Seven years old, and the PS3 is still worth it

This year, the PlayStation 3 will turn eight years old. In tech years, that's ancient. But despite its age, Sony remains committed to it and you should too. I know, the PlayStation 4 is out now and it's flashier, fancier, more powerful, but truth be told, there's still plenty of life left in the ol' PS3. I already own a PlayStation 4; I purchased it at launch. But you know what? I'm not ready to give up on my PS3 fat just yet.

Age doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing when it comes to video games. Just think, the PlayStation 3 has had seven years worth of games. Even now, I find myself wanting to go back and play some games I might have missed at launch. Back in November, Binary Domain went free with PlayStation Plus. It's a game I wanted to play, but never really got around to.

Having exhausted most of the PlayStation 4's launch lineup, there's a void that needs to be filled.  So why not give an older PS3 title like this a whirl?

Best of all, PlayStation Plus gives you the opportunity to play some of these games for free. As I mentioned, Binary Domain is already free. As are a dozen other PlayStation 3 games. In January alone, PS Plus members will get BioShock Infinite, DmC Devil May Cry,  and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. That's three "new" games you could play for nothing more than the price of PS Plus, which if you own a PS4 you probably have already (Unlike PS3, the PS4 requires a PS Plus membership to play games online).

Prior to the PlayStation 4's launch, Sony mentioned support for the PS3 will last at least "the next couple" of years. For $199, that's a pretty solid investment, especially considering the number of games you'll be getting at a discounted price due to their age.

Sure, some games may be a little outdated. I recently played Heavy Rain for the first time. Was it dated? Absolutely, but I also had a ton of fun playing it because, despite its clunky mechanics and poor voice acting, it was a solid story that kept me intrigued. I looked past its age and had fun with it for what it is, a PlayStation 3 classic that everyone should play at least once. Other games, like Journey, are a must-play and actually do hold up, even when compared to next-gen games.

Point being, there's still a lot of value left in the PlayStation 3, especially when you start getting to the games that were released towards the end of its lifecycle. If you didn't already own one, games like The Last of Us, Gran Turismo 6, Beyond: Two Souls still make the console worth a look. If you do already own a PS3, its backlog of games — unless you've literally played everything that interests you — makes the system worth holding on to. Even if you have played everything you wanted, go back and play a game you don't think you would like; you might just surprise yourself.

Also, Demon's Souls.