| Sony’s PlayStation 3 is one heavy piece of computing equipment. I mean that both literally and figuratively. But while heavy, and larger than even the original PlayStation 2 unit, the PS3 has a sleek profile, and its weight allows it to stand on end without any danger of it tipping over when you walk past.
There are no obvious buttons on the PS3. The on/off and eject buttons are actually switches built into the skin of the machine. Simply pressing at the proper spot will make things happen. Of course, the only time you’ll be touching the console is when ejecting discs, because you’ll be turning your PS3 on and off using the wireless controllers, anyway.
The rumble feature has been dropped from the new Sixaxis controller in favour of an internal gyro that can detect pitch, yaw and roll. You won’t be feeling the attacks of your enemy any longer, you will be able to fly your fighter by moving and rotating the controller. This controller does not detect position, though, only movement. Having no rumble feature also means that, even with a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery, the controller is light as a feather.
In addition to having a larger hard drive, the 60GB unit also has more card reading and input capabilities, including compact flash, SD and Sony’s own proprietary Memory Stick. You can also connect peripheral devices such as MP3 players and digital cameras using the USB ports.
The console’s operating system is the same XrossMediaBar Sony developed for the PSP handheld. The logic of the interface takes a bit of getting used to, but once you’ve zipped around for a bit, you won’t have any problems figuring out where to go to access video, audio, games or the Playstation Network, Sony’s online community that gives you access to game downloads, your friends list, and the PlayStation Store.
The PlayStation Store is not the easiest to navigate. It’s slow to respond, and at times I wasn’t sure in which category I was. There isn’t, yet, a wealth of downloadable content, either, although given the content archives that Sony has access to – music, film, television and games – expect that to change fast.
The system can accommodate all 12-centimetre optical discs, including CDs, DVDs and the new, high-definition-capacity Blu-ray Discs. The PS3 has a PS2 chipset built-in. This means that you won’t need any software patches to play your old games, either. Having a PS3 in your entertainment centre means your old PS2 is surplus. Donate it to a women’s shelter so an underprivileged kid can benefit from some game play.
The PS3 was designed to connect to your handheld PSP — a feature that is rich with promise; imagine using the PSP as a rearview mirror while you play a driving game on your PS3. However, despite my repeated attempts to take advantage of the remote play functionality, I could not get them to interface. I was, fortunately, able to download a game demo from the PS3 to my PSP using a USB connection.
Sony had some problems supplying demand for PS3s during the holiday season, but claims to have shipped a total of one million consoles since the launch of the system on November 17. If you’ve saved your gift certificates, now is the time to cash them in. If you haven’t, be patient.
The major drawback to the PS3 is there aren’t, yet, many games available to play on it. But with a system as powerful as this, that’s a promising problem to have.
Resistance: Fall of Man (publisher: Sony; platform: PS3; rating: mature)
Set on an earth with an alternate history, Resistance: Fall of Man is an intense, breathtaking first-person shooter. The year is 1951, and the British resistance against the Chimera – a race of beings created from virally-infected humans – is failing. An American support force is wiped out, save for one soldier who was infected by the Chimera virus but is seemingly unaffected. You play as that solider, Nathan Hale, and in a story narrated by a woman officer in the British forces, you’ll use all manner of powerful weapons to tear through the Chimeran horde in an effort to stop their spread. A variety of environments – from bombed-out London to underground caverns to the pastoral English countryside – and an intriguing plot make this game deserving of a place in your library.
Genji: Days of the Blade (publisher: Sony; platform: Nintendo; rating: teen)
There are some elements of this samurai sequel that are much improved over the first tale, also set in feudal Japan. The developers enhanced the fluid movements of the dual-sword-wielding Genji and his comrades and made fast-switching among the four warriors integral to succeeding in the game. The story is simple but effective, and the adequate script shines because of some truly excellent voice actors. A couple of problems with the game conspire to make it less enjoyable, however. First is the camera, which you have no control over, and which too often prevents you from seeing what you need to. The second, related problem is that even though you have a map of the area you are travelling in, the path you are expected to take is often unclear. It looks pretty, but Genji: Days of the Blade is not as polished as it could have been. |
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