PS3: The Things I Like & Dislike

I'll be adding to this over the next few days, but here is my initial list of things I love and hate about Sony's latest console.

Things I Like:

Pure Digital Gaming Goodness

For the first time, I'm actually able to play games via both HDMI and Optical Digital and know that I'm getting the best video and audio possible. With my receiver turned up and Resistance running on my 50" DLP, I'm not sure that the experience of gaming can get much better at this point.

Blu-Ray

It's true that there isn't a substantial difference between well-produced DVDs that are up-res'd and most of the currently available Blu-Ray movies, but there are differences, nonetheless. The audio is one such noticeable area and really sounds clear and vibrant. On the video side of things, text and edges are generally quite sharper than DVD and fast motion, especially with lots of color, are now devoid of banding and compression issues. However, the typical film noise and other artifacts still show up, depending on the level of "clean-up" that the studios did when creating the high-res digital masters.

I would say that Talladega Nights isn't the ideal Blu-Ray movie to include with the PS3 and that it's barely better than nothing. Too bad Spider-Man 3 isn't out yet :-) You can read more about my gripe with this pack-in below.

PlayStation Store

Wile it's not quite ready for prime time yet and features only a few goodies as of right now, the PlayStation Store definitely shows promise and I prefer its mix of pictures/art and text over the text-heavy Xbox Live Market Place. Sony still needs to work on some things, like the speed of the site, as well as downloads and adding features like queuing, but they are definitely headed in the right direction. A year from now, I bet the PS will feature way more games, demos and downloadables than Xbox Live. Throw in music and movies and you'll have a one-stop shop for all your entertainment needs.

PSP Connectivity

Again, this is quite early, but you can already see the potential of the PSP + PS3 relationship. Being able to transfer media files back and forth and browse is quite cool and the thought of being able to download movies and PS1 games on the PS3 and then be able to carry them around on the PSP is downright cool. I also can't wait for the time where I'm in another state and am able to connect to my PS3 via Wi-Fi can grab new stuff to play and watch. The future is now.

Bluetooth

Being able to use my old cell phone Bluetooth headset for the PS3 is awesome. I just synced it up and now can use that as my wireless headset. I don't have to run out and buy a PS3-specific one. I'm gonna have to try out a Bluetooth keyboard next and see if that works, as well.

Game Cases

I love the clear look and the shape (which is basically like a thicker Blu-Ray case) but I wished that the top part of the case, which has the PS3 and Blu-Ray logo on it was dark instead of clear. The Wii game cases remind me too much of the Baby Einstein DVDs. Parents will now what I mean by that.



Things I Don't Like:

Single Digital Audio Output

Since I have a kid, I mostly play game audio through my TV. However, there are times when I like to crank up the receiver and play in full surround sound. Previously, I had my standard RCA-style cables plugged into my TV and a Digital Audio cable plugged into my receiver. However, now that I am using HDMI to plug into my TV, I can't output digital audio through that and the Digital Audio cable at the same time. I actually have to manually go into the PS3's system menu and change the audio output. This is plain annoying and an extra step. I don't see why the PS3 isn't powerful enough to process two digital audio streams, but maybe it's just not a priority for Sony as most people would never need it.

No Clear Eyetoy and Headset Support

Sure, the OS recognizes the older Eyetoy camera, as well as the PS2 USB headset, but no games really take advantage of them. If they do, it's not clear that they do so most people will just rely on text chat. With the ease of how such things work on the 360, it's a shame that the PS3 is lagging in this regard. I would assume that when the next SOCOM comes out, Sony will be full-on with the Headset and Eyetoy support in games... but we'll just have to wait and see.

PSP Firmware 3.0 Not Yet Available

Version 3.0 will unlock a lot of the features of the whole PSP - PS3 relationship. You'll be able to download and play PS games, as well as share media. This firmware should have hit when the PS3 launched, so Sony better release it soon.

No Rumble

I generally like the SIXAXIS controller but it is hard to get over the fact that there is no rumble support. I'm sure I will get used to that, but it's strange to see a feature that is available in the other consoles not be included with this one.

No USB Ports In The Back

This is one area where I love the Wii. I hate having things plugged into the front of my console systems, especially if it is for an extended period of time. Having an Eyetoy, a keyboard and whatever else makes the front of the PS3 look like an old telephone operators terminal, with cables going everywhere. I guess that once everything goes to Bluetooth, this won't be a problem, but I still would have loved a couple of the USB ports moved to the back.

No Component Cable

This wasn't such a big deal for me since I already had an HDMI cable and several PS2 component cables, but there is no excuse for not including a component cable with the $600 PS3. Since this is touted as the definitive HD console, it's plain ridiculous that it only comes with a composite cable. What was Sony thinking? This has got to be one of the stupidest things they have ever done, second only to releasing the PS2 HDD with no real plans or support for it. There's simply no excuse for it.

Bad Choice For Blu-Ray Pack-In

Talladega Nights? Come one! Who are you trying to cater to? I understand that it had to be a movie that was PG-13 or less, but there has got to be something better than this. To make matters worse, the Talladega Nights Blu-Ray version is getting bad reviews for its video quality. How are you going to convince people that Blu-Ray is the future of movies when you can't even pack-in a movie that features good visual quality. Microsoft did it right by including King Kong with the HD-DVD player, as that movie is quite highly rated in the video quality department. Sony needs to learn from that.

In The Line of Duty: A PS3 Launch Recap

UPDATE: Apparently, I appeared on Fox News while waiting in line for the PS3. If anyone can find that footage anywhere, please send me the link and I'll be forever appreciative. Thanks!

Now that I've had a chance to catch some ZZZZZ's and mess around with the system, I'm so glad that I waited in line. Originally, I wasn't going to and was going to rely on Randy's willingness to give me one of his pre-orders. He's so nice! In the end, though, I felt bad and decided that the PS3 is one of those systems that actually was worth waiting for. Well, I guess that train of thought wasn't straightforward. Actually, my coworker Ethan checked out the Metreon on Wednesday afternoon and let me know that a line of around 25 people had already formed. With that shocking knowledge, I decided that heading over at 6am Thursday morning probably wouldn't be that great of a decision anymore (Though, a lot of people who did arrive at 6am did get systems, but they were the 20GB ones).



Anyway, Ethan decided to head over at 4pm, which was still a bit shocking for me but I told him that I would probably show up around midnight. At around 7, I called him again and the line had jumped up to around 150 people, which is just plain ridiculous. I actually started to panic a bit and was almost debating not going at all given a rumor that the Metreon was only getting 150 systems. Thinking about it a bit, I convinced myself that the store would have to get at least 200 or so since several Circuit City stores were getting over 100 units. This was the PlayStation store, after all, and they were bound to have the most units of any location.



After grabbing anything edible that wasn't nailed down, I jumped into the car and headed across the bridge to the city. By the time I arrived, the line had swelled to around 250 and I sat down in my portable chair and waited for the long (and cold) night to begin. For about 40mins or so I was actually the last person in line, which worried me a bit. What if there was only going to be 15-200 units and everyone else knew it but me? Should I stay? Fortunately, a few people turned up followed by what would be another 250+ people. I was in good company and in the middle of this amazing line of gamers, ebayers and A/V fans. We were all united in one purpose: Get a PS3 at all costs (oh, and not to let anyone cut in front of us).

While there was obvious turmoil, some rain spells and another line that turned up, everything ended up ok. Sony really did a great job of organizing everyone and the free food was totally great. Starbucks coffee, Mel's burgers, fruit, candy bars and burritos were just some of the things available for us to munch on. Adding on to that were the countless freebies, such as key chains, stickers and bracelets that Sony reps let fly as they walked by. I hate to say it, especially after knowing my wife thinks I'm a total idiot for lining up, but I enjoyed the experience. I don't think I will ever do it again, but I definitely had fun, met some new friends and joined around 700-800 people in a gaming experience that won't easily be forgotten.



The PS3 is finally here, folks, and it's about to usher in a new era of gaming that is sure to full of countless hours of enjoyment and thrills. I'm just glad that I can finally use that HDMI cable I've been storing in my garage for a good purpose and to finally have a console with a purely digital output. My DLP is happy, I'm happy (but tired) and I'm just looking forward to going online and teaming up with some new friends in Resistance for some all-out 40-player battles.

Over the next week, I'll be providing some more insights into my overall thoughts about the system. Is it truly everything a gaming system should be? Well, the A/V snob in my does have some gripes but we'll just have to talk about that at another time. I'm headed to work and a nice cup of coffee.

I Got One!!!

Well, after around 30+ hours of standing in line at the Metreon, I managed to get my hands on my own personal PS3. Details will come as soon as I manage to get a bit of sleep and turn the console on. Stay tuned!

Gears of Disappointment?

I've now managed to play around 3-4 hours of Gears of War and am honestly a bit confused about why the game is scoring so high. I do have to admit that the visuals are great, if you are into the whole "use lots of shaders" and "keep everything dark" sort of thing. Is it just me or do the characters look a bit too plasticy? However, with my old age, I no longer just am interested in games due to their graphics. That might grab me at the start, but unless there is some innovation or compelling gameplay underneath the pretty cover then I tend to get bored somewhat quickly. To me, Gears of War just seems to be a more-polished version of other games out there, namely Namco's kill.switch. Granted, kill.switch was not the greatest game ever but the whole "using cover a lot" idea was its biggest feature. GOW has taken that feature, polished it and made it look cooler but it still feels very familiar. I'm not going to give my full impression of GOW until I am able to play further into it, but I hope that some new gameplay mechanics emerge or that there are some intense moments that have me saying, "Wow!" As of right now, I am feeling a lot of repetition: watch cinematic, enemies attack, find cover, kill enemies, look for COG tags. And, I think we are now beyond the point where we should be awarding 9's and 10's to games that mainly rely on a visual components with little innovation underneath. Oh, the multiplayer is fun, but I attribute that to the people I am playing with rather than the game itself. I think Splinter Cell's 2-on-2 design was way more innovative and refreshing to play. Lastly, what is the deal with only having support for two-player co-op? Even SOCOM manages to allow four buddies to team up and save the day. Can't Epic even do the same with a powerful Xbox Live network behind it? Apparently not. Anyway, I'll hold me breath and keep playing. Hopefully, I'll run into some really cool stuff before I pass out from lack of oxygen.