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NY Times Review of PS3
An anonymous reader noted that the NY Times has done a fairly negative review of the PS3. It would seem that there have been a fair number of these; it's pretty evident at this point that Sony's launch of the PS3 was not exactly well planned out; issues are still rolling in but the real test will be how it does over the holidays and into the next year.
I managed to play the PS3 in a few stores yesterday. Despite all the hype, the expense, and the motion sensing controller, it really felt like nothing more than a souped up PS2. The games I played didn't really feel different than the last-gen stuff, and the motion controller was used more as a gimmick (e.g. NBA Live '07) rather than an integral part of the experience. (Though in its defense, Sony kind of screwed their partners by introducing it so late.)
Basically, if all you want is a PS2 with HDTV graphics and sound, you'll love the PS3. (Assuming you get past the sticker shock.) If you were truly hoping for a new and unique experience, you may have your hopes set a bit too high.
Hopefully, the situation will change as Sony and their partners have more time to work with the hardware, but they're currently lagging out of the gate.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
In SOny's defense (and you have no idea how much that hurts to say) some of the xbox 360 features they discuss were added after the initial release, so Sony could do the same. The background downloading was adde after and the music you were listening would stop playing when a game was started (but could be started again) was fixed very recently.
The HDMI cable complaint is completely relevant. Sony have just spent the last year or more trying to persuade people that "only 1080p is True HD", "The next generation starts when we say it starts" and so on, hyping the fact that the PS3 is all about HD.
Then when you buy one you find that
a) it only comes with the same rubbish composite cable that the PS2 came with
b) Motorstorm and Devil May Cry 4 only run at 720p, in order to keep the framerate up
c) there is no internal scaler, so those of us with 720p TVs that can't take a 1080p signal can't even play the sole launch gem Resistance: Fall Of Man at 720p, and have to resort to standard def.
Added together, that's a pretty damning failure in their HD strategy.
"I Know You Are But What Am I?"
I got a PS3 60Gb at the official NYC launch event at the Sony Style store. Everyone was guaranteed a unit, and we all got one. Things were cival, orderly, and even friendly. I made a couple new friends in line and walked out with my unit at about 2:45 AM!
:-)
My impressions of the unit:
Resistance looks great and plays great. If you don't like 1st person shooters, don't bother, but if you do you will not be disappointed. I found that most of the game demos on the floor didn't show the best aspects of all the games available. Sad, but true-- the actual game was much better than the demo.
The downloadable games are a lot of fun and very reasonably priced at under $10 a pop. The launch titles were much stronger than the PS2 launch titles and certainly on par with the Wii and 360. As with any console, the best games will be 6 to 9 months out-- but this is just the typical next-gen timetable. If you have an HD tv, this is the console to get.
Blu-ray movies look as good as they should. Kudos for that. I consider that a token only because I think it would be hard to screw that up. However, as with DVD, the best experiences are to come. Talladega Nights looked good and sounded great, but I really want the Matrix in Blu-ray to confirm it's superiority to HD-DVD.
So the PS3 lived up to all the hype. Here are some interesting improvements I'm certain we'll see over time. And, thankfully, we can expect regular updates of functionality just like the 360. Honestly I could go on and on about how much I liked the experience and enjoy the games. I also know full well that there is improvement to be made over time, and it WILL be done. Here are some ideas:
1) When buying a game demo, purchasing the full game should be an unlock code and not another download. They are large.
2) You should be able to download content in the background from the store.
3) Motorstorm is an amazing game and it's a shame it wasn't available on launch day. I can't wait to get my hands on that one.
4) More Bluetooth compatibility for keyboards and mice.
5) Drop the price to $399 - $499 and it's a no brainer. $599 was pricy but for me, eh, I'll live with it.
People love to bash the PS3 and praise the Wii online-- it's progressed to an art form now. But, I just don't see it. I know the Wii is nice and all, but if you are looking for an HD experience look no further than PS3. The games really are great, the downloadable content is competent and very fun, and the UI is pretty slick.
"Politicians find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the people."