‘Tis the season Sunday papers are thick with massive amounts of early holiday sales. Everyone’s thinking what to get everyone on their good list. But there’s something in particular on the minds of Sony lovers everywhere. It has even made it into the papers around the world, and not just in the ads. The launch of Play Station 3. Don’t let the lightweight book-sized exterior fool you. Technology has come a long way in the gaming industry. The accessories alone have you believing in the Jetsons. Plus, Sony's PlayStation pushes wireless networking and the new Blu-Ray player. Not just for gamers anymore. It’s hoping to draw more people in, from movie watchers to the lonely chatters. But Compared to the Nintendo’s upcoming Wii system and the already fan established Xbox 360 will the Sony PS3 stand up to its competition? The PS3 also includes the highest price yet for a game console. Will it be worth it?
The Play Station 3 is available with a 20GB hard drive for five hundred dollars or 60GB hard drive for six hundred dollars. Only 400,000 will be distributed nationwide on the launch date, November 17, 2006. Both have “Cell Broadband Engine™ advanced microprocessor Blu-ray Disc™ drive Bluetooth technology Four USB ports High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) SIXAXIS™ wireless controller Pre-installed removable hard disk drive” (http://www.us.playstation.com). The difference? The Compact Flash, SD Memory Card and Memory Stick Duo card slots Wireless network connectivity (Wi-Fi)” (http://www.us.playstation.com). So, needless to say, if you want online and the ability save all that precious data, get the bigger one.
For those of you already lost. Lets break it down. The Cell broadband engine is more efficient than traditional gaming consoles because of its multi-core processors. Translation: its forty times faster than the chip that runs its older brother PlayStation 2, which, back in his day, was the fastest in his class. Blu-ray is a next-generation DVD format that delivers high-definition graphics, so better picture quality. Blu Ray will more than likely be the only acceptable way to view games and movies and the PS3 is the only game console to offer this product feature. Plus, any ordinary DVD and CD as well as your old Play Station games can be used on the PS3. The extra USB ports are to connect your digital video camera directly to your PS3 with a USB cable and watch your own videos and slideshows of your pictures.
The hard drives that the PS3 offers are very roomy. Picture the PS3 coming out with two hundred games in total (only twenty of which will be available right away) and let’s say you own every last one of them, and have about three saved checkpoints saved on each game. Plus your all your pictures and music downloaded from your computer. Yeah, you could save it all. Even if you couldn’t, that’s what the memory sticks are for. More memory. The removable hard drive is a nice feature when it comes to going over to your buddy’s to play on his PS3 for the night. Every level you completed will be saved on your hard drive, not your buddy’s.
The PS3 does not only offer a beautiful inner working, but state-of the art accessories as well. But these features come with a price. “Prices of certain accessories also were disclosed: $50 for an extra wireless controller; $15 for a memory card adapter; and $25 for a remote control for the system's disc drive player” (WONG). “The multi-axis motion sensing system found in the new Play Station 3 controller employs technology that provides for seamless interactive operation, thus eliminating additional settings to TVs. With this system, users are able to maneuver the controller as a natural extension of their bodies, all in real-time and with high-precision. The sensors are made to read when a player angles, tilts, thrusts, or pulls” ( http://www.us.playstation.com ). So, say in the past when you’ve had your girlfriend over to play a race car game. She was all cute when she cut corners because her entire torso twisted with the curve, thinking she’s cut it tighter. You used to make fun of her because it didn’t help. Now it does. She might even beat you now.
Because of this feature alone, Sony Play Station 3 beats out the competition with the Nintendo’s Wii. They have a similar movement simulation with their wireless remote, and sadly, this is their only feature they have unique from their previous system the Nintendo Game Cube. Nintendo is solely relying on their diehard fans, the ones that still believe Nintendo is Godfather on all next-generation gaming systems, for their profits. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, is really the only contender in this battle of the best game console. The Xbox 360 has been out for a year now, and already has a steady fan base of loyal worshipers. Partially because Xbox has a lot of similar features and Play Station, but also because it came out a year earlier. When Xbox 360 had a final release date, it didn’t lie. Sony pushed back the PS3 release date several times. Even recently, it pushed it back four more days. Xbox received a lot of converted fans because of their honesty.
One aspect that the Play Station 3 hopes to beat the Xbox on is online play. Sony calls theirs Play Station Network. “It will let players compete and chat online and download games, music and movies. Download game content like weapons or maps even browse the Web and shop at the online PlayStation Store. The online capability of the PlayStation 3 features the unpredictability of live competition. Play, strategize and compete with friends and opponents, even if they're in a different time zone” (http://www.us.playstation.com). All Xbox players foresaw similar services to Xbox Live (which, in all fairness, is the exact same thing no matter how you word it). But here’s the kicker, the Play Station Network is free. “Online play, chat and other features will be free to users, who will have to pay to download some content. Sony said downloadable games provided by its units will cost less than $15 at launch.” (www.cnn.com). That’s awesome compared to the whopping seventy bucks a year, per account for Xbox Live. Sony’s quite proud of that fact, and mentions it often.
Here’s an interesting fact though: “With about 4 million users, however, the Xbox 360 is the first to attract a relatively high percentage of users to its service -- roughly 60 percent. A Sony executive said there were 3 million online service users for the PS2, which has sold more than 106 million units” (www.cnn.com). That’s only 2.8 percent of those who bought the Play Station 2 even cared for an online account. And in very small font on the Play Station website it says, “Requires broadband internet service and a wireless access point or LAN. Certain limitations apply to Wi-Fi connectivity. See the product documentation for details. User is responsible for Internet service fees.” (http://www.us.playstation.com). So maybe free online play is just a sugar coating on the very bitter price of the PS3.
But wait, let’s go back to Blu Ray. That blessed feature only Sony can boast about. “The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. Pristine picture quality with the capability for full high-definition resolution 1080p” (http://www.us.playstation.com). Why is it important? It‘s a “larger canvas to create a level of interaction, sophistication, and reality that has never existed in gaming. As a result, consumers can experience a whole new generation of high-definition gaming.” (http://www.us.playstation.com 3). Sony hopes to entice not only gamers, but movie watchers alike. “Some analysts expect movie fans to buy the PS3, priced at $500 and $600, as a machine to play high-definition DVDs in the new Blu-ray format. Blu-Ray competes with Toshiba Corp.-championed HD-DVD in a new standards war for next-generation DVDs.” (WONG 2) But is it really worth it, spending five hundred or more on a PS3? How much is a blue ray compatible DVD player cost? They start around four hundred dollars less than a PS3. But once again, you get that nasty fine print on the bottom of the page: “Some PlayStation 2 or PlayStation format software titles may perform differently on this system than they do on PlayStation 2 or PlayStation systems, or may not perform properly on this system. In rare instances, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs and other media may not operate properly when played on the PS3 system. This is primarily due to variations in the manufacturing process or encoding of the software.” (http://www.us.playstation.com). Oh, well. At least the “first 500,000 systems shipped in North America will include "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," the comedy starring Will Ferrell” (www.cnn.com) as a bonus that emphasizes the ability of the PS3 to play high-definition videos. That movie should at least work.
Regardless of any downs to the many ups of the PS3, Sony stays optimistic. “Sony has sold 106 million PlayStation systems globally, including 40 million of them in the U.S., while Nintendo Co. has sold roughly 21 million Game Cubes, and Microsoft Corp. has sold about 23 million Xbox systems, said P.J. McNealy, an analyst at American Technology Research. "At the end of the day, Sony still has tremendous brand loyalty here, and they'll sell millions," he said. Sony officials were equally optimistic.
"We've always had formidable competition," Jack Tretton, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment America, said in an interview” (WONG 2). “Our goal is to create an environment that is more than just a place to play games, but an environment based on community, communications, commerce, and content.” (http://www.us.playstation.com). “The (PS3) has the muscle and horsepower to move beyond artificial intelligence” (www.cnn.com).
So, will it be worth it? The Play Station 3 is faster, bigger, has Blu-Ray and the online play is free. It has USB cables for your digital camera and enough memory to store all of your pictures and music. The wireless remote will literally keep you at the edge of your seat. But, it’s expensive. The accessories are expensive. Not all Play Station games are backward compatible and some DVDs and burned CDs won’t work. For the internet, you have to have the proper equipment and LAN line, and might even get WiFi connectivity difficulties. It may provide spiffy 1080p graphics, but unless you already have the expensive television that can do higher resolution graphics, I guarantee you won’t know value the difference.
Sure, it’s not just for gamers anymore, you can appreciate the PS3 just as another computer gadget slash Blu-Ray player. Honestly, unless someone on your list that has been very good this year, and has to have a Blu-Ray compatible game console, save two hundred bucks and get the Xbox 360. The Xbox will practically have all the same titles in games, even more than the PS3 and more people will be online right away to play with you. If you want it for the multi-axis motion sensing system controllers, save even more and get the Nintendo Wii. In fact buy the Xbox 360 and Nitendo Wii for just a fifty dollar difference than if you buy Play Station 3. It seems that the only true thing you get for owning a PS3 is bragging rights for actually getting your hands on one. Because you got to remember, PlayStation 2 sold 106 million units and only 400,000 are being sent out at launch.
The Play Station 3 is available with a 20GB hard drive for five hundred dollars or 60GB hard drive for six hundred dollars. Only 400,000 will be distributed nationwide on the launch date, November 17, 2006. Both have “Cell Broadband Engine™ advanced microprocessor Blu-ray Disc™ drive Bluetooth technology Four USB ports High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) SIXAXIS™ wireless controller Pre-installed removable hard disk drive” (http://www.us.playstation.com). The difference? The Compact Flash, SD Memory Card and Memory Stick Duo card slots Wireless network connectivity (Wi-Fi)” (http://www.us.playstation.com). So, needless to say, if you want online and the ability save all that precious data, get the bigger one.
For those of you already lost. Lets break it down. The Cell broadband engine is more efficient than traditional gaming consoles because of its multi-core processors. Translation: its forty times faster than the chip that runs its older brother PlayStation 2, which, back in his day, was the fastest in his class. Blu-ray is a next-generation DVD format that delivers high-definition graphics, so better picture quality. Blu Ray will more than likely be the only acceptable way to view games and movies and the PS3 is the only game console to offer this product feature. Plus, any ordinary DVD and CD as well as your old Play Station games can be used on the PS3. The extra USB ports are to connect your digital video camera directly to your PS3 with a USB cable and watch your own videos and slideshows of your pictures.
The hard drives that the PS3 offers are very roomy. Picture the PS3 coming out with two hundred games in total (only twenty of which will be available right away) and let’s say you own every last one of them, and have about three saved checkpoints saved on each game. Plus your all your pictures and music downloaded from your computer. Yeah, you could save it all. Even if you couldn’t, that’s what the memory sticks are for. More memory. The removable hard drive is a nice feature when it comes to going over to your buddy’s to play on his PS3 for the night. Every level you completed will be saved on your hard drive, not your buddy’s.
The PS3 does not only offer a beautiful inner working, but state-of the art accessories as well. But these features come with a price. “Prices of certain accessories also were disclosed: $50 for an extra wireless controller; $15 for a memory card adapter; and $25 for a remote control for the system's disc drive player” (WONG). “The multi-axis motion sensing system found in the new Play Station 3 controller employs technology that provides for seamless interactive operation, thus eliminating additional settings to TVs. With this system, users are able to maneuver the controller as a natural extension of their bodies, all in real-time and with high-precision. The sensors are made to read when a player angles, tilts, thrusts, or pulls” ( http://www.us.playstation.com ). So, say in the past when you’ve had your girlfriend over to play a race car game. She was all cute when she cut corners because her entire torso twisted with the curve, thinking she’s cut it tighter. You used to make fun of her because it didn’t help. Now it does. She might even beat you now.
Because of this feature alone, Sony Play Station 3 beats out the competition with the Nintendo’s Wii. They have a similar movement simulation with their wireless remote, and sadly, this is their only feature they have unique from their previous system the Nintendo Game Cube. Nintendo is solely relying on their diehard fans, the ones that still believe Nintendo is Godfather on all next-generation gaming systems, for their profits. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, is really the only contender in this battle of the best game console. The Xbox 360 has been out for a year now, and already has a steady fan base of loyal worshipers. Partially because Xbox has a lot of similar features and Play Station, but also because it came out a year earlier. When Xbox 360 had a final release date, it didn’t lie. Sony pushed back the PS3 release date several times. Even recently, it pushed it back four more days. Xbox received a lot of converted fans because of their honesty.
One aspect that the Play Station 3 hopes to beat the Xbox on is online play. Sony calls theirs Play Station Network. “It will let players compete and chat online and download games, music and movies. Download game content like weapons or maps even browse the Web and shop at the online PlayStation Store. The online capability of the PlayStation 3 features the unpredictability of live competition. Play, strategize and compete with friends and opponents, even if they're in a different time zone” (http://www.us.playstation.com). All Xbox players foresaw similar services to Xbox Live (which, in all fairness, is the exact same thing no matter how you word it). But here’s the kicker, the Play Station Network is free. “Online play, chat and other features will be free to users, who will have to pay to download some content. Sony said downloadable games provided by its units will cost less than $15 at launch.” (www.cnn.com). That’s awesome compared to the whopping seventy bucks a year, per account for Xbox Live. Sony’s quite proud of that fact, and mentions it often.
Here’s an interesting fact though: “With about 4 million users, however, the Xbox 360 is the first to attract a relatively high percentage of users to its service -- roughly 60 percent. A Sony executive said there were 3 million online service users for the PS2, which has sold more than 106 million units” (www.cnn.com). That’s only 2.8 percent of those who bought the Play Station 2 even cared for an online account. And in very small font on the Play Station website it says, “Requires broadband internet service and a wireless access point or LAN. Certain limitations apply to Wi-Fi connectivity. See the product documentation for details. User is responsible for Internet service fees.” (http://www.us.playstation.com). So maybe free online play is just a sugar coating on the very bitter price of the PS3.
But wait, let’s go back to Blu Ray. That blessed feature only Sony can boast about. “The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. Pristine picture quality with the capability for full high-definition resolution 1080p” (http://www.us.playstation.com). Why is it important? It‘s a “larger canvas to create a level of interaction, sophistication, and reality that has never existed in gaming. As a result, consumers can experience a whole new generation of high-definition gaming.” (http://www.us.playstation.com 3). Sony hopes to entice not only gamers, but movie watchers alike. “Some analysts expect movie fans to buy the PS3, priced at $500 and $600, as a machine to play high-definition DVDs in the new Blu-ray format. Blu-Ray competes with Toshiba Corp.-championed HD-DVD in a new standards war for next-generation DVDs.” (WONG 2) But is it really worth it, spending five hundred or more on a PS3? How much is a blue ray compatible DVD player cost? They start around four hundred dollars less than a PS3. But once again, you get that nasty fine print on the bottom of the page: “Some PlayStation 2 or PlayStation format software titles may perform differently on this system than they do on PlayStation 2 or PlayStation systems, or may not perform properly on this system. In rare instances, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs and other media may not operate properly when played on the PS3 system. This is primarily due to variations in the manufacturing process or encoding of the software.” (http://www.us.playstation.com). Oh, well. At least the “first 500,000 systems shipped in North America will include "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," the comedy starring Will Ferrell” (www.cnn.com) as a bonus that emphasizes the ability of the PS3 to play high-definition videos. That movie should at least work.
Regardless of any downs to the many ups of the PS3, Sony stays optimistic. “Sony has sold 106 million PlayStation systems globally, including 40 million of them in the U.S., while Nintendo Co. has sold roughly 21 million Game Cubes, and Microsoft Corp. has sold about 23 million Xbox systems, said P.J. McNealy, an analyst at American Technology Research. "At the end of the day, Sony still has tremendous brand loyalty here, and they'll sell millions," he said. Sony officials were equally optimistic.
"We've always had formidable competition," Jack Tretton, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment America, said in an interview” (WONG 2). “Our goal is to create an environment that is more than just a place to play games, but an environment based on community, communications, commerce, and content.” (http://www.us.playstation.com). “The (PS3) has the muscle and horsepower to move beyond artificial intelligence” (www.cnn.com).
So, will it be worth it? The Play Station 3 is faster, bigger, has Blu-Ray and the online play is free. It has USB cables for your digital camera and enough memory to store all of your pictures and music. The wireless remote will literally keep you at the edge of your seat. But, it’s expensive. The accessories are expensive. Not all Play Station games are backward compatible and some DVDs and burned CDs won’t work. For the internet, you have to have the proper equipment and LAN line, and might even get WiFi connectivity difficulties. It may provide spiffy 1080p graphics, but unless you already have the expensive television that can do higher resolution graphics, I guarantee you won’t know value the difference.
Sure, it’s not just for gamers anymore, you can appreciate the PS3 just as another computer gadget slash Blu-Ray player. Honestly, unless someone on your list that has been very good this year, and has to have a Blu-Ray compatible game console, save two hundred bucks and get the Xbox 360. The Xbox will practically have all the same titles in games, even more than the PS3 and more people will be online right away to play with you. If you want it for the multi-axis motion sensing system controllers, save even more and get the Nintendo Wii. In fact buy the Xbox 360 and Nitendo Wii for just a fifty dollar difference than if you buy Play Station 3. It seems that the only true thing you get for owning a PS3 is bragging rights for actually getting your hands on one. Because you got to remember, PlayStation 2 sold 106 million units and only 400,000 are being sent out at launch.
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