A few PS3 questions

[TheSeeker]

So I'm moving back to Canada in a few months and I plan on buying a hi-def TV. I'd also like a Blu-Ray player and since the PS3 plays Blu-Rays I figured I get one.

My question is do they make those dancing games for the PS3 and can you get one of those pads you put on the floor to dance on? My wife would be completely sold on the idea of a PS3 if she could have one of those.

Also, what's the movie viewing experience like on a PS3?

Thanks!

 

[clint g]

are you talking about DDR? I havent heard anything about a DDR game being released on the Ps3 yet. As a blu-ray player the PS3 is pretty good, though i hear it lacks in the audio department. I dont have a high speed sound system so it doesnt make a big difference to me but if you do have one, you might want to look into that

 

[Chess Piece Face]

I can speak to the viewing experience on a ps3 with a 52 in LCD and a 300 home theater in a box sound set up. Dark Knight was better than in the theater...Speed Racer looked amazing...even movies with no effects like Ghost Town look great!

 

[Brikar99]

Yeah it looks like the dancing games sort of fell off once the trend of "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" games picked up, because I can't find anything about a DDR for PS3. It's possible you might get it to work if you buy one of the older, backwards-compatible PS3s, but I'm not sure. I don't know how the pad connects to the system, and since the older controllers won't connect to the PS3, that'll probably be what stops you.

On the other hand, what the others are saying about the Blu-Ray player is true - it's one of the best out there, and if you're going to be gaming as well as watching BD movies, it's well worth the sticker price. If you're NOT going to use it as a gaming machine, there are cheaper Blu-Ray players that would probably be a better way to go.

 

[dkehler]

The PS3 is still the measuring stick that all of the Blu-Ray players are compared to. I believe it is still the fastest player available in terms of loading.

I don't know whether the person is talking about with respect to audio. As far as I am aware, the PS3 decodes all audio types and does it well. The only possible problem is if for some reason you want to have both HDMI and optical audio going at the same time, which is not easily possible although I have heard of people working around that limitation.

Another thing to consider is that the PS3 can stream videos from your computer over your network. There is a free program called PS3 media server as well as other options like Tversity.

One possible bugaboo is that you cannot use a universal remote with the PS3 unless you purchase a separate add-on product to convert infrared signals to a format that the PS3 can use.

I say all this as a person that pretty much never uses the PS3 for gaming.

 

[Aragorn]

PS3 sound seems fine to me on my 7.1.

 

[gh4chiefs]

The PS3 is still the measuring stick that all of the Blu-Ray players are compared to. I believe it is still the fastest player available in terms of loading.

I can attest to this. When I got my second HDTV for the upstairs, I bought a stand alone blu-ray player. It takes forever and month of Sundays to boot up and to actually get where you can play a movies, whereas the PS3 comes up pretty fast. Compared to the stand alone, it almost seems instantenous. Ok it's not that fast, but it will seem that way comparitively speaking.

 

[dkehler]

One other thing I forgot to mention: Sony releases firmware updates pretty much every month or so that often add features or make other improvements.

 

[Hermiod]

One other thing I forgot to mention: Sony releases firmware updates pretty much every month or so that often add features or make other improvements.

Just not the ones people want.

 

[dkehler]

One other thing I forgot to mention: Sony releases firmware updates pretty much every month or so that often add features or make other improvements.

Just not the ones people want.

You can't please everyone, but for example, the latest firmware release made a substantial fix to CD playback on home theater systems. Previous improvements have made the PS3 one of the better upconverting players for DVDs as well. Not every feature is going to be used by everyone.

 

[CaptainHawk1]

are you talking about DDR? I havent heard anything about a DDR game being released on the Ps3 yet. As a blu-ray player the PS3 is pretty good, though i hear it lacks in the audio department. I dont have a high speed sound system so it doesnt make a big difference to me but if you do have one, you might want to look into that

The issue is DTS-HD bitstream and if you have a receiver that can do it it's not really an issue and also the PS3 now does decode it.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9916002-1.html

Only the most obsessed audiophiles truly give a shit about this and it can be solved with contemporary receiver anyway.

Even my basic 5.1 surround sytem that's like seven years old sounds phenomenal with this.

There is absolutely no question about it, the PS3 is still the best BD player on the market and it has one of the best (if not the best) upconverters for you regular DVD's.

 

[CaptainHawk1]

One other thing I forgot to mention: Sony releases firmware updates pretty much every month or so that often add features or make other improvements.

Just not the ones people want.

I don't know where you're getting that. Sony has been very good about addressing PS3 owner's needs with their updates.

I'm guessing that you don't own a PS3 because it always seems like the people who take a dump on it are the people who don't own one.

 

[BigFoot]

PS3 is a great Blu-ray (and DVD) player, just get the official Sony remote for it.

 

[CaptainHawk1]

PS3 is a great Blu-ray (and DVD) player, just get the official Sony remote for it.

I have the Official PS3 remote but I seriously wish that Sony didn't have such a hard-on for Bluetooth and would simply have made an IR remote for it that could be programmed in a universal remote.

It's a pain in the ass to use two remotes and not to mention the problem that since it's not line-of-sight if you sit on the flippin' thing or drop it or whatever you wind up inadvertently doing something that you didn't want to.

 

[BigFoot]

^ See I like the fact that it's not IR based. That way I keep my PS3 wherever I want.

And you can still use a universal remote with the PS3 using a IR to USB adapter. Even better, Logitech will soon be releasing a BT to USB adapter that will work with their Harmony universal remotes.

 

[clint g]

One other thing I forgot to mention: Sony releases firmware updates pretty much every month or so that often add features or make other improvements.

Just not the ones people want.

I don't know where you're getting that. Sony has been very good about addressing PS3 owner's needs with their updates.

Now the only need they need to address is their games

I kid, I kid....sort of

I'm guessing that you don't own a PS3 because it always seems like the people who take a dump on it are the people who don't own one.

I may be wrong, but from what I recall Hermoid is one of the biggest PS3 supporters on the board. Just because someone has issues with a system doesn't mean they're resorting to fanboyism. I own a PS3 and as a consumer I have several gripes with the product. Be careful with your assumptions.

 

[Hermiod]

I don't know where you're getting that. Sony has been very good about addressing PS3 owner's needs with their updates.

I'm guessing that you don't own a PS3 because it always seems like the people who take a dump on it are the people who don't own one.

I have a PS3. It's my main gaming system and I also use it for playing all of my media, DVDs and Blu-Rays because it does such a good job. I buy all my cross platform titles for it instead of my Xbox 360 or my fairly decent gaming PC. Don't make assumptions, as clint g says.

My issue with Sony is that they keep adding new features with every firmware update while ignoring the two that people actually want - cross-game invites and voice chat. The Xbox 360 has a considerable advantage when it comes to multiplayer because a player can just A) chat to a friend or friends while they're all playing different games and B) send easy invitations to join each other's games directly.

I have other features I would like to see, such as vastly improved privacy options. I would like to be able to hide my games list and trophies and hide my online status. These are features Xbox Live has and PSN lacks. I can appreciate the fact that Xbox Live is a paid service and PSN is not, and that's fair, but I value these features more than some of the ones we've seen lately.

My overall impression of the PS3 has been extremely positive, I prefer the controllers, the PSN Store is much easier and faster to use than the Xbox Live Marketplace, the machine is quieter and more reliable, I enjoy being able to use whatever Bluetooth headset I like with it etc.

 

[TheSeeker]

Thanks for all the info folks!