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Still, the PS3 is a gaming machine first and foremost. So, if you're interested in finding out what the PS3 has to offer besides playing movies, you've come to the right place. As Paul Harvey says, here's "the rest of the story ...."
Obviously, this amount of hype demands the question: Is the PS3 worth it?
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The first thing you notice after unboxing the PS3 is that it's sexy as hell. It has nice rounded edges and a high-gloss black case (with chic chrome accents in the stepped-up 60 GB version). The console just screams high tech and will certainly look right at home in any A/V rack. The PS3 can stand on its side, and if you have a finite amount of space next to a TV, that might be an important feature. Like your black iPod, however, the case is a CSI crime lab dream when it comes to fingerprints and smudges, so you may want to enforce the grade-school "look with your eyes, not your hands" rule with any visitors.
Al lamented the PS3's fan noise, but it is obvious that this fan is needed. The PS3 runs hot. Put your hand behind it and you can feel hot air pouring out of the back. While I never had any thermal shutdowns, don't expect the console to cooperate with a marathon gaming session if you have it cooped up in a confined space. It also draws mucho power — somewhere around 2 amps. That's more than my 7 x 120-watt THX Ultra receiver or my 61-inch HDTV. Interestingly, Sony managed to keep the power supply internal, in stark contrast to the giant-ass power brick that accompanies the PS3's closest rival, Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Sony has kept the chassis as sleek and aerodynamic as possible, with nary a raised button on the front panel. In fact, there are only two soft buttons: Power and Eject. Discs feed into a slot (similar to a car stereo's), which is a welcome feature for a gaming system because it eliminates the worry that someone will walk by after too many beers and accidentally break off the disc tray in mid-load. A small flip-up door conceals Compact Flash, Memory Stick, and SD card slots, and four USB jacks reside on the bottom half of the front panel. As clean as the system looks, it would have been nice if there were one or more USB connections on the back panel as well. If you want to have a permanently attached USB device (such as additional storage or a wireless USB keyboard receiver), the wiring will constantly stick out the front, marring the otherwise slick look.
Music and Photos and Internet, Oh My!
You might think that being a Blu-ray player and a next-gen gaming console would be enough, but with companies fighting for real estate in the digital living room, you have to do more these days. After experiencing the Xbox 360's media extender features with a PC running Media Center Edition, I must admit that my bar was raised pretty high indeed.
Unfortunately, the PS3 doesn't offer any of the 360's streaming functionality. If you want to enjoy any media, it needs to either be stored on the PS3's hard drive or directly connected to it.
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The Short Form |
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| $499 (20-GB); $599 (60-GB) us.playstation.com / 800-345-7669 | |
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Snapshot
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| The biggest, baddest, most powerful gaming system on the market and a damn fine Blu-ray movie player. But this performance is gonna cost ya. | |
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Plus
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| •Gaming in HD, including 1080p •New SIXAXIS wireless controller •Storage capacity of Blu-ray Disc holds huge potential for future games •Cool synergy with Sony's PSP •Plays Blu-ray movies, too •HDMI 1.3 output |
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Minus
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| •No media streaming capabilities •DualShock vibration in controller is gone •Most expensive gaming rig on the block |
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Key Features
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| •60-GB hard drive (20-GB in base model) •Includes one wireless SIXAXIS gaming controller (supports up to seven connected simultaneously) •Tilt/motion sensing control in controller •Plays Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, and CDs •4 USB ports •Ethernet port for broadband Internet connection (Built-in Wi-Fi on 60-GB model) •Media-card slots (Compact Flash, Memory Stick and SD) on 60-GB model •Cell Broadband Engine CPU •HDMI 1.3 digital A/V output •Toslink optical digital audio output |
Next I connected my Canon digital camera. It appeared as an "unknown USB device" and wouldn't show any photos. The solution was to remove the Compact Flash card and stick it into the media slot. This worked perfectly, but if I'd had only the base model PS3 (the 20-GB version) — which doesn't include the various media card slots — it wouldn't have been possible.
Lastly, I connected a 1-GB USB thumb drive loaded with music and photos. It worked like a charm. The good news is that if you want the PS3 to serve as a hub for music and photo viewing, you can pick up a large, external USB drive and fill it with all of your media.
Adding music to the hard drive requires ripping directly from a CD. Sadly, you can't do anything else while a CD is importing, but since it takes only about 5 minutes per disc, it isn't too inconvenient. If you're connected to the Internet, PS3 will retrieve album and artist info, but it won't get cover art. CDs can be ripped to the drive in MP3, AAC, or Sony's own ATRAC format, at a variety of bit rates. It isn't too surprising that Sony doesn't support rival Microsoft's WMA format for ripping, but it is a bummer that it won't play back files already in that format.
Photos can look mighty impressive when viewed on a big HDTV, and the PS3 offers a couple of slide-show options. By far the most innovative is Photo Album, which turns your digital files into virtual Polaroids that spiral and float down onto a slowly scrolling background with the date/time displayed in chalkboard-style script. This is a super-cool way to look at photos and would be a terrific screen saver to run during parties. The PS3 also lets you have music running during a slide show to set the right mood.
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The Web connection is crucial, however, for online gaming and visiting the PlayStation Store. Compared to the offering from Microsoft, which has spent far more time developing an online presence for Xbox, the PS Store is pretty weak in its initial showing. At the time of my test shortly after launch, it offered only a smattering of content, with a few downloadable demos and HD movie trailers. But on the plus side, the online service — including gaming — is free, unlike Xbox Live, which requires an annual membership fee.
Sony also uses the broadband Internet connection to provide ongoing changes and improvements via software and firmware updates. I went through two separate updates during the first 10 days I had the PS3 in my possession, and it is certainly possible that Sony might address issues I've mentioned (as well as others) in future releases.
One OS Good; Two OS Better
In a nod to open standards — yes, I'm still talking about Sony — you can install other operating systems on the PS3. Rumor had it that PS3s were supposed to ship with Linux already installed, but this didn't happen.
If you're so inclined, however, you can add Linux — for now. I say this because, within days of PS3's launch, reports started appearing on the Web of people using Linux to hack PS3s and actually rip not only copies of Blu-ray movies to the PS3 hard drive but games as well. Once data has made it off a disc and onto a drive, it isn't a stretch to imagine it being burned or disseminated, something I'll bet Sony is loath to think about. I'm sure this is a hole that Sony is looking to plug — permanently — ASAP.
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A truly next-generation console needs a truly next-generation processor. And the PS3 is packed with some of the same silicon DNA as future supercomputers. This kind of power doesn't just spring up overnight, and in the case of the PS3's Cell Broadband Engine, its development started back in 2000 with an alliance between Sony, Toshiba, and IBM.
IBM thinks so much of the Cell design that its planned supercomputer, the Roadrunner, will feature Cell processing. It is reported that this will be the first computer to run at petaflop speed (that's 10 quadrillion — 1015 — floating-point operations per second!). Toshiba is also rumored to have plans to incorporate the Cell in upcoming HDTVs, claiming the system would be capable of displaying dozens of real-time HDTV thumbnails on the screen simultaneously.
The PS3 uses a 3.2 GHz Cell processor featuring six accessible 3.2-GHz Synergistic Processing Elements (SPEs) — essentially parallel processing units. (Cell chips actually have eight SPEs, but Sony has dedicated the seventh SPE to the OS and disabled the eighth to improve production yields.) The genius of the Cell is that programmers can task each SPE to run individual programs, assigning them different workloads that run simultaneously. For example, one SPE might handle audio chores, another might calculate projectile trajectories and ballistics, a third might handle lighting effects, a fourth the action of the main character, and so on.
As if the Cell needed any help, the PS3 supercharges its graphics capabilities with the new Reality Synthesizer graphics-processing unit co-developed with NVIDIA. All told, the PS3 is reported to achieve a floating-point performance of 2.18 teraflops. That's 2 trillion operations per second. Yes, the PS3 is smarter than you. No, you shouldn't be afraid of it. No, I don't think it's Skynet from The Terminator.
Of course, if you're feeling guilty that you're devoting all that power only to your own narcissistic pleasure, Stanford University has some homework for you. They have worked with Sony to let your PS3 assist in a project called Folding@home. You can actually use your PS3 for the good of mankind and become part of one of the largest distributed-computing projects around. Folding will run on your system when it's idle, aiding research "to understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases." This is similar to the SETI@home project that many have downloaded to their computers to help analyze radio signals in the search for extraterrestrial life.
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OK ... I've kept you waiting long enough. In a nutshell, as game play and graphics go, the PS3 looks great — a big improvement over the PS2. Everything just looks smoother and more detailed, and there is almost always something going on. Backgrounds in Ridge Racer 7 appeared nearly lifelike at times — even while whizzing by at 100+ mph. Having walked Pebble Beach Golf Links several times, I can tell you that playing Tiger Woods PGA 07 is like taking a virtual tour. It is perfect down to every detail (though the weather in Carmel is usually more overcast).
The best games really show off the PS3's superb graphic abilites when objects are in close-up. In Call of Duty 3, the texturing of the armored metal and the battle-worn paint on a tank that you catch a ride on look like they could have been lifted right from Saving Private Ryan. If you could reach into your TV and touch it, you know exactly what it would feel like. You can practically taste the rust and grit of the desolate, Chimera-run alternate universe that is Europe in Resistance: Fall of Man.
Not all of the launch titles are winners out of the gate. Mobile Suit Gundam Crossfire is embarassing, with horrible control, chunky graphics, and choppy frame rates. I wouldn't pay $6 for this game, let alone $60. Lighting effects and court detail of NBA '07 are steps above what last-gen consoles offered, though they weren't up to the polish of the other titles. Players tended to look plastic and waxy. (Though I didn't get a chance to play it, the online scuttle says that NBA 2K7 is the basketball game to get.)
While the PS3 is currently the only gaming platform that offers the ability to game in full 1080p resolution, the majority of launch titles don't support that resolution. Of the 12 titles I received, only three (Marvel Ultimate Alliance, NBA '07, and Ridge Racer 7) can actually be played in 1080p. The others run in 720p. Of course, if you don't have an HDTV, you can still play using traditional composite video cables and format the output for a 4 x 3 television. But, really — if you don't have an HDTV, here's a word of advice: Save the $600 you'd spend on a PS3 and put it toward a new TV.
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Of the three games, Resistance is definitely the most cutting-edge and best shows off the PS3's abilities. It has all the elements of a terrific game: an enthralling storyline (including a fully fleshed-out back story available online at rfom.com), ultrarealistic-looking environments and character design, directional surround effects, a creepy musical score, and hideous-looking enemies — all adding up to some truly frightening moments. As you move through war-torn England, nearly everything is in ruins, and the graphics capture it all: swirling dust, fire and smoke pouring out of wreckage, glass shattering as you fire through windows. Resistance fully immerses you in the role of Army Ranger Nathan Hale. And since Resistance is from the makers of Ratchet & Clank, you know that the weapons are bound to be inventive — and they are! The Hedgehog grenade sends deadly spines exploding in all directions; the Auger fires transient radiation through walls; the Fareye sniper rifle lets you temporarily slow down time for crucial long-range head shots. Each weapon has a unique purpose that aids you at different moments of game play.
Many of the games offer online capability, which is really the next frontier in gaming and can add many hours to the lifespan of a game. Resistance supports up to 40 players online and offers a variety of interesting game-play options that could very well make it PS3's Halo. I logged some time playing Resistance online (more truthfully, I logged some time getting waxed over and over again online ...), and the game didn't lag or noticeably drop frames while playing, even though I was using the Wi-Fi connection. Very impressive.
As great as the PS3 games looked, however, none of the launch titles really offered any major improvements over what can be found on the Xbox 360. The only game I was able to directly compare with its 360 version was Madden NFL 07, and they were basically identical. Granted, the 360 has been around for more than a year now, and a year of programming "practice" among developers is huge. As game-makers learn to harness all of the Cell's processing power, next year's games might reveal major differences between the two systems, especially when you factor in the storage-capacity difference between DVD and Blu-ray. Even a single-layer Blu-ray Disc offers nearly three times the storage of a dual-layer DVD, so the potential for PS3 is enormous.
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Gamers are insanely loyal to a particular controller once they get used to it, like the curves and nuances of a lover's body. After you've held onto something for 8 hours a day, day in and day out, you sorta get used to the location and feel of every button. On that note, PS2 owners will be instantly at home with the PS3 controller. One immediately noticeable difference: The controller is incredibly light. In fact, my first thought was that Sony had sent me a non-working sample.
The controller is now known as the SIXAXIS (as opposed to the PS2's DualShock). This is essentially the same model beloved by millions of gamers everywhere, with minor changes. The L1 and R1 buttons have been replaced by analog triggers with a slightly longer pull. This is great for racing games where varying levels of gas and brake are essential for avoiding (or effecting) drift in and out of turns. Even better, Sony has cut the cord, using Bluetooth for full wireless operation. The wireless worked great, without ever lagging or missing a command. (Though it would be so tempting to blame all of those deaths in Call of Duty 3 on a faulty controller, my conscience won't let me!)
As many as seven controllers can be connected wirelessly at once, so you won't be tripping over a bunch of cords during multiplayer games. The controller charges via USB — said to offer up to 30 hours on a charge — and can be used while it is charging, though the cable Sony included is so short that you'll likely want something longer. A new PS button has been added between the analog sticks and provides basic system control. When the console is off, a press powers it up and immediately syncs the wireless controller; press and hold, and it will give you options to turn the system off, quit a game, see the battery charge remaining on the controller, and more.
The controller's biggest change will definitely be the most controversial — gone is the rumble and vibration feature of the old DualShock model, replaced by a tilt-sensing feature. Implementation so far seems kind of gimmicky, and most games allow you to turn the feature off and use a more traditional button-press instead. In Tony Hawk's Project 8, you can use tilt to steer your skater, balance while performing grinds and manuals, or to grab and do flip tricks. After a few seconds of playing this way, I turned it off and returned to the traditional controls; the tilt just didn't feel natural or provide the precision that the analog stick does.
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I thought Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 incorporated the tilt control best. As any golfer knows, body language and lean go hand in hand with good (and bad) shots. So leaning, tilting, and twisting the controller to add spin to the ball seemed almost second nature.
As game developers get used to this new feature, it will probably find use in cool, unexpected ways. It certainly gives designers a new tool to play with. I do miss the rumble, though, and at this point I'd trade the tilt to have it back. Having the controller vibrate in response to crashing, being shot, getting tackled, and so on provides a visceral connection to the game and also sometimes a "clue" as to what's happening onscreen.
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Nothing makes me happier than when a company creates synergy between multiple products in their line — not just that they work well with each other, but that when they're used together, new and exciting opportunities become available. Sony has done just that with the PS3 and the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in a feature called Remote Play. After you link your PSP to your PS3 (similar to entering a Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP, key into an encrypted Wi-Fi network), you can wirelessly stream photos, music and videos — including HD content — to the PSP or access the PS3's Web browser from it. (Blu-ray Discs in the PS3 aren't available for Remote Play, at least not yet.)
This feature currently requires the PSP to be within Wi-Fi range of the PS3, but Sony has bigger plans for the future. Imagine being anywhere in the world and streaming media from your PS3? Very cool!
At a demo at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2006, Sony showed another super-cool possibility for Remote Play. A PSP was used as a rearview mirror for the onscreen action in a driving game. Just think about the possibilities: The PSP could be used to look around corners in shooters or be a "yardage" book in Tiger 08 or deliver video messages from base in Rainbow Six.
All in all, the PS3 offers tremendous bang for the buck. Though not revolutionary, its slate of launch titles is mostly impressive. When games such as Gran Turismo, Metal Gear, and SOCOM make their next-gen debuts, it will be even more irresistible. If you're on the Blu-ray/HD DVD fence, the PS3 could be just the push needed to sway you. For $400 less than other Blu-ray players, you also get a phenomenal game system. Even if you aren't a gamer, it's damn tempting.
But if you aren't in it for the movies, then your decision is far more difficult. At $200 more than the Xbox 360, the Sony PlayStation 3 game console still has a lot of convincing to do. Sure, it has the cojones to live up to the price difference and the processing and storage to take gaming beyond anything we've seen yet. But only time will tell whether it lives up to its full potential.
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