Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Author's product rating:   

Graphics capability	Good
Sound capability	Superb
Range of Extra Features (I.e. email)	Vast
Value For Money	Excellent value

Advantages:	Best Entertainment System Avaliable, Region free games only
Disadvantages:	4GB file limitation External Storage, Cant read NTFS

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I am going to be reviewing possibly one of the biggest console in the market currently the PS3. Firstly I have one and it is great, now let's take a look at it in detail:

===LAUNCH===

November 11, 2006: This is when it debut in Japan
November 17, 2006: It released in North America
March 23, 2007: Finally was released in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Africa and New Zealand.

The UK launch was a shock for who went to it, as it was announced that everyone in the queue would receive a 46" Sony Bravia TV worth £2000.

The launches did not turn out great for Sony as initial figures were low, here are the figures below:

Worldwide: 5.59 Million - Japan 1,341,000 - North America 2,105,500 - Other 1,300,000

The launch was initially supposed to be as follows:
November 11th for Japan and November 17th for North America and Europe

But it was delayed due to shortages of diodes used in the Blu-ray Disc drive.

I myself baught it on the same week of launch but i feel i should have waited as all the games i wanted to purchase like Tekken, GTA, GT HD, PES2008 were a long way off. Games that ive wanted have only started comming out Novermver time so i feel i could have saved a lot of money. But i do not regret buying it as it helped me get familiar with the system and it forced me to try out new games which i loved like Resistance: Fall of man, Fight Night Round 3. Resistance at the time of launch was a game that would come with most the bundle offers thats how i managed to get it.

===TECHNICAL FEARURES===

Here I will be evaluating some sections of the Specifications
Let's start off by talking about the processing unit that the PS3 has.
All i can say about this section is that it may be impressive now but soon it won't be as much, as computers are advancing rapidly now e.g. dual core, quad core games will be maybe 5 times better than the ps3 will be able to show. So if you are one of those people who wants to get the most they can from games then go with PC instead as it is easy to upgrade and games will continue to improve.

The GPU was developed by NVIDIA and Sony, This graphics card is similar to NVIDIA 7800. This tells me that already the pc has a better graphics card than the PS3 as NVIDIA has released 8800 ULTRA and soon will be releasing 9 series. Just makes you wonder how long it will be before Sony decides to make you buy a PS4. My bet is within 3-4 years. So is it worth spending that much money on a PS3 is the life expectancy is not long?

• Storage is important nowadays in every media and PS3 has 40GB, 60GB & 80GB Versions of it. The 60GB and 80GB versions have memory slots as well which you can use to transfer between PS3 and any media. The slots that are available are:
•
• USB: Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
• Memory Stick: standard/Duo, PRO x 1
• SD: standard/mini x 1
• CompactFlash: (Type I, II) x 1

The USB can be used for Transferring files between PS3 This is probably the main form of Storage, now the best part is you can connect your external USB hard drives to the PS3 so you will have even more storage space. Only problem with this is you will need to format your external hard drive to FAT32 as this is all that the PS3 will read. The bad thing about FAT32 is that each file can not be larger than 4GB.This will be a problem if you want to watch HD videos that you may have on your pc, as a lot of them can be larger than 4GB.
Another useful method is if you have videos on your pc you can set up a media server like I have done and just stream them you your PS3 using wireless network or an Ethernet connection i find this much quicker and easier as i can watch it real-times instead of copying it to a storage.. Popular programs that do this is Nero and Media Player may be others too.

The Memory Stick, SD & ConpactFlash are mediums that you would have used with your mobile phones or digital cameras. This makes it easy for you to copy your favourite pictures, videos & music to the PS3.
Now remember with the PS2 you had memory cards that would run out and take long to save but you could take it to your friends house and use. You still can with the PS3 and now there is much more space with these external mediums you will never need 5 memory cards.I find this useful as sometimes i have some pictures on the phone that i want to share with the whole family, since my PS3 is in the living room thats the best method as you can see it large and it looks so stunning on the HD TV.

Bluetooth is the next thing on the list, that a tough one does no wire for controllers count? Yes of course it does Bluetooth means you will never have to worry about tripping put over the wires. And you can practically play it from as far away as you can see the TV. I've tried using the controller from upstairs and it actually still could detect it. PS3 supports other Bluetooth devices too you are able to do a search on the menu, so if you got a Bluetooth headset you can use that if u want to chat to people when you are playing online.

The PS3 SIXASIS is a great controller just like the classic PS1/PS2 the design stayed the same. This is the perfect controller I cannot say anything about the slick design.

As you may know this controller is wireless so you may use it from anywhere in the room so no messy wires hanging around. And the battery lasts very long I don't have to charge it very often but i don't play hours every day either.

Only bad this about this controller is that unlike the PS1/PS2 controllers this does not have dual shock so there is no rumble which is a shame. This is because Sony could not get rights for the technology. Sony what happened?

Well good news this controller is being released again next year as Dual Shock 3 is coming out. So if you want to get additional controllers I recommend you to wait for it to come out as it is a great feature. The feeling for the game is lost without dual shock. Need For Speed didn't feel the same without it the ride felt so smooth and unrealistic.

It also has a great feature called SIXAXIS which was not in previous versions of the Playstation controllers. This works similar to the Nintendo Wii controllers where it is motion sensitive. This currently is not available in all games yet but I do know that it is harder playing like that but with practice it will be just as easy and more enjoyable. I personally do not like to use this feature as i find it much too hard to control but i guess practice makes perfect.

All i can say about this design is "PERFECTION" i have loved this design since PS1 and i hope they never change it.

The PS3 can support up to 7 Bluetooth controllers that's for than enough for me.

If you wish to use it on pc all you have to do is connect the USB cable that you usually use to charge the controller with to your pc. Then you will need to download the driver then install it and then you are ready to go. I find this very useful because i have PES2008 on PC & PS3 just makes it a lot easier being able to play with the same controller.

You can also use your PS2 Controller on the PS3 aren't that good news. To do this you will need to buy a PS2 to PS3 convertor this costs as little as £9.48 and can also be used to play PS2 and PS3 controllers on the PC.

You could buy if from
http://www.amazon.co.uk/PS2-PS3-Converter/dp/B000NNOAEG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?i e=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1196403083&sr=8-1

There's also a PS3 Blu-Ray remote you could purchase which is also Bluetooth and can be used as a PS3 controller. I have one of these its great to use as a remote but using it as a controller is hard.

Now I will be looking at the Audio/ Video Outputs which are listed below:
• Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
• HDMI: HDMI out x 2
• Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1
• Digital audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1

The screen size has a list of both SD (Standard Definition 480i, 480p) & HD (High Definition 720, 1080i, 1080p)

If you want to know more about High Definition please refer to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-definition_television

HDMI is the socket used to Display high definition picture at 720p, 1080i, 1080p depending on the TV you own. This is used instead of scart as data transfer rate is too much for it to handle.

Audio can either be outputted as Analogue or Digital, this depends on the type of home system you own.

===OTHER FEATURES/ SYSTEM (OS)/ MENUS===

First of all the structure is as follows:
User, Settings, Picture, Music, Video, Game, Network, Playstation Network, Friends

These icons are horizontally positioned and the sub menus come up vertically, I personally think this is an easy menu to follow as I have had no trouble finding the information that I want.

The USER section is a useful feature as it provides security so that adults can have full control over the settings stopping youngsters watching adult films on the PS3. It is also useful as each user may have different settings that they prefer this setting will help as you will not have to keep changing settings but instead changing user accounts.

The SETTINGS menu consists of Sub menu's that are as follows:
System Update, Display Settings, Sound Settings, Security Settings, Network Settings, Theme Settings

System update this is a very cool feature as this allows the PS3 to be updated if connected to the internet. Sony release a firmware every month that fixes bugs and enables new features and these can be acquired through system update. Now there have been some cool development by Sony as they have increased functionality by releasing firmware's that have added DVD/PS1/PS2 upscale. The upscale have been great as the DVDs look much sharper and the games too. Sony has also released a firmware that added themes which is great as you can make it look different to what you like. To get the themes you can either download them from the internet or PS3 store. Future Firmware includes listening to music while playing a game which is currently not possible but due to release hopefully soon. The updates are about 100mb takes me less than 1 minute to download as I have 16mb broadband. But it will vary depending on your location, internet speed and traffic.

Display settings you can choose from the following:
• Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
• HDMI: HDMI out x 2
• Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1

I use HDMI 1080I and 1080p myself but what you choose will depend on your TV and setup. HD would be the best setting to use if you have a HD Ready TV as it displays sharp and vibrant picture.

Network Settings- This is where you where you will have to do the configuration if u want your PS3 to have internet or to share files with another device connected to the network. Once you have entered the correct details you are able to test the connection to make sure everything is working fine, once it is you are ready to go.

Themes- This allows you to change the look of the PS3 interface jus like you do with your PC. Its easy to do, you download the theme on from the internet then place it in a yellow folder with an appropiate folder name so that the PS3 can read it as a theme. The you go to theme in settings then change it to your one. I use Vista theme as it was the best i could find on the internet at the moment but im sure better onse will come soon enough,

There are a lot more other settings I am not going to go in to detail with.

Now the MUSIC/ VIDEO/ PICTURE & GAME section are all similar any media you have saved or inserted to the PS3 will show up in the appropriate sections. IF you wish to put VIDEOS/MUSIC/PICTURE you have to put it in a folder with the appropriate label so that PS3 can read it otherwise it will not show up. Any media servers running will also show up on this section. The Game sections also have saved game data and a Virtual PS1/PS2 memory card so that your PS1/PS2 game data's can be stored. I have my PS3 to auto load disc so when i insert a Game or other media i will not need to go in the the sections it will jus load it up, but some times its annoying because when i leave a game in there and next time i turn on the PS3 instead of going to the main menu it will load the game or dvd streight away.

Next we move on to the NETWORK section this consists of remote play and internet browser as far as Remote play is a feature in which the PS3 can interact with a PSP but I know only game currently out that is capable of using that feature is Formulae One Championship Edition. And Grand Turismo HD will support it when its out. The PSP will be used as a rear mirror to help the gamer play and see what is going on behind at the same time.

We also have the INTERNET BROWSER which is like any other browser we have used on the pc. This one on the PS3 is capable of being able to have to pages at the same time split screen. The only downside to this is that kids may have it in their rooms and be able to access adult pages as no as there are no restrictions on the PS3, parents also may not be aware that kids are able to do this on the PS3. I will not be using this feature as i have a PC and Laptop and i dont have a PS3 keyboard. But i do however think that they have made it relatively easy to use with a controller. When i type a letter on the right site there will be a dictionary and the more letters write the more it narrows the word down so i can jus sellect it from the side instead of typing the whole word out. The downside to this is when i write a password on a site it will save it will show up on the screen. Once you have completed a word it will save it to the dictionary so you will not need to write it out again next time. I have found this very helpful as i dont have to keep typing websites as i do use the browser once in a while.

Next up is the PLAYSTATION NETWORK section this consists of Accounts Management and Playstation store. The Accounts Management will have details about you like Email, Address, Payment details, online profile. These are optional you can enter them if you wish to play online; you will need to have an internet connection for this. It will also have information about things you may have purchased from the Playstation shop so that even if you lose it from your PS3 you can download it again because the system knows you have already paid for it. You can share your account with friends so they can play your games too and its legal too. I think this is a useful feature but i wont be using it, i would prefer to buy my games and have something to show where my money is going aka a disc.

On the Playstation shop you can download Games, Game Demos, Trailers and Videos Demos and Trailers are free so you can try any game you want before you purchase it. I would say this is good but i have reasontly experienced that it is not. As some of you may know Pro Evolution Soccer for th PS3 was not very well developed and there were a lot of slowdowns. Sony was given the demo Weeks before the official release but didn not publish it on Playstation store until sometime after the official realease of the game. They did this because they know PES2008 is a big game and if its not up to scratch they will more PS3 sales from bad reviews of the game.

Finally the last thing on the list is friends, you can add your friends or friends you met in game and you can send them messages like any other messenger. There's an option you can select were it displays the last 50 people that you played with in a game server. It will tell you their id what game you played them on and the time you played them with. There's options to block and delete users too if they get on your nerves or no longer wish to have them on your list.

===COMPETITION/ SALES===

PS3 Had not been selling as well as expected and Sony were forced to do price cuts and release a 40GB version to increase sales. While XBOX had been enjoyed dominating the market especially after the release of HALO 3. But PS3 price cuts and releasing a 40GB model had helped them fight back since November 2 there had been a reported 300% sales increase. Also at the end of October PS3 was beating XBOX 360 2-1 as show on the sales figures below.

Here are the hardware figures for Europe for the week ending 21 Oct:
• DS: 171,260
• Wii: 70,322
• PS3: 64,087
• PS2: 57,152
• PSP: 54,449
• 360: 37,303
• GBA: 2,2861
Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=174190

===GAMES===

So far there are 304 PS3 titles and increasing here is a link of the list :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PlayStation_3_games

Games Including:
PRO VEOLUTION SOCCER 2008
FIFA 2008
FINAL FANTASY XIII
ASSASIN'S CREED
CALL OF DUTY 4

===PRICE /BUNDLES===

PS3 40GB +3 Blu-Ray films £309.99
PS3 40GB + 3 Blu-Ray films + any PS3 game £339.99
PS3 40GB + 3 Blu-Ray films + any 2 PS3 game £369.99
PS3 40GB + 3 Blu-Ray films + any 3 PS3 game £399.99
Can be purchased at http://www.gamestation.co.uk/cat.asp?cat=playstation3&t=hardware

PS3 60GB £350 in most retail shops

RRP PS3 game £49.99 now I don't thing you can get a better deal that this.

Games will also be cheap as the PS3 is region free which means you can buy games from America and use them on any PS3.

===OVERVIEW===

I found it very simple to get the PS3 out of the box and connect it to the tv, and it was just as easy to make it detect my HD TV and HDMI connection as all i had to do was go on the display options then it would detect it.

When i first turned on the PS3 i looked and thought there were so many options as the PS2 all u did was put a cd in and play. But after few days i got to know the menu well and it was easy to use. I found that it was very easy to find what i want as the options were easy to follow. I do find it quiet big and so i never move it from my living room so taking it in your mates house really aint an option. i found that playing games, listening to music and watching videos was just as easy as it would be on stand alone players. I particularly loved how i can have my whole music collection and some of videos all on the PS3 and could create playlists of how ever big to listen to my music.

I highly recommend you get this console it is so cheap as shown above and the amount of features it has are endless, more featured are unlocked with every PS3 firmware like DIVX support which Sony have just got the rights soon and probably be available soon.Ive not talked a lot about the looks but i tink its really Stylish but a bit too large like and heavy like an old video player. Also PS3 currently has Blu-Ray which from what i can tell is willing the war and in the end I think That this will be the selling point for PS3.

PS3 SYSTEM SPECIFICATION

CPU: Cell Processor
• PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz
• 1 VMX vector unit per core
• 512KB L2 cache
• 7 x SPE @3.2GHz
• 7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs
• 7 x 256KB SRAM for SPE
• * 1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS
GPU: RSX @550MHz
• 1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance
• Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels
• Multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines
Sound: Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell-base processing)
Memory:
• 256MB XDR Main RAM @3.2GHz
• 256MB GDDR3 VRAM @700MHz
System Bandwidth:
• Main RAM: 25.6GB/s
• VRAM: 22.4GB/s
• RSX: 20GB/s (write) + 15GB/s (read)
• SB: 2.5GB/s (write) + 2.5GB/s (read)
System Floating Point Performance: 2 TFLOPS
Storage:
• HDD
• Detachable 2.5" HDD slot x 1
I/O:
• USB: Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
• Memory Stick: standard/Duo, PRO x 1
• SD: standard/mini x 1
• CompactFlash: (Type I, II) x 1
Communication: Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x3 (input x 1 + output x 2)
Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)
Controller:
• Bluetooth (up to 7)
• USB2.0 (wired)
• Wi-Fi (PSP®)
• Network (over IP)
AV Output:
• Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
• HDMI: HDMI out x 2
• Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1
• Digital audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1
CD Disc media (read only):
• PlayStation CD-ROM
• PlayStation 2 CD-ROM
• CD-DA (ROM), CD-R, CD-RW
• SACD Hybrid (CD layer), SACD HD
• DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side)
DVD Disc media (read only):
• PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM
• PLAYSTATION 3 DVD-ROM
• DVD-Video: DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
Blu-ray Disc media (read only):
• PLAYSTATION 3 BD-ROM
• BD-Video: BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE