Sony PlayStation 3

Last Update: Review by ITReviews (added on 27/03/07)

The PlayStation 3 will use Blu-ray discs as its media format. The discs can hold up to six times as much data as current-generation DVDs. It will also support CR-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R formats. Sony also confirmed that the machine will be backward compatible all the way to the original PlayStation. It will also have slots for Memory Stick Duo, an SD slot, a compact flash memory slot, and a slot for a detachable 2.5-inch HDD. The PlayStation 3 will feature the much-vaunted Cell processor, which will run at 3.2GHz, giving the whole system 2 teraflops of overall performance. It will sport 256MB XDR main RAM at 3.2GHz, and it will have 256MB of GDDR VRAM at 700MHz. The PS3 will be available in Australia on March 2007 for AU$999.95

Sony PlayStation 3 Latest Price

+ REVIEWS

ITReviews reviews the PlayStation 3 and writes;

“Furthermore, for the same money as the PlayStation 3 goes for, a gamer could pick up both a Wii and an Xbox 360, and arguably they’d get better value that way. £425 for a games console is, in the modern era, unacceptable, and ironically the only people who will initially get real value from it are the aforementioned Blu-ray player customers. Gamers aren’t getting the best end of the deal….A terrific games console, but you’d be mad to pay this much for it unless you’re also in the market for a decent Blu-ray player.”

TrustedReviews reviews the PlayStation 3 (rating: 7/10) and writes;

“It’s a real shame that Sony has managed to mess up the European launch of the PlayStation 3 so badly. We’re getting the console late, we’re paying through the nose for it and we’re not even getting the same hardware as Japan and America – with that in mind it’s tough for me to recommend that anyone buy one at this point in time. But like I said, it’s a shame, because the PlayStation 3 really is an impressive piece of kit. This really is so much more than just a games console, and it really could be that digital entertainment hub that Sony would have you believe it is. And it really does have the potential to be a truly great gaming platform. As things stand though, Sony has managed to make the PlayStation 3 look like the least attractive next generation console, when it really shouldn’t be.”

PC World have a preview of the PlayStation 3, they write:

“The new wireless, motion-sensitive SixAxis controller lacks force feedback, but it’s lighter than the PlayStation 2’s controller and has larger L2 and R2 triggers. And because the PS3’s controller can sense motion along six axes, you can turn and tilt in three-dimensional space to steer in driving or flying games…The PS3’s movie playback experience is best if you start from scratch, inserting a disc into the front-loading slot just as you power up the unit. The unit took just 3 seconds to load the movie Underworld Evolution, followed almost immediately by the opening sounds of the PlayStation 3 start-up orchestra.”

Gadgetell have a preview of the PlayStation 3, they write:

“Sony has attempted to cut back the load times not only with a faster processor, but also by allowing you to pre-load chunks of the game. Of course it does not eliminate load screens altogether but they are much shorter than on the PS2…Overall: The PS3’s price does seem a bit out of whack, but remember that it includes Blu-ray, a hard drive, a web browser, the ability to boot Linux and a kickass graphics card. The online gaming features are still playing a bit of catchup to Xbox Live, but the system is otherwise solid.

Digital Trends reviews the PlayStation 3 (rating: 8.5/10) and write:

“The ability to control objects on a 3D, six-axis (left, right, back, forward, up, down) movement plane is, of course, the biggest enhancement, but a centrally-situated PS button that operates like the giant X on the 360 pad is also a plus. The L2 and R2 buttons are also bigger, and feel more like gun triggers in your hands. Using gesture-tracking capabilities to cause samurai to twirl and tumble acrobatically or pro ballplayers to shuck and jive feels more like a cool add-on than integral system addition.”

CNET reviews the PlayStation 3 (rating: 8.8/10) and writes:

“The good: Swanky design with quiet operation; all games in high-definition; PSP-like user-friendly interface; plays high-def Blu-ray movies in addition to standard DVDs; built-in Wi-Fi; 60GB hard drive; Bluetooth support for wireless controllers and accessories is coming; backwards-compatible with PS2 and PS1 titles; built-in memory card readers; online play is free; HDMI output with 1080p support; no external power supply…The bad: Pricey; first wave of games is somewhat anemic; doesn’t upscale DVDs to HD resolution; no force feedback (rumble) support in controller; a USB port on the back would’ve been nice; no infrared port means non-Bluetooth universal remotes aren’t compatible; glossy black finish is a fingerprint magnet; HDMI cable not included.”

Business Week reviews the PlayStation 3 (rating: 4/5) and write:

“Setup was fairly easy, though you will have to purchase a separate HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) cable to get the best possible picture. I first hooked up the PS3 to a Samsung plasma that had an effective resolution of 720 progressive, excellent for viewing motion. The console also worked perfectly on a higher-resolution 1080p Sharp LCD TV…Fans of the PlayStation Portable handheld console will be familiar with the cross-media bar that uses icons and pictures to guide you through all the functions, which include a very nice Web browser that loaded every site I selected on-screen without forcing me to fiddle with settings. “

Digitmag reviews the PlayStation 3, they write:

“The PlayStation 3 will playback MPEG1, MPEG2 and MPEG4 video, which means that a lot of the content available on the Internet can be played back on your TV through the PS3. Better yet, you can plug an external hard-disk drive into one of the USB ports on the PS3 and playback videos without having to transfer then to the console’s own hard-disk drive…The download was fast too. It felt like Sony’s server was next door to my house. It took about 20 seconds to download an 80MB trailer, which is one of the fastest downloads I’ve experienced.”

IT World reviews the PlayStation 3, they write:

“With HD the colors are richer, the graphics crisper and the overall experience better…Physically, it’s a monster of a machine. At 5 kilograms the console is pretty heavy, perhaps heavier than you’d imagine when you see it. It’s also very, very shiny: it collects fingerprints like crazy, perhaps even beating the iPod’s ability to do so.”

+ VIDEO REVIEWS

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PLAYSTATION 3 SPECIFICATIONS

CPU: Cell Processor PowerPC-base Core @3.2GHz
–1 VMX vector unit per core
–512KB L2 cache
–7 x SPE @3.2GHz
–7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs
–7 x 256KB SRAM for SPE
–*1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy
–Total floating point performance: 218 gigaflops

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