PS3 - Not a Games Console!
So I ummed and ahhed for some time about buying the PS3. Why?
1. Don't have enough time to play Games (full time teacher and Dad to be)
2. Heard it was very noisy (untrue!)
3. Did I really need it?
I have to say since owning it now for some time, it really is a truly remarkable piece of kit. Why?
1. The Blu Ray is fantastic. - Just make sure you buy the Blu Ray remote as it's difficult to convince your other half you haven't just bought a games console when operating the Blu Ray with a joystick! That's £200 saved on buying a decent Blu Ray player then (stand alone players don't upgrade themselves either unlike the PS3).
2. It has integrated wireless so no wires which is dead easy to set up. Make sure you have your WEP handy
3. There is a full media server inside so you can browse all your photos, music, videos via your router and which ever other computers you have in the house. Very important for justifying it to the wife when the wedding pics come up in all their glory on your flatscreen.
4. Use it as a DVD player and it automatically upscales the DVD to make them look even better.
5. It has a good Internet Browser built in and the BBC are shortly bringing the iPlayer to PS3.
6. It is constantly being updated and improved via tried and tested over the air updates.
7. It looks fantastic. All black and shiny like the monoliths from 2001 a Space Odyssey.
8. Noise? What noise?? A barely audible slight, very distant hum on occasion. The XBox360 Elite sounds like one of those small portable vacuum cleaners and is really annoying in comparison.
9. It offers full 1080p playback via my Panasonic flatscreen and looks incredible as a result.
10. The Play TV add on turns it into a full on Personal Video Recorder with upscaling. That's another £150 saved then.
11. Oh -the games. Fantastic. Little Big Planet is beautiful, FIFA '09 is better than watching Spurs (not really an endorsement to buy I suppose :-)) and who needs Lara when you've got Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.
12. If 80GB isn't bug enough then... Google PS3 Hard Drive Upgrade. Undo 6 Philips screws, slide out the old Hard Drive and insert a 320GB Notebook one for £60 from Amazon. Now you can back up everything and all those dodgy 80's Student videos you ripped from VHS to DVD!
13. PlayStation Network is improving and is Free. The new Home is just round the corner... downloadable films etc.. social networking etc..etc..
So buy yourself a PS3 and watch it develop into your all in one entertainment centre!
Sony Playstation 3 (80GB)
Have I made a mistake..This is what I asked myself after parting with no small amount of hard earned for a "games machine". I really wanted a Blu-Ray player but my Son promised this would be all i need, yeah!. Well, i have never played a game in my life so i ask the question.
Okay, the answer is I'm blown away, this is the best all round piece of kit that i have ever purchased. The PS3 plays my existing DVD's with better results than my £500 Denon and the quality of Blu-Ray on my Panasonic flat screen is awsome. Looks great, oozes quality, and the wireless, internet, audio and video capabilities are second to none and i'm only just scratching the surface of this machines capabilities, oh and I just might start to play games. Sometimes it's worth listening to the kids.
Near Ultimate, but 160GB Coming Soon
Games I Recommend:
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- Grand Theft Auto IV
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Game of the Year Edition)
- Uncharted: Drakes Fortune - Platinum
- Resistance: Fall of Man - Platinum
Good:
- The most powerful games console out. I would even say best but that's my opinion
- Blu-ray (Profile 2.0) movie player, for low price, and possibly expandable to future profile versions
- Compared to XBOX 360 Games not limited to ~8.54GB of DVD, but rather 50GB on Blu-ray disk, but these disks may get even bigger.
- Has Adobe Flash Player support, e.g. you can watch videos on YouTube
- Use the PlayStation Store to buy games, add-ons, demo, trailers and even classic PS1 games
- Comes with the DualShock3 PS3 controller which features rumble, rather than the older SixAxis
- Uses less power than the other PS3 models, especially the 60GB PS3s, saving you money on electricity bills
- Free online gaming network, compared to XBOX 360's network
- Supports streaming music, video, photos, etc.
- Very long production life cycle, about 10 years (Sony states) like the PS2 which you can still buy now
- Divx certified player, also plays Xvid video files because they are similar.
Bad:
- The 160GB PS3 coming out around October 2008 time, so you might as well wait for that, not long now
- No backwards compatibility with Sony PlayStation 2 Console games. You have your PS2 for that, right?
- Only has two USBs
- No SACD support
- No flash card readers
- No ethernet cable
- No HDMI cable. You will need this to output HD video. This is an absolute must! You can get one for about £3. Don't let the higher prices fool you.
- 50% of my MP3s do not play. I think it can't play ID3v2 tagged MP3s, but Sony has to fix this with a future firmware update.
- Gets scratches easily, even with some fabric
- Produces a lot of heat, so make sure it's not stored in a closed space e.g. cupboard. Needs to be well ventilated
- Attracts a lot of dust, this gets very annoying sometimes.
These lists are not in any order. Hope I haven't missed anything. Peace
About Sony PLAYSTATION 3 Console (80 GB Model) detail
- Amazon Sales Rank: #67 in Computer & Video Games
- Brand: Sony
- Released on: 2008-08-22
- Rating: Universal, suitable for all
- Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
- Dimensions: 2.65 pounds
Sony PLAYSTATION 3 Console (80 GB Model) Description
Manufacturer's Description PlayStation 3 brings advanced next-generation technology to home console hardware, realised through the combination of Cell and RSX processors.
With the Giga-bit Ethernet and a pre-installed 80GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD) as standard in PS3, PlayStation 3 gamers will be able to download a variety of contents as well as access on-line games and services over the Playstation Network. Equipped with basic input/output ports, PlayStation 3 supports a broad range of displays from conventional NTSC/PAL standard TVs to the latest full HD (1080i/1080p) flat panel displays, offering PS3 owners the joy of the most advanced computer home entertainment content with the new DualShock 3 Controller as standard.
For use in living rooms, maximum heat and noise reduction has been achieved with a noise level equivalent to that of the current slim-line PlayStation 2. With the overwhelming computational power of the Cell processor, PlayStation 3 is capable of playing back content from Blu-ray (BD) disc at a bit rate of multiplex 48Mbps with ease, the maximum bit rate defined in BD standards.