PlayStation 3 80GB Decide Now

Saturday, September 19, 2009 by Migo | Posted in , , , , ,


The PS3 is in the middle of its third year on the market. It had a rocky launch and has suffered from various forms of bad press since. It was expensive, the initial slate of games was uninspiring, and people just didn't seem to want them.

I bought mine (a 60gb launch model) in mid-2007, for $the original launch price. About a month thereafter, Sony dropped the price by. D'oh! Then, Sony discontinued the 60 and 20gb models and put out a slate of various new ones - 80gb, 120gb, with PS2 compatibility, without, etc. etc. Eventually, the price went down to (see above) for the base model, and more for bigger hard drives and bundled games.

Here's the thing - they're all worth the price. I'm glad I got mine, even at the original price. Anyone who gets one today at the current price will be getting a great value for their money. If Sony drops the price again this year, the value will get even sweeter.

So what am I talking about? Well, here's a portrait of the use my PS3 gets in an average week:

I play games - lately, I've been playing Fallout 3, Singstar, MLB'09: The Show, and a downloadable game called Wipeout HD. People who say the PS3 is lacking for games are smoking some wacky-tobackey. PS3 gets the same multiplatform games that the Xbox 360 has, and each system has its own exclusive titles. (3 of the above games listed are PS3 exlusives.) In addition, PS3 has an integrated game store called Playstation Network, which allows you to buy downloadable games, retro games from the PS1, look at free previews and game demos, and play online games - for free. To put it briefly, PS3 is a great game system.

I watch movies - every PS3 model, regardless of price point, plays Blu-Ray movies. In case you don't know, Blu-Ray is the high definition disc format that succeeds DVD. Blu-Ray movies are sold on Amazon just like DVD movies, and they look better, sound better, and have more extras. PS3 plays DVd movies just fine, too - it is backward compatible. Netflix rents Blu-Ray movies through the mail, as well. The Playstation Network has a video download service also - you can purchase or rent movies and TV shows and download them onto your PS3 hard drive to watch any time.

I watch TV - something not everyone knows is that PS3 is a capable "media center." Personally, I think watching TV or movies on a computer screen is lame. I've got a 50" 1080p HDTV - I want to watch my content on it! Well, with a little research and elbow grease, you can use the PS3 to stream Netflix, Hulu, and more. I use a 3rd party program called PlayOn - it streams all of this content from my PC to the PS3, so that it can play on my good TV. Is it the best solution? No, Sony ought to offer its own first party solution for this. But as of right now, buying a cheap piece of software and using it to stream everything works great.

I listen to music - it is an easy matter to sync up your PS3 with your music library on a PC. PS3 has built into it a media player that plays music with a video screensaver. I can browse all the folders of my iTunes library and make playlists. If I'm feeling especially adventuresome, I can turn on my PS3 with my PSP handheld system and use it as a remote, without even turning on my TV.

That's an average week in the life of my PS3. Essentially, the PS3 is the entertainment hub of my house, especially when it comes to video. For all of this capability, the price wasn't bad at all. Amazon is currently offering deals with free controllers and the like, making the value even better.

I won't spend a lot of time taking about the Xbox 360 or the Wii. But I will say this - to get the Xbox 360 up to the same capability as a PS3 out of the box, you have to spend money on a wireless internet antenna (PS3 has it built in), a yearly fee on Xbox Live (PS3 lets you play online games for free), and if you want to upgrade your hard drive, pay Microsoft's outrageous proprietary prices (PS3 lets you use any laptop hard drive - I added 320gb to mine for very cheap). The 360 will not play high definition discs (it used to have an HD-DVD add-on drive, but Blu-Ray won the "format war" between them). The Wii, on the other hand, does not output high definition signals at all, so it really isn't as comparable as the 360 to the PS3. The 360 is a fine system. It has good games. Microsoft sells 360 systems for less than the PS3 - but these systems have no hard drive, no wireless, they basically cost the same to get them to the same level of performance and versatility.

So the PS3 has a lot going for it. Here's how I would summarize the PS3's strengths.

Versatility: As described above, the PS3 will play about anything you can throw at it, and it will stream video and audio from your PC, too. It has a great games library and robust online abilities.

Customizable: it is an easy matter to upgrade your hard drive storage space, using off the shelf components at the bets prices you can find them at. Many third party programs (like PlayOn) exist that extend the PS3's capabilities further.

High performance: the PS3 outputs 1080p video by HDMI cable. Its Blu-Ray performance is still among the best on the market, despite being 2.5 years old. Its games are every bit as good looking and good playing as the 360's games, and are much better than the Wii's, generally speaking.

The US is slowly but surely moving to high definition as the standard. Perfectly decent 1080p HDTV's are now available for quite reasonable prices. There really isn't a better time than now to jump on board and get the perfect companion for your HDTV, a PS3. I've not regretted my purchase, even at the original launch price, one time in the past 2 years.

If you like video games, PS3 is a great buy. If you like movies, PS3 can''t be beat. If you want to live in a more "digital home," PS3 is a robust solution for streaming audio and video from your PC. About the only reasons I can see for not getting one are if you hate games, dislike movies, or don't have an HDTV.

Some suggestions:

-Check out the PS3 Blu-Ray remote. It's a fine remote that uses Bluetooth, and is cheap on Amazon.

-Check out PlayOn for media streaming. You can try it for 2 weeks for free to see if you like it. I recommend using a wired network for streaming, wireless seems to drop out a lot more.

-You need to buy an HDMI cable to get the best video from the PS3 to your TV. Don't spend "Monster" prices though! A less expensive cable gets the signal to your TV just like a more expensive one. Digital cables are all or nothing.

-Subscribe to Netflix! Even if you don't use the video streaming, this is a great way to try out lots of Blu-Ray movies. If you like nature, check out "Planet Earth." If you like action, "The Dark Knight" is amazing in HD.

-Some great games are available extremely cheap on Amazon or on the PSN. If you like fantasy RPGs, try "Oblivion Game of the Year Edition." If you enjoy car racing, try "Burnout Paradise." Futuristic racing? Download "Wipeout HD." If you want hardcore first person shooting action, give "Unreal Tournament 3" a whirl. If you like classic style space shooters, download "Super Stardust HD." Most of these games can be had for much less than their original price - and these are serious "next gen" games with great graphics, online multiplayer, etc. You could get all of the above for less than $100!

-Some of the better more expensive games include "Fallout 3" (wait for the Game of the Year Edition with extra content coming out this year), "Resident Evil 5," "Bioshock," "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune," and "InFamous." If you like singing AT ALL, get the PS3 edition of "Singstar" (bundled with microphones) and the PSEye USB camera (Trust me on this one!).

Enjoy!

*******************UPDATE********************
Remember, this review is from someone who LOVES the PS3 - my 60gb launch unit has died, suffering the "Yellow Light Of Death" error, after about 2.5 years of service.

I take great care of my electronics. I never ran my PS3 for days on end as some people seem to. I dust and vacuum frequently. My PS3 sits vertically, not in a tight cabinet, and gets plenty of air. Apparently, early 20 and 60gb units were poorly constructed, using substandard thermal compounds between the motherboard and the heatsinks. This bad compound degrades over time, and then the motherboard components overheat.

Even though this fault is a manufacturing issue and is no fault of the user, Sony will not replace a defective system such as this out of warranty without charging you a rather large additional fee, plus local tax.

So, Caveat Emptor. The PS3 is an amazing machine and is great fun to use - until it refuses to work ever again. Apparently, the only way I would get free service is if I had abused my console to the point that it broke within 1 year instead of 2.5. Sony does not stand behind their products and will not fix their own mistakes. "Thanks for your cash," they might as well say, "but #$%& you for asking."

Newer units may be more reliable. They may not. I have no way of knowing. But it might not be a bad idea to get an extended warranty. You may want to get the new Slim model if heating and fan noise are concerns. Lord know I wish I had one.
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