PS3
Many have waited patiently for its release while some agonized over it. But regardless, PlayStation 3 is now here. PlayStation 3 or PS3 is the seventh-generation video game console of Sony and the third in the PlayStation series. The PS3 competes directly with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii. Sony released the first game consoles on November 2006 in Japan followed by the launch on the same month in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Sony, however, delayed for a bit the game console's release in Europe, Australia and Singapore but promised to launch the PS3 in these countries by March 2007.
The PS3 is actually not that cheap. But fans are saying that the price is really worth it, especially with a packaged Blu-Ray disc player. All in all, the player weight around 11 pounds. It measures 12.8 inches wide by 3.86 inches high by 10.89 inches long. The PS3 is slightly bigger than its predecessor, the PlayStation 2, or its two main competitors the diminutive Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft Xbox 360. The PS3 still incorporates the earlier design of the PS2 in which the game console can be oriented vertically or horizontally. The new slick design can easily fit any modern living room. Testing decibel levels, it has been found out that the PS3 is quieter than the Xbox 360 but is definitely a lot noisier than the Wii.
At present the PS3 has two versions or models. The first one is the standard game console with 20 GB internal hard drive and have no Wi Fi capability nor does it have media card slots. This unit costs $499. The "premium" version, on the other hand, costs $100 more since it is equipped with a 60GB hard disk; a built-in 802.11b/g wireless networking; as well as MemoryStick, SD, and CompactFlash slots. Still, both unites have upgradeable hard drives using the standard Serial ATA interface and features four USB 2.0 ports, wireless networking and flash memory card support, provides a Blu-ray slot drive, HDMI-output, gigabit networking, and built-in Bluetooth 2.0 support.
When you buy a standard packaged PS3, you will be provided with a USB mini cable for the bundled Bluetooth wireless controller, an ethernet cable, a multi audio/video cable with composite connections, and an AC power cord. It comes with the standard manual, of course. But some people ignore totally the manual and are able to install the game console without referring to it. The PS3 is very easy to install and set up.
Among the other new features of the game console is the wireless, motion-sensitive SixAxis controller which is lighter than those of PS2s. However, it is said that the feedback with the new controllers are not that great. The PS3 controllers can sense motion along six axes allowing the user to turn and tilt in three-dimensional space.
The PlayStation 3 is also backward-compatible with most PlayStation 1 and 2 games. Sony also released a $15 Memory Card Adaptor which can let you transfer saved game information from PS1/PS2 memory cards to the PS3's hard drive. There are, however, some negative feedbacks regarding some older games when used on the newer PS3. Some claims include loosing background music when played on the PS3. So the challenge now for Sony is to either release new games that are quite compatible with its new game console or updates to its existing platform and software to allow full compatibility of older games.