Since many of us already have a PlayStation 3, this news is great! Especially for me who has been holding out to buy a Netflix streaming system till Christmas.

Now Netflix users can stream High Definition and Blu-Ray movies with the internet connected PlayStation 3 gaming console we already have plus and this free disc. Simply log into your Netflix account and request your disc. Even the most basic unlimited Netflix plans (less than $10) include this streaming feature!

This deal is also fantastic for those of you who are looking for Christmas gifts for a college student, a movie buff or stay at home mom; a PlayStation 3 with a Netflix gift membership is a gift that is sure to please.

- Desiree

Be sure to check out Become.com to compare prices on the brand new Sony PlayStation 3 system to make an affordable gift.

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Blu-ray Player

These days there are a lot of features that televisions have, and some of them can be confusing to consumers.  One of the terms that is most common is 1080p.  What does 1080p mean?  It means a type of video format capable of recording or displaying 1,080 verticle pixels on a screen.  This represents a widely used standard for Hi Definition Television, so most of the newer HDTVs have 1080p.  If you own or are considering buying a Blu-Ray Player, and you want to take full advantage of the sharper images available, consider getting a 1080p LCD TV.  Both the Xbox 360 Console and the Playstation 3 can create 1080p images as well.

Toshiba 1080p TV

One good example of a 1080p Television is the Toshiba 1080p 52 in Tv, which is large enough for a big group of people, and has an Auto View feature to automatically optimize your picture settings for maximum quality.  The key to picking TV size with HDTVs, however is that to really enjoy those crystal clear images in all their glory, you need to be far enough back from the TV to easily take in the entire screen at once.  A good rule of thumb is to get a 1080p TV with a diagonal width that is a third of the distance between your couch and your TV stand, so for example if there is 12 feet between your couch and your media center, then the best TV for you is a 48 in TV.  For a complete guide to 1080p, check out Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1080p

Become.com gives you a clear image of low prices!

Will

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Xbox 360

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned Official Strategy Guide

Although I play mine on an Xbox 360, the game is also available for the Playstation 3 and even on your desktop PC.  What is exciting to me is that on the Xbox 360 they are releasing a new expansion pack for the game called The Lost and the Damned.   There’s no disk to buy for this, you simply order it online (exclusively) through your Xbox 360.  Now you don’t have to drive out to a store to buy it or worry if the local gaming franchise might run out of copies, you can download this game from the comfort of your living room.  This could be the future of games, and it reminds me of fairly similar way to buy things… Become!

Will

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It’s a crazy week here at Become, with lots of new things coming to the main site in the next few weeks. However, with all of this excitement it’s becoming harder and harder to get time to work out a real article on Pocketchange. Fear not loyal readers, we’ll be doing what we can.

Well, this week marks a very important day in the life of those people who’ve spent far too much money on their Playstation 3’s. This is the week that Heavenly Sword comes out. Sure, it may be “Goddess of War,” but do you remember how cool God of War 2 was? If it comes even to 50% of the awesome that is God of War it will be well worth the playtime.

So grats to the PS3 owners, you now own at least one (maybe 2) quality game. Go bake yourself a cake, pretty soon Sony won’t even have to edit the competition’s Wikipedia articles.

Also: kittens

Kris

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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.

Kris

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The Challengers:

Sony’s PlayStation 3

Pro: An absolute powerhouse of technology. This wins the graphics and capability battle hands down. Neither of the other next-gen systems come close in terms of sheer power, and the addition of a built in blu-ray player is really nice. Also, the free Internet play and tons of downloadable content really pushes the bar into PS3’s favor

Con: Like all power, this system comes at a cost and a hefty one at that. Models with 60 gigs of storage are retailing at near $600, while the 20 gig model is selling just near $400. This alone has caused many (myself included) to wait for a large price drop before picking up a PS3. Also, the game selection which has been released with the PS3 has been getting extremely disappointing reviews for a system that claims so much.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360

Pro: This is the next-gen unit that’s been sitting around waiting for someone to compete with for nearly a year. It isn’t quite a powerful as the PS3, but it can still produce some stunning graphics. Of course, the fact that it has been on the market for over a year gives it a very big boost in the “fun out of the box” factor. If you pick up an Xbox 360 today there is a very good chance that you’ll be able to find at least five games which will keep you interested.

Con: Internet play is limited by the fact that you have to pay for it. They are the only company of the three that charges a monthly fee in order to play online. This is unfortunate as games become more and more about playing with friends over the Internet. Like the PS3, there is nothing innovative or new about the the Xbox 360. It is really just a new and shinier version of the original Xbox.

The Nintendo Wii

Pro: The only system this year that really shakes things up. The Nintendo Wii is the game system that makes everyone rethink how they play video games, or at least that’s what Nintendo wants us to believe. The control style (utilizing motion sensing and accurate remote-style pointing) is like nothing we have seen before, and opens up doors for a new level of immersion that isn’t possible in classic gaming. If Nintendo wins this fight, the gaming world as we know it may change forever. It is also the cheapest of the 3 units, coming in at only $260.

Con: The system is significantly less powerful than its opponents. The raw power of the PS3 absolutely dwarfs the Wii. There have also been reports of wrist bands breaking and wii-motes (the Wii’s controller) smashing through windows and TV sets. While the Internet play is free, the current game selection doesn’t offer much in the way of online features.

Breakdown

The only system that I have extensive hands on experience with is the Wii. So I admit, I am biased towards Nintendo. However, I have had a chance to play both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 in the past month so I can speak a bit to their power and capability. Both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 provide some impressive visuals, and I really enjoyed seeing every detail present on the screen. Seeing these games in near perfect clarity was quite an experience. However, I still believe that it isn’t impressive graphics that will move this industry further. The Wii’s innovative controls and focus on game play over graphics will give them the leverage needed to bring more people into gaming, and actually grow the market rather than appeal to those who are already hooked. I have spent the past 2 weeks playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and I can say that I am amazed at how much more I’m enjoying the experience than former traditional systems.

So for me, the winner is…Nintendo’s Wii.

Kris Belau
Product Specialist

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