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Subject: PS3 Review
Posted by: Great One
- Sustainer [053272014] Thu, Mar 22, 2007, 13:36
from PC World
Sony PlayStation 3
Expensive for a game console, but a great bargain for a console plus a Blu-ray Disc player, the PS3 is worth the wait.
Weighing about 11 pounds and measuring 12.8 inches wide by 3.86 inches high by 10.89 inches long, the PlayStation 3 is larger than the PlayStation 2, the diminutive Nintendo Wii, or the Microsoft Xbox 360. Like those consoles, it can be oriented vertically or horizontally. Either way, the PS3's striking design looks right at home in the living room (admittedly, however, its polished top surface is prone to finger marks). The PS3 runs more quietly than the Xbox 360 but is a bit louder than the almost silent Wii. Though the unit itself doesn't get too toasty, the air around it tends to feel warm after a few hours of continuous play.
The PlayStation 3 comes in two versions. The $599 model (which I tested) has a 60GB hard disk; built-in 802.11b/g wireless networking; and MemoryStick, SD, and CompactFlash slots. The $499 unit omits Wi-Fi capability and the media card slots, and has a 20GB drive. You can replace the hard drive on either version, and the supplied manual explains how to swap in your own 2.5-inch, serial ATA drive. Our sibling publication GamePro has posted scans of these instructions.
The differences between the two PlayStation versions end there; both provide a Blu-ray slot drive, HDMI-output, gigabit networking, four USB 2.0 ports, and built-in Bluetooth 2.0 support.
At the heart of the PlayStation 3 lies a CPU that'll impress even the most hard-core PC gamer. This powerful, multicore Cell processor, jointly developed by Sony, Toshiba, and IBM, runs at 3.2 GHz. An RSX Reality Synthesizer graphics engine, based on NVidia's G70 architecture, delivers the graphics. Working alongside these chips are 256MB of high-performance XDR main memory (based on Rambus RDRAM) and 256MB of GDDR3 video memory.
Getting Started
First, make sure that you come home with all of the cables you'll need. To fully experience the console's graphics capabilities--that is, to play supported games or to watch Blu-ray movies in 1080p high-definition--you'll have to purchase your own HDMI cable (and own an HDCP-compliant 1080p television). Two extras that you might consider buying are Sony's proprietary component video output cable and the optical digital audio cable required for 7.1-channel audio. For optimum Blu-ray or DVD movie playback, you could also spring for the optional $25 remote control.
The standard package includes basic cords: a USB mini cable for the bundled Bluetooth wireless controller, an ethernet cable, a multi audio/video cable with composite connections, and an AC power cord (the PS3 uses a standard cord, unlike the external power brick used by the Wii and the Xbox 360).
Most new PS3 owners will fire up the console without looking at the manual--and they probably won't run into any trouble. It's just that easy to hook up. In case you feel like doing some tech reading before you go shopping, GamePro has scanned the PS3 manual to make it available for the geeky perusal of all.
Once turned on, the PS3 will ask you to choose a language and a time zone, and set the time/date. You then create a user account, sign in, and are presented with a navigation interface that Sony calls the Xross Media Bar (XMB), which closely resembles the interface employed by Sony's PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld.
My first priority was to properly configure the high-definition output. I accomplished this by navigating to the video settings and changing the unit's output to 1080p over HDMI. The difference was as if I had switched my computer monitor from 640 by 480 (480p) to 1920 by 1080 (1080p high definition).
I produce music when I'm not working at PC World, and I couldn't wait to hear what the PlayStation 3 audio sounded like through my pair of high-quality music production monitors. I attached the audio connections on the supplied composite multi audio/video cable to my speakers, and set the PS3 to send audio over that route (while still transmitting video via HDMI). The result: Easy setup and great sound.
In the PS3's system settings, I noticed that my new unit's hard disk had 52GB of its 60GB total available, and that the operating system was version 1.00. Not for long, though. The first game I loaded--NBA 07--included the 1.02 system update and installed it before I could begin playing. Though the installation took only a few minutes, having to wait at all was still a little frustrating. The PS3 manual says that some games have their required updates built-in to help you avoid having to patch via the Internet.
Let the Games Begin
Internet connectivity and high-definition movie playback aside, consoles are all about the games. And massive exclusive franchises such as Halo (Xbox), Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation), and Zelda (Nintendo) promote gamers' allegiance to a single console. Whether a PlayStation 3 launch title such as Resistance: Fall of Man becomes such a classic remains to be seen. But the PS3 games I've played so far have been ridiculously fun.
The PlayStation 3 is backward-compatible with most PlayStation 1 and 2 games, but to hedge your bets you might want to buy the optional $15 Memory Card Adaptor, which allows you to transfer saved game information from PS1/PS2 memory cards to the PS3's hard disk. Even then, early reports indicate that various problems have plagued a bunch of games. Tekken 5, for instance, is said to lose background music on the PS3.
The PlayStation 3 Controller
The new wireless, motion-sensitive SixAxis controller lacks force feedback, but it's lighter than the PlayStation 2's controller and has larger L2 and R2 triggers. And because the PS3's controller can sense motion along six axes, you can turn and tilt in three-dimensional space to steer in driving or flying games. I've had limited opportunity to test the controller's motion aspects so far. Earlier this year, I played the upcoming game War Hawk at the E3 conference, where the PS3 was shown. But a few of the launch games, such as Ridge Racer 7, should invite extensive use of the motion-sensing capability.
The controller connects to the PlayStation 3 wirelessly via Bluetooth (within a 65-foot range) and can recharge its batteries (which Sony says will last for 30 hours) when plugged in via the supplied USB cable. To check the controller's remaining battery life, you hold the "PS" button (located between the analog sticks) for 2 seconds. You'll then see a battery meter for that controller on screen, plus an option to turn the console off. You also have to press the PS button when you turn the unit on; otherwise, annoyingly enough, the console won't recognize the controller.
A second PlayStation 3 controller costs $50, and the console supports up to seven players at a time. Each controller has four little LEDs on the top; these indicate the number that the console has assigned to that controller. For controllers 5 through 7, two LEDs light up, and you simply add those numbers together.
Xross Media Bar and Web Browsing
The Xross Media Bar interface itself is surprisingly responsive, and navigating around it feels snappier than using the Xbox 360 dashboard. Though the XMB lacks the 360's colored tabs (which serve as quick identifiers of the area of settings you're in), the PS3 interface has a better, less-cluttered layout overall. That said, the XMB also has quite a few unexplained menu options that aren't exactly intuitive. Even a rocket scientist might have trouble deciphering what Key Repeat Interval (a keyboard setting) or UPnP - Enable/Disable? (Universal Plug and Play) mean without a few moments of head scratching.
Small gripes aside, Sony has made the most important features and settings extremely easy to use. The parental controls (to block access to certain games, movies, or online store content) are clear, and configuring a network connection (wireless or wired) is a breeze.
I was pleasantly surprised that you can plug in a USB keyboard (including wireless models equipped with a USB dongle) and thereby avoid the horrid pre-emptive text-entry interface altogether. Bluetooth keyboard/mouse support is supposedly slated for a future system update. I can't overstate how much easier it is to deal with network settings or to browse the Web when you use a dedicated keyboard.
Launched from the XMB, the PS3's Web browser isn't the speediest thing on the planet, but it did load pages (including Flash videos) reasonably promptly. You can set bookmarks, browse through your history, and make text bigger or smaller. I didn't like being asked whether I wanted to load a script on a Web page (seemingly) each time I visited, but I did appreciate how the PS3's controller aided my browsing experience.
For instance, you can use the D-pad to jump the cursor between page links, and one of the analog sticks functions as a mouse. You may open a maximum of six browser windows simultaneously, and the console lets you switch between them in two different ways: Pushing down on a stick enables you to preview and switch between all open windows--it's like a cross between Internet Explorer 7's Quick Tab feature and Mac OS X's Expose functionality--whereas pressing the controller's R2 and L2 buttons lets you switch between browser windows while sliding them across the screen.
The Blu-ray Experience
From the outset, Sony intended the PlayStation 3 to serve as an all-purpose entertainment console, with tendrils that extend well beyond the realm of game play. But can the PlayStation 3 hope to compete with stand-alone Blu-ray players from consumer electronics makers?
The short answer is yes. (For a more detailed analysis of the PlayStation 3 as a movie player, see "Burning Questions: PS3--The Blu-ray Movie Experience.") The PS3's movie playback experience is best if you start from scratch, inserting a disc into the front-loading slot just as you power up the unit. The unit took just 3 seconds to load the movie Underworld Evolution, followed almost immediately by the opening sounds of the PlayStation 3 start-up orchestra. The screen then blacked out and loaded the movie disc; total disc load time, from insertion of disc to start of playback, was nearly 24 seconds.
Matched side-by-side with the Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player (using its original, factory-installed firmware from when it shipped last summer), the game console delivered noticeably sharper and crisper image quality, with more depth and more detail than were visible on the Samsung.
Sony's decision to omit the remote from its package seems chintzy and inconsistent with its positioning of the premium PS3 as an all-encompassing entertainment device; it's worth noting that Microsoft includes a remote in the competing Xbox 360 box. But even if you pay for the remote to make the PS3 the entertainment-centric package it's designed to be, you'll be spending a total of just $525 or $625, depending upon which version of the player you get. That's far less than you'd pay if you bought a dedicated Blu-ray Disc player today; they range in price from $899 for the Philips BDP9000 to $1500 for the forthcoming Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1.
Multimedia File Playback
Dedicated areas in the PlayStation 3's XMB handle music, videos, and photos. Two things caught my eye: Videos played in thumbnail previews as I quickly flicked through them; and one photo-viewing mode (called Portrait Slideshow) uses real-time-generated graphics to foster the feeling that you are placing photos on a surface for friends and family to thumb through.
The PS3 supports common file formats such as AAC, JPEG, MP3, and MPEG-4 video, but I had no luck with any of the numerous WMV (Windows Media Movie) and WMA (Windows Media Audio) files I tried to play. I'm currently trying to find out from Sony whether these are supported or not. It's an important consideration if you have a massive collection of music files that you've purchased on a service that uses the WMA format.
In all probability, users will be able to play back more multimedia formats than the PS3 supports out of the box if they install Linux. Already, Linux distributor Terra Soft has announced that the PlayStation 3 supports its Yellow Dog distribution.
The PS3 can play music CDs, access song information from AMG (the All Music Guide) and copy/rip songs to its hard disk. By default, it does so in AAC format at 128 kbps, but you can create MP3 and ATRAC files if you prefer.
PlayStation Online Store and Network
Sony has said that--unlike Xbox Live--the PlayStation Network will be a free service. You'll be able to see when friends are online in order to chat with them by video, voice, or text, or to join multiplayer games. We'd like to confirm this for ourselves, but early feedback following the Japanese launch of the PlayStation 3 is that currently users can leave only text messages for other gamers. Reports further indicate that you can't read messages while in a game; you simply get a pop-up notification. Again, we'll look into this and let you know what we find out.
Regarding the PlayStation Store, Sony has stated that it intends to offer downloadable game demos and movie trailers, and to sell retro games, episodic content, and perhaps eventually even full-length movies. Methods to pay your "electronic wallet" bill will include credit card and special PlayStation cards sold in shops. Downloadable games that Sony has developed will cost less than $15 apiece at launch, and you can expect new titles from a range of developers to appear regularly.
Parting Thoughts
So there you have it: the PlayStation 3 in a rather large nutshell. It truly is technologically superior to both the Xbox 360 and the Wii (which isn't really a direct competitor). But to succeed, Sony and its third-party partners must tap into their traditional strength of delivering compelling games for the console. The PS3 looks like an expensive box at first, but seems less so when you compare its cost to the cost of a stand-alone Blu-ray player, a high-end PC graphics card, the Xbox 360 with its HD-DVD add-on, or even a Media Center PC.
-- Danny Allen |
| 1 | Great One
Sustainer
ID: 053272014
Thu, Mar 22, 2007, 13:37
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Those of you that camped out (and any others of course) give us your own reviews please.
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| 2 | Slackjawed Yokel
Leader
ID: 052347519
Sat, Mar 24, 2007, 22:03
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I purchased one a little over a month ago, and I'm very happy with it. I actually waited until my local Meijer had a 15% off general merchandise and used it to get the last ps3 they had on the shelf. I got the 60Gb version which has built in wireless, but my home theater is actually where the cable is so I have it wired (my desktop computer is in another room and is 'wireless'...).
It's nice to be able to download games off from the ps3 store - thus my kids had some games they could play. For a while the only game I had was Resistance. When Motorstorm came out, I bought that as well. This is the best looking game I've ever played (I went from a PS2 to a PS3 - never had an xbox or 360) and is really a fun arcade racer - kind of like Burnout for impressive arcade action.
Also, the Blu-Ray player is probably worth the money alone. It's like when I first got a DVD player 8 years ago - I find myself buying a new movie or two every week. I noticed in your other thread, GO, that you said you have a new TV. My 50" plasma (1080i) is now a year old, but these Blu-Rays have been the cleanest picture of anything I've viewed. Most of the HD content coming from cable is fairly compressed. I was expecting BD to blow away DVD's, but was a little surprised when it even surpassed my cable's HD.
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| 3 | Slackjawed Yokel
Leader
ID: 052347519
Sat, Mar 24, 2007, 22:09
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An interesting note on the Cell processor in the PS3: this week I attended a high performance computing workshop at Purdue, and there were various technical leaders from IBM there (who was involved in the development of the Cell - with Intel, I believe). Anyways they're starting to use the Cell (which actually has 9 processors on one chip, compare that to the latest dual-core machines in workstations), as the brains behind the newest supercomputer clusters. I asked one of these guys how much of the potential they were getting out of the PS3 with these first round of games, and he kind of chuckled. Apparently, they haven't even started to take much advantage of 8 of the processors yet..
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| 4 | Boxman
ID: 571114225
Sun, Mar 25, 2007, 06:15
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I've had mine since a little before Christmas. The game lineup is still lackluster, but Resistance: The Fall of Man is an outstanding game. Right now I'm playing God of War II on it so there's backward compatability there.
As a Blu Ray player I really like it and even at the $600 price point it's a good deal. Most Blu Ray players are more expensive than that and you're getting a next gen video game system out of it too. You do have to buy a seperate remote unless you're comfortable using the PS3 controller as one.
It was a PITA to setup initially. I had to run an update on it first. All told it took about an hour from the time I opened the box to when I was playing a game.
I don't use the online functionality of the PS3, but I don't see how anything can compare to XBox Live.
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| 5 | Punk42AE
Donor
ID: 036635522
Sat, Jul 14, 2007, 02:22
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I just picked it up today, amazing graphics. Does anyone have Motorstorm? Would be fun to play against some people on here.
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| 6 | Great One
ID: 201155199
Sat, Jul 14, 2007, 11:47
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I have a 1080p tv, so I think that would completely maximize the Blu-Ray. I cannot wait until I can afford this. Perhaps by September.
Unfortunately I think I need to buy a new reciever because mine can't handle an HDMI cable and that would be a waste. My TV also has 2 HDMI input cables, and that was done in anticipation of having the cable HDMI and the PS3/BluRay both needing somewhere to go in the TV. If only I had the same bit of planning on the freakin' reciever! lol...
This is also the last year for Madden on PS2 - so my absolute deadline is by spring next year to be setup for Madden a year from now.
I guess thats why they did that. Force our hand a bit.
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| 7 | Punk42AE
Donor
ID: 036635522
Sat, Jul 14, 2007, 12:26
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Also with the price drop of the 60 gig to $499, rumor is they have stopped making it for the US, instead moving to the 80 gig with Motoorstorm for $599.
Also GO you can hook the HDMI to your TV and get an Optical Cord from the PS3 to your Reciever. (If yours accepts that).
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| 8 | Great One
ID: 201155199
Sat, Jul 14, 2007, 12:41
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I'll have to check, I think it does though. That would be good news.
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| 9 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Sat, Jul 14, 2007, 17:35
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Yeah, no point running the video through the receiver. I have my HTPC going right to the TV via HDMI, with audio going optical (or coaxial if you want) to my receiver.
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| 10 | Punk42AE
Donor
ID: 036635522
Sat, Jul 14, 2007, 23:42
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I still haven't gotten my Optical working yet, so just have it set to come through the TV on my HDMI stuff. Have to figure how to "accept" it with my Reciever.
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| 11 | Boxman
ID: 571114225
Sun, Jul 15, 2007, 08:16
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What is the make and model of your receiver? Maybe we can find an online .pdf manual to see what can be done.
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| 12 | Punk42AE
Donor
ID: 036635522
Sun, Jul 15, 2007, 13:28
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Technics SA-DX940 Tried looked a bit last night but then gave up and wanted to play, and now i've gotta head to work so sometime.
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| 13 | Boxman
ID: 571114225
Sun, Jul 15, 2007, 14:48
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Here's the manual.
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| 14 | Punk42AE
Donor
ID: 036635522
Sun, Jul 15, 2007, 23:43
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Thanks Box
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Post a reply to this message: (But first, how about checking out this sponsor?)
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