The Playstation 3 is a system that just can’t seem to live up to its potential. Anyone who has gone to a local video game retailer has seen the stacks of PS3s that just can’t seem to find homes. The primary reason for this is the price. When placed up against its rivals, the PS3 is priced like a Lexus among Toyotas. While the Wii has suffered from this problem as well, the PS3’s lack of quality titles just does not justify its price tag. So, there remains a lonely stack of heavy expensive equipment sitting in store windows begging for release.
There is a light at the end of this tunnel though, and the PS3 is about to finally make a splash. In the past few months, rumors of games that will make your face melt off have been surfacing. Games like Little Big Planet, Sony Home, Final Fantasy XIII, Lair, Heavenly Sword, and many more have been producing more and more interest. Finally the PS3 has some games that make people almost want to drop $600 on the system. It was this (and of course the desire to be able to review more game for you) that finally made me drop down my cash for the monstrous black box.
Of course, these games aren’t out yet. So this review will be very heavily based on the system itself. I was very interested to know what my $600 bought me. I had assumed that a system focused on HD video, and high quality graphics would include the needed component cables. I had also assumed that the system which bragged about its backwards compatibility would be able to use PS2 memory cards to avoid losing all of the save data from my PS2 days. When I cracked open the box I realized very quickly that I was mistaken. The system comes with the standard RCA cables, and there is no way to plug in your PS2 memory card or old controllers. If you want to use the data from your PS2, you must buy an extra adapter in order to get the data off the old card. Even more importantly, you cannot use PS2 controllers without a special adapter. While most games will work with the SIXAXIS controller, Guitar Hero 1 and 2 will not. Being a serious fan of the series, I was very disappointed. In the end everything worked, and the problems could be resolved, but backwards compatibility shouldn’t force you to buy even more equipment.
It wasn’t all bad news, and after plugging the system into my TV, I realized why Sony has been hyping this thing as much as they have. It is one powerful piece of equipment. As is well known to any of my readers, the first system that I purchased this generation is the Nintendo Wii. I have spent some time with and old roommate’s Xbox 360, but the Wii is where most of my experience lies. The Wii is a fantastic system, but its features pale in comparison to what the Playstation can do. Videos, Music, Blu-Ray, and a fantastic online offering makes the Playstation 3 very tempting. The Wii’s channel system has always been a favorite of mine in the User Interface category, but the PS3’s menu system comes very close in terms of usability and feel.
Things have only gotten better. Two days ago Sony released their newest content update. This update included something I never hoped to get: DVD upscaling. In their newest Patch you can now upscale your old PS/PS2/DVDs to 1080p. There is a certain amount of glory in witnessing Final Fantasy 7 and Shadow of the Colossus upscaled to 1080p that cannot be described in words.
The fact is even with all the bad press that the Playstation 3 has gotten, it is very hard to not feel satisfied with your purchase. The system is expensive, and it will probably take a few years before it comes down to a price that makes it accessible to the average consumer. If you get lucky and have $600 lying around, consider picking one up. You will not be disappointed. Once the games catch up with the system, it will be pure bliss.
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