incoherence.net

Here’s the previous post if you missed Part I.

As I write and edit this post, the memories of a great Thanksgiving feast has been swiftly superseded by the traditional binge shopping event known as happy, happy Black Friday. The internets have been clogged, innocents have been tragically implicated, and civilization takes another step closer to the capitalistic anarchy idolized by desperate retailers.

Not to say that I’m above the shopping frenzy, of course; I just prefer to wrestle for the overhyped (cyber?) door-buster deals in the comfort of my room. Having hedged my shopping funds on my persistance of hitting the F5 key instead of, say, my endurance against the lack of sleep in the frigid morning airs, I was able to nab me a cheapish HP 1000 Mini netbook within two hours of multi-tab, multi-browser clicking.

Incidentally, the live.com search deal that made the price possible still works for eBay, who’s currently featuring a 30% cashback offer.

Anyway, back to that console guide…

Playstation 3

The PS3 is Sony’s giant black monolith of a multimedia monster, capable of crippling young children with its tank-like casing and ominous presence; its grill-like appearance betrays its operating temperatures and ability to, in fact, grill food. Some points:

• The PS3 uses Sony’s own Cell architecture, which includes seven specialized processors; this unconventional system was difficult for game developers, which made (and continues to make) the PS3 the hardest console to develop on. This was especially evident in the early days of the system, when many companies produced inferior ports or scrapped their games for the system altogether.
• As a result, the PS3 has a smaller game library, although it still shares most of its titles with the Xbox 360.
• PlayStation Network (PSN) is Sony’s online service. It has a section for games (like Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade) and another for movies (like Microsoft’s Marketplace).
• PSN games are typically in the $5-$20 range. Sony has also been experimenting with putting disk-based games (or games with similar production values) on the network, sold for the same price as the in-store copies.
• The PS3 plays Bluray disks; it remains one of the best Bluray players because of its capability with the latest Bluray specs ⁽¹⁾.
• Sony has continuously pushed firmware updates to the system, usually to add features already present in the competition (e.g., in-game soundtracks, a local news application).
• In addition to playing video from the PSN store, the PS3 can play from a DLNA certified device (most likely, Windows Media Player 11), or stream video from some online video sites, most notably Hulu.
• Online play not standardized, but free. As a result, the online community is fragmented by game, closer to the structure in PC gaming. Sony’s effort at creating a virtual world – Home – is supposed to release by the end of the year.
• The PS3 uses Bluetooth for wireless communication. Your Bluetooth headset can pair with the console, but normal remotes (which use infrared) won’t recognize the system ⁽²⁾.
• For the technically savvy, the PS3 uses an upgradeable laptop hard drive, which can be partitioned for a Linux install.
• There are two types of wireless controllers for the PS3: the lighter, non-rumbling SIXAXIS, and the heavier, later DualShock 3. They both charge via standard USB.
• The PS3 is able to integrate with Sony’s portable system, the PSP, via a small number of games which can be played on the portable as well as remote access and media streaming to the handheld.
• Sony has been confusingly rotating models of the PS3 sold, with later ones boasting bigger hard drives but reduced USB ports or missing memory card readers. The current batch includes a $399 80GB model and a $499 160 model w/ bundled game; note that all PS3′s can play PS1 games, but neither current model can play PS2 titles.

Whew, that’s a lot of detailed explanation. The PS3 is a complex machine; it tries to be a media center, a gaming console, a Bluray player, an online store, a web hub, and even a covert protein folder. The functionality doesn’t come cheap though – it has priced itself as a premium console for audio/video enthusiasts, and has been at times lackluster on actual games.

Get the PS3 if you:

1. Want to show off your HDTV and rockin’ speakers
2. Like to tinker with your hardware
3. Care not for the price tag nor the sometimes unused hardware features you purchased

1. The Bluray specifications have not been finalized, and higher-end Bluray players – as well as the PS3 – keep themselves up to date with firmware upgrades via the internet (↩)
2. There are devices which can convert an IR signal into bluetooth for this very limitation (↩)