PS3: Worth it?

The Game Room
1

My apologies if there’s already another thread on this–“PS3” is three characters, and thus unsearchable.

So I’ve got a comfortable chunk of change that Uncle Sam was kind enough to hold on to for me coming my way in the next few weeks, and I’m finding myself sorely tempted towards a PS3. I’ve already got a 360–the big draw of the PS3 is MGS4. I’m a fan of the series, and really, really want to play that damn game. The fact that the ps3 doubles as a Blu-ray player doesn’t hurt, of course.

But I don’t really want a system for Just One Game, and Blu-Ray players can be had for less than $500. So… is there enough to make it independently worth it?

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What other games do you want for it? Answer that question and see if it’ll be worth the cost for you, then.

I’ve asked myself that question and I’ve steered away from the PlayStation 3, for what it’s worth.

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Sorry-I was in a bit of a rush when I posted. Exclusives are one part of the equation, but not the only, since that offers what amounts to a snapshot. I’m also interested in whether there are specific game sectors where the ps3 excels, or a fair number of titles that tend to be better on it. My specific interests tend to be action/stealth shooters, RPGs, and oddball uncategorizable things. If you need to learn a bunch of combos, it’s worthless to me.

I’m also interested in just general subjective feelings on the issue.

Thanks, folks!

4

I can’t judge for you and I’m hesitant to even give a direct recommendation on things in this case but I can tell you how I decide when it’s time to pick up a console.

First, I have a certain price that I’m willing to pay: $150. One a console hits that price point it would have to be pretty terrible for me not to get one.

Second, that value goes up if there is a large software library of games that I want and could not get elsewhere. My tastes are distinctive (to put it mildly) and I have no objection to waiting several years to play something so I don’t feel any pressure to get what’s new or “hot”. There’s enough stuff out there that I haven’t played that I could play forever and not reach the end of it so it takes the oddball stuff to make me go out of my way.

Eventually there’s a cross over between the two tensions and I buy the console. Katamari Damacy is what convinced me to get a PS2, for example. A price point of under a hundred dollars got me a Gamecube. I’ve got a much harsher judgment of value than a lot of gamers that ties back to the fact that I’m not impressed by graphical flare; it’ll be exactly the same five years later when I play the game so I can wait.

5

Kill zone is a PS3 exclusive and it’s getting rave reviews. It’s also got some of the best graphics in an FPS (shy of maybe Crysis for the PC - which is pretty impressive).

6

If you already have an XBox360 I would have trouble thinking of a great reason to get a PS3. But, I will tell you why I like mine. (It’s the only console I own.)

There are plenty of great games for it. MGS4, GTA4, Little Big Planet, Oblivion, Assassin’s Creed, Bioshock, and others I am not thinking of. It’s subjective, but, I prefer the feel to the PS3 controller. It feels right in my hand. And, I get a real thrill when the rumble turns on. But, that’s clearly, TMI. Also, there are a few games I am highly anticipating. Some are already out, others I just haven’t purchased yet. Fallout 3, Ghostbusters, God of War 3, and Batman:Arkham Asylum.

The multimedia experience is well set up. I have watched DVDs and thought they looked great. And, I have copied plenty of movies, and tv shows over and never had a file format not work and they look pretty great. Also, there is a pretty cool Digital Picture viewer that allows you to have nice sideshows of your pictures. I haven’t done much with the MP3 playing abilities. Oh yeah. Blu Ray discs look awesome, as well.

I haven’t had a chance to use it, yet. But, I like the idea that I am able to use my PS3 to connect to my PSP and watch some video files, or listen to some audio content from it.

The only problem I have with it is a pipedream that will never happen. But, I do wish that the PS3 enabled you to install the games on the hard drive and never need to use the BluRay drive after the initial install. Too easy for that to cause pirating. But, still very cool.

7

If you want to spend the money, go ahead. But the exclusives are dwinding, and a lot of games look better on the 360 than on the PS3. (Fallout 3, for example) Further, the Blu-Ray drive is apparently very slow to load things.

I saw a BD-ROM drive for $70 the other day.

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I haven’t noticed that load noticably slower than the 360 games I have played at my friend’s house. I guess they make up for the slow Blu-Ray speed by sticking some stuff on the hdd.

Also, I have read comparison threads that say Ps3 is better than the 360 for Fallout 3. And, I have read threads that the comparison favors the 360. And, then I look at the evidence that the people compare and I don’t see much of a difference to favor either platform. Basically, graphically, I find both consoles to be equal.

9

I have both consoles (PS3 and 360).

If you’ve got the cash spare, and nothing else that you want or are likely to want in the near future, I’d say go for it.

I’m happy with my PS3. The graphics are shinier on my TV than the 360’s are. MGS 4 is mad fun. I haven’t noticed any substantial delay with my Blu-Ray movies loading anything, no more than my normal DVD player anyway.

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Do you mean the BD drive is slow for movies or games? It’s actually quit fast for movies. The folks at AVS usually post load times for a number of players, and the PS3 keeps up with the best of them.

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I have both and we use it primarily as a BR player but there are a few great games on there that you can only get on the PS3. MGS4 was great, except the last chapter, but fun nonetheless. The big draw on that system is Little Big Planet. If you get a PS3 you MUST try this game, even if you don’t normally like platformers. My wife doesn’t game and she loves that game and we play it together alot. It’s quite challenging. Killzone 2 just came out and Uncharted is popular (though I don’t care for it myself).

It’s a nice piece of hardware and I’m glad I have it.

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For games. And yes, the PS3 loads stuff on the hard drive.

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From what I’ve heard, the PS3 version is significantly buggier than the 360 version.

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Basically, the question here is, is it worth it? For my money, if I have a 360… okay, I’m missing some games that are good. Anything made by Sony itself. Anything else, I can expect to be ported to the 360 eventually.
The Sony games are really good.
… not worth the money, not really. I’d rather buy a nice driving wheel and gaming chair.

15

I have a PS3 and I enjoy it. I don’t have a 360, and don’t particularly want one because I’m not a fan of the 360 exclusives. My current collection of games is at 10, and 5 of them are exclusive to the PS3 (Ratchet and Clank, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, Valkyria Chronicles, Killzone 2) and one was a previous 360 exclusive (Bioshock) that got ported anyway.

The one advantage I like about the PS3 is there’s no charge for the online content. I mean, you have to pay to download games and such from the store, but there’s no subscription fee like there is for XBox Live. Also, the PS3 is wireless out of the box, while I believe the 360 requires to purchase a separate adapter. But that’s just if you’re thinking if you want PS3 vs. 360.

The PS3 is light on RPGs at the moment but Valkyria Chronicles is a must have if you like strategy-RPG games, as it combines turn-based strategy with real-time action. I’ve heard Eternal Sonata is a good RPG as well.

16

I have a PS3 and am very happy with it. I got mine for just over $300 in one of the recent Dell deals, mostly because I needed a new DVD player and wanted Blu-Ray capability. I do find that I use it for games a lot more than I expected, though - Valkyria Chronicles is excellent, I picked up Rock Band 2 at 30% off at my local Circuit City liquidation, and I have a couple of other random decent things I play.

It does media well, it does games well, and $318 was a price I was willing to pay. I am very happy with my purchase.

Also, if you are a baseball fan, the (by far) best baseball game is PS3 exclusive and comes out this coming week for the new year, MLB 09: The Show.

17

I recommend the PS3 over the other consoles, though I own them, because it does so much. Not only is a fantastic gaming console, it has the Blu-Ray player, and the option to make it a media player as well. I currently have mine set up with a media server on my computer, and I host all of my television episodes, photographs, and music on it. It has few limitations on what codecs it supports, both for audio and video, and setting up a media server can be done with free software.

Furthermore, the online community is free of charge. While the quality of service may be less than what one gets with Xbox Live, I don’t think it’s enough of a difference to justify paying the money for an XBL Gold account, which I’ve had previously.

It also has a nice little web browser and built-in wi-fi, as well as a fantastic marketplace where indie titles and PS One games are made available. It has a very slick GUI, the option to install a secondary OS, and uses USB for flash drives, charging controllers, and hooking up gadgets.

The Xbox 360 can do many of the things the PS3 can, but through separately purchased peripherals, which ends up costing as much as the PS3 does from the outset. I feel it was an excellent purchase, and my game library has grown significantly since I bought it. Sure, there are cross-platform titles there, but I find myself more likely to buy them on PS3 than 360.

So far, I have FEAR 2, Killzone 2, Silent Hill Homecoming, Resistance, Resistance 2, Dead Space, Ratchet & Clank Future, Folklore, Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, The Eye of Judgment, Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid (which is almost a reason to buy the PS3 by itself—in a word: EPIC), Warhawk, Guitar Hero: World Tour, Condemned 2: Bloodshot, and Fallout 3.

Any game bugs or issues, I’ve found, are quickly resolved via patches. System updates are frequent, yet not annoying.

The thing to remember, regarding game library, is that the PS2 currently has one of the largest and most diverse game libraries since the NES. The PS3 is catching up in terms of diversity, and will offer great exclusive titles. Again, titles are cross-platform, but I favor the PS3 over my 360 these days, mainly because of its many extra perks.

I recommend it. In the end, it doesn’t feel like I’ve spent $500.

18

That’s one thing I’ve been curious about. How did you get the music/TV episodes onto the PS3 and play correctly? I tried a USB flash drive transfer and it didn’t register right. Do you have to set it up in a network?

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I recently bought a PS3 while my Xbox was having it’s red ring of death repaired. The first thing I noticed is that you cannot stream music to the PS3 while playing a game unless it’s a feature built into the game. Not such a big deal for shooters in my case since I like to hear what’s going on at all times. However for Little Big Planet the in game music gets old quickly and you can’t shut off the game music and have it stream your own music collection. If your receiver has a second zone output and you have another set of speakers you have a work around but it’s much easier if your console can just stream the music anyway. I play Fallout 3 on my Xbox and just have my own music going the whole time. I don’t know if it’s a feature built into the PS3 port.

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Of course, Kaz has something to say about this.