Fire away!

Not sure if this fits in this thread, but here it goes anyways...

Is the PS3 really worth the $599?

I have been contemplating getting a PS3 for a while now. I especially like the GT series and the looks of the new F1 Championship game, as well as some of the other games out and coming out......but the price tag of the system has so far kept me away. I currently own a 360 as well as some of the great games currently out for it, but the PS3 peaks my interest with regards to some of it's titles.

Decisions decisions...

well put it this way - i now know at least 10 people who i play with regularly on xbox who bought PS3's. One of them bought it on launch day which was a friday in the UK, he returned it on the Sunday. The other 9 peeps all bought PS3's and returned them within a matter of days / weeks.

One of the biggest compalints was voice coms weren't working, no in game achivements (which allot of people love in xbox and give an aim to the game imo), poor menu systems(compared to 360) etc etc.

Will probably get a PS3 myself in addition to my 360 - but not until the prices drop and the voice coms get better, and better games are released.

PS3 is in their 1st gen of 'next gen gen' games. As xbox is out longer, they are on their 2nd or 3rd phase of next gen games - so games are allot better (imo anyway)both graphically + gameplay + multiplayer.

I am considering the a PS3. I know I want to get a first gen system for hardware based backwards compatibility. I was hoping someone can confirm I can upgrade the HD. I would like to get the 20 gig. I would only get the one if I knew I could upgrade the HD at a later date.

Thanks!

It uses a standard laptop hard drive so yes, you can upgrade it. There are articles around on the net about doing it.

I bought a PS3 during the x-mas break even though I too was skeptical. In fact, I swore I would never buy a Playstation again after what I went through with the PS2. With the PS2, the optical reader kept failing and for a long time Sony refused to acknowledged that there was a problem. Their technical and warranty coverage was initially very weak. What I learned is that one should never buy a first generation version of a console system. I actually bought a second PS2 a few years later but by then I knew Sony had most of its bugs worked out. I believe it was the 3rd generation of the PS2, just prior to the release of the thin-line.

I had been waiting for the XBOX-360 red circle of death of issue to settle down but shortly before x-mas Microsoft announced it was extending the warranty coverage period of the X-BOX 360 which told me that I needed to wait a little longer.

In my house, "momma" is the gate keeper and after the announcement by Warner Brothers about its support for blu-ray she expressed an interest in getting a blu-ray player. In a micro-second I thought of the PS3 and out of curiosity I looked into the price difference between a PS3 and a standalone blu-ray player which was about 100 dollars (PS3 = 20Gig model). I then did a google search on the internet for technical problems with the PS3. I was surprised at the relative lack of news of technical failures. There were comments about the PS3 backwards compatibility but definitely the PS3 seemed less prone to component failure. Of course, I promptly told my wife all the goods news to pave the way (married people will appreciate the subtext of what I just said).

We bought the 80 Gig unit. Initially, I was going to buy the 20 Gig unit but was told by the Best Buy sales rep that the 20 Gig was not backwards compatible. The 80 gig unt is backwards compatible but it uses emulation technology (software) rather than uses it native hardware to play PS1/PS2 games. The 60 gig unit is the version that uses hardware to achieve backwards compatibility. Since most of our PS1/PS2 games were for the kids and hence did not require much in the way of graphics support, e.g. Crash Bandicoot, getting a 80 Gig was not an issue except for the extra 100 dollars (which made the PS3 about 200 dollars more expensive than a blu ray player).

For the past several years I have been out of the loop with consoles as my children don't like their parents to mess with their on-demand access to them. Within 5 minutes after hooking it up I realized the PS3 was more than a game console, it was a media center which was a very pleasant surprised. It was then I started to jump on the Internet and looking much harder at comparing the XBox360 (360) to the PS3. The WIFI connectivity and free subscription service is one thing that PS3 does better than the 360. Both console centers allow a person to download free demos, but from what I can tell if one wants to go head to head with a fellow gamer on the 360 they have to pay a subscription free. I bought a copy of Dirt and tested the PS3's multiplayer capabilities and it does work as advertised.

I tested the PS3 for backwards compatibility and while the screen output was at 4:3 (aspect ratio) the games did play. I have a Plasma TV and I don't like 4:3 videos because of the potential for pixel burnout. If one has a Plasma TV and plans to play many legacy games I would take steps to protect your plasma screen. In my case, I solved the problem by telling my children that the PS3 was mine and that they would all die if they touched it. Yes, in short time, I went from hey if we get a PS3 we can save a few bucks to true admiration for the PS3.

Normally, I only read a manual if I am having an hookup issue, or am constipated and need to kill time to let mother nature do her thing while I waiting for the medicine to kick in. With the PS3, I noticed that its menu system was the same as the PSP that I have. I have not verified this, but apparently I can use the PSP as a remote console to the PS3. For example, if I start Dirt on the PS3 which is in our family room, I can play the game at our kitchen table with the PSP. That, if true, is #%&*$# cool.

It was when I realized the similarity of the menu systems (PSP and the PS3) that I saw the big picture. The PS3 could store music, pictures, movie videos etc and since it is hooked up to our Plasma TV and surround sound stereo it can serve as the central point. And, with its WIFI abilities the PS3 has the potential to grow its feature set. The PS3 comes with several slots for importing pictures and MP3's (USB, SD). I have not tried importing MP3's to it yet, but I'd be surprised if there was a roadblock as I have done the same with the PSP.

The blu-ray player is backwards compatible with standard DVD movies.

The two complaints I have with the PS3 is the wireless controller that comes with the unit does not support feedback (duo-shock) and the on/off switch is not responsive enough. Turning off the unit seems to be something of an art and appears to require a person to hold it for about 3 seconds.

I should add that the PS3 did not come with a HDMI cable which would've annoyed me if I did not have a spare one.

What I like the most of this generation of gaming consoles is the ability to download demo's. I downloaded a few racing games right away and from the exercise was able to conclude that Dirt would give me the most bang for my buck.

The PS3 has a feature where like the old SETI project, people can set up their unit so that its CPU can be used for number crunching doing medical research. I don't know too much about what research, and where but it shows something of Sony's big picture thinking. Another item I noticed is that it looks like the PS3 will support custom OS's as there is a menu item for installing a Linux OS. When the price point comes down, I can see people wanting to convert the PS3 into a DVR and having the ability to install a custom OS would allow that. While a little too risky for my tastes at this point, the message is clear that Sony is not Microsoft.

The context of the message has to be understood as being the same as the battle that exists between Apple and the rest of the world. If one buys into the Apple way of doing thing, then one does not mind spending a few dollars extra for their PC's and ipods. The PS3 is more expensive than the XBOX-360 but does one judge a movie by a single frame or by the overall experience. For example the fact that the PSP can be used as a remote player for the PS3 shows that Sony is driven by more than increasing its market share which is partly why Microsoft released the XBox-360 when it did. Sony made the same mistake with the PS2, but it appears that they are capable of learning from their mistakes. Microsoft, well after Windows ME Microsoft shoud've known better to release an operating system (VISTA) that seemed to be only a cosmetic upgrade (as a caveat I should state that VISTA is a massive update but its potential is more targeted for the corporate world in the realm of enterprise-wide software applications).

Most people I know into console gaming have 360's and I know for the next year to two I will take some grief for getting a PS3 but I think that eventually the PS3 will gain wider acceptance and respect. For myself, I am truly in awe of the unit.

Welcome to the PS3 club! I received the same unit for Christmas and finally set it up last weekend.

I haven't tried the internet/PSN access. I hope to give it a go next weekend. Yes, the free access is nice feature. From reading various posts on the subjects it appears the xboxlive feature is superior (but isn't it sumfink like $150/year?). How was your online experience for PSN and the game connection? lag free i hope! Also, Isn't there a more extensive PS3 manual only available through PSN? I think I saw this feature on the game menu...

I haven't heard of DiRT, but I see it is a racing game. fun? Is it worth buying? Are you using a wheel or the PS3 controller? I bought Formula 1 Championship Edition last weekend. It seems to work well with my logitech DFP wheel (i bought this wheel 2 years ago for my PC), but i miss the ability to change the wheel sensitivies and turn settings with the game. I've only used the wheel once so I hope to give it a workout tonight or next weekend.

Yes, the built-in blu-ray player is sweet! IIRC, doens't the PS3 upscale standard DVDs? I swear my standard DVDs look sharper playing on the PS3 compared to our standard DVD player (however, i didn't do a side-by-side comparison so it may be 'wishful' thinking! haha). I have not played any blu-ray DVDs on my PS3 (except for the blu-ray in the package containing previews of blu-ray DVDs).

I believe someone posted that Sony is coming out with a force feedback controller soon?

Yeah, I was surprised the PS3 did not include a HDMI cable. I bought a Toshiba standard DVD player two years ago for ~$75 it had the HDMI cable included in the box!

Cheers!

Actually, its the current 40GB that is not backwards compatible.
This is actually a common misconception and only partially correct. The 80GB still has the PS2 Graphics Synthesizer chip - it just does Emotion Engine duty in Software.

Pixles don't "burn out" on a Plasma, although you may suffer from image retention or "burn in" if you keep the 4:3 on for HOURS on end. For normal usage/gaming though, don't worry about it. Watching regular TV or fill widescreen for a while in between gaming will be more than enough to keep a modern plasma happy.
The Dualshock 3 is on the way, and you can indeed buy it already through mailorder.

Use the PS button on your remote/controller to shut it off, not the on/off button on the console.


Welcome to the wonderful world of milking the user for $$$. Just be glad though that it uses a regular HDMI cable and not some weird proprietary unit.

Be sure to upgrade your firmware. The current upgrade is 2.10. It adds DIVX support and a new, faster F@H client. It also makes the backwards compatibility for PS2/1 games something like 96%+

Have fun!

Regarding Dirt, it is sort of a Rally racing game. Seems pretty decent for a console game, but without force feedback of any sort one must rely on visual cues to know for example when to tap the brakes to transfer a car's weight. I am very surprised at the product as I don't like CodeMaster's offerings, but after the demo I researched the Internet and it seems generally well received. Until a successor comes for Richard Burns Rally it will have to do.


Mr. ArchAngel from Canada, as I am from Calgary originally I am not surprised to have been corrected so thoroughly as your comments were all correct (even though one or two could be challenged semantically). Actually, the comments were refreshing and mindful that I need to be more precise. I will try out your comment about the PS button.

I have a Panasonic Plasma and it supposedly has some sort of technology that detects the onset of burn-in and will accordingly employ a battery of countermeasures. In the U.S., a number of U.S. stations broadcast their HD signals in 4:3 which constantly annoys the crap out of me. The Panasonic has all the bells and whistles when it comes to adjusting the viewing modes, but when I watch Shakira I don't want her hips to look like they are packed with cellulite.

I just read the comment by P about the upscaling DVD's. You know I had the same impression, but I only have watched one DVD, Stardust, and I believe that movie would be visually stunning in black and white and so I said nothing. I also don't know how something configured for 480p can go up...I now have to learn about this...

Regarding the Internet question, no real problems for me but I wish the browser was more flexible. I have not used any of the chat or mail features. I can vouch for the downloading feature.

thanks for the info.

I hooked up my PS3 to the internet last night, upgraded the system software to v2.10, and browsed the internet a bit. The PS3 browser appeared a bit clumsy and won't be replacing my computer/Firefox anytime soon Though having the internet option on the PS3 is a nice feature when taking a break from gaming or watching a film.

Once I get everything organized (PSN name, check for game upgrades, etc.) I'm looking forward to getting lapped in Formula 1 Championship Edition if anyone is up for a few races or some online coop action for GRAW2.

Cheers!

Im thinking of trading in my PS3 for a slim. Mostly because of the hard drive space. What do I need to do in order to prep the machine for trade-in? Im speaking in terms of getting rid of personal information and moving my saved games.

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks