Playstation 3 Review

Playstation's new PS3 is firstly, a very sturdy and well made. The plastic that is used is solid and heavy duty. I also realized how easy dust and fingerprints attract to the shiny finish, which is both plastic and fake chrome. Connecting the PS3 was the easy part. Unlike the Wii and 360, Sony has left the power station inside the console. Which means you only need one heavy-duty plug to connect. From the back of the console you have many choices for video and audio outputs. The standard AV outlet is there which allows you to play with the cables it comes with or to buy component cables for high definition viewing. You also have an optical digital output for full digital sound. On the front end you get three memory card slots, which are hidden behind a plastic door...so as to not diminish the appearance of the PS3. Also they included four USB outlets. This allows you to connect various devices like a photo camera, Internet camera, mouse, or even a printer. The Sony PS3 has a feature that allows it to be on standby at all times. Which is similar to the other consoles.

You are able to create separate logins for anyone who uses the PS3. This allows for each person to go online with their information. Although it doesn't really have many more advantages than that right now it is rather insignificant. Next are the system settings. This allows the user to adapt the PS3 to their television and sound system. You can adjust the high definition settings to fit the maximum resolution of your TV. You also have setting for your blue tooth devices and Internet connections. The PS3 comes with built in Wi-Fi, which seems to have a strong connection that gives you almost seamless online use.

The PS3 also has a photo viewer. You can download photos by two different means. One is by using your camera and connecting it via USB or you can download the pictures with a memory card. This operation is rather simple and downloads are quick. Generally you get your standard slide shows although they have a fun feature. It allows you to view your pictures on a blank canvas as they fall onto the blank canvas. I think the picture viewer would be best if it allowed you to set music to your pictures. I hope they do make this a feature in the future.

Next is the music player. You can download songs by two different means. One being memory card, the other CD. Songs download much quicker via memory card than CD. Although Sony has talked about having downloads via the Internet, which I think would go over very well. You can listen to music while viewing a feature that uses colors and textures. It is your standard music viewer, nothing special there.

Now, on to the more notorious features of the PS3. The Blu-ray player. Most of you now know what a Blu-ray player is and does. I have viewed two movies on it. I have also viewed these movies on two different HDTV's. One a 1080p and a 1080i. I really did not notice much of a picture difference. After viewing a few movies on the Xbox 360 HDTV player and the PS3 Blu-ray player I really did not notice much of a difference. One thing I have noticed about HD movies is that the ones more than a couple years older have a slightly grainy appearance since they were redone for high definition. Newly made movies appear crystal clear with vivid colors and tremendous definition. The PS3 does allow you to view regular dvd's which can make the transition that much easier.

Now would be the game play part of the interface. This keeps track of the game disc you may have in the player or also games or demos that you have downloaded. This interface is rather simple and easy to negotiate. For any PS2 owner it also carries your virtual memory card with all your game data. As far as the games go I have played three actual games plus several demos. Those games that are non-exclusive like Madden Football or Need For Speed to not have improved visuals over their Xbox 360 counterparts. The game speed is smooth and polished. The visuals on exclusive PS3 games like Genji are quite impressive. The PS3 seems to create a living vivid environment with the ability to create many textures and surfaces. Amazing graphics and sound quality will become apparent in many of the games in the next year. I have also enjoyed the few full games that are downloadable. The games have enhanced HD graphics and are affordable at only $7.99-$9.99. What I have enjoyed is online gaming. With the PS3 you don't have to pay any added fees. The gameplay was seamless and quick and allows you to use a blue-tooth headset when playing. I also believe you can use your PS2 headset via USB. The online gaming is virtually the same as the 360.

Lastly I will cover the online features of the PS3. On the interface online is a big part. From the browser, having friends, and checking your mail. The Playstation store is small right now with very few items to download. You have games, demos, and movie trailers. The store will continue to grow and has a nice feature that allows you to download PSone games for the PSP. Also a very intriguing feature that I think is really amazing is called remote play. When your PSP is integrated into your PS3 you have the ability to view and listen to stuff on your PS3 anywhere in the world with your PSP. All you need is a Wi-Fi connection. I have tried this feature out and it's really enjoyable. I was able to view movie trailers and listen to my music on my PSP. The feature is nice although it is supposed to work when the PS3 is on standby. It did not work for me then, only when the PS3 was on and set for remote play. The only negative I have found with the Playstation Store is when downloading. Unlike the 360, when you download something you are not allowed to do anything else.

In closing I will say I feel the $600 is well worth it for the features you get. Wi-Fi, Blu-ray, memory card readers, HDMI, and of course the game playing. If you are on the fence and trying to justify a large scale purchase like this or just be waiting for more games and you want a wonderful living room centerpiece that will provide numerous hours of use, the PS3 is the way to go.