I bought a PS3...now what?

[Kelthaz]

Return it.

Yeah, then get a 360.

I generally don't get involved in the "console wars" debate, but the two responses above bother me in general as a consumer.

Tell me, dear fellows, why would I want to return a machine that not only plays decent games, but also has the best high-definition experience (1080p) built into it? Essentially, for $250 apiece, I'm getting a gaming machine *and* a pretty kick-butt Blu-ray player. (I purchased my 80GB PS3 in February for $499, before the recent price cut to $399.)

I want both, and the Xbox 360 doesn't offer *both.* It offers good games, but not Blu-ray quality movies. If I purchased a higher-end Xbox 360 model and a Blu-ray player separately, I'd probably be paying close to, or more than, what I originally paid, and I'd have *two* separate pieces of equipment (along with their tangle of cords) filling even more of the precious space w/i my rather small living quarters.

I'm a level-headed consumer. I weighed the pros and cons of the Xbox 360 and the PS3, and went with the latter. Live and let live, I say. If it ain't trying to kill or maim you, leave well enough alone.

Anyhow, just my two cents, FWIW.

Gatekeeper

In my experience most gamers (including me) don't like consoles being turned into multimedia centers and just want a console to play games. The extra price of the PS3 because of the Blu-ray player feels like a slap in the face when we don't care about Blu-ray and just want to play games. The Wii and the 360 are both designed primarily for games and both cost less than the PS3. The PS3 is also seriously lacking in good games, let alone great games. For a gamer the PS3 probably isn't the best choice for a console, at least for right now.

But the TC wanted a Blu-ray player that could play some games, so I guess the PS3 was a good choice. Although you might have saved some money by waiting; the recent price drop of the 360 will probably force Sony to make a huge price cut to the PS3 for Christmas to stay competitive.

 

[Roland19]

In my experience most gamers (including me) don't like consoles being turned into multimedia centers and just want a console to play games. The extra price of the PS3 because of the Blu-ray player feels like a slap in the face when we don't care about Blu-ray and just want to play games. The Wii and the 360 are both designed primarily for games and both cost less than the PS3. The PS3 is also seriously lacking in good games, let alone great games. For a gamer the PS3 probably isn't the best choice for a console, at least for right now.

You know, I thought the same way you did, then in August, I got a Playstation 3 and...wow. I gotta disagree you.

I'm a gamer too and I love the Wii, but the Blu-ray player on the PS3 is awesome. The movies looks really great, but for the gamer, there ARE quite a few great games (and they, imo, look/play better then anything the 360 or Wii has to offer. And this comes from a former 360 owner and a current Wii owner) and more on the way. What great games you ask? Here they are:

Out Now:

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty (downloadable)
Metal Gear Solid 4
Uncharted: Darke's Fortune
Resistence: Fall of Man

Coming Very Soon:

LittleBigPlanet (in October)
Bioshock (in October)
Fallout 3 (in November)
Mortal Kombat Vs. The DC Universe (in November)
Resistence 2
Resident Evil 5 (in March 2009)

Also coming this year: Home!

Plus, some good games like Star Wars: Force Unleased, Soul Calibar 4, and other games like Lego Batman and Lego Indy are either out or on the way soon.

And sure, some of the those coming soon (and current) games are on the 360, but imo, they look/play a lot better on the PS3.

Plus, the Blu-ray discs do hold a lot more info then regular DVDs. Metal Gear Solid 4 and Ratchet & Clank Future: TOD are HUGE games. Lots of stuff going on in those games, both visually and gameplay wise. Those are must have games for the Playstation 3. Heck, Uncharted is a shorter game, but its a must have too. The graphics are just great on Uncharted and the gameplay is fun. Oh and LittleBigPlanet in October: If you love platformers or just creating your own stuff, or both and have a PS3, you have to get that game. I have it reserved and I can't wait to play. You'll find nothing like this game on the 360 or Wii.

IMO, the PS3 should be the console of choice for the "hardcore" gamers. I use to own a 360 and I liked it at the time, but the PS3 just beats it out. Graphics & gameplay on the PS3 are just great, the online is easier to get onto, it has cooler downloads (Quest for Booty is great. Pain is fun. and the PS1 classics look very cool. plus free themes & wallpapers, free online gameplay too), and a better menu system when you turn on the console. And hey, as an extra, those Blu-ray movies are amazing. Especially if you have an HD-TV.

But the TC wanted a Blu-ray player that could play some games, so I guess the PS3 was a good choice. Although you might have saved some money by waiting; the recent price drop of the 360 will probably force Sony to make a huge price cut to the PS3 for Christmas to stay competitive.

Hmm. PS3 may or may drop price, but in my opinion, if you can get your hands on one of the Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3's its well worth the price. Its 80gig, plus you have backwards compablity with PS1 and PS2 games.

That said, in November, they are releasing a higher gig hard drive PS3 with Uncharted. No PS2 BC, but still a sweet deal.

But, personally, I think the 360 knows its losing to the Wii and so thats why the price drop. It may or may not help them.

Yes, even though I like the PS3 alot now, I do think that Wii is winning so far. I own a Wii too and I do enjoy that console. Its much more casual, but still fun. I think every gamer should have a Wii. Its the kind of system you can talk all your non-gaming relatives and friends into playing. New recruits!

So, I recommand the Wii and the PS3. The 360 does have some cool games, like Mass Effect and soon Fable 2, but, imo, nothing as cool as Ratchet & Clank Future, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, and LittleBigPlanet.

Roland19

 

[unimatrix7]

I think Roland needs a cold shower.

 

[Jax]

Sony's made no secret of its desire to make the Playstation much more than "just" a gaming console for YEARS. They really want it to be an entire media/entertainment center for the home.

I know that but surly they must of realise that marketing that in a gaming marker with a price mean't a slow start and a possible 3rd place finish. It just seems that Sony was shocked on how poorly they had done so far in the race.

 

[Dream]

Sony got rid of the PS2 backward compatibility for their PS3s. That should tell you how stupid they are!

 

[gh4chiefs]

Sony got rid of the PS2 backward compatibility for their PS3s. That should tell you how stupid they are!

I don't know if they're that stupid or not. I made sure I bought a PS3 early on so I'd have full compatibility and in all the time I've owned one, I've played exactly 2 PS2 games on it.

PS2 is a step back IMHO.

 

[CommodoreKong]

I bought a PS3...now what?

Return it.

Yeah, then get a 360.

Did you even read the first post? The 360 isn't the right console for him.

 

[Rii]

Return it.

Yeah, then get a 360.

Did you even read the first post? The 360 isn't the right console for him.

It is a well known fact that 360 owners can't read.

 

[broberfett]

I have a DVD player. How good is Blue Ray? Is it orgasmic? I also have an Xbox360. I haven't really read the book and haven't played it too much. Does it have any sort of enhanced player like HD DVD?

 

[Rii]

How good is Blue Ray? Is it orgasmic?

It's too expensive for my tastes. Not the player, the discs.

I'll pick up the LOTR EEs on Blu-Ray when they're eventually released, outside that there's not much I'd be willing to pay extra for to have in HD. Is it strange that one of the features I value most about HD video is that screencaps can now be taken at a high enough resolution to be used as desktop wallpapers?

 

[RoJoHen]

^Blu-Ray discs are a little pricey, but I know that at Best Buy the new releases are usually on sale for the same price as a standard DVD.

 

[BigFoot]

I have a DVD player. How good is Blue Ray? Is it orgasmic? I also have an Xbox360. I haven't really read the book and haven't played it too much. Does it have any sort of enhanced player like HD DVD?

How good is Blu-ray (no E)? It depends on your TV and how far away you're sitting. I sit 8 feet away from my 46" Full HD Sony Bravia and yes, it is orgasmic. It looks even better when sitting only 5 feet away.

 

[Sephiroth]

the best function your PS3 can have is if you give it to me it'll make me happy

 

[BigFoot]

Btw, I just wanted to add that I absolutely love my PS3. Best piece of electronics I have ever owned. I use it for playing Blu-rays, for upscaling DVDs, for playing games, and for streaming videos/music/pictures from my PC. This thing just kicks ass.

 

[RoJoHen]

and for streaming videos/music/pictures from my PC.

This. How do I do this?

 

[BigFoot]

You need to install a media server on your PC. TVersity works great for me. Then share the files/folders that you want to share. After that, turn on your PS3 and in theory you should already see a media server icon under your video/music/images menus in XMB. Now just browse the media server (just like you'd browser a memory card for instance) and view whatever you want.

If you can't get things to work, either check the TVersity site, or post in here and we'll try to help you out.

 

[RoJoHen]

Oh, okay, I was wondering what that "media server" option was all about. Time to experiment...

Thanks for the help!

 

[BigFoot]

^ No problem.

I've been using TVersity since I got my PS3 (which was about a year ago) and it's just great. It's so awesome showing vacation pictures to family/friends on a big-screen HDTV while using the Bluetooth remote. Everyone can just sit on the couch and relax.

 

[RoJoHen]

I seem to be having a problem transferring my pictures. When I go under the media server on my PS3, I can view the folders that I have in My Pictures, but it claims that there is nothing in any of the folders.

I also get a DLNA (or something like that) protocol error at the top right corner of my screen.

EDIT: Fixed it!

Well, I've learned how to transfer stuff. Can you actually create slide shows using with PS3, that play automatically and have music in the background? Because I'm hosting our Halloween party this year, and it would be awesome to have something like that going in the background.

 

[BigFoot]

^ I think you can, yeah. I can't tell you how to do it right now (I'm at work), but I think you can. If you can't figure it out on your own, I'll check when I get home (in about 5-6 hours).