Customer Reviews

PlayStation 3 160GB System

5 star:		(355)
4 star:		(83)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(43)

 

 

The PS3 is a great system. Easy to use, futuristic on-screen interface, quality sleek hardware, awesome graphics, lots of benefits. But should you get a PS3 or Xbox 360? And what about the Wii?

Note: I own all three devices, and I appreciate all of them. I don't have any bias to one system or the other, just my personal experience and opinion...

PS3============================================
What I like MOST about the PS3:
1) Future proof Blu-ray player (Sony updates the player over the Internet for free; it now supports 3D movies/TVs)
2) Clean, more futuristic on-screen interface (feels more mature then Xbox 360)
3) Better/Smoother/Faster graphics (in the 10+ games I own on a 60" 1080p HDTV)
4) Free online multiplayer gaming (no monthly/yearly fees like Xbox 360; which I hate about Xbox)
5) Watch your online netflix shows on PS3 for free (Xbox requires Xbox live account to use your netflix account; another thing I hate about Xbox)
6) Exterior: More futuristic, luxurious, mature "look". Looks more like a sleek Home Theater appliance. (Xbox 360 more oriented to youthful crowd; Xbox looks more like an 'entertainment' device)
7) Lighter, slimmer, smaller controller. Built-in longer lasting rechargeable battery. (the Xbox controller does not come with a standard rechargeable battery, and it feels heavier and more bloated then the PS3 controller).
8) Built-in wireless connectivity. (an option on the Xbox)
9) Built-in optical/toslink connectivity for home theatre audio connection. (an option on the Xbox)
10) I can use my (or any) wireless blue-tooth cell phone headset for voice/chat enabled games. (The Xbox cannot)

What I like LEAST about the PS3:
1) My first PS3 (the 'fat' one) had a disc drive failure after 13 months of ownership; 1 month beyond its warranty. The PS3 still works, I just cant use discs. That means I cant watch blu-ray discs on it and I cant play disc based games on it. I can still play games through the PlayStation store (demos, etc), I still can watch netflix on it, and I still can watch movies from my PCs over the network on it. The fact that my PS3 disc drive died after about 1 year of limited delicate usage really concerns me about the quality of the hardware and customer support/treatment. I paid over $400 for my first PS3, and I used it maybe twice a week. After searching the web about my problem, I found this was a rampant problem with the fat PS3. Did they fix this problem with the slim PS3? Time will tell; I sure hope so. I just wish Sony would have fixed my problem for free (as I feel it was shoddy hardware or poor engineering that resulted in this problem, not me).
2) Games (new and used) are generally more expensive then the Xbox 360.
3) I liked the glossy look of the first generation PS3. The new PS3 slim looks a little flimsier/cheaper. It is smaller though, and that's a plus.
4) The rechargeable battery in the PS3 controller is not swappable. That means if your controller dies mid-game, you have to plug it in to use it. (The Xbox controller has swappable batteries)
5) When I download a game (full or demo), I can't play it immediately. After the download (which could take over an hour), I have to install the game (which could take another 10-30+ minutes), at which time my PS3 is unusable until it completes. The Xbox downloads in the background and plays immediately without having to install the game. Also, if I turn off the PS3, the download stops (the Xbox finishes the download even when turned off).

Xbox 360============================================
What I like MOST about the Xbox 360:
1) More people have it. In other words, all my friends, family and coworkers have Xbox 360s. Which also means if I want to play online with them, I have to use my Xbox, which is also a con for me. (I'd rather use my PS3 because of the better graphics and lighter/smaller controller).
2) I can download games, updates and demos in the background, even with the Xbox turned off. So I can start a download and go to bed without leaving the box on all night. (The PS3 cant do this)
3) When I download a game (full or demo), I can play it immediately. On the PS3, you have to download it (which could take over an hour), then install it (which could take another 10-30+ minutes), at which time your PS3 is unusable until it completes.
4) My late generation Xbox elite has lasted longer then my first generation PS3 (surprisingly)
5) It doubles as a Media Center extender. I have a PC that records shows for me in Media Center (like a Tivo but no monthly fees). I can access these shows and watch live TV over the network via my Xbox. This is a VERY cool and under-talked about feature. And most people with a Windows PC can do this; look it up.
6) The console and games (new and used) are cheaper then the PS3.

What I like LEAST about the Xbox 360:
1) Still no blu-ray player. This is a major con compared to the PS3. It WILL play regular DVDs, however.
2) In my experience, graphics are a little lower quality then my PS3. In Grand Theft Auto IV, I can see farther and more objects at a time on my PS3. The PS3 has a faster frame rate, where the Xbox feels almost blurry. The colors are more crisp on the PS3, the Xbox is more washed out, like water colors. Some may not even notice this, I do.
3) No built-in wireless connectivity. You have to buy a very expensive adapter to have wireless connectivity.
4) No built-in optical/toslink connectivity for home theatre audio connection. You have to buy an adapter to do this.
5) No rechargeable battery. You have to buy a rechargeable battery and kit to do this.
6) Not a major deal, but the on-screen interface is more kid-feeling then the PS3. I'm an adult and the PS3 feels more like its targeted to adults then children/teenagers.
7) YOU HAVE TO PAY TO PLAY ONLINE. I don't understand this. It's ridiculous to me. It's way overpriced. I can't play online with my friends unless I buy a monthly or yearly Xbox live pass. I hate this about the Xbox. I HATE THIS. I already gave them hundreds of dollars in the console, games and accessories; stop asking me to pay to play. As you can see, this is a major con to me. I also cant watch my Netflix account without paying for an Xbox live account. Boo!
8) The Xbox has a pretty bad reliability record. I believe they have eliminated most of the issues that plagued the earlier consoles, however. My neighbor has replaced his Xbox 4 times; FOUR TIMES! I have not. He plays his every day all day though; I play once or twice a week for less then an hour.

Wii============================================
I bought the Wii after playing it at a friends house. I was blown away by the idea and experience of motion based controllers. We played golf, boxing, tennis, ping pong; it was an amazing experience - for the first time.
After I had the Wii, I quickly lost interest.
Here's why:
1) Horrible graphics. I paid a lot of money to have a 60" High Definition full 1080p home theatre. The Wii graphics look like absolute kiddy crap on my TV. The Wii has no high def. Its like playing a first generation Nintendo NES on a HDTV. Its horrible, and for this 1 reason I can no longer enjoy my Wii. Nintendo is way behind the modern day high end graphics of today.
2) The motion controller novelty has worn off. Its fun on a few games, horrible on others. I don't know, the novelty of the Wii has just worn off for me; and several of my friends.
3) It just doesn't feel like a modern quality device. While I'm sure its reliable, it just feels like a child's toy; the exterior, the interface, the games, etc. Sorry, I guess I've just grown up.

Conclusion============================================
In conclusion, I would say the Wii is more suited to young children. The Xbox is a great device, and so is the PS3. I can live without my Wii; but I would have a hard time choosing between the Xbox and PS3. For that reason, I choose to have both. If Xbox made online multiplayer free (eliminated the Xbox live cost), and included a blu-ray player, I would choose the Xbox over a PS3 (even with the better graphics on the PS3). But for now, I say buy both. By the Xbox as a gaming device, and justify the PS3 as blu-ray player with benefits.

If your a parent shopping for a teenager and only want to buy 1 device, go for the Xbox 360. Chances are, most of your child's friends will already have one, and they can all play online.

If your an adult that demands the best and has little time to play games (like myself), get a PS3. Its sleek, its got better graphics, its wireless, and it has a blu-ray player.

I hope this review gives you some insight and help with your choice, and a little knowledge of all the systems from an experienced and unbiased owner. If so, please click on "YES" below this review to vote it as helpful.

I just bought the PS3 slim a week before posting this review and I'm extremely happy with it. To be honest, I'm not a gamer and may never buy a game for the PS3, I bought it strictly for its streaming video and blu-ray playback capabilities, in my opinion it is the best.

My first blu-ray player was an early Panasonic 1.0 blu-ray player, it played blu-rays beautifully, when researching it they said it was almost as good as the PS3, at the time the PS3 was the gold standard. I didn't buy a PS3 then because of its price and its original bulk, it would not fit in well into my AV setup. Also, you needed a separate remote for blu-ray/DVD playback if you didn't want to use the controller, the PS3 is not IR capable. I then traded "up" to a Samsung blu-ray player because it offered streaming Netflix capability, I really enjoyed the streaming Netflix, but I noticed that my blu-ray disks didn't look as good as on my old Panasonic and DVD upscaling on the Samsung blu-ray was no where near as good as my old Panasonic, but I really wanted the Neftlix streaming service so I stuck with it.

Since my initial look at the PS3, a lot has changed, first the new slim model, it fits perfectly in my AV setup. Also, Netflix streaming finally came to the PS3, first via software on a disk, now it is totally integrated into the PS3 OS via a firmware update.

I primarily bought my Samsung blu-ray player for its Netflix streaming capability, but I was getting frustrated with the Netflix interface on the Samsung, you could not search or add movies to your Netflix queue directly from the player, plus loading titles from your queue took almost a minute to launch.

Several friends at work have had the PS3 from its beginning and they were always taunting me when new features arrived to the PS3, when they told me about the new Netflix features available on the PS3 I decided to take the plunge. The PS3 was the first platform to get 5.1 surround sound from Netflix streaming, and to date, the only platform to have full 1080p movies via streaming, plus I can search and add movies to my queue directly from the PS3. Moving through my queue on the PS3 is a breeze, on my Samsung, the interface displayed the movies from right to left and left to right. I currently have over 360 movies in my queue, it can take a long time to maneuver through this many titles going left to right or right to left. On the PS3, the titles are tiled 5 or 6 wide, you can move up, down, left or right, when you finally launch a title it is up and playing within a matter of seconds!

What about blu-ray playback on the PS3 slim? It is awesome (video and audio), as good or better than my old Panasonic player I loved so much! DVD up-scaling is also excellent. The thing that really sold me on the PS3 is Sony's commitment to continually improve it and keep it current. Firmware updates over the years have kept PS3 up to date in every respect. One of my co-workers bought the original PS3 the day it was released, it is still going strong 5 years later, actually better and has more features than when he bought it!

Last, but not least, the remote control issue. A few years ago I moved to using Harmony remotes to control all my AV equipment. I have a drawer in my coffee table that has 8 different remotes for all my various equipment, on top of my coffee table I have one Harmony remote that controls all of my equipment perfectly. The new PS3 is still not IR capable, but I bought the Harmony PS3 adapter, this is a bluetooth/IR device that accept commands from your Harmony remote to control the PS3, it took about 10 minutes to set up and works perfectly!

Oh yeah, I hear that the PS3 really does play games, maybe one day?

Let me give a little bit of background before diving into a review. When the original NES came out, I was hooked. I didn't think anything could be better than Super Mario Bros. Then there was the Sega Genesis...and as I entered college, the original Playstation. Wow!

After college I settled down, got married, had children, and stopped playing games for a while. Just 2 years ago I picked up a wii "for the family" and have enjoyed it since. Mario Galaxy 2 looks great and is a great deal of fun to play...and there are other great games on the wii as well. For the record, I'd never played a PS2, PS3 or Xbox.

Don't get me wrong, the wii is great. There are a number of wii exclusives that I love. But I was still wanting something with some better graphics/games and thus began my research between xbox and ps3. Both are great systems! This was going to be harder than I thought. In the end, I felt like the game selection for the PS3 slightly outweighed that of the xbox for the family. The PS3 has LittleBigPlanet and Ratchet and Clank, as well as Uncharted/Metal Gear/etc. And while the xbox has some great exclusives as well, I was leaning toward the PS3.

When I saw that the PS3 slim increased the hard drive from 120gb to 160gb I finally bit the bullet. I was wanting to get a blu-ray player sometime so I figured I'd just get the ps3. Just set it up last night. Set-up was a breeze and the graphics, wow, they truly are stunning. As I said, the wii is great and I'll continue to play and enjoy wii-exclusive games, but compared to xbox/ps3 graphics, there really is no comparison. I'm really looking forward to NHL 11 and Gran Turismo 5 (as the wii is lacking in these types of games).

Overall, I'm thrilled with the PS3. I'm looking forward to getting my music and other media files loaded onto it and finally beginning the world of blu-ray movies and advanced gaming. While I do wish I could load files to it from a device formatted to something other than FAT, it's certainly not a deal-breaker. The PS3 works as it should, set-up is simple, has free online, great exclusive games, and so much more. Whether or not it's the right choice for you is up for you to decide. The Xbox is also a great system, but I'm happy with my final decision.

Note: Extras you may need:
- Extra controller, PS3 blu-ray remote control, and an hdmi or set of component cables depending on your video capabilities.

This is rather long. So prepare!!!!

I had a Wii and a 360. I never cared about the PS3. Then I spent a lot of money at best buy and had some reward credit coming. So, I decided to buy a PS3. I sold half my movie collection and got blu ray before I even had the system. I guess so I would have to buy it. I got the system. I was blown away by how great it is. Below I will tell you why.

The system
The new PS3 is much smaller than the first. It has two buttons on the front, as well as two USB ports. I know some people complain about the fact that it has only two USB ports I can understand why. I decided to get the move and was trying to charge up both of the controllers. You need the Playstation Eye plugged in, so I only had 1 free USB. But, while it is an in convince, I found no reason to complain. I have a multi USB hub which makes the one USB port into 5. So the problem is was to fix. You can find a hub for about 35 dollars. Some may say it is stupid to have to go buy it and not have it already available. I guess they would be right. But it is such an easy fix. The system is very quiet. I can not hear the system and I sit no more than 10 feet away when playing and watching movies on it. It is rather long though. It is about as wide as a standard DVD player. It is rather heavy also. Not to worry, I can't see people carrying it around. I bring it to my grandfathers and that's it. You can get a carrying case for it if you wish to carry it around places. Also, I was watching a DVD that was about an hour and fifty minutes. When I got up and took the DVD out, the system was not hot at all. It was a tad warmer in the back left, but nothing like I thought it would be. That made me happy. You need not worry about breaking the tray that comes out for games and movies because you just load your stuff like you do on the Wii. You put it in front of the space in the front and it goes in.

The controls
I heard people complaining about the PS3 controller. Now that I own a PS3, I can not understand why. The controller is great. It feels very comfortable in my hands. I have medium hands. I almost got teary when I started playing a game because it reminded me of all those times I spent playing my Playstation and Playstation 2. Besides the fact that is feels and works great, there is also another cool feature within the controller. There is a button in the middle that you can hit to do things like quit a game, turn on the system, turn off the system and a few other things. I thought it was really nea

Games
The Playstation 3 has a lot of great games. A lot of the games can be played on 360 as well. But I will play them on here as well. Just so I can get the points for doing things. Also, there are a lot of great Playstation only games. Like Metal Gear 4 and Uncharted. I was wondering which system to add the games to my amazon wish list for and then I realized why not get them for both? Now I can play great games twice!!!! Actually, the games I downloaded look better than some of the games I have played. It does not mean the games are not a lot of fun. But I'm just saying. I can not weait to try Modern Warfare 2 with the PS3 controller. I also am excited about trying multiplayer games on the Playstation 3. I have yet to play a game online. So I look forward to giving it a try soon.

The in system features.
Ok, when I found out that I would search the internet with the system, I kind of had a freaky dance moment. It works just like using a PC would. I had no problem searching and watching videos from CNN. I could search all the sites I did on my PC. I can't wait to try Christmas shopping while sitting in my bed this year. On top of the internet, you have things like music, videos, pictures and the Playstation store. There are so many things you can do even if you buy the system but do not have the money to get a game at the same time. I downloaded a game called Joe Danger and Planet Mini Golf and even now that I have Metal Gear, uncharted, sports champions and motorstorm, find myself playing more than the games. They are very fun. Good to know that there are some good games on the online aspect of the system. That being said, I still don't know if I'm crazy about the store itself. I like Xbox live and buying games from it. Playstation has a lot of good stuff going for it. Like when your looking for a game, on the right there are squares with a little picture of the game. On the left you can see a little more about the game. Then you choose an item and you can read more about it. I also like the whole wallet thing. When you have credit in the store it is put into a wallet. I thought it was kind of cool. Some things I didn't like were the fact that when you are downloading something, you can not leave the store. You have to stay there and wait for it to download. Oh and it takes FOREVER, for something to download. I understand that the files are large. But wow, I mean like 25 minutes for a game. I have cable internet. Playstation is the slowest thing I have when downloading. Not sure why. Then, sometimes when you go to play a game you will have to download an update. I understand that you do that on Xbox as well. But it has to do with the slow speed. It just drags on and on. But, I guess patience is a virtue. You can also look at things yo have downloaded, any times you want. You can redownload the items that you have already paid for free. So, if you delete something for some reason or something is not working, you just go on your system and you get a list of everything you've gotten. I thought that was great.

In the end
All and all I love the PS3. It has so many things you can do and is only 299.99. It's like buying a PC with a monitor the size of your TV that also has great games on blu ray and to download. It also has net flix. Also, the move is absolutely amazing. I saw my Wii hitch hiking on the road a few days after I got the move and realized it was depressed. I still love my wii. But the Move is great. Just hook the camera to the USB port and play away. If your going to get the Move, I must say, get the one that comes with the camera, controller and game.

I recently purchased my first Play Station 3 last week on Saturday, February 12, 2011, and I have loved having it. I primarily purchased the PS3 for its DVD, Blu Ray, and Online Media capabilities like streaming movies from Netflix and Hulu Plus because I wanted an all-in-one device than can do pretty much everything I want, and the PS3 has lived up to my expectations, thus far. Here are the best and worst features that I have found about my PS3:

PROS:
1). NETFLIX CAPABILITIES - The Netflix user interface is FANTASTIC! The Netflix application on my PS3 allows me to manually search for ALL streaming movies and TV shows, add movies/shows to my instant queue, browse for movies/shows by genre, watch movies/shows based on Netflix's suggestions for me, and rate the movies right from the PS3 itself. The only bad part about the Netflix app on my PS3 is that I cannot add DVDs to my DVD queue through it, so I still have to go onto the Netflix website via my computer and add DVDs to my DVD queue, but I am still glad to be able to search and browse for my all of my streaming movies on the PS3, so the DVD issue is not so bad. Overall, the Netflix application on my PS3 is so much better than Netflix on my TiVo box because Netflix on TiVo does not even allow searching, browsing or adding movies to my instant queue AT ALL - I can only watch the movies in my instant queue on the TiVo box, so I will stick to watching movies and TV shows from Netflix on the PS3 from now on.
2). HULU PLUS CAPABILITIES - I love Hulu Plus on this PS3, as its user interface also allows ALL of the same functions that Netflix does, and even more. Additionally, Hulu Plus allows me to view any TV movies or shows in my history, and play them. It's a shame that some other devices that have Hulu Plus don't even allow searching, browsing, or looking at the user's viewing history.
3). DVD, CD, & BLU RAY DISC PLAYBACK - The playback of these discs is great, too. I love the fact that I can play DVDs, Blu Ray discs, and just regular CD's on the PS3. The playback and quality of Blu Ray discs on the PS3 is also visually stunning.
4). EASE OF SETUP - Even though it took me over an hour to set up the PS3 and get everything running (including connecting to the machine the Internet, setting up my account on the PlayStation network, updating the PS3 with the new software, connecting to Netflix and Hulu Plus, etc) the set up flowed smoothly, and was very simple. Basically, I definitely did not need any assistance from customer support to set up the PS3 because the set up was easy and simple.
5). BUILT-IN WIFI - This is a great feature because it has eliminated me from having to use an Ethernet cable to connect my PS3 to my router or having to buy an external adapter to connect to the router. The Wi-Fi connection has worked great for me, and the PS3 instantly connected to my wireless network once I entered in the Passcode to connect to the network. Also, I have NO lags or dropped connections when I play movies from Netflix and/or Hulu Plus. My internet connection on the PS3 seemingly works even faster than the internet connection to my TiVo box, as all of my movies from either Netflix or Hulu Plus just instantly begin playing, yet the movies take more time to play on the TiVo.
6). ONLINE MEDIA CONTENT - The PS3 also allows me to watch YouTube, and surf the web, which are both great factors.
7). PLAYSTATION NETWORK - The PlayStation Network is great, as it allows for many downloads and there are tons of free games and movie content that can be downloaded right from the PlayStation Network to my PS3.

CONS:
1). COST OF DEVICE - The only real con that I have noticed about the PS3 is the high cost of $300.00 for the device itself, but it was well worth the price for me because I now have an all-in-one device that does practically everything that I want and need for it to do.
2). NO DVR CAPABILITIES - Another con is that the PS3 isn't a DVR and it cannot record TV shows like a TiVo, Moxi, or cable DVR can do. I only wish that Play Station will add DVR features to their next generation of Play Stations that will come out sometime in the future. If Play Station will add DVR functions and capabilities to their PlayStation 4, then I will throw away my own TiVo DVR.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
I highly recommend the PS3 to any and everyone out there who may want an all-in-one device. Also, I recommend the Harmony One Remote and Harmony adapter for PS3 users who want to control their PS3 with just one remote instead of using the wireless controller. For excellent wireless networking, the NetGear N600 DualBand Gigabit router is great, too, as this is the same router that I currently use for my wireless network. Overall, I am definitely NOT disappointed with my PS3!

I wanted to write this review from the standpoint of comparing the PlayStation 3 to the Xbox 360. now I own both systems but I play the PS3 more (mostly because I'm a quadriplegic and I can't really use the Xbox 360 controller) if you want to see me playing with my face search AskACapper on YouTube.

PROs Of the PlayStation 3
1. user upgradable hard drive: this to me is one of the biggest pros of the PS3 adding your own hard drive. So you can buy the 80 GB version or the 160 GB version and by a 500 GB plus our drive off the Internet for less than $100 and pop it in your PlayStation and you're good to go, so easy it should be illegal!
2. Included Blu-ray player that you can upgrade the firmware on: When I got my PlayStation many of the blue Ray players on the market wouldn't allow you to flash the firmware so as they revised the Blu-Ray standard those players became obsolete. And my thinking is that if you spend $100 plus on a Blu-Ray player why not drop another $150 plus and get a full-fledged PlayStation that can be upgraded.
3. Free PlayStation network: now it is true that the PlayStation network is free the basic network at least. Then they have the PlayStation plus network that cost 50+ a year. Now with the basic free networking of the PlayStation network unlike Xbox live with PS3 you can have a buddy list and play with your friends. I like the fact that I don't have to spend $50 a year to play with my buddies.
4. It can be a media server with simple software you can buy online: I have a Mac and use media link software (Google media link) it cost 20 bucks and now I can stream/copy movies and music and pictures from my Mac to my PlayStation 3 it's very cool.
5. Offers folding@home: now this is a huge selling point but I think it's cool! Folding@home is a distributed computing project by Stanford University that deals with protein folding and uses your PlayStation to help the scientists work on understanding how these work. So when you're not using your PlayStation for gaming you can turn on folding in the life with PlayStation application and you'll contribute to helping science! (My PS3 has contributed almost 2000 work units at six hours a pop it's been working hard)

PROs of the xBox360
1. Xbox live is just better: while the PlayStation network is free while the basic version anyway. And allow you to do things that Xbox live won't for free the Xbox live network is just better. Simply for the fact that you can send voice messages, you can follow people who are your friends into games (great for if you want to follow a booster in modern warfare 2 and keep on hunting). The only drawback is that it will cost you $40-$60 a year (depending on where you buy your card).
2. Most of the game industry and big time YouTube commentators use Xbox 360: now this is a huge factor if you want to play with the big boys. If you follow Machinima respawn and have directors on there you want a game with most of the time they're playing on Xbox 360. This to me is a large reason to get the Xbox 360 over the PS3.
3. It can be a media center for free: now this is not something that I know or have done but I do believe and please correct me if I'm wrong but the Xbox 360 can stream media from your Windows PC with no extra software required (whereas with the Mac you need to buy $20-$30 software).
4.The Xbox 360 slim as built in WiFi: before this slim was for sale you need to spend $70-$90 to get WiFi for the Xbox 360 and that would have been a pro for the PS3 as it has always had WiFi built in. But now with the slim with its lower price and built in WiFi this becomes a pro of the Xbox 360.
5. MODz: When it comes to modding I believe Xbox has done more options available and a much larger community. From just being able to modd your controller to full on system modification the Xbox is way easier to get into (now remember mobbing your Xbox could get you booted from Xbox live and a permanent ban hammer!)

So these are my five bullet points of proz for both systems. My preference is PS3 but that's because I can hold the controller best and still play with my face. And my father and brother and many friends play PS3 and don't have an Xbox. Now if I could get a PS3 shaped Xbox controller I would spend more time playing Xbox so that I can play with the many YouTube commentators that I know and love.

That is my $.69 I hope you have enjoyed reading this if you haven't you must be illiterate. check out my YouTube videos and please support the custom button remapping petition that will help disabled gamers and non-disabled gamers alike.

I am Chuck the Capper And I approve this message LOL!

Never reviewed a game console before, but I felt the PS3 is deserving of one.

First it has a LOT of good games for it and is region free. That means if you're like me, you'll try to play that Japanese game even if you can't understand it. The PS3 has a lot of other nice features such as Bravia Sync. It makes other Sony connected devices power up when the PS3 is turned on. Unfortunately, it does not power down other devices when turned off. The PS3 won't power off if the TV is turned off. That's probably a good thing. Don't want to accidentally turn off the TV and lose your place in a game, right? Smaller than the original "Phat" PS3, it saves a good deal of space on your table/shelf. Runs cooler and uses less power than the Phat. Normal two prong plug. I had never used a wireless control until now. No more wires FTW! Blu-ray is a nice feature to have as an option. Internet browser is okay I guess. It can't run certain websites though. I probably won't use it much.

Now for the things I don't like about this system.

Blu-ray is a nice to feature to have, but since I'd have spend about another five G's of gas for the remote, I don't think I'll be using this feature much. Especially since I already have a wifi Sony player that can stream just about everything the PS3 can. Because the PS3 is strictly bluetooth, even with the remote or controller you can't control the TV power or volume. No PS2 backwards compatibility anymore. I read the original Phat could do this to a limited extent. The controller is great, but the battery doesn't seem to last longer than three days between charging. I guess it depends on how often its used. This unit does run cooler than the Phat, but sometimes still gets pretty warm playing demanding games.

Overall I picked this console over the 360 because the 360 had too many things I didn't like about it. This became longer than I intended.

We got out Playstation 3 console for Christmas in 2009, right around the time we went out a bought a really gorgeous 42" plasma tv. This was going to be a huge step up from the 19" mini set we had before. My boyfriend and I were poor college students at the time and didn't want to invest in costly cable television service.

My boyfriend occasionally plays some of the PS3's particularly stellar games (Uncharted series, Batman Arkham Asylum, Portal 2, etc.) but is not really a big gamer. I like games like Little Big Planet and the Lego series (yeah, I know...), but that genre of game doesn't have many titles. That said, we still end up using our PS3 quite a bit every day. Not for gaming, granted, but for media! The Playstation 3 is a near-perfect media hub!

This is what we run on it currently:

+ Blu-ray - Once you start watching movies in high definition, you'll never be able to go back. We can still play our old DVD's on this machine but the resolution difference is very noticeable now.
+ Netflix - I love the Netflix interface on the PS3 and being able to stream content in HD is so enjoyable.
+ Hulu - Being able to catch up on TV series in an almost DVR like way is great considering we don't have cable.
+ PS3 Media Server- A free piece of software we downloaded onto our iMacs that allow us to wirelessly stream any media we have on our computers (photos, music, movies, etc.).

We spend about $16 a month between Netflix and Hulu and we have a huge library of movies and television series at our fingertips. No matter when, we can always find something to watch. This setup is way more cost-effective than cable and it is so easy to use and navigate through.

In all honestly, we've managed to fill up maybe a tenth of our 160gb hard drive space. Mostly with add-ons or game demos. I've never purchased or rented any movies directly through the PS3 because we prefer to have hard copies of our library. It's still a convenient option, though, and if there was something really hard-to-find that we wanted to see I'm sure we would take advantage of it.

So many other reviewers have gone into depth about the gaming experience and the graphics. I'll just say that I really like the dual-shock remotes (although I'm constantly forgetting to plug them in to charge) and the graphics and gameplay on this system are beautiful. Little Big Planet (my personal favorite) is a dream to play and I only wish more developers would spend time creating this kind of platform game. It would be nice to have a few more choices.

If you want to try out a system but you aren't a hardcore gamer and want something fun, this is the one for you! Between the gaming as well as the media options, this one has everything. And the included blu-ray player (compared to the X-box's add-on DVD player) is a great treat that you will come to love! This system has everything you could possibly want. I couldn't be happier with it.

Yes I sold my Xbox slim 4GB and bought this PS3 for about 3 months so far, couldn't be more pleased. Here is my simple review and comparison between the two:

- Design wise I would say it's in the eyes of beholders. But this one is minor since gaming consoles are not like cellphones you are probably not paying too much attention to how they look. But I have to mention PS3 is really quiet, even after the trimmed down redesign, the new Xbox still makes a noticeable amount of noise.
- Games: Both platforms have a lot of exclusive titles and so far I really enjoyed God of War series and Uncharted 2. I am also a RPG fan but I was disappointed by the Fable series. If you are a FPS fan you will not have any trouble with either console. there is numerous FPS tiles out there both exclusive and cross-platform for you to choose before you really get bored of endless shooting. Both systems have been released for at least five years so you will have a lot of great games to keep you busy.
- Features: PS3 definitely shines with free online gameplay and blue ray support. I just don't get it with Xbox that I have already paid for the console and still paying 60 dollars for a game and why do I still have to pay for the online access? I also don't understand why it requires paid membership to access to Netflix, Facebook and Twitter. Come on Microsoft, you don't even host those contents! Speaking of Netflix, if you have DVD/Blu-Ray out with Netflix you definitely want a PS3 for its Blu-Ray support. And also a personal note, Xbox made me feel like just a gaming console, like a Wii with totally different games(OBVIOUSLY THANKS TO THE PATHETIC 4GB STORAGE! CHEAP MICROSOFT!). but PS3 is now making me using it like a real multimedia hub. I have loaded plenty of games, music and videos and it is now really fun to play, watch, and listen to.
- Kinect/Move: Speaking of them I haven't invested in neither of them but obviously Kinect looks more advanced with cameras that track the motion of your body while PS Move still only tracks the controller. Kinect absolutely wins big in dancing and work-out types of games.(Now here is the part I don't understand about SONY. Come on why can't the PS Eye camera track the body motion too?). One plus goes to the Move is that based on various reviews it performs really well in FPS with the Sharpshooter.

Overall I give it a 9.5/10, with 0.5 taken for the lack of track of body motion in the PS Move. Definitely recommend to you if you're reading this comment because you are considering buying one.

Recommended games for starters:
Uncharted 2 Among Thieves 10/10 must play.
Bayonetta 10/10 must play.
Resident Evil 5
God of War 3
Little Big Planet 2
Resistance 3
Metal Gear Solid 4
Heavy Rain

PSN Games:
Fat Princess
Flower

Without a doubt this 160 GB PS3 is the best-buy for avid gamers. Even though it way be $50 more expensive than the XBOX 360 overtime it will pay off. The XBOX live costs $50 a year to subscribe to, while PS3 users enjoy free online gaming. If your own a PS3 for more than 2 years it's already paid off. Another point to note is the fact that 160 GB is plenty of memory and there is no possible way to go over the given amount. 160 GB gives one enough space for numerous movies, music tracks, pictures and even downloaded games. Overall this PS3 epitomizes what all game systems envy.