PlayStation 3 Starter Pack previews

Over 10 years and they still can't come up with a different controller from PS. At least they decided to drop that silly boomerang idea Give it 6 months to a year to really hit its straps. And lower price by then too

This is just a waste of money, I don't see any possible price drop in the near future for this console. The 360 and Wii consoles are both in my opinion the better option for next-gen console gaming (they're reasonably cheap and have games either on them already or games that are coming this summer, espicially the 360). Although there are a few games coming next year on the PS3, i.e. MGS4 (my favourite series of all time), LittleBigPlanet (a very inovative game) and a few others I would rather invest in one of the other consoles or even a better computer.

Despite being almost inseperable from my Wii in the past few weeks, I actually did get the chance to give the shiny new playstation three a good go. Before I offer my opinions, however, im going to comment on the other reviews here. Ive noticed that there are a lot of five-stars ‘this is the best ever!’ reviews, and then there is the totally down ‘its just terrible, and overpriced’ style of review.

Well- the first thing that struck me, and this is the biggest feature of this console. Graphics. They are great, awesome, beautiful. Graphics really do add to gameplay, and this console simply has wonderful Graphical capability. This is stating the obvious, it was probably sony's biggest aim with the playstation this generation.

The controls. I was deeply annoied that sony maintained the same contoller, almost exactly. While the sixaxis technology will help with the gameplay in many future titles, it felt slightly tacked on – and it was the only point in the entire control scheme that made me feel like I was playing a Playstation three, not a playstation two.

Overall, a console is about fun. The playstation three provides this, and its graphical capability adds to it – but you could buy fun at cheaper prices from two other companies in this business. I honstly felt like I was playing a playstation two at some points. Sony just havent innovated that much. Thev'e kept the same aims of the previous generations at core, and that has held them back.

NaturalCause You still haven't pointed out a good reason why HD is better than BluRay, nor how “BluRay is technically inferior to HD-DVD in terms of features”. Which features would those be? The one where HD holds less information and therefore less space for gaming content? If you want to get into layers then just do a quick Wiki search for BluRay and you'll come across these interesting little pieces of information…

“TDK announced in August 2006 that they have created a working experimental Blu-ray Disc capable of holding 200 GB of data on a single side, using six 33 GB data layers.”

“Ritek has revealed that they had successfully developed a High Definition optical disc process that extends the disc capacity of both competing formats to 10 layers. That increases the capacity of the discs to 150 GB for HD DVD and 250 GB for Blu-ray Disc.”

“JVC has developed a three layer technology that allows putting both standard-definition DVD data and HD data on a BD/DVD combo. If successfully commercialized, this would enable the consumer to purchase a disc which could be played on current DVD players, and reveal its HD version when played on a new BD player.”

As for the HVD, its still years away from a commercial release and the projected price of a HVD reader is $10000+ (people are complaining about the PS3 being expensive!!) I doubt we'll see it being used in gaming applications for atleast another 15–20 years (if ever) so lets keep the discussion on things that are in the foreseeable future.

North American sales figures for the week ended July 14th reveal that Sony’s PlayStation 3 has at last managed to outsell the Xbox 360, with sales topping the 40,000 mark.

A total of 41,005 units were sold, making it the third best selling system in Sony’s current line-up, behind PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. Xbox 360, meanwhile, sold a total of 35,084 units during the same period.

While it remains to be seen whether Sony’s latest hardware can maintain its lead for the month of July, it certainly forecasts an auspicious time for the company, building on the success of the 60GB SKU price cut and the consoles recent fortune in Japan, where it last week eclipsed the one million sales mark. Expect more details on the global performance of PS3 here at PlayStation Universe as it breaks.

3. Developers: How long has the 360 been out? The PS3?

Logically, the first released will sell the most. Any profitable company, you will want to make games for the one which is owned by more people first.

If developers are TRULY jumping ship. Why continue to make PS3 games? Why not just abandon it? That would be cheaper. There are development costs after all if you make another version of a game. If the PS3 was SOOOO bad, it wouldn't sell copies anyways.

Point is, Developers are capitalizing on the early horse, while keeping a PS3 version.

Dev's are jumping? What about the deal with NCsoft? Makers of Guild Wars, made for PS3 only (and PC). EPIC games to make a new IP equivalent on PS3 only. Bioware has a PS3 only project, SEGA 2 PS3 exclusives announced just this week. Epic games, UT3 timed PS3 exclusive, HAZE PS3 timed exclusive.

This is not a bragging list. Far from it.

This is simply to differentiate, and clarify, the difference of “jumping ship” with developers having other projects.

The 360 is a good console also, though I have my reservations, I do not spread blatant stupidity.

Keep it clean children, and play nice. :D

I come in peace.

Everyone is entitled to their own likes, their own tastes. That's fine. No need to slag off others.

Th is mainly aimed at the PS3 haters, being a Sony boy myself, I believe it is time to put down the FUD. I'll try and make it easy to read, and I hope you all do.

I believe that it is the “fanboys” that give us those with “biases” a bad name.

As per my earlier post, I apologize, as I simply reacted to the misinformed fanboys.

1. “Killzone 2 will be crap because the first was” : I feel Killzone was limited on the PS2 and was seen in the massive frame-rate drops, bad AI, and lack of length (in my eyes anyway).

Oni, made by the famous Bungie team (devs of HALO, for those playing at home) was pretty bad. Given the backing and a superior machine, we all saw what they could do.

Killzone2 has till next year people.

2. PS3 price : Do you hate a Ferrari just because it's expensive? No. You hate the middle-aged men that drive them!

Why does a product need to be hated on because of it's price? If it's expensive, then don't buy it. You were no more than likely to buy it if it were cheaper anyway. You've obviously made up your mind about it so don't bother.

To be continued…

Why do people buy consoles? To play games of course. Yes, the PS3 has better specs. But does it have better games? It may have better graphics and more hard drive space, but it has no interesting games such as Halo or Gears of War. Most of the games the PS3 releases are also going to be on the 360 too. In terms of price, the 360 is cheaper, and of course, the better option. Who wants to pay lots of money for a games console? As I have said, PS3s and 360s will mostly share the same games, eg GTA 4. Why pay hundreds more to get the PS3? Because it has an HD DVD player? Wow. You get the same movies on HD DVD as normal DVDs. Why pay more, just to get a small little difference in the picture quality?? So I choose the 360 over the PS3, because of the price and amount of games. In the end, it does not come down to the graphics or the specs. It comes down to the games, as these are game consoles. If the PS3 and the 360 are releasing games that will be on both platforms, just get the 360. And anyway, if a game has excellent graphics, it may not have an excellent story and fun gameplay. It is not the graphics that count in a game. Choose the 360 if you want to play console games. Or if you prefer high specs and a higher price (over $1000?!), get the PS3, even though in the years to come, they will probably have the same games on both platforms, and very little PS3 only or 360 only original games that are worth purchasing. And I am simply looking at both consoles, comparing the price and games. The 360 is the winner.

Well put Battle monkey PS3 luvers need to stay in their cages and suck in the filth ridden air that comes out of their mouths. i do not contest that the PS3 has more potential but as per previous consoles thats all it will ever be is “POTENTIAL” As a total media centre Microsoft wins hands down and if your only comeback is " IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE HALO THE XBOX WOULD BE NOTHING " wHO cares cos we do have halo and it has surpassed anything that has tried to compete. So if you XBOX h8rs have something to say keep it to the PS3 reviews

By the way the wii at the moment is outselling PS3 2 to 1 wats up with that

Seriously u ps3 haters, actually have a ps3 then review it otherwise dont bother, u guys obviously dont know what the ps3 can do.

Just because a game has got good graphics, dosent mean that its a good game overall. Take Killzone, this game was supposed to be Sonys answer to Halo and was supposed to “kill” it in every way. Well we all know how that turned out, killzone was a complete dud. Now with the ps3 with its better graphics and ugly looks, i could paint my george foreman black and i'd have a ps3, itll be the same story, killzone 2 and most other flashy games that will come out in the future, will blow. Hell weve even got grand theft auto 4, devil may cry and ace combat 6 coming out on the 360, and more and more companies are making the jump to the 360 as well, what does that tell you. I usually dont get involved in the whole, my console is better than yours war, each to their own i say. But when people start flinging shit at the 360, it really boils my blood, if theyre reading this, theyll know im looking at them. Stay in your own area and dont come into ours.

LONG LIVE HALO 3

Oh here's just a few articles confirimg it's all INGAME and REAL TIME NOT PRE-RENDERED.

http://www.joystiq.com/…3-revisited/

http://e3.gamespot.com/story.html?…

http://www.n4g.com/News-51337.aspx

http://www.gamedaily.com/…impressions/

Uncharted, LAIR, HEAVENLY sword are all also real-time.

LAIR for example has levels around 32km2 of Gears of War type graphics with thousands on screen.

KILLZONE2 E3 2007 trailers and demos in E3 ARE REAL TIME. Best part about it haters, is that it doesn't come out till 2008, and it is only in PRE-ALPHA stages.

These are all CONFIRMED by the developers and sites like IGN and Gamespot confirm this.

Here is a link http://www.gametrailers.com/…r/21609.html

It compares the E3 2005 (pre-rendered) with the E3 2007 (NOT PRE RENDERED) trailers. I will get a link to a confirmation by this to back it up also.

You xbots, and haters really need to stop the lies. ;)

god_of_nothing the E3 2007 trailer for Killzone is REALTIME. Sony proved this by pausing the demo and moving the character around. Also while I agree that SOME 3rd party games dont look as good on PS3 as the XBOTCH, thats because the developer is LAZY eg EA but thats changing as developers learn how to use the true power of the PS3.

Has NO ONE realised yet that many of the ps3's traielrs are Pre-Rendered, meaning that the console is not actually running the graphics, an insane PC is. Also, the ps3's cpu creates a bottleneck which slows it down considerably, AND the ps3's graphics card is that same as the 360's, meaning it dosent have better graphics (it actually has worse according to comparrisons between games on both platforms due to problems with the cpu and only having 256mb of RAM). so personally i think NO, do not buy it.

Look this up in HD. It's magnificent. The funny thing is also that it's NOWHERE near the final build…

It's all in-game too. :-D

gauge105

I would just like to point out that BluRay is 25gb as a single layer disc, HD-DVD is 15gb as a single layer disc.

BluRay is 50gb as a dual layer. HD-DVD is 30gb as a dual layer.

Both formats can hold more than 2 layers on a disc. HD-DVD can also achieve 51gb across 3 layers @ 17gb a layer.

HD-DVD Hybrid Discs contain a DVD on 1 side, HD-DVD on the other.

BluRay is technically inferior to HD-DVD in terms of features. And no one can tell the difference between 1080p running on BluRay or HD-DVD.

Either way both formats suck since the world is moving to digital distribution. And the Holographic Versatile Disc is hands down a better format for storage considering it can hold up to 3.9tb.

Hello all you PS3 fans out there. You'll be happy to know that after deep and thoughtful consideration, I have changed my point of view towards the PS3. It is obviously the most dominant gaming console of thias era.

However this in not because of the fact that it can play high definition movies, that it has a larger hard drive or that it is highly resistant to overheating. No. It is simply because of it's incredible gaming potential. Because let's face it guys. The Playstation franchise has always been a very powerful force in the gaming community. It often casts a huge shadow over it's opposition and I feel that the PS3 will be no different. Sure, there are not many games released at the moment, but as you all know good things take time. It's all about quality people. And the PS3 promises so many great title's in the future. Assasin's Creed, Tekken 6, and of course, the world renowned METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS!!!! WHAT??? YAAAAAAAAAYYY­YYYYYAAA!!!!!!! OOOOOOO KKKKKKKKK!!!!

In summation, PS3 dominates all others. PS3 is the future. PS3 is Solid, XBOX 360 is Liquid.

I've had a PS3 since about a week after it's release and I can honestly say that I haven't been disappointed with it. I have a reasonable collection of PS3 games (Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, Oblivion, FEAR, NFS: Carbon, Ridge Racer 7, COD 3 and Resistance) so I think I can speak fairly of its capabilities. And all the PS2 games I've played on it run perfectly.

Motion-control. Lighter and more comfortable controller than the xbox. Plus no batteries in the control is a real bonus. Free online multiplayer, ranking boards, content download, trailers and demos. BluRay has 50gb capacity VS HD capacity of 15gb. Can you say “uncompressed textures and sound”?? Bluetooth and the ability to add other peripherals like the PSP, keyboard and mouse. Built in BluRay, HDMI, WiFi, extra card slots, 4 USB ports. No more of that audio protection crap, just copy MP3's straight onto it your HDD. 60gb HDD!! (upgradeable)

The whole online capability is great, I've downloaded trailers for future games and from what I've seen PS3 is going to surpass 360's game lineup by November.

Microsoft jumped the gun and launched too early. If they waited a few more months I think they could have implemented more features and given game developers more time to complete games which would have increased the lineup at launch. One of the main factors that kept me from getting a 360 was the poor game selection available… Right now the only thing that would get me to buy one is an exclusive release of Knights of the Old Republic 3.

It's pretty obvious which console will outlast the other…

Hi evry1 out ther I would just like to say that PS3 are overpriced while being extremely similar in gameplay and graphics to 360 ( they are 360 clones ). Overall I think Ps3 will not sell well till the price is dropped or until newer, better games are released (e.g mgs4 starring me, solid snake). If you have any further issues call mollzac, his frequency is 141.12. I'm off to complete operation FOX (wink wink nudge nudge)

Solid Snake out.

Didn't they say that DVD on PS2 was un-needed? What happened there? The PS3 is also listed top-3 as a blu-ray player. Meaning it's just as good as those stand-alones out there.

It's a convenience issue to do with watching movies on PS3. So you don't have to swap around the leads as much or whatnot. Seriously, is that all haters have nowadays? Blu-ray not being needed? Heck more than half the stuff we own aren't needed.

I don't personally think those that “hate” sony or the PS3 are bad people. You're all just doing this 'cause PAPA Gates told you so. ;-)

I understand.

I recently had the opportunity to play a PS3 for myself – It was great! Sony knows how to produce a quality console. Unfortionatly, although the graphics were nothings short of amazing, apart from the simple six axis controller changes and the great graphics, Playstation really hasnt been terribly innovative this time round. Im tired of being fed the same tired and true formula from gaming companies. The new controller style is great especially for racing titles, but if I want a great control system, i would go and play my Wii. The PS3 surely has its merits, but the graphics seems to be one of few. It felt like I was playing a PS2 at some points. Sorry PS3, you havent bought a new era in gaming.

The PS3 is a Decent next generation console, that isnt really mind-blowing. Unless graphics really matter to you, and your willing to put up with a similair gameplay formula to the previous sony console, dont get a PS3.

140.85.......­...beep beep

Colonel. Huh? You wan't me to take out PS3 REX?? No problem. And you know why? Because they are inferior to XBOX 360. They are twice the price while providing a similar package and can easily be taken out by stinger missiles. I'l take out Liquid too while I am here. The PS3 stands no chance as it is rumoured to over heat. I have played both and fought both. XBOX won hands down. I'l be right on it colonel ( miss fox that is)

Solid Snake out.

i just have to say i own a ps3 and i have play x box 360 it is obviously inferior and buy the way IAMSOLIDSNAKE the cooling system sounds like a jet engine so enjoy looking at inferior graphics and having your ear drums blown out

PS3 rules, Liquid snake out.

Do you people honestly think that the games out for it now are all there's going to be in the future? Seriously, apart from price and “lack of games”, it's been a pretty desperate attempt, and for no reason, to unnecessarily bash this thing. 99% of these FUDsters do NOT, and most likely will not own the console. So why complain?

You forget that the PS2 launch with around 8 games, came out here in NZ for roughly $1000NZ.

Prices drop. People.

and

Games come.

This is not about 360 vs PS3. It's about treating each to what they are.

Hello to all you PS3 fans out there ( ecspecially MOLLZAC=chinny ).

As tumatee said before, if you include the PS3's assets e.g the Blue Ray disc player then yes, perhaps it is cheaper. However the fact remains that the cost price of a PS3 nearly double that of an Xbox 360 and as I know of one person who owns a PS3, this is obviously an issue amongst the consumer. And after all, who really buys a GAMING console to watch movies? This, in my mind, is a preposterous idea and a waste of time. If your looking for a home entertainment system then buy one. Why didn't Sony make the HD DVD player optional and lower the price? Perhaps we shall never know.

The so-called “shortcuts” microsoft made in the development of the Xbox 360 is a ridiculous notion to put forward. If this supposed overheating fault does exist, then a serious gamer would purchase a cooling fan to prevent this; it is only a further $30, minimal in comparison to the extra costs of a PS3. And who cares if it's ugly? When you are playing an Xbox 360, you are looking at the mindblowing graphics, not the fan.

And the much awaited Halo 3, who says it is not going to be all it's cracked up to be? Mollzac is not Psycho Mantis, and therefore he can not see the future. If Bungie can even manage to improve it just a little from Halo 2, then I believe it will be a great game with amazing online capability. As for PS3 online being free, so was PS2's and look how popular that was.

And you Mollzac, those endless hours spent on mgs3 because you couldn't clock it as fast as IAMSOLIDSNAKE have obviously fried your brain.

IF YOU AIN'T DOWN WITH SONY…YOU AIN'T DOWN AT ALL

PS3 HAS SURPASSED XBOX360 ON MANY LEVELS…IN TIME, PS3 WILL PREVAIL…LOOK OUT FOR E3 FOR NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS…THE BEST IS YET TO COME…KEEP THE FAITH…IT CAN ONLY GET BETTER…

OVERPRICED? NAH…CLOSE TO THE SAME PRICE WHEN PS2 DEBUTED…WELL WORTH THE MONEY…ALOT MORE TITLES ARE BEING RELEASED BETWEEN NOW AND MARCH 08.

ALL HAIL PS3…LOL

Hello all, i am Liquid Snake/TAMATIW­HAKANENE/MOLLZAC and hello there to IAMSOLIDSNAKE (you are obviously OTOCON) i just have to say you have no faith in the PS3. Yes it is more expensive but if you read my previous article it will tell you why (overall it is more cheaper that 360).

Both companies claim that theirs is the next generation in home entertainment btu PS3 is the only one which origionaly comes with the next generation of movies (blue ray). although people might say DVD is good enough the world will soon change to blue ray. A previous example was the release of the PS2 it came wiht a DVD player, most people said “what the Hell” videos are fine but soon the world all got DVD players and i believe the same thing will happen to blue ray and the people who own 360's are going to have to upgrade for $250!

I believe that the 360 has made shortcuts in the creation of there machine, it overheats and if you atleast want a chance of playing it for more than 4 hours straight you need to buy an expensive and ugly cooling system (just more money).

There is no doubt that most people are only going to get a 360 for Halo 3 but i feel it will be a waist of money. Halo 3 is just halo 2 with better graphics (the game play is exactly the same) With the large numbers of idiots who will buy a 360 (IAMSOLIDSNAKE) there is no doupt it will get popularity but it dosen't neccesaryly mean it will be a good game nether the less idiots like IAMSOLIDSNAKE will end up buying the game and saying it is the best game ever.

I bought my PS3 at the end of March. I can honestly say it is one of the best purchases I have made. You read alot of reviews saying that the 360 is better because its got more games and games on both consoles look better. But what I can't get around is that there was only a limited selection of games available to the 360 when it came out just over a year ago. The PS3 is the more dominant console with so much more to offer (apart from games) and at a very reasonable price. The 360 is still at its release price and no-ones complaining about that. Sony already make a loss on the consoles they make it on software, so until more games start coming out I don't think we will see a price drop anytime soon. Other than that the graphics have the potential to be great (as seen in the 2 days to vegas trailer) and the system packs so much why wouldn't you want to get one?

Over the past year or so, gamers had been anticipating the release of the PS3 console. The ps2 was such a dominant machine, and with metal gear solid 3: Snake eater how could it not be? Everyone was desperate for the release of the PS3, convinced that it would be the greatest gaming experience ever.

In theory it was the ultimate console. It promised high definition graphics, a new generation blue ray disc player and of course the next game from the metal gear solid franchise. I myself was very excited. However my first try on the console proved it to be nowhere near my former expectations. Sure the graphics were pretty good, but were they worth $1,299?? Plus the gameplay itself was a little shoddy, though perhaps this was the fault of Ridge Racer ,which in itself has never really been popular with me. To be honest I was rather shocked.

Sure the PS3 is a GOOD console but I fear that it may never escape the massive shadow cast over it by the XBOX 360. The graphics are similar, the price is larger and the gameplay is worse. I admit I am still waiting for the release of MGS4 but until then Sony, where did you go wrong??

PS3 is so much better than any console out there. it is cheaper than the 360 because:

• you get a 40gb more of hard drive than the 360 (thats about $200)
• you get a blue ray player (the eqivalent in the 360 costs $250 to purchase while the PS3 blue ray is built in)
• it doesn't over heat that much. my mate has a 360 and after playing it for 4 hours it made funny noises and has stopped working. he alsoknows that this has happened to other people aswell so it is obviously a recurring problem.
• ONLINE PLAY IS FREE WHILE ON x box IT IS 100 DOLLARS A YEAR (TALK ABOUT A RIP OFF)
• the only problem with a PS3 at hte moment is that no good games are out yet. FOLLOW MY ADVISE AND GET METAL GEAR SOLID 4 WHAEN IT COMES OUT BEST SERIES EVER MADE, SPLINTER SELL IS SO POOR COMPARED TO METAL GEAR IN MY WORDS THE BEST GAME ON PS1, PS2, PSP AND NOW PS3

IN CONCLUSION DONT BY A PS3 YET BUT WAIT FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND BE SURE THERE IS A GAME YOU WOULD LIKE (LIKE METAL GEAR SOLID )

Just wanting to comment on the comments themselves… you hear nothing but praise from those who have bought a PS3, the only people who complain are those who couldn't handle the wait for the clearly superior machine, copped out and bought Xbox360. Personally, im saving for my ps3 :P

Not to mention that you can now upscale your ps 1 and 2 games and normal dvds to HD it looks awesome!

This console suffers for real. Sony still can't solve the anti-aliasing problem. Still any decent pc can beat it. Same For WII and Xbox 360. (USB 2.0) yeah I had firewire 800 and Sata 2 which has better bandwith. Overheating problems. My pc does not overheat and i can mod it.

In regards to your comment on the 360's price, you're wrong. You can get a 120GB Hard Drive for $229.95 and a HD DVD drive for $249.95. That comes to $1029.85 with the core system; $170.10 less than the PS3 pack plus you get 60GB more HD space and the HD-DVD movie, King Kong.

This is awesome, way better then XBOX 360, I used to have a 360, and it was great but the PS3 just pushes the 360 aside, price wise it may not look that great but its cheaper then a 360.

360 is $650, you want to upgrade to a 60gb HDD you'll be looking at another $300, you want an HD DVD player for HD Movies, thats another $300, already thats $50 more then PS3.

If you into online play then you might think the 360 is better, well PS3 has a game which plays 40 players online with absolutely no lag (except for those few that are running slow connections but they are so rare) not to mention ITS FREE, no 360 game can match that.

My 360 was a heater!! and was rather loud, my PS3 hardly makes a noise and it has gotten hot since ive had and i dont think its had much of a rest.

The visuals are unbeleivable, yes the 360 has Gears, but wait till you see Motorstorm at 1080p, OMG!!!

The controller is awesome, light weight and the R2 and L2 buttons are great, Motion sensing is great at times but other times it can get frustrating, can't wait for warhawk though.

The games that are coming to the PS3 are endless, R6 vegas, GTA4, warhawk, socom, GT5, resistance 2 the list goes on.

This would be one of the best gaming purchases of your life and if you can pick one up for cheap on trade me like me then EVEN BETTER.

If you dont have a broadband connection then you will definatly want one with the PS3, the online functions are great and you definalty want to be able to use them.

A Panasonic Blu-ray player costs around $3000. I'm not sure how good the player is but PS3 console is mind blowingly good!!

This console, you can play PS3 games, watch DVDs, Blu-rays, play mp3s, view pictures, surf internet and so on.

Those who said PS3 is more expensive than XBox 360, please do the maths before criticising the $1k console. PS3 already have a built-in Blu-ray player. XBox 360 needs a HD-DVD player in order to watch HD movies not to mention pluging into the player is rather inconvenient. In order to match PS3's specifi­cation, you need to spend more on 360. Talking about choices, you can chose not to buy a Blu-ray movie disc.

Playing Blu-Ray disc via HDMI cable is a WOW factor. The picture and sound quality are superior to DVDs. Probably because Blu-ray disc capacity is enormous, even bigger than HD-DVD. I wouldn't be surprised if the sound data is uncompressed since Blu-ray holds up to 25GB (single layer) over HD-DVD's 15GB. Of course there's a 30GB dual layer HD-DVD but then there's 46.6 or 50GB on dual layer BD.

I can't say whether BD or HD-DVD will win such war but only time will tell. So far I'm impressed with BD.

Even now, PS3 is very good value of money if you want a BD player. Otherwise spend $3K on other BD player if you dare!! PS3 is way better than 360 not to mention far more convenient as well.

I've bought a Bluetooth remote to make the PS3 user friendly for non-gamers. I've also pluged in a USB keyboard so I can use the PS3 like a computer (well pretty much).

this is one of the best console i have ever played with, people complain about the price but please think of what u get and compare it to the xbox 360 it comes up to be almost the same price, ps3 is slightly more expensive but not much.

you can't complain about not being games being out i mean its only been out in pal territories less than a month, how many games did the xbox360/wii have when it first launched so give it time and there will be great games. i highly recommend this console if you have the money to get it.

Awesome machine. Amazing graphics in HD 1080p. Completely ignore Fool below me. Of course someone with the user name xbox360 is going to diss the ps3. He hasn't even played it!

The PS3 is no better than the 360. Too expensive, release date mucked up. It is not horrible but 360 is better. HD-DVD vs Blu-ray?

What he said below…Amen to that brother.

Just waiting for the good games to come out now…

I have recently bought a PS3 and i have to say it is awesome i have only played 2 games on it (Tekken:DR, Resistance) but still they are good games and show off some good capabilities of the machine (Graphics, Motion Sensing controllers) and keep in mind that these are just early games.

Now for all of you complaining about the price of the PS3 compared to the Xbox 360 let me share some information that you may or may not already know,

1. It has Wi-Fi capabilities built into the machine no need to buy a $190 USB adapter of some kind to access online capabilities
2. It comes with a Hard Drive 3 times the size of that of the Xbox 360 Included in the price of the initial system unlike the core system of the Xbox 360.
3. The controllers already have Batteries built into them and come with the USB cable needed to charge the controllers no need to spend an extra $40.00 a peice on batteries and wot not.
4. It comes with Blu-Ray Drive BUILT IN no need to buy a big attachment at $250 looking like it's a vital organ hanging out of it.

If you add all of these extras together to get the Xbox 360 as close to the capabilites of the PS3 then you will find that they are about the same price.

So to sum up: 40 + 250 + 190 + 550 = 1030.

Don't get me wrong the Xbox 360 is cool and has some cool stuff to it too, but i think that many people are making too many assumptions about the PS3 too early and should share their opinions after they have gotten all the facts.

Sony recently started before launch they took out the PS3 hardware and switched to software emulation so only bout 73% off PS2 games work and most/all PS1 games, the first ps3's in US/Jap could play most PS2 games but they'll be getting software emulation two.

I heared FF11 for PS2 can run on PS3 but you need to be signed into jap server so try creating account in jap or something i would say it wouldn't really work but you can give it a try.

why 7 controllers not 6 or 8? cause sport games normally teams have 7 players not 8 i believe that would be the reason at least it ain't 4 right? You don't need a HD-TV to make the ps3 look awesome, it looks great on normal TV's but it would just look that much better on HD. Blu-ray works with any resolution TV including 720p/i.

I own a PS3 and 360, i prefer PS3 it can do a whoole lot more then what 360 is able to do, PS3 is way worth the price and its just going to get better during the year

I saw this in a store down here in Christchurch and had a go. They had R:FoM running and I had wee play. It looks and sounds awsome! What more can i say. The graphics are as smooth and as detailed as you could expect from a top line next gen system. Unfortunately I could not afford to take one home with me. Maybe when the price is a little more affordable. The price as it is now, I believe is justified. Xbox 360 requires the gamer to fork out for an add-on if he/she wants to experience HD-DVD. The PS3 has Blu-Ray built in so this is where the high price really comes in. So stop moaning and accept this as it is. Brilliant!

I heard the forums over a year ago said the PS3 will be completely backwards compatable (not true) and although you can play one of my fav ps2 games (Battlefield2 Modern Combat), I actually only really like the online mode which for some reason it can't play, only the 1 player mode !!! It says it can't detect the network adapter ? I also heard that you could plug in 2 TV's and have the option of multiplay split so you have a whole screen each (not true !!!) so whats the point of it allowing up to 7 controllers via blutooth ??? But the graphics are really cool but I feel sorry for people who don't have HD TV's who might have bought a PS3 or even old HD TV owners who can only support 1080i (not 720p) as blueray will only work in 1080i or p but 1080i only TV's will end up getting most ps3 games downsized to normal tv settings. I also wish they could come out with 2 controllers, 1 six axis for flight games etc and rumble for driving games etc. Still better than xbox360 plus by the time you buy the HDDVD player to connect to the xbox360 + the original price for when it first came out there's not that much of a price ifference and the PS3 can do double the Teraflops the 360 can etc.

This is the most amazing console I have ever owned… I have both a Xbox 360 an Wii, but this is amazing. motostorm for instance,blows any racing game I have ever played out of the water. This system just oozes class. As a bonus the system is so quiet, not like the decibell sounding XBOX 360. Enough of that..... Once you see and use this system, you know this is the next generation of gaming..... Ignore it at your own peril.....

Ive being playing R:FoM since for over 12 hours now, and with just one game, all I can say is WOW. Its unbelievable, The online is amazing, no lag what-so ever, its the best, plus its free, something Microsoft couldnt do… Also, the sony shop, where you can download FULL PS3 games (for a very cheap price, EG, Tekken 5 is under $20) plus you can also download free demos and videos, Ive also tested out that remote play, where you can put your Ps3 on you PsP, that is very good for when Im wondering around the house, Soon we'll all have Home, which is going to be legendairy, Soon we'll have MGS4, FF, and loads more, why buy and Xbox when you can have one of these?!

wow! this is awesome, i totally agree with everyone, it has so much more to offer than the xbox does, i traded in my xbox 360, and i'll never look back, and as for people complaining it is over priced, let me ask you all a question, how much was the ps2 when it first launched?? it was $999, and the ps3 is $1199, its only $200 dearer!! and when you compare the two, the ps3 is so advanced, so i think it is a pretty good deal, you pay top dollar for top quality! bring on more games!

Ive been playing ps3 for 7 hours now, & all i have to say is WOW. This is amazing just amazing,, you cannot compare ps3 with the xbox 360, its in another league. as they say " if you want the best you got to pay a little bit more".

What's happened to you all!! It's a Playstation!! What more needs to be said! Most people (people I know a least) owned/own both a PS2 and a Xbox and I for one will be buying both the XBox360 with the HD-DVD player and PS3 when the price for both consoles drops enough to make it sensible/affordable and that's so I can play any game I want AND watch whatever movie I want nomatter what format it's on. Let's face it NZ we're a bunch of gadget freaks and we want it all :)

It seems that a lot of people who have posted reviews here are morons. Limited backwards compatibility is not the point; the point is that you are paying a lot more for less. Given that the PS3 is region-free, why in the world would you buy a PAL PS3 which not only has less functionality, but can also only play PAL Blu-Ray movies (we all know how fast movies come out over here ;) )? Get a Japanese or US machine online; even after you have paid for Fedex to courier the machine over you'll still have cash to spare.

Of course its cheap compared to an 8800GTX, it doesn't have the power of one. The PS3 GPU is equivalent to that of a 7800gtx. Crytek, the developers of crysis, already came out and said that neither next gen console would be able to produce graphics as good as those in Crysis.

Review – Checklist Styles

• Sony = Thanks alot for supporting PAL regions, we know you love us so much
• PS3 = Big momma glossy brick used to show off how much money you have (use it to pick up girls it works…honestly)
• PS3 Hardware = Maybe it can finaly make me a cup of coffee..hmm nope jus seems to make everything else kinda crap 3 years down the track
• Limited backwards compatibility = Omg Sony? how did u know that we wanted to play only a limited amount of our ps2 games? :O you guys are awsum! 1337
• Currently Game Lineup = wo! who needs MGS4 when u can play Tiger Woods Golf
• Reasons for immediate purchase? = Bragging rights, and to pick up chicks (honestly it works), break into peoples cars, self defense when walking through an alley way.
• Seriously? = Alot of game franchises have kept with the same consoles. Therfore previous ps2 owners and fans of their games… stick with sony. You'll see alot more of the same games on here that we all love ^_^ coughcough* mgs, ffxiii, dmc, gt, tekkencoughcough*

H i im new and ive been looking over these reviews and i think sony shouldve done better i mean with the ps2 you could play ps2 and ps1 but with the ps3 theres nothing like that i mean not only is it a rip off on price but also onfunctions i mean i loved all of sonys stuff but now id rather play xbox over ps3 and thats saying something.

Already pre-ordered and just counting down the days…the new virtual online world ‘HOME’ is going to be interesting. Don't think it launches til later down the year…

Time to put the xbox 360 away and welcome true next-generation gaming :D

When your dealing with Consoles that cost $750 and up, you got to put things in perspective. When dealing with this type of money knowing that your most likely to drop at least $1000 on games it comes down to what type of games you like. My PC to keep competitive has cost me at least $1500 a year on either a new Graphics card, a better CPU or a complete revamp. $1200 even with extras knowing that all the games you get for it will work at 100% is a steal in my opinion.

My only worry I have about buy the PS3 is the good chance that Sony will be to tight on the the blue ray format. Its already happed with the adult movie's where basically banded form putting they videos on Blue ray. I also believe Sony is screwing there other manufactures like LG and Pioneer by undercutting the players with the PS3.

In the end I most likely will get both because I'm not sure who will win. But It Dual format players come out and sell well it will be the end of Blue Ray because of the high cost of production compared with HI-Def.

the ps3 is going to rock only 8 more days!!

You guys really need to get over it, our PS3's are compatable with approx 1000 games on launch. if you are REALLY that worried about backward compatability, keep your PS2 and save up the extra $100 or so it'll get you.

Or you could all just buy a Wii and never be sad again.

I was going to buy a Ps3, but then got sick of waiting and bought a xbox 360, the premium model cost $720, plus wireless adapter $190, and HD-DVD drive $250(pre-ordered mine), bringing the total to $1260 just for the system excluding games and controlers I bought, so $60 more than the ps3, for less? see some people may not need wireless networking, or High Def movies just yet, but eventualy you will, so you will end up spending just as much on a 360 than you do ps3, and then what happens if HD-DVD fails(which it probably will) and then what happens when the PS3's graphics eventualy surpass that of the 360, see sony has future proofed, and thats a good thing.

It's a shame the movies are region coded, otherwise it would have been a great buy as I will be visiting Singapore soon where it sells for just NZ$750 – that's the official Sony price, expect street price to be even bit cheaper! Not sure how Sony justifies the price difference.

Given that Sony will be releasing PS3 with just software emulation in this market (NZ/Aus) for PS2 instead of the embedded chip, this means my current PS2 games might not work (not all PS2 games work via emulation on PS3). Would have been a perfect buy at $800 if it included the remote for Blu-ray and was 100% PS2 compatible. Not everyone might need wireless or HD player but when they do, I bet it will be a lot cheaper that it is now, given that this is definitely the highest price PS3 will sell for over it's lifetime. I'll wait for it for a year or so, as I bought a Xbox 360 after getting sick of waiting.

Having said all that PS3 definitely rocks when compared with X360 (feature wise)

It looks like a George Foreman grill haha

The PS3 maybe expensive, may have a lack luster game library, and may have an under developed online-system. But guess what, the system is still within its launch window and its only about 4 months since it launched!

and guess what, great games are coming for it: Final Fantasy XIII (RPG), Final Fantasy Versus XIII (RPG), Metal Gear Solid 4 (Action), Ratchet And Clank Future: Tools of Destruction(Plat­form), Devil May Cry 4(Action), Singstar (Social), Heavenly Sword (Action), Gran Tourismo 5 (Racing Sim), Killzone (FPS), Lair (flight) and others. Notice that most aren't just 3rd person or 1st person shooters? its got everything for everyone.

And guess what, the online system is still being improved and may never reach perfection because its constantly being improved. more demos would come, more indie games like flOw would be released. PSone games would be downloadable too and you'd be able to play it both on the PSP and PS3. the expected Playstation Home would combine Youtube and Myspace like functionalities into the online system.

As for PS2 games, well guess what, 1000+ games would be playable! there are 2038 PS2 games available in PAL regions. chances of your game being playable: 50%

Guess what, the PS3 plays Blu-Ray disc movies and HIGH DEFINITION imgage and sound. Register yours and get Casino Royale on Blu-ray for free!

What more do you want?

the 60gb ps3 will cost more than the 20gb but the 60gb will have wi-fi but the 20gb wont or so ive read, plus the amount of games that will be released from launch day till say the ps4 release the games will take up more space than before and you will only be able to store up so much on a 20gb, unless sony decides to bring out an even big hard drive say up to 120gb or more. price wise ofcouse the 60gb will cost more than the 20gb but you gotta look at the bigger picture with the amount of stuff you can store on it: game saves, pictures, music, downloadable software, & games, plus more stuff in the future

one thing i am disappointed in is the lack of ps2 games available to play on release, also not everyone has broad band to download the software for their old games. also in that you can plug in your old ps2 contorllers or mics for singstar unless sony creates wireless mics

I believe PS3 will change everything in the console and set the bar once again.

All this talk of PS3 being overpriced and not being able to play PS2 games is silly. Yes for some people it will be overpriced and yes people will not like how it can not play most PS2 games. Sony have said that it will not play “some” PS2 games as yet but updates to let the PS3 play more PS2 games etc will be released as time goes by. There is a web site that will give you a list of which games can be played from your PS2 etc but it is not up and running untill the 23 March launch day.

Overpriced!? i don't think so what so ever, look at the whole picture..look at what you are getting for that price. This console does a whole lot more and is new tech so the price is going to be high. PS3 does a whole lot more then just play games.. blu-ray, dvd, c.d, internet etc etc combine those all together and i say the price is right. I know not everyone will be able to get one but if that is the case just remember the price will drop.. look at the PS2 now its only cheap these days. Or wait for for the smaller 20Gb version of PS3. In my view this PlayStation is going to change everything for consoles and gaming.

i have been reading the reviews,

also 2 get to my point, the reviews have been realy funny you read the positive reviews of the playstation geeks and they have KNOW IDEA what they are on about:

“Ad it may be expensive, but god damn its a sexy beast!” – no it looks like a fridge, or a chesse grill :P

“The Xbox360 is FUGLY! and the plug in HD-DVD drive is a joke! If you add on the cost of that thing, the xbox360 and PS3 cost rougly the same” – yes and no, its still cheeper than the 20gig ps3 model, and what if you DONT want a HD-dvd player?

“Just wish we had a choice of colors at release, ah well.” – you do on the 360 :P

“and don't forget the 60gb hard drive, microsoft charges what, an extra $200(?) if you wanna buy the seperate TWENTY gb hard drive for 360??” – well not realy if you buy the xbox with 20gig hdd, its still about $500 cheeper, and unlike the ps3 you CAN Upgrade the harddrive so xbox 360 will soon have 80gig and maybe 120gig

yes playstaion is expencive, but its got inbuild blue ray and new tech, so thats far, meny people dont realy want a blue ray and would like a cheaper ps3,. y cant it be an ad-on,

I can't believe the amount of people bagging the PS3 who haven't tried it. Come on people, its a bit unfair. I agree that $1199 is expensive and i was disapointed with the delay, but hey, things take time. If you're not gonna buy one because it took too long or its over priced then don't. $1199 is the price and 23rd march is the date. Get over it.

I have now made the decision NOT to purchase the PS3 – I have been saving and was all ready to go and buy it on the first day but if there is limited back compatability and you can't even play Guitar Hero then forget it – yay – thanks everyone for saving me over $1200 – now how much was the X-Box again???? :o)

i hardly think it's fair to be going on and on about the price of the console… we all know that new technology always has a slightly high pricetag, so i think it's fair to say the ps3 “costs a lot,” but not that it's “overpriced.”

i know it's been said before, that when the ps2 came out it was around $1000, but i'm gonna go one up on that and say don't forget that when dvd players came out THEY were around $1000 too and the ps2 was a dvd player also… so, considering the ps3 is a new system AND is a blu-ray player also (i haven't done my research on these yet but i think they cost around $1000 too) $1200 is nothing really compared to what they COULD be charging…

and don't forget the 60gb hard drive, microsoft charges what, an extra $200(?) if you wanna buy the seperate TWENTY gb hard drive for 360??

and lastly this is just an idea, but i'm guessing (ignorance :P) they don't manufacture ps3s in nz?? if anyone has tried to buy anything online about that size and weight i'm sure you've noticed how much you have to pay for shipping!!

i was kinda dissapointed just now to read that bit about the limited back compatibility, but yeah, i think the price really shouldn't be such an issue :)

ive read in some mags that the ps3 sucks just over twice as much power as the xbox 360

ps3: 360 watts xbox 360: 160 watts

as for the price & lack of ps2 compatablity you gotta wonder wot sony is thinking coz really not every1 has that type of money & as for the compatablity dont get me started on that

To my mind the PS3 is not worth it in NZ at the moment. We are being stung on price even more than the Aussies are and to all who say that when you chuck in the HD-DVD player to an xbox 360 the cost is about the sam I call Shenanigans. A massive pack is about $750 on average and when ypou add the HD-DVD you get $1000. A similar pack for the PS3 is selling at ****** for $1500. 50% more is no pittance.

At the moment there are no killer games that really show off the quality of the PS3 and in most comparison reviews the image quality in current releases has been in favour of the 360. I am sure that this will change as developers come to grips with the PS3 and its capabilities but for now the machine is bloody expensive and its offerings are limited and sub-par.

However… without early adopters, the PS3 is doomed to failure so all tho who wish to buy, good on you and I hope you enjoy your new machines. To the rest of you, wait and see. There are rumours of poor sales in Japan but in truth only time will tell if the PS3 is one of Sony's greatest triumphs or the lead weight that broke the camel's back.

All the reviews look like they're bagging the PS3 Everyone's going on about price, and now Sony have made the PS3 not backwards compatiable. If you think back to the launch of the PS2, it was round a thousand bucks to buy that too when it came out, and i had a years gaming pleasure out of it before everyone got it cheap, Was it worth it...... Hell yes. Maybe PS3 won't play all your PS2 titles, doesn't worry me i'll still have my PS2. If you want it, buy it, if you don't then feel free to donate more money to Bill Gates and Microsoft

I was looking forward to the PS3. Even with though we have to pay 50% more than the Japanese and 30% more than the US I was stilling going to buy it. Then they delayed the launch by 6 months, Ok I can live with that I mean it only means we will have BETTER hardware than the US and the Japanese right?

WRONG

The Japanese and Americans get 100% back compatibility. Europe gets “limited” back compatibility.

Sony has stated that they are REMOVING the PS2 chip inside the PS3 so PS2 games will have to be emulated. Then they state say there will be a LIMITED amount of PS2 games that will work on the PS3 and if they game doesnt work on the 23 of march it never will. To add make things worse they then state they wont be releasing the number of games that I will work UNTIL LAUNCH DAY. So if you sell your PS2 to help pay for the PS3 (like I did) you are screwed.

They also say we are getting a free game “Gran Turismo HD Concept” the problem is that the Americans and the Japanese ALREADY got it for free and the game is only 1 track with 10 cars. Nothing to call home about.

Also Guitar Hero will not work with the PS3 EVEN if they get the software to work, there is no PS2 controller port so you cant play because the game only works with with the Guitar that came with the game

So, not only are we getting a delayed console, but we're also getting a console thats more expensive overall than wat the americans pay (which is still a stack) but not only that – there will be LIMITED SUPPORT for ps2 titles!

Why would I just ACCEPT it was delayed, so they could over charge us AND remove promised features?? I really one day considered getting one, I did, but thats it. You can only take so much before you realise when a company is taking your loyalty for a ride.

Do some research, check the prices (and this is not gpstores issue – its sony's) and check the news. Its not going to change the way you live – only change why you are loyal to a company with contempt for its consumers.

I will not be purchasing a Playstation 3 now as Gran Turismo HD was canned by Sony Entertainment. This was the only reason I was holding out for it!!!!

The PS3 has the same power Graphics card, made by the same developer as the 360's one, so how can it possibly support better quality graphics than the 360? It cant! Also many of there ideas were takin from others, e.g. they had the guts to copy Nintendos motion sensing. How can you have the nerve to copy nintendo? its just wrong! and the ‘Hub Button’ doesnt it lok strangely familiar to the ‘Guide Button’? also more processors mean, more heat which means high chance of overheating, seeing as they do not have one fan per CPU, only one for the master CPU. ALSO, this really shows how low sony have shrunk, THEY EVEN HAD THE NERVE TO COPY the 360s RELEASE DATE! how can you even think of copying another consoles release date? Im seriously thinking about going to the PS3 launch party with a large sign with the words “HAPPY BIRTHDAY 360!” on it. Honestly.

Reading through all these “reviews” there seems to be only two posts which are reviews. All the other posts are basically trying to mock the Ps3.

I've always liked the ps1 and the ps2 controllers, to me they're perfect and I'm glad that Sony hasn't changed that. Plus, really, you cant compare the ps3 and the 360 by just looking at the screen shots, Ps3 has HDMI and I for one would really love to see how good that looks on my tv.

Lets not try to put down the console yet, at least not till you've played it and found it to be either amazing or crap.

I've got the 360 but I'll still get the ps3, The Ps3 just has so many built in features.

Please, even if the PS3 out performs the XBox 360, no game developer is going to create a game twice, it will be developed for both at the same time and will then appear almost identical on both systems.

As for Nintendo, they might make good systems but as seen in the past never have the ability to market and sell them properly.

$1199.95 for a console and they didn't even bother to throw in the remote (for which we have to beef out another $59.95! C'mon, if they are serious about pushing it as a Blu-ray player to justify the high price, surely a remote isn't too much to ask! I have no plans to buy PS3 until they come out in a decent package with at least a Blu-ray disk movie (as they did in the US) and a remote!!! At least the XBox 360 HD Player comes with a free HD-DVD movie.

skate or die mofo!

And it may be expensive, but god damn its a sexy beast!

The Xbox360 is FUGLY! and the plug in HD-DVD drive is a joke! If you add on the cost of that thing, the xbox360 and PS3 cost rougly the same, So stop Kvetching and get over it.

I've already ordered mine, traded in the ole PS2 and XBox.

Just wish we had a choice of colors at release, ah well.

Bring it on! Just gotta buy a nice new HDTV now LOL

Played it and was not impressed at all. Over priced, Graphics are great but nothing you cant get from another console, The online experience was crap(Sony has along way to go there) and for the Games you will have to be a big Final Fantasy and Gran turismo fan because those are the only 2 major exclusive titles for the PS3 (Metalgear solid is still being tossed up whether to be exclusive or not). When the price is right then i will buy it. You can buy the console from overseas for about 800.00–900.00 NZ$ for the 60GB version, why is it so expensive locally?

Sony have truely shot themselves in the foot on this one. After waiting so freakin long for the PS3 to arrive, to say I was disappointed when I tried it is an understatement. As with most people, I felt like i was just playing a PS2. The graphics have been improved a bit, processing speed juiced up, but thats about it. And that price!!!??? Does Sony think we all live on $100,000 a year salaries? C'mon, for most people, this is way beyond our means. I too have (after many years of staying loyal to Sony), elected to switch alliances and go with the Xbox 360. The fact that it is here for a fraction of the price and has so many titles already available already has swung me. By the time I can afford a PS3, a new and improved Xbox will be here, so I might as well wait for that.

I've just spent the morning reading releases and specs. Some may be misinformed so feel free to check this info yourself!

One reviewer stated “…you should wait for the inevitable price drop”

Release was delayed because the production cost early in 2006 was aprox US$900 per console. Sony is already biting the bullet releasing at the current time. Future models with newer componentry = reduced cost. But don't expect the price to drammatically change in 2007… I'll take the years enjoyment and pay the extra.

I'm assuming ‘anonymous’ has an imported overseas console or borrowed someone else's data for his comparison. I'd expect the results show a PS3 interpreting a game originally built to take advantage of Xbox hardware. Titles made specifically for the PS3 to take full advantage of the hardware will be more impressive (remember what early PS1/PS2 titles looked like?)

There's a lot of noise about whether Blu-ray is a wise choice given it's tacking on about $200 to the cost. The thing that has made me uneasy about buying into Blu-Ray has been Sony discouraging the production of p0rn for Blu-Ray. While this doesn't effect me directly (as I don't collect p0rn…: )) in the long run it could mean a death knell to the format. I'll bet Sony never considered which format would benefit the consumer most when they gave us their own proprietary format!

Lastly, replacing my upscaling dvd player with Blu-Ray is appealing. But knowing that the only region coding on a PS3 is in the Blu-Ray player why WOULDN'T I buy a US console? It's cheap games and dvds in Region 1 format Vs Local coded expensive games and limited selection DVDs??? And it'll be years before Blu-Ray is a common sight in the video shops (if at all!) so till then I have to buy regardless…

Shut Up Shut Up Shut Up I'm sick of all you people moaning and groan about the PS3 not being this and not being that! The true potential of the PS3 wont be seen for another 3–5 years when the TVs catch up to the PS3's specs. The PS3 was made for the future. So stop your moaning!!!!!!!!!

Yes i really am looking forward to this!!! I dont care about delays or fanboys slagging the console off, all i care about is how its gunna perform!!! This should be awesome and i would give 5/5 but the price is a little steep, but saying that, there is a price for extreme, way out of this world gaming!!!

Might be worth all the hype? MADNESS! Clearly the us market has proved that. Just checked some of the many side by side game comparisons on many of the large gaming websites… the ps3 is NOT what sony claim it is… it really is unfortunate, because once upon a time, i was looking forward to it :(

Sony blundered this the ps3, just like the psp. But, this is New Zealand, and the PlaySation brand holds a ton of power around here… too many shallow minded people i guess :P

I'd say this is the first time Sony has bought out something that is intirely.....­........PATHE­TIC! No only has it gotten bigger than the original PS2, going into the future i thought they would make somehing a little bit smaller and better looking but no clearly Sony is too stupid to even think about that and unlike the Xbox 360 the controller style has stayed exactly the same with no new alterations to it either.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is a much better price than the PS3 aswell as the PS3 is overpriced junk. The Xbox 360 has a much better range of games including some really great exclusive ones.

The Xbox 360 is a way better machine all together than that other pathetic machine or a sad excuse for a gaming console!

Woooo release set at November 07 for the ps3, in that time I can save up for a Wii, xbox360 and a PS3.

Playstation has some pretty great exclusive games. The numbered Final Fantasy games (appart from 7 through 12, except 11), Tekken, Grand Turismo, just to name a few. But where are the PS3 versions? Most games being released in NZ alongside the PS3 are available on at least 2 other platforms. Want to play some of the PS3 games before launch? Jump onto Xbox 360 for around $500 less and experience almost identical versions of the same games. Or $700 less and onto the Wii, with worse graphics, but a much more fun experience.

My recommendation: Wait until there's a game exclusively for PS3 that you MUST have or a bunch of Blu-Ray movies you MUST see, and hope for a price drop on the console before the game/movies are released. (Personally, I'm waiting for Final Fantasy 13.)

Xbox 360 provides you with basically the same (if not better) experience than the PS3 already, and if you don't care about Blu-Ray movies, it's much less expensive. Why would you use your hard earned cash on this before there's anything worth using it for?

It's worth getting… just not yet.

Most of the reviews seem to be pessimistic, I for one are optimistic towards the release of PS3. Then again I would have prefered a release during the summer holidays. Besides that ps3 comes with a built in blue-ray disc player, that itself saves us a $1000. It's processing power is so superior that buyin a pc with such power would cost well over 2000 and the ps3 can be used as a pc although I'm afraid there would definitely be some limitations. Most importantly it is the best console out on the market, with it being the only one to deliver gameplay on 1080p.

I can clearly say that most customers are infact looking simply at the price and not the amazing deal we are getting for it. That being said those of us who are keen on saving money can import it from the US, although you won't be able to play blue ray discs from NZ as it's the only one region based, but games should be fine. Disregarding importing costs PS3 bought from US should be well under $900, but it would be a sacrifice towards playing blue ray disc movies.

Quote: “didn't even make an effort to upgrade the controller and left the door wide open for its rivals to take control. After the disappointing way this console has come about I have changed alliances to Microsoft.” Not to dissapoint the guy but Microsoft doesn't really have a great record of good software. I mean, most of their new computers crash at the release date. Anyway, they didn't change their controller at all apart from a new button in the middle that's useless in games. And who said that the PS3 and XBOX 360 have to be released on the same date? Personally I think that it's a great system and it will be more affordable by the release date since prices have already dropped in Japan where it was already released. I will probably not buy it straighaway, since it is still quite expensive but I will definitelly buy it next year.

Quote: “Regardless of the spec sheet, playing it was just like playing any old game on a PS2/PS1. A new gaming console should do a LOT more than just have improved processing power. A good start is to make it affordable for us mere mortals… sorry Sony, the PS3 just doesn't do it for me.”

You do not know what you are talking about. All 360 did was improve its processing power a little bit and improve the graphics yet you don't moan and groan about that one do you? Also look at the huge step Sony has taken from the ps2 to the ps3 in terms of graphics, power etc. Plus you should not be basing the console on its graphics. You should be judging it on the console's ingenuity cough cough WII!. So how about you stop being a complete tosser and aknowledge that both the ps3 and the 360 are the same- except the ps3 owns the 360.

P.S. I personally think that the 360 has some wiked exclusive games, but i truly think the Wii is the best but it only just beats the ps3

The messed around with the release date, didn't even make an effort to upgrade the controller and left the door wide open for its rivals to take control. After the disappointing way this console has come about I have changed alliances to Microsoft. The system is here, the price is falling, there are more games on the way, and they seem to make an effort to keep there customers happy.

I have already converted 3 mates to the green side. What a waste of a good console.

You'd think that the PS3 versions would be exactly the same or slightly superior to the Xbox 360 versions, since many of these games appeared on the 360 months ago, but it seems like developers didn't use the extra time to polish up the graphics for the PS3. I found that the Xbox 360 actually had better graphics in the majority of the games I compared.

Both systems have fairly similar graphics in Need for Speed Carbon, but the Xbox 360 has better lighting while the PS3 has sharper textures. The 360 has better high dynamic range lighting in the Camaro image. I've not sure if the PS3 version blurs the background tree leaves on purpose, but it's another noticeable difference. The lighting in the street shot appears more realistic on the 360, but the building textures are sharper on the PS3. It also seem to be missing some lighting and a few landmarks in the rearview mirror of the PS3 version.

Played the PS3 at Big Boy's Toys, and what can I say. Felt just like playing a PS2! Well I'm hardly surprised, but I thought Sony would try a bit harder for the next generation.

Regardless of the spec sheet, playing it was just like playing any old game on a PS2/PS1. A new gaming console should do a LOT more than just have improved processing power. A good start is to make it affordable for us mere mortals… sorry Sony, the PS3 just doesn't do it for me.

Following the huge build up towards its release, the ps3 has been plagued with a number of problems for PAL gamers relating to both the increased cost and delayed release. In addition to this, Sony's promotion choice of promotion campaign was poor as we are only just learning of some of the amazing features of the system. All online gaming on the ps3 is free of charge, with the only costs being related to the purchase of game materials – which leads to another great feature – Sony's wifi integration between the ps3 and the PSP is set to further develop with the ability to download ps1 games via the ps3, and emulate them on the PSP. People obviously already know the system specs, but it is unfair and ignorant to claim that the graphics are poor based on webpage screenshots – the ps3 fully supports High-Definition up to 1080 progressive, the most advanced TV display currently available, as well as full HDMI integration (both of which New Zealand is largely still in the stone age in terms of awareness and knowledge). The ps3 is sure to be an amazingly powerful and entertaining system, but as mentioned above, its major drawbacks have arisen in its lead up to launch. Only time will tell if the system is able to win back the supporters it has already lost.

Over-priced and under-whelming. Check out the high-res ps3 shots on gaming sites to see the jaggies on edges and the washed out, low-res textures that have historically been the signature mark of playstation. Sony not releasing the system in NZ for another 6 months just shows you how much of a priority we really are to them. Get Wii or a 360 this xmas if you want to have fun! ;o)

PS3 has been delayed until March 2007 in PAL regions, that means us too. The price is high, and PS3 has lost a few of it's key franchises exclusivity, so if you are going to get a PS3 you really must be getting it for more than just the games.

The first Gran Turismo game for PS3 is going to be GT4 with higher resolution textures, the developers have said as much. Grand Theft Auto is coming to XBOX 360 on day one, and the next Smackdown VS Raw game wont be coming to PS3, although the 2008 version certainly will be.

I will certainly be getting a PS3 when the price is right, and I suggest if you are waiting to play the next iteration of Gran Turismo or Final Fantasy you should wait for the inevitable price drop.

When I had the pleasure of testing it overseas My mouth dropped open for about 10 seconds, The graphics are awsome (I still think they should of used NVIDIA gpu instead of the rbx or somethin) The new controller fells more comfortable too and its ultra fast. Its so good I might preorder one right now.