and a bunch of games. Simple economics. But hey, if you got the bucks I say go for it!

TVGenius:

You mean like the 360? I'm glad MS thought of that. Good call, J

Scratched it wiping off dust with your hand? :o

Wow, some coarse hands Brian must have;

We hear ya bro! All those lonely years & craving someone else's touch for a change; yup; been there...

Do us a favor; use some lotion and don't spread this paranoia pls... I'll only touch the "open" button and the Sixaxis now :/ thnx

www.zainobros.com

or

buy a porter cable random orbital buffer, some yellow pads, and some swirl mark remover for dark colors. your scratches will disappear!

Lol! This is going to be IPOD Nano all over again!

It's a console. It sits next to, on, or below your TV. It's not like a PSP or ipod that you carry around and stare at all day...

I just don't get why people are so obsessed with bringing down the ps3? If you don't like it fine, I'm indifferent, but since that's what people want to hear, that's what gizmodo and all the other blogs write about, starting to really annoy me.

I sent out my nephew to stand in line for two days and piad him much ducts to get this system to me if it was in pristine condition !!! Lucky for him if it was scratched I would have shoot him !!

npp