Getting PS3; what should I have on hand?

In a previous thread I mentioned that I believe I’m getting a PS3 for Christmas, a suspicion verified through means which are mighty pathetic for a 38 year old.

That being said, we’re exchanging gifts Christmas Eve and assuming the PS3 pops out of the box then, myself and some of our guests for the holiday will no doubt want to play. I’m going to have a couple games & blu-rays on hand, what else do I need? I believe cables to connect to the tv are provided but not the hi-def cables (HDMI?) needed for the best picture. So will I need a better cable? And I’m getting another controller - any suggestions or are they all pretty much the same?

Do you have an HDTV to connect it to? That’s the most important “accessory”. You’ll need an HDMI cable to connect to it for the best picture.

An extra controller will be great for a group. Right now, they’re bundling a game with a controller at…Best Buy? Link. I’m not sure what other games are offered, but a 2-4 player game would be great.

Everything else is pretty unimportant. There are charging docks, universal remote adapters, headsets, etc. for customizing your needs, but out of the box, you’ll be fine.

Component cables will work fine temporarily. I think I have my PS3 or TivoHD running on component, I can’t tell the difference.

The only thing I remember buying is a memory card adapter so that I could transfer my PS2 saved games, pretty much a waste since you only need it once.

Another controller of course.

2 (local) player games are somewhat rare on the PS3, which is too bad.

Yeah. A HDMI cable is nice to have. The picture is far far superior.

If you are looking for a fun game to play in groups I would suggest Little Big Planet. It’s a really cute fun side scroller that can have up to 4 players locally. (I think it is 4.)

I know you said in the other thread you were more interested in action titles (Uncharted is awesome by the way. As is the Batman title and GTA) But, for a group sports games usually work out pretty well.

The GTA games are fun to play in groups. Don’t bother doing missions. Just everyone takes turns fucking shit up and can keep playing til they die or get busted. As long as someone doesn’t try to hog it and play forever.

Another thing worth considering is getting some music and pictures together. The PS3 does a really good job of displaying pictures, and you can have your music playing while the pictures are showing. I would guess that it might make for fun background while doing other stuff.

Other than that. And how you are going to explain to the gift giver how you have the games and controllers already I think you have everything you need.

I’m assuming this kind of cable would work? (vs. the Monster Cable for $40 I saw listed specifically for PS3).

We do have the HDTV, just got a 32" Panasonic Viera. For the gaming, this group will be mostly interested in sports, so I think I’m going to rent the PS3 version of Hot Shots Golf and I’ll have the newest Madden as well as GTA IV on hand.

Regarding giving away how I had that stuff on hand, the gift-giver (Mrs. Survey) is tech-deaf enough that she won’t know the HDMI cable is any different from any other cable, and I’ll have to bluff my way through with the games. I think she told someone we’d like ‘Up’ on Blu-Ray, so we’ll watch that.

Yeah. Monster is a ripoff for HDMI cables. (I don’t know how bad they are for other types of cable.) The Best Buy cable you linked to is just fine.

I’m very surprised that Best Buy is selling the cable for only $12. Last summer a SATA (hard drive) cable was $20. It should be a $2 cable, I expected maybe $8 from BB.

The HDMI cable and extra controllers are all you need. Oh, and games. Just about every sports game allows to play 4 players locally. Some are better suited to it than others. My friends on I have had many long nights playing NBA 2K9 either 2 on 2 or 4 against the computer. LBP, as mentioned, is great fun for four people.

If you’re going to want to play the same day you get the PS3, buy your controllers early and start charging them beforehand, or make sure you’ve got some long USB cables around during play.

Pick up Buzz Trivia or Buzz Quiz World if your group is into Trivia games. It comes with 4 quiz buzzers, but you can always pick up another set. 8 player Buzz is a real crowd pleaser.

Yeah, although keep in mind that you can get the same cable at monoprice.comfor about 1/3 the cost of what you’ll pay at Best Buy.

While finishing some last minute shopping today I compared prices at five stores (Best Buy, Wal Mart, Target, Sears, Blockbuster) on a short HDMI cable, and the best price by far was at…Blockbuster! A two-meter HDMI cable for $9.99, $9 less than I saw it at the other places (to be fair, it looked like Best Buy was out of stock on a couple of them). The clerk told me they always have the lowest price on these cables, no idea why.

I celebrated by downloading ‘It Might Get Loud.’

Addendum: Monster Cable is a ripoff for everything they sell. Always. Link.

You’ll also need a LeastOriginalUsername Xbox fanboy shield, available from Sony.com as an accessory…
:smiley: