Should I Purchase A Sony Playstation 3 (PS3)?

This article answers the popular question, “Should I purchase a Sony Playstation 3 (PS3)“. Learn why QCTimes.com author, Aimee Green is choosing to wait.

Video Game Review : Don’t buy that PS3 yet
By Aimee Green | Friday, December 29, 2006

If you’re considering buying a PlayStation 3, I have just one thing to say: Wait.

The PS3 has a lot of potential. I think it could do some cool things. But at the moment, there’s no particularly good reason to buy one.

For starters, most first-shipment game consoles later develop technical problems, especially Sony’s (think of the PlayStation 2’s “Disc read error”). At launch, companies just haven’t worked out all the bugs yet. In this case, however, it’s really expensive — I had to sell my nonexistent firstborn child to afford one. It’s just smart to wait a bit for later shipments.

There also aren’t many great games to buy for the system. In fact, other than “Resistance: Fall of Man,” most of the launch games are either 1., available on other systems, too; or 2., not very good.

However, give the system about six months, and a flow of new, good games should start kicking in.

Besides, chances are that if you want a PS3 right now, you won’t be able to find one anyway, unless you’re willing to resort to violence.

If you do manage to find a system to buy, though, get the more expensive version. Yes, it’s $100 more, but for that you get a whopping 40GB more storage space, built-in WiFi, three media card slots and some nifty-looking silver trim. It’s worth the difference.

OK, now that I’ve talked you into waiting until June to buy the system, what specifically do I think of it? Well, here it is:

* Hard drive. Space fills up fast, especially when you start downloading games and music. Luckily, the 60GB version should take a while to fill. And Sony’s made it easy to slide out the hard drive, which is really just a laptop hard drive. So modders out there no doubt will have a heyday.

* Bluetooth wireless controllers, rechargeable by USB. Wired controllers are so 2005. These controllers also have motion-sensing technology, though not on par with the Nintendo Wii’s, and developers have yet to do much of anything with it. The tradeoff is the removal of vibration, which many gamers liked for “gaming immersion.”

* Blu-ray, high-definition DVDs. Personally, I don’t care about watching DVDs on Blu-ray. My TV only goes to 1080i anyway, and 1080p is Blu-ray’s thing. But the fact that it can play them, and in fact is the cheapest way to do it, is pretty cool. Also, the discs can hold a lot more data on them, which means PS3 games can have the killer graphics we all want, with space to spare (rumor has it the 360 games are barely fitting on one regular disc).

* Fully backwards compatible (mostly). The PS3 can play PS2 and PS One games, too. Of course, to get at the old saves, you’ll need a memory card adapter.

The problem with this is the system doesn’t upconvert the resolution on those games, and some of them look, well, awful. I tried the recently released “Final Fantasy XII” on the system, which you’d think would look fine, and it just doesn’t. Also, there are a few games that have issues, such as music that won’t play. And neither of the “Guitar Hero” games work with the PS3 (the guitar controller isn’t compatible).

* Cell processor. The PS3 should be capable of achieving extraordinary graphics running at high speed. Right now, developers haven’t fully taken advantage of that, but give them time.

However, while most of the games look pretty good, I have had the system lock up quite a few times. Also, the load screens still seem to take substantially longer than the Xbox 360s.

* Media card slots. The PS3’s 60GB version can read information (ie. movies, music, photos, all of which the PS3 can play) on Memory Sticks, SD cards and CompactFlash. That’s just useful.

* Free online play. There’s no subscription cost like Xbox Live’s, but the servers are left to individual game companies to maintain, which means they will be, at best, inconsistent and, at worst, horribly undependable and features-dry.

* PSP compatibility. Hook your PSP to the PS3, and they can talk to each other. In fact, you can download original PlayStation games from the PlayStation Network to your PSP for a cost. There are only a few at the moment, but more will come.

Unfortunately, you can’t play those same games on the PS3 itself, which seems dumb. And you have to download them directly from the network, through the PS3 and onto the PSP, instead of downloading and transferring later. Not a big deal, but irksome.

Also, you can send the PS3 signal to the PSP instead of the TV (as long as it’s not a PS3 game), but really, what’s the point in that? I’d rather have the ability to play a PSP game on the TV.

* Interface. The PS3 uses the same interface the PSP uses. It’s not particularly difficult to figure out, but it also sometimes feels annoyingly overcomplicated. But maybe that’s just me.

* Multiple accounts. Creating an account for each user means you won’t confuse game saves, and each person can use his or her name of choice.

However, in order to switch users in a game, you must back completely out to the PS3 menu, which is annoying. There’s also no way to have both users logged in at the same time, such as when you’re playing a multiplayer game.

Overall, the PS3 has a lot going for it, but it has a few issues. Many of these can be fixed in the future with a patch, so there is hope. There’s also not a lot of software support right now.

The system probably will be worth buying sometime down the road, but for now, hang on to those firstborn children. At least they can do chores.

 Aimee Green reviews video games for the Lincoln Journal Star, a Lee Enterprises newspaper. Contact her at (402) 473-7326 or Aimee.Green@lee.net.

Which games to buy

As if it wasn’t hard enough getting the PlayStation 3 system, I couldn’t get a hold of most of the launch titles. In fact, I was only able to play a mere six.

That’s unfortunate, but on the plus side, most of the launch titles also are available on other systems. So here’s a good general rule: If you have an Xbox 360, get the 360 version of the game (there are achievements, after all). If you have any other system, get the PS3 version. Most of the ported-over launch titles are decent games; they just aren’t anything special in direct relation to the PS3.

However, here are my thoughts on those whopping six I did get to play:

“Resistance: Fall of Man,” by Sony, Rated Mature, $59.99 — This is it. This is THE game to buy for the PS3. It’s a humans-vs.-monsters first-person shooter that looks great and plays really well, with lots of cool weapons. The single-player game is fun, but where “Resistance” really shines is online multiplayer. As many as 40 people — yes, 40, that’s not a typo — can play at one time. Plus, it has a great stat-tracking/leveling up system that will keep you playing for a long time. It’s Sony’s solid answer to “Gears of War.” Score: 10/10

“Ridge Racer 7,” by Namco Bandai, Rated Everyone, $59.99 — This is one of those games that some people will love and some people will hate. It’s racing, but it’s not the arcade racing or the simulation racing most people are used to. It’s drift racing, emphasizing slides through corners. I personally liked it, but it may not be for everyone. Score: 8/10

“Tony Hawk’s Project 8,” by Activision, Rated Teen, $59.99 — The PS3 version is exactly like the Xbox 360 version. I mean, exactly. Graphical differences are minimal, and gameplay is identical, minus online play. Worth buying if you’re a “Tony Hawk” fan and don’t already have it on the other system, as long as you don’t mind staying offline (and I don’t). Score: 7.5/10

“Full Auto 2: Battlelines,” by Sega, Rated Teen, $59.99 — Car combat can be fun, and the “Full Auto” series is kind of a mix between “Burnout” and “Twisted Metal.” Unfortunately, it’s not a terribly great mix. If you’re just dying for vehicular explosions on your PS3, check it out. otherwise, it’s safe to pass. Score: 6.5/10

“Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom,” by Sony, Rated Teen, $59.99 — This one certainly isn’t a must-buy, but it was still kind of fun, as long as you don’t mind pure hack-’n’-slash. It’s an action role-playing game, but
the emphasis is on killing lots of monsters, and it gets old after a while. Graphically, it looks pathetic. Maybe worth a rent. Score: 6/10

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire,” by Namco Bandai, Rated Teen, $59.99 — Oh, how to describe this game. Painful. Excruciating. Sleep-inducing. Yeah, those all work. It’s a mech-suit battle game with lackluster visuals, boring fights and annoying controls. Run away. Run away quickly. Score: 3.5/10

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SCOREBOARD

Sony PlayStation 3

Cost: $499.99 (20GB version), $599.99 (60GB version)

Suggested peripherals: Extra controller ($49.99), PS2/PS One memory card adapter ($14.99), component cable (about $50 to $80) or HDMI cable (about $80 to $120)

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