Playstation 3

[soldier of fortune]

Wayne you betraying prick- you said you were getting a 360!!

 

And are PS3 hardrives internal or external? Folks keep raving about the 20G 360 one vs the 60/80 for PS3, but I just know Microsoft are gonna realease much bigger HDs down the track. I'm a demo/video whore of amazing prowess & I only have to clean up my hd maybe twice since I bought it. The exceedingly limited x/y axis in the controls & web browser are the only concievable leg-ups Sony has on Microsoft in this fight.

 

I could still get a 360!

The PS3 though will definitely be in my arsenal.

 

The hard drives on the PS3 are internal.

 

You talking about the 6-axis controllers, which don't have rumble, apparently they are releasing one with rumble at the upcoming E3 exhibit.

 

20G is enough for most people i'd venture, but its always nice to have bigger storage!

 

The harddrive story is a small part for me, but the fact that the PS3 is wireless straight out of the box, don't need to buy wireless adapters, i can just connect to my router straight away. Thats a massive thing especially considering the set up i'm getting my self in our new house.

 

42" Sharp Aquos Full HD 1080p LCD Screen

Yahama YSP 1100 Sound Projector with seperate Subwoofer.

I'm gonna hook up my MacMini to it as a media centre - use for music, and video etcs

Then i've the choice of the PS3 or 360.

 

But its fair to say, i'ma gonna be waiting a while for the PS3 i'm not getting it at launch, will probably get it later in the year, so if DoJ gets his PS3, i may take his 360 off his hands for a while if he don't mind! lol

[Jables]

Weeaaaaak.

Edited March 7, 2007 by Skeeter

[The NZA]

For those keepin score, the big news on this front is The Home Network - think of the Miis, but way more customizable, and its an online netwrok/hangout of things youve gained/built from achievements a la XBL. Gettin a lotta press, video looks good.

 

Another online funcion theyve been highlighting at a recnet show is Little Big Planet, which looks like a lotta fun in an open-ended, cutesy kind of way - basically, you can make levels out of damn near anything. The link has a video showing it better than anything i could say here, but in any event, Sony looks to be finally taking the online thing seriously.

 

[Jables]

... Fuck me that first video- if folks can dig an online OS running something like the Sims it's gonna fucking bury XBL. Me personally? It's hard to say without actually playing with it- looks a little too comprehensive for my liking. Whole lotta shit you gotta go through just to get from a-b.

[The NZA]

I was thinking that too, does look huge. You really think it could go that big tho? I mean, i clearly underestimate the Sims property, i recall a huge following of even non-gamers on that one, come to think of it. I jsut remember watching that video i linked to and thinking, who's gonna set up the exclusive Hondo's room first? cause it might just be me on there, heh.

[Jables]

I'm giving it the benefit of doubt for the moment, but straight up I'm thinking this- As opposed to just going online & downloading demos, trailers, maybe chatting to a mate or two, I gotta create a physical entity with which to travel through an ethereal mansion of sorts which I'll prolly have to furnish so folks don't think I'm a total flake. Sounds like a bit've a wank, but I'm reserving judgement until I try it out.

[Jables]

Found this on Mywii.com.au in response to Sony's unveiling of the Home system.

[The NZA]

Pretty much the same here with that network...i mean, if youre all about that, you couldve already been on Second Life, here on PC.

 

Its the Little Big Planet one got me more interested.

[The NZA]

so....so it turns out FF XIII will be using the FF XII engine, and im officially sold. Details here, but man the plot itself is already sounding good.

 

Was watching the teaser over at Game Videos, got caught up watching the newer MGS4 one...who the fuck is that younger snake at the ending?!

 

Anyway, somehow came across 1up's top 10 most wanted PS3 games, had some good info on there...MGS4 in october? really? Anyway, Assasin's Creed in fall, Stranglehold in summer, just read The Darkness (which is looking good by the way, for both systems) due out in May...could be a good year.

 

Also, for those with questions on the Home network, Sony put up answers here.

[The NZA]

Even more info on the PS3 home network

 

# Apartments are just the start. They're working on homes, gardens, and "neighbourhoods".

 

# Users will never be in an empty lobby - new lobbys will be spawned, like in an MMO, when the population hits 64, but they'll always be done so that a user is in a busy lobby, not sitting alone and despondant on the steps of the place, sobbing into his hands with despair.

 

# While there's a low limit on the number of people you can have in your apartment (16), they're working on "clan rooms" which fall between a room and the lobby, and can accomodate larger groups of people.

 

# The Sixaxis can be used for gesture controls. Phil gives a cute little wave as an example - wave the Sixaxis and your avatar will wave.

 

# Harrison says they'd like to explore having 3rd-party publishers use your Home avatar in games.

 

# The 3D space Home is built on is being worked on in London, but draws on tech coming out of San Diego and Tokyo, making it a worldwide collabo.

 

# Home was originally conveived as a graphical lobby system for the PS2's online component, but when they thought it was too awesome for that, they decided to save it for the PS3.

 

also, im liking what im seeing on the buddy action game, Army of Two - its coming to 360 too, check it out.

[bishopcruz]

We'll see how well Home works, it's not like Second Life is an ACTUAL phenominon, it gets a ton more press than it really deserves considering its actual subscriber base. Linden Labs is king at spinning their success. Still it is nice to see Sony at least taking online seriously. LBP, who knows, there is a ton of hype for what is essentially a platformer maker, it does sound interesting though.

[The NZA]

did you see it in motion? its beautiful, just looks like a lot of fun.

 

The Home Network thing, again not a system-seller but combining the miis and achievements into some sims-like model, im saying its going to do well, if done right, especially for a free network. Granted, it shoudlve been ready by release (or at least more software) but its the kind of thing that could really turn around the year 1 bad press.

[The NZA]

well, it looks like there's new gameplay movies of Lair, which looks fun but ill have to wait & see on that one. Capcom says both systems are getting HD versions of Puzzle Fighter and SFII Turbo which is cool, but for me, the big news is a possibly new (online?) PaRappa game, followed by Loco Rocco news. All i need now is a Viz Ribbon sequel to finally play that game, and between this and Beautiful Katamari, its feeling like a sony system again.

[bishopcruz]

I thought Katamari was announced for 360 as well. But yeah the SF2 in HD makes me hard. Holy shit that is going to rock, of course I'll have the 360 one, heh. Capcom is definitely spreading the love around this gen though. Lair looks like it could be cool, gonna have to wait and see on that one.

[Losifer]

On the note of ST in 1080p. Take a look at the slideshow. This thing is making me shit my pants.

 

Man, i cant wait for this thing!!!

[The NZA]

Oh, were all getting Katamari-love across the board, god knows the Wii one might actually be the most fun if done right. Im just posting thoughts on the PS3 here in this thread, not like im just gonig to talk exclusives or anything.

 

But you gotta admit, no matter who gets what, by the time PS3 gets Katamari, PaRappa, GT, DMC, FF, MGS etc its kicking into full gear as an actual playstation, not a blu-ray player that everyone's waiting on to do more. Im just hyped about getting to that point, this thing's got so much potential.

[Jables]

With Every single console geting it's own incarnation of the Godfather game, and despite being especially impressed with my 360 version, less so with the Wii, PS3's take looks to utilise not only the awesomeness of hit-squads and shit like the 360 and the physical movement of the six-axis controls like the Wii.

[The NZA]

Ill not lie: i havent had any hands-on with the sixaxis yet. Im gonna not buy a 2nd controller till they get rumble back as well, ive grown accustomed to that feature.

 

Also, i played all of 10 minutes of godfather. Any good?

Also, bish, was gonna ask when i talk to you: planning on getting the PS3 either this month or may, you know when the new prodcution of software-emulation bullshit ones starts coming out? I wanna make sure mine's not one of em.

[bishopcruz]

Heard Godfather was ok, but haven't played it. No word on the emulation stuff, but its probably safe to assume that the current models still have the emotion engine in them. And the Sixaxis is a POS, that is all.

[The NZA]

Really? Youve played it? hows it work? and im releived about the emotion engine, cause i know you & others think the price drop is coming soon, and dropping the 20 gig model/shiping units made over $50 less (i read the smaller chips and emulation are doing just that) tells me you might be right, it might not be far off, but if ima spend on this thing, i dont want it choppy.

[Jables]

Godfather's the fucking goods. I think the thing that sets it apart from GTA and all it's clones is racketeering. If GTA IV doesn't give you the ability to take over entire neighborhoods in this fashion it shall be left severly wanting.

[The NZA]

 

Playstation 3: the first 24 (or so) hours reveiw

 

Newt, Sen & Bish came with, to the same Toys R' Us that i early adopted the PS2 back in 2001 or so, so it only felt right. Yeah, they got em in stock...good luck with Wiis tho, eh?

 

Out of the box: Its 11 lbs. The Foreman grill jokes are old, but not off base, anyway. Its beautiful! But its also a fingerprint/lint magnet. I already have a towel, named dusty, nearby for the sole purpose of its regular cleanings. After setting up where it'd go (manual says keep it at least 4" away from walls and such so it can properly vent, and try to keep away from TV), its time to set it up.

 

Fortunately, i had the foresight to pick up @ $8 HDMI calbes from ebay beforehand, lest i be stuck with the packaged composites (ugh). Controller's crazy light without rumble, and the USB cord to charge it is indeed short...i dont see this as a huge issue, you charge it every other night or so as needed, tho if you dont and youre outta juice, youll be sitting rather close. Still, ion or whatever battery is long-lasting, a full day's gaming yesterday left more than half a charge. On a related side-note, it occurred to me recently the wii-mote battery lasts significatnly longer when there's not much noise being made from it, depending on what game you play (read: Zelda will eat your controller).

 

Its wifi, but bish is right, that's no way to game, much less firmware update. So i put it on hold the first night, as the 10' ethernet cable's also too short. Ironically, bish doesnt use his 360 ethernet so there you go. You think you plan for everything...

 

Day 2:

Ok, so the firmware out of the box sucks. Entering my registration info on bascially a cellphone keypad is weak! Fortunatley, recent update gives you the standard QWERTY keyboard, so all's well. As for the OS itself: if youve ever seen the cross-media bar for the PSP, youve seen this, just imagine it much sharper and the background color varies by time of day/system's mood.

 

Software: All ive got is Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and its gorgeous. You can see Cap practically sweat, in CG's anyway, and in-game lighting/effects are gorgeous. I havent seen it on HD via 360 but everyone should know at this point, the differences in our ports are largely minute.

 

thusly, its off to the Playstation Store.

 

PSNetwork: Its early on, so its setup like a webpage. PA isnt far off, tho the addition of background downloading is clearly beautiful. It should be noted that bish and others dont see anything big here, but us Sony kids, we're used to paying for demos via Jampack and PS Underground, so getting things for free is not only aweosme, its essential to swing me to buy your title at $60.

 

That said, its a good time for me, for several reasons:

1) Ninja Gaiden Sigma demo just went up; its 1 gig, whole first level, and bish fell in love. I wasnt even considering it really before, but i might havta get this one now when it drops.

2) Gran Turismo HD is free here, i didnt really know that. That's awesome. Its gorgeous, even if car games do nothing for me.

3) Some great demos comin, from Heavenly Sword to this fall's LittleBigPlanet, Home and FF XIII hoepfully.

 

Once i stopped bittorrenting, the downloads are fairly fast. Newt & some complained that large demos needed to be downloaded, then installed (im guessing compression here) but its not a big deal. I got every demo last night except for NBA something and F1, prolly get them later cause, fuck, ive 40 gigs or so left, why not?

Reistance is hard, Def Jam Icon looks great but it seems a bit of a letdown, i need time with the others, but i gotta admit, Rub-a-dub was surprisinly fun for a sixaxis demo.

 

I picked up Tekken: Dark Ressurection (5 with HD, more characters, its the arcade port with no story mode...wish i had a 2nd controller, but im cheap & holding out for rumble soon), Mortal Kombat II and Q-Bert. It must be said that, even tho its early, this isnt on par with what ive seen of XBL's arcade (TMNT, Castlevania, Double Dragon etc) tho its looking bright, with us both getting SF II/Puzzle Fighter, rumors of Castlevania later etc. Best yet, scoreboards are up, and the prices stike me as more fair than my Virtual Console (games are often $5-7 or so, including the epic Gauntlet II, tho Tekken was fair for $20 i thought). Again, i might pick up more of these later, we'll see about flOw, blastfactor etc. The new ability to get $5 PS1 titles is very exciting, tho i dont know if im yet intersted, the best ones up are Tekken 2, Medevil and Syphon Filter.

 

Possible demonic presense: this thing's a monster. It runs somewhere around 330 watts, and apparently having that, my PC, monitor, speakers, TV, PS2, wii, SNES, NES, Dreamcast, several lights etc (heh, i know) plus this knocked out my circuit breaker twice before we had the sense to move some appliances/plugs around.

Also, the ps3 later somehow knocked over jax's famous Hondo's poster (have i posted that? i need to if not) and that somehow knocked a light out, giving the PS3 the darkness it so desires. I'm uneasy, but not as much as my other, more vulnerable consoles.

 

Anyway, controller's the same setup its been since the SNES, just wireless which is cool, cause its bluetooth and not that old shitty infrared we had in the day. The system warms up, no doubt, right by the one big fan/vent onna right but its not as bad as ive heard (yet), its amazingly quiet, and has far more ports than i know yet what to do with. I'm debating backing it all up via USB or something to my ipod at some point, formatting & installing linux in a seperate allocation, but i dont know what do do with linux yet so it can wait. I read its opening doors to all kindsa cool homebrew possibiiliites, like say MAME (arcade emulator) which id love to see.

 

Right now, im folding with Team Kotaku whilst at work. I gotta say, im still crazy happy & excited, im sure bish & other impressions mgiht follow. Its still to early to say im seeing nearly what i think its capable of, but even what's on the PSNetwork and such are cool, and im really happy i made the jump, especailly splitting it with roomates that'll help as well.

 

Bottom Line: Should you get a PS3 if youre thinking about it? Yes, fuck the internet hate. Tho unless youre all into it and dont yet have a next-gen system like the 360, id say wait. We're getting what could be some AAA titles in september, possibly the return of rumble (if youre really concerned...me, do wish this had been sorted before the release) and a very possible, undetermined price-slash, tho i wouldnt expect more than $100 myself. I honeslty think Sony'll do great this holiday if all that comes about, and i dont see a reason why not. A $500 PS3 with games like Lair, Heavenly Sword, Assasin's Creed, GTA IV etc (not to mention the promising Home network, tons of demos and solid online games) would really be a great idea, and were gonna see if backwards compatibility is that much an issue down the road, as the recent firmware updates have been really useful. Something to think about.

[Jables]

I see your gamertag there, you kids don't have achievements yet though, do you? Pretty solid & informative review though, thanks.

[The NZA]

oh, much like the wii-tag, its outsourced to a site that did it for me, not sure if sony's gonna jump the bandwagon or not but i woudlnt put it past em. no achievements, i think theyre shooting for trophies/items/wallpaper from games in Home network later this year, not sure how that's gonna work for games that're out before it debuts tho, nor do i know specifics, like if theyre called "accomplishments" or what.

[Reverend Jax]

Q-bert was off the hook on the PS3's graphics engige.