Sony PS3 review and comparison from a consumer point of view

[Boz]

Hi everyone!

Considering that I'm the type of person bugged by the smallest details, I naturally had the problem that some of the movies I wanted I couldn't have on my existing Xbox 360 with HD-DVD player, Fox, MGM and Sony Pictures movies to be exact. Now for most users this might not be a huge problem as they will probably have some alternatives, but I?m just picky, I got to have it all or nothin:blush:h:

Now, having the Xbox 360 with HD-DVD player, Wi-Fi and 20gb hard drive, I had to pick up the Sony PS3 just so I could probably enjoy some exclusive titles for PS3 and watch a couple of movies that come out from these 3 studios that are exclusive to BD camp.

In this review I will write about my first-hand experience with the PS3 console, my real expenses tied to owning one and comparison in terms of what you get when compared with Xbox 360 both feature and price wise. I will also touch-up on the quality of BD movies when compared to Xbox 360 HD-DVD movies as both consoles are directed to the same AV Receiver through optical audio connection, Xbox 360 by VGA cable and PS3 via HDMI.

No fanboyism here, as a consumer, I really have to draw a line between the competing platforms and how much they are giving me/you today. We are talking just hard cold facts and something you can look forward to (good or bad) when you go to buy your PS3 console.

Let's begin:THE PURCHASING EXPERIENCE:b>

As I went to grab lunch, I remember that I wanted to get a PS3 console, for the reasons mentioned above, and after I had a good lunch, I directed myself towards the closest electronics store which was Best Buy.

I wanted to get a $499 version of PS3 as it is supposedly the most used comparison console by people who support BD and PS3 and is inevitably on the same price comparison level with the XBox360 console. They say this price beats XBox360 + HD-DVD combo. So I said okay, primarily for BD movie watching and some gaming I would get the cheaper one.

So I go into Best Buy and to my surprise PS3s $599, shelves stacked with them, Wii nowhere to be found (of course I'm looking to buy this one as well) and XBox360 had a few in stock but you could see that the console is still selling very good. I have to note here that HD-DVD player spots for XBox360 were empty (I guess sold out, but it might have been late shipment or something). So I'm like, ok, $599 versions of PS3 are here and bunch of them, but no $499?!

Is it possible that they are all sold out?! So while one of the employees was double checking I went to the Magnolia dept. to take a look at the new Panasonic 65" 1080p plasma and to ask them about some other stuff I wanted to change with my home setup. I ended up talking to the manager at that Magnolia. We talked, cool guy, and after a little bit I mentioned I was waiting for the PS3 check and we went into the whole BD/HD-DVD discussion. Obviously he was favoring Blu-Ray but he did tell me not to expect the $499 versions of PS3 anymore as Sony is not making them anymore. It was a marketing promo thing to announce similar competing price against Xbox 360 and most shops both online and offline don't have them even as SKUs anymore. I refused to believe in this.

Okay, so I said hi to the Best Buy guys and I told them that I?ll look around a few stores in the Valley to see if I can maybe snatch a $499 version somewhere. Well after seeing a few Target stores, a few Wal-Mart stores, 2 more Best Buys, Circuit City, Fry?s Electronics and local EB Games stores, I finally gave up. Shelves are stacked with $599 version but there?s absolutely no sign of $499 and when I ask them if they?ll get more, they just shrug their shoulders. Unbelievable, so it is true.

I?ve decided to check and noticed that even NewEgg.com does not have a SKU for $499 version of PS3. This is very unsettling. So they lied that I could get a $499? Or was that like, I can get it but if I go and wait in the lines and sleep in front of the stores and after that, all I get is $599 version. I have to say, if you as a consumer, as I am, are not insulted with this misleading tactics and lies, then I don?t know really what to say anymore, you are probably not spending your own money most likely.

Once again, even after all talk, I am shaken by Sony?s arrogance and greed with complete disregard for what a consumer want, and if anyone tells me in any comparison that PS3 is $499, I?m going to smack them on the head J . It?s simply false, there is no $499 version anymore you can buy.

So, ok, I got suckered and I say alright, I?ll pick the $599 one. Since I was closest to one of the Target stores, I go in and decide to pick my new PS3. No problems overall, plenty of it in stock, again if I may notice 1 Xbox 360 left, no HD-DVD drives in this store (sold out) and no Wiis.

Okay, so all this Xbox comparison aside I?m starting to get excited, you know that I?m buying new cool tech stuff for the first time feeling all over. So I tell the sales persons ?PACK ME ONE OF THOSE PLEASE!? J.

Then, as they took it out of the cabinet, I look at the specs and there was a bitter surprise waiting.

Absolutely non-existent cables inside (only plain analog audio/video cable, not even component), USB cable for a controller, an Ethernet cable and that?s it. No games, no extra controllers, no remotes. What the hell is going on? This machine is $599 and I don?t get any of these things. So I turn around and I ask the salesperson again, so ?None of it is inside?!?. They shrug their shoulders. So I sigh, and ask, ?Point me to accessories, please?.

I pick up Resistance Fall of Man (just so I can see some game graphics), as it is one of 3 titles available for PS3 (you might call this tone of voice whatever you want, but if you saw the game offering you would understand). I mean hey, I?m picking up console 4 months after the launch, it?s not like it came out yesterday. Okay, so I pick up another controller as I got the same deal with Xbox 360. I mean I want to game with someone (a buddy, some girl or somebody), 1 joystick is lame and they all know it.

I pick up a PS3 remote as I wanted to primarily use it for movies, so I don?t want to keep joysticks on my living room coffee table. Of course, I can?t use the supplied cable as my receiver mostly accepts component and optical inputs and my TV uses HDMI. Even if I could, if I used that cable it would be completely stupid and would defeat the purpose of hi-def gaming as you can?t get crap with the included cable.

So I add the PS3 HDMI cable and optical audio cable from accessories and I?m hopefully done. I approach to pay up and the total is staggering $850. What a HELL! I bought my Xbox 360 premium, with 2 controllers, headset, remote, Wi-Fi adapter, optical cable, VGA HD cable, 2 games and 12 month LIVE! for $650, I added the HD-DVD player, got a free HD-DVD movie King-Kong and everything turned out to be $850.

I can tell you , people who say that PS3 is a good deal are just simply lying. Go buy it and see how much money you need to pay to hook it up in an optimal way to your TV, sound system so you get all the praised resolutions and quality. Trust me; it?s going to be at least $800. Now around $800 for Xbox 360 against around $800 for PS3, what?s my deal, right? Well, wrong, with same prices and absolutely same features, Xbox having superior online system, more and polished games, PS3 has absolutely no appealing factor to me. But I say, never mind, I still need it for BD movies, and they might come out with a few titles exclusive to PS3, and bottom line I can be just a show-off if anything, so I can say I have both.

So, I come back home, plug everything in to my Denon 7.1 AV Receiver and my 50? Pioneer Elite plasma. Btw, I picked up a few Blu-Ray movies just to check it out, picked up MotorStorm and Virtua FigSETUP and USING THE SYSTEMonster House and X-Men 3.

SETUP and USING THE SYSTEM

Unpacking the HDMI cable, unrolled the optical cable and everything went pretty easy. It?s all connected to my audio receiver, connected to my TV via HDMI, so I?m 1080p ready.

Okay, everything in, I turn on console, the system tells me it needs to go through a setup, but before that I need to plug in my wireless controller to PS3 with USB cable?! So I?m standing 2 feet from the PS3 console (since that?s the length of the USB cable) and I?m trying to type in my name as this is becoming very frustrating since the battery is charging and the controller is not working right, it is all over the screen and I can hardly hit the letters. After infuriating typing I somehow managed to enter all information and set everything up. It is important to note that this initial setup, if I didn?t have controller problem, would?ve been extremely easy and smooth. It?s very simple.

I just want to point out a few more things here that people who buy a PS3 should keep in mind. The controllers DO NOT have replaceable batteries. You have to charge it every time through USB cable. So you play a game, you run out of batteries, you?re out of luck, no gaming until you recharge (about 1:30 mins ? 2 hours). Another more pressing problem with this approach is that if the battery ever starts fading overall, meaning it?s lifetime becomes significantly shorter, you will need to replace the whole controller and don?t be fooled this indeed happens at least once a year or so was my experience with integrated batteries before.

Another consumer friendly approach right? NOT! I?m still pis*ed about this.

UPDATE

It seems that Sony said it will replace the controllers on PS3 for free ifGamey goes bad, of course we'll have to see that to believe it, but thanks Game.

On Xbox 360 for example, when I was setting up my system, you are using regular batteries, no problems with initial battery life of the controller and I could setup my system from the couch as opposed to standing 2 feet from the console with a cable, no recharging just plug in new batteries and keep on playing and the controller will last FOREVER pretty much unless you break it or you break the buttons. Now that?s what I call giving the consumer what they want.

Another thing that was a bit disappointing but is pretty much subjective I guess was no vibration at all. Sure it has motion sensor thing, that unfortunately I didn?t have a game to truly experience, but no vibration. I mean when I play GRAW 2 now on Xbox 360, that vibration indeed gives me a bit more realism as we drive through the missions, explosions etc.

The controller thing aside, overall the setup was fairly easy, however I have to say that the whole console somehow feels unfinished, I?ll tell you why.

Overall finish is pretty good as Sony does have some design sense; however the software part on the console is sometimes a bit out of whack. For example, if the game is inside the console and I press EJECT, the whole system crashes, unlike Xbox for example where it just boots me back to the dashboard. I?m certain that this PS3 thing is somewhat correctable via their update, however keep in mind that when I pay premium for a device and 4 months after the launch I expect these things to be sorted out right of the bat. To be honest I had only one crash with Xbox 360 and Project Gotham Racing when it came out and nothing afteQUALITY OF CONTENT (GAMES):mware updates. I got one of the first batches of Xbox 360.

QUALITY OF CONTENT (GAMES):

Okay, well games, I have to say that I?m not super impressed. Resistance Fall of Men is NOT bad, however it?s very bland, unoriginal and somehow too linear. Graphics are pretty good, but definitely still not what we were promised. You have to judge this by yourself, but I think that all new Xbox 360 games look superb, and I don?t think that Sony has what it takes to shake the already 3rd generation of Xbox 360 games and If they do, they will need to support developers better, and come out with games SOON, not 2 years from now.

MotorStorm is again, a nice and colorful game, nice graphics, again, close to new generation graphics but not there yet. No anti-aliasing at all it is somehow too sharp. MotorStorm shown on E3 was not what they delivered here ( http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=15401&type=wmv ). The game itself is very linear, no diversity, just pick the tracks, your vehicle. Don?t get me wrong, the game is very entertaining, for short periods of time. It?s only that you will get bored fairly quickly. Haven?t tried multiplayer but some people say that?s where they pick this game up again. We?ll see.

Fact is though, that Xbox 360 doesn?t really have an off-road game like this and that?s a shame for Xbox 360.

One more thing, it is very important. PS3 doesn?t seem to upscale games at all. It will go 1080p with HDMI but only when the game was coded for it, otherwise, you will see a white noise on your TV as it switches modes and it will downscale to 720p on most games at the moment. On Xbox 360, I play most of my 720p games in upconverted 1080i asQUALITY OF CONTENT (Blu-Ray Movies): by VGA cable available for Xbox 360. Full 1080p is supported as well.

QUALITY OF CONTENT (Blu-Ray Movies):

The most pleasant surprise was Blu-Ray. Granted, I watched all the latest titles and mostly animated and they all look SUPERB on Blu-Ray, no question about that. Ice Age: Meltdown looks STUNNING indeed. As far as regular movies, X-Men 3, Superman and Batman Begins look fabulous. Do they look better then HD-DVD? Not really. I would say Blu-Ray, HD-DVD quality DEAD EVEN.

This is interesting though, even though I was impressed, the equal performance of BD and HD-DVD titles tells me one thing. Interactive features and combo thing with HD-DVD will be one of the key factors in extending HD-DVD format and this overall format war. These new movies on BD don?t have any crazy things like their HD-DVD versions do. It?s interesting though to see that more BD titles are optimized for Widescreen HDTVs, meaning you will see the movie across your whole screen as opposed to those black bars on top and bottom.

Oh, one thing that I noticed, it looked to me that Blu-Ray on PS3 was significantly slower than the HD-DVD on Xbox 360. I don?t know, it just took forever to start the movie, the UI for watching movies IS WQUALITY OF AUDIO:to navigate. I still haven?t figured out all icons and crap to navigate through BD menu options.

QUALITY OF AUDIO:

I?m not much of an audio buff, however I would have to say that PS3/BD audio is on the same level as Xbox 360/HD-DVD. I?m using both systems on the same setup, through optical CONCLUSION:.1 speaker setup (Klipsch Synergy series). It?s truly immersive on both systems so no question really there.

CONCLUSION:

Are you still undecided which way to go?

Then you should ask yourself, is it worth to wait at least a year or two for PS3 to come alive, since it will take that much time for it to really start showing it?s own potential. To be honest if it lasts that long, I think PS3 is pretty much doomed. The key issue here is developers. Lack of developer support from Sony?s side, tough coding for cell processor makes developers pick Xbox platform over PS3 in most cases. This is purely my opinion, so take it with grain of salt.

Personally, if I had to pick one system only, it would be Xbox 360 with HD-DVD. It?s a very objective reasoning, whoever tells you otherwise is just blowing smoke up your ass.

Here?s a few reasons why I would pick Xbox/HD-DVD over PS3, at least at this moment as I see both.

- PS3 still needs software revisions and firmware updates as it is plagued by bugs

- Games are extremely limited

- The quality of the games is close but not just right there as with Xbox 360

- High price of complete package and no choices whatsoever

- Accessories made to be replaceable by lack of flexibility (read the controller case).

- Blu-Ray doesn?t offer superior video quality for the price, but lacks some interactivity features

- Blu-Ray on PS3 does not upscale regular DVD movies. The maximum is 480p

- Most PS3 games are at 720p

- Shady marketing practices and disregard for the consumers

Price wise, I think you will spend same money to get the same features from both consoles, don?t be fooled. However, the support , games and the fun factor (multiplay, online system) experience is by far much better on Xbox. HD-DVD is truly just an added bonus on your gaming console, whether you want it or not is your choice, however if you don?t need it you save $200 which is pretty significant.

I might revise this review a bit to include the PS3 Home experience, however I don?t expect this to be as revolutionary as everybody seems it will. I mean, I don?t want to spend 30 mins strolling through the virtual world to show off my trophies, I?d rather have it simple as on Xbox 360 and just show everything in a very simple and quick way. I don?t know, I?m speaking too soon, we?ll see.

Hope you have use from this review and get into a new purchase armed with things you might have not considered before.

Cheers.

SOME PHOTOS:

Well I just snapped a few photos, excuse the mess as I'm rearranging a lot of stuff, making new layout for the components and DVDs/HD-DVDs/BDs and games.

Game I will post a few photos of the quality of PS3 DVD playback against XBox 360.

Edited March 13, 2007 by Boz

[CRIKEY]

good review

[ck2k01]

I second the good review notion. Its a shame that the PS3 ended up how it did. I honestly had high hopes for it (and there is still a part of me that hopes the PS3 will somehow miraculously comes into its own), but as you said, there are just too many issues/ shortcomings to justify the price against the more popular Wii and 360.

[MadFerIt]

Definitely a great review. It's nice to see one without an obvious fanboy slant (granted if you were one, you wouldn't have even bought the thing).

Sony has an amazing console on their hands.. But the software is pitiful. Hopefully Home and to a larger extent LittleBigPlanet will help change things.

[ahhell]

There are a couple of errors. You confuse component with composite in a couple of places.

Other than that, good review.

[jerzdawg]

nice review... on a side note i seem to follow your posts that involve home theater since i am a fan of that and am well aware that you must be "well off" in the financal department... so i am just wondering why the big fuss over the $100 for the "pro" ps3?

[TokyoKiller]

Nice review, but can I ask what do you do for a living :shiftyninja: ?

[HawkMan]

I'm guessign you don't get "well off" by watsing 100's everywhere.

and sony did list the cheaper versions as a buyable alternative, but I knew thiswas coming when the was only listed as beign created for the US. obviusly it would only be a first batch thing.

and those 100$ could have boguth a few extra BD/HD-DVD movies or a PS3 game (oh yeah, notice that hidden stab at PS3 game prices :p)

[Nightz]

good review, and i agree that the 360 is a better deal now. the 360 currently has the edge, but keep in mind that it has been out for over a year. since you did a pretty good job at being unbiased, you should do a review again once the ps3 finally picks up and has some quality software to compare with the 360 :yes:

and like the other people, i'm curious what you do for a living :p

[Ironman273]

The thing about waiting for the PS3 to catch up is that Microsoft is not going to be standing still waiting for that to happen.

As for the 20Gb PS3, check out this article: https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?show...543628&st=0

[sn00pie]

One of the best reviews I've read in a long time, that basically states facts and somewhat has changed my view on the PS3 being superior to the 360.

[webcivilian]

I have a XBox 360 and a PS3. I never bought PS1, PS2, or the XBox 1. I'm a PC gamer. But this generation something has changed. Some of the good titles are only coming out on consoles, and if you own a next gen console you can also watch Hi-Def movies on those. These are my comments to the great consumerist. I'm a Sony fanboy and a Microsoft fanboy and I think Vista is much better then MacOS X. (even without the drivers)

Once again, even after all talk, I am shaken by Sony?s arrogance and greed with complete disregard for what a consumer want, and if anyone tells me in any comparison that PS3 is $499, I?m going to smack them on the head  . It?s simply false, there is no $499 version anymore you can buy.

Oh please. Stop bitching about Sony. If you want it, pay $599. Simple as that. You get to play next gen movies and games.

Once again, even after all talk, I am shaken by Sony?s arrogance and greed with complete disregard for what a consumer want

Once again dude stop bitching. You want everything for free. Does'nt mean you will get it.

Absolutely non-existent cables inside

Come on its just one cable not cables. Everything else you need is in a box. HDMI cable manufacturers have to do some business too. Good for Sony for not including the HDMI cable. Microsoft has to do some business too. Good for Microsoft for not including the VGA cable which is the only cable that can do 1080p for HD-DVD movies.

No games, no extra controllers, no remotes.

No games in comes with 360. No extra controllers with 360. and no remotes with 360.

So I add the PS3 HDMI cable and optical audio cable from accessories and I?m hopefully done. I approach to pay up and the total is staggering $850. What a HELL! I bought my Xbox 360 premium, with 2 controllers, headset, remote, Wi-Fi adapter, optical cable, VGA HD cable, 2 games and 12 month LIVE! for $620, I added the HD-DVD player, got a free HD-DVD movie King-Kong and everything turned out to be $820.

Dude let me do the math for you. Its easy, you have to use a calCost of PS3 Setup Setup

Console: $599 with 60GB HDD and WiFiBestbuy

Controller $49.99: Bestbuy

Movie Remote (BD-Remote): $24.99 Amazon

HDMI Cable 6ft: $9.99 Amazon

Games: $59.99 * 3 Total: 864.93864.93

Now with this setup I can play three games and watch movies at 1080p. onCost Xbox 360 setup setup

Xbox 360 Premium: 399.99 with 20GB HDD Bestbuy

Controller: $49.99 Bestbuy

HD-DVD Drive: For watching Hi-Def movies. Includes Remote $199.99 Bestbuy

Xbox 360 HD-Video Cable (VGA): For watching those movies at 1080p $39.99 Bestbuy

Wireless Adapter: $87.99 ($99.99 Bestbuy) Amazon

Xbox Live: To play online with my buddies: $49.99 Bestbuy

Games: $59.99 * 3 Total = $1007.91007.91

This makes my system exactly like PS3 so that I can play next gen games and watch Hi-Def movies.

Okay, everything in, I turn on console, the system tells me it needs to go through a setup, but before that I need to plug in my wireless controller to PS3 with USB cable?! So I?m standing 2 feet from the PS3 console (since that?s the length of the USB cable) and I?m trying to type in my name as this is becoming very frustrating since the battery is charging and the controller is not working right, it is all over the screen and I can hardly hit the letters.

Its because you have to sync it (Pair the bluetooth devices. By plugging in the controller its emulates as the password for the controller. I hope you have sycned bluetooth devices to know this). Why dont have to sync Xbox controller because its Infrared.

I just want to point out a few more things here that people who buy a PS3 should keep in mind. The controllers DO NOT have replaceable batteries. You have to charge it every time through USB cable. So you play a game, you run out of batteries, you?re out of luck, no gaming until you recharge (about 1:30 mins ? 2 hours). Another more pressing problem with this approach is that if the battery ever starts fading overall, meaning it?s lifetime becomes significantly slower, you will need to replace the whole controller and don?t be fooled this indeed happens at least once a year or so was my experience with integrated batteries before.

I think Sony made good decision by not making the controller with replacable batteries. Sony is the largest manufacturer of mobile batteries in the world. But integrating the batteries made the controller lighter. It worked good. My battery on my controller ran out after 3 months. So its pretty good battery life. And the Zune the Ipod and now the iphone wont let you replace the batteries.

You're right about the system software and that it needs upgrades. I agree with you on that. And Motostorm looks great.

- PS3 still needs software revisions and firmware updates as it is plagued by bugs

- Games are extremely limited

- The quality of the games is close but not just right there as with Xbox 360

- High price of complete package and no choices whatsoever

- Accessories made to be replaceable by lack of flexibility (read the controller case).

- Blu-Ray doesn?t offer superior video quality for the price, but lacks some interactivity features

- Blu-Ray on PS3 does not upscale regular DVD movies. The maximum is 480p. XBox 360 on the other hand goes up to 1080i on DVDs.

- Most PS3 games are at 720p

- Shady marketing practices and complete disregard for the consumers

I agree with you on most of the things. But please dont compare with the 360. The 360 sucks in DVD playback. Xbox 360 Seriouly Flawed DVD Playback - ExtremeTech.com

And when you say that you did'nt find any different in the movies. You must better check this great site HiDef Digest on reviews for Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies. Its all knowledge dude its power.

And about the Audio. The PS3 and better and much better than the 5.1 support on the Xbox 360. Its called Dolby TruHD. and Uncompressed Digital PCM audio.

So I would conclude that you review is seriously flawed with in-accurate information. I hope that you do a better job of informing the community in the future.

NET CIVILIAN...

[Boz]

nice review... on a side note i seem to follow your posts that involve home theater since i am a fan of that and am well aware that you must be "well off" in the financal department... so i am just wondering why the big fuss over the $100 for the "pro" ps3?

Well I the $100 is not the problem financially for me, lying and misleading is. You see every web site and fanboy have been talking about the $499 version of PS3 and when I decided to go and buy it, I couldn't, all I was offered was $599. You see my point?

Now put yourself in my position. You decide you want to go and buy PS3, you are hyped up, as anyone, just buying a new cool tech thingy, you are planning to buy it for $499, you go there and everywhere and all you see is $599. So there are two things you can do, one is to be completely disappointed and go home as $599 was not what you planned to spend or you will say I'll just pay those $100 more and get it.

You see how wrong this is? You are basically forced to spend more money that you wanted, because they lied you could get it for $499 and now you are already there and it's highly unlikely that most consumers will turn back.

Of course this won't be the case anymore as we all know now that it was a ploy, but I find this type of business practice extremely shady and right down insulting to me as a consumer.

Cheers.

[Dysphoria]

Good review. I totally agree. I already played Resistance on my friend's PS3 and I agree with all of your comments.

Four months after 360's release there were way more games available than BD has now and console wasn't as buggy.

Also Microsoft and other Game developers will not sit on their collective arses for the next 2 years while Sony is trying to catch up on the PS3.

I watched Hitch on PS3's BD and then I also brought my 360 in his house and we compared the Batman Returns on the HD DVD and on the BD, and I could absolutely see no difference in PQ at one over the other one. Both of the movies were seen on 1080p on a 46' Samsung HD LCD.

EDIT:

BTW to answer Mr. Net Civilian here, XBox does come now bundled with games, and also the HD DVD came with King Kong.

Also about the batteries, if you use your PS3 as often as I use my 360, you will definitely have to charge up your controller off an on, and eventually it will lower the batterie's efficiency. Now by not including rumble they lowered power consumption by a bit, but I still don't like that they do not allow for the consumer to be able to switch those batteries.

Edited March 13, 2007 by Euphoria

[webcivilian]

Well I the $100 is not the problem financially for me, lying and misleading is. You see every web site and fanboy have been talking about the $499 version of PS3 and when I decided to go and buy it, I couldn't, all I was offered was $599. You see my point?

Now put yourself in my position. You decide you want to go and buy PS3, you are hyped up, as anyone, just buying a new cool tech thingy, you are planning to buy it for $499, you go there and everywhere and all you see is $599. So there are two things you can do, one is to be completely disappointed and go home as $599 was not what you planned to spend or you will say I'll just pay those $100 more and get it.

You see how wrong this is? You are basically forced to spend more money that you wanted, because they lied you could get it for $499 and now you are already there and it's highly unlikely that most consumers will turn back.

Of course this won't be the case anymore as we all know now that it was a ploy, but I find this type of business practice extremely shady and right down insulting to me as a consumer.

Cheers.

There is no misleading. You are misleading everyone else. If you want the 20GB version here is the link for it Buy.com PS3 20GB $499

So please....

NET CIVILIAN...

[Boz]

There is no misleading. You are misleading everyone else. If you want the 20GB version here is the link for it Buy.com PS3 20GB $499

So please....

NET CIVILIAN...

First off all, you need to start living in the reality, $499 version IS discountinued, you can find it with some luck online and that's about it. I chose to go offline as it is more convenient if I need to replace it, return it or whatever. Those online stock will be sold out pretty soon as there are very few places and it's pretty much done. The fact remains, in local stores, no $499 versions, it's simple as that.

Come on its just one cable not cables. Everything else you need is in a box. HDMI cable manufacturers have to do some business too. Good for Sony for not including the HDMI cable. Microsoft has to do some business too. Good for Microsoft for not including the VGA cable which is the only cable that can do 1080p for HD-DVD movies.

What the hell are you talking about. If you own a PS3 you know what piece of crap you get with cables. With XBox 360 you get COMPONENT that allows you to play 1080i to begin with. No additional purchase necessary. VGA cable in XBox360 case is an accessory, in PS3's scenario is a RIP-OFF.

No games in comes with 360. No extra controllers with 360. and no remotes with 360.

Excuse me?!? I bought my premium bundle with 2 controllers, 2 games (PGR and Perfect Dark: Zero), headset, remote, 12 months gold for $550. It was a while back too. As they don't have to promote the XBox 360 that much any more you'll probably have hard time finding exactly the same deal as I got, but still you should get a deal where you get the full XBox 360 package + extra wireless controller, headset, play and charge kit, media remote control, NBA Live '07 and Test Drive Unlimited as a part of the packed that is still cheaper then PS3. All that at around $550.

Okay, so you get all these things, +$100 for wi-fi and $199 for HD-DVD and you get it for around $850. Plus, HD-DVD addon was on sale at Fry's Electronics for $159 if you buy it with XBox 360 premium as a part of the bundle.

It seems that you are calculating individual parts, you know most stores have these as bundles where you save A LOT. Unfortunately any Bundle I saw with PS3 was $800 and up, while XBox 360 bundles hover from $550-$650 without the HD-DVD player (with $650 bundles including almost all accessories for XBox 360)

Its because you have to sync it (Pair the bluetooth devices. By plugging in the controller its emulates as the password for the controller. I hope you have sycned bluetooth devices to know this). Why dont have to sync Xbox controller because its Infrared.

What the hell are you talking about? Do you really have a PS3? You press the PS logo on the controller, THAT'S IT, what type of Bluetooth pairing are you talking about.

I think Sony made good decision by not making the controller with replacable batteries. Sony is the largest manufacturer of mobile batteries in the world. But integrating the batteries made the controller lighter. It worked good. My battery on my controller ran out after 3 months. So its pretty good battery life. And the Zune the Ipod and now the iphone wont let you replace the batteries.

This does not change the fact in anything that I said, it's inconvenient when they run out, you will have to replace it when the battery is screwed up. XBox 360 controller is a better and more convenient solution. The battery will last a few months without problems and I don't have to stop playing to recharge nor I have to think about to hook the controllers via USB.

Integrating batteries into a controller makes sure you need to buy another controller, you are foolish to think they did it to make the pad lighter. They did it to MAKE MONEY.

I agree with you on most of the things. But please dont compare with the 360. The 360 sucks in DVD playback. Xbox 360 Seriouly Flawed DVD Playback - ExtremeTech.com

Dude that link is completely idiotic. They are comparing a console with high-end DVD player. WTF!? I have a Denon DVD that upscales, and I compared, yes, XBox 360 is behind my Denon DVD player and is even further behind the one they are comparing in that article, but I paid my DVD player $600 and they are comparing XBox 360 to a Denon model that is in the range of $800-$1000. It's completely idiotic to compare the two.

My Denon beats both PS3 and XBox 360 hands down. It upscales to 1080i as well and titles look very close to hi-def, however to fact remains that XBox 360 can upscale to 1080i and PS3 cannot and they will have similar playback quality. Watch the DVD on both and you will see no difference at 480p, run it at 1080i on XBox 360 and it will give you better playback then PS3. Try it, if you have both, instead of reading online articles.

And when you say that you did'nt find any different in the movies. You must better check this great site HiDef Digest on reviews for Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies. Its all knowledge dude its power.

Again you are linking articles online, I'm telling what I see as a regular consumer. You are truly sounding more and more like a fanboy and not like someone who has both consoles and can pitch in with their own experience. I don't need these links, I'm watching both on the same TV on the same setup and I say they are THE SAME. Newer titles at least.

And about the Audio. The PS3 and better and much better than the 5.1 support on the Xbox 360. Its called Dolby TruHD. and Uncompressed Digital PCM audio.

You can call it whatever you want, but when you play both on $5000 higher class speakers in my home and compare it to the HD-DVD audio they sound the SAME to me. Same environmental effects and bullets fly around everywhere the same. The specs don't mean crap to me, what I hear is what I judge.

So I would conclude that you review is seriously flawed with in-accurate information. I hope that you do a better job of informing the community in the future.

Hahahaha, there's absolutely nothing incorrect about what I've written here. Everything I wrote is first hand experience, my costs are completely valid and I'm transferring my personal experience. These are the things that most people will face if they go to buy a PS3 in the store and the same things they will face when they want to play games or watch movies (good or bad). You can find some stuff cheaper online, but I would advise people to buy stuff locally with PS3, so you can return it or have some support right there, as you might need it.

I have no interest to slam PS3 for the sake of it, I'm just saying what happened to me, and what people should keep in mind as I had a lot of experience with hardware as I buy all new stuff as soon as it comes out.

[jerzdawg]

snipped

nice replies Boz... you spent alot more time than i would have responding to an obvious fanboy or biased opinion.... i look forward to any future reviews you do..

[Matrix XII]

good review

[MadFerIt]

There is no misleading. You are misleading everyone else. If you want the 20GB version here is the link for it Buy.com PS3 20GB $499

So please....

NET CIVILIAN...

I always love how a person comes into this forum, to do nothing but flame people, and call them wrong. Oh and I can imagine you'll step it up even further and get yourself banned eventually.

But really, what's the point? Nobody cares about some guy who joined the forum just to attack people, grow up.

[DELTETHISACCOUNT]

Awesome review man. Reading about your home setup is giving me an orgasm. Mind posting a few pictures? ;)

[sn00pie]

Boz, do you mind snapping some photos of the PS3 vs. 360 playing standard DVD's?

Thanks. :)

[Boz]

Boz, do you mind snapping some photos of the PS3 vs. 360 playing standard DVD's?

Thanks. :)

Sure, I took some shots of my setup with PS3 and XBox 360, but the freakin' camera won't connect on XP x64 for some reason..now I gotta try to copy the photos using another computer here..but I will soon.

[webcivilian]

First off all, you need to start living in the reality, $499 version IS discountinued, you can find it with some luck online and that's about it. I chose to go offline as it is more convenient if I need to replace it, return it or whatever. Those online stock will be sold out pretty soon as there are very few places and it's pretty much done. The fact remains, in local stores, no $499 versions, it's simple as that.

What the hell are you talking about. If you own a PS3 you know what piece of crap you get with cables. With XBox 360 you get COMPONENT that allows you to play 1080i to begin with. No additional purchase necessary. VGA cable in XBox360 case is an accessory, in PS3's scenario is a RIP-OFF.

Excuse me?!? I bought my premium bundle with 2 controllers, 2 games (PGR and Perfect Dark: Zero), headset, remote, 12 months gold for $550. It was a while back too. As they don't have to promote the XBox 360 that much any more you'll probably have hard time finding exactly the same deal as I got, but still you should get a deal where you get the full XBox 360 package + extra wireless controller, headset, play and charge kit, media remote control, NBA Live '07 and Test Drive Unlimited as a part of the packed that is still cheaper then PS3. All that at around $550.

What do you mean by reality? Buy.com is in real life. Not 2nd Life. Its a new console obviously its going to be out of stock. Do you remember how long was the Xbox 360 out of stock? And what about the Wii? Please don't make illogical comments. Your review is seriosly flawed.

It seems that you are calculating individual parts, you know most stores have these as bundles where you save A LOT. Unfortunately any Bundle I saw with PS3 was $800 and up, while XBox 360 bundles hover from $550-$650 without the HD-DVD player (with $650 bundles including almost all accessories for XBox 360)

I'm sorry but I don't do bundles. They have crappy games in the bundles. Plus Xbox is under rated compared to 60GB PS3 as the 360 has a smaller HDD. No HD-Drive and no wireless, so obviously its cheap.

What the hell are you talking about? Do you really have a PS3? You press the PS logo on the controller, THAT'S IT, what type of Bluetooth pairing are you talking about. This does not change the fact in anything that I said, it's inconvenient when they run out, you will have to replace it when the battery is screwed up. XBox 360 controller is a better and more convenient solution. The battery will last a few months without problems and I don't have to stop playing to recharge nor I have to think about to hook the controllers via USB.

I know what I'm talking about. You plug-in the controller only to sync to console for the first time. You were bitching about the that. "You have to plugin the controller when you first setup your PS3". Its called pairing. If you dont know anything about bluetooth pairing do a google search.

And you have to press the silver X button on the Xbox 360. And the PS button on the PS3 to turn on the console/controller and to let the system know the what is the controller number.

Integrating batteries into a controller makes sure you need to buy another controller, you are foolish to think they did it to make the pad lighter. They did it to MAKE MONEY.

Yes, they do have to make money. Just like Microsoft's Zune and Apple's iPod no battery replacement designs.

Dude that link is completely idiotic. They are comparing a console with high-end DVD player. WTF!? I have a Denon DVD that upscales, and I compared, yes, XBox 360 is behind my Denon DVD player and is even further behind the one they are comparing in that article, but I paid my DVD player $600 and they are comparing XBox 360 to a Denon model that is in the range of $800-$1000. It's completely idiotic to compare the two.

My Denon beats both PS3 and XBox 360 hands down. It upscales to 1080i as well and titles look very close to hi-def, however to fact remains that XBox 360 can upscale to 1080i and PS3 cannot and they will have similar playback quality. Watch the DVD on both and you will see no difference at 480p, run it at 1080i on XBox 360 and it will give you better playback then PS3. Try it, if you have both, instead of reading online articles.

I was just saying that you have little or no research and your review is seriously flawed. It had inaccurate information. I know that dedicated players are much better in upscaling but you just bitched about the PS3 and went to 360 is much better. My point its not.

Again you are linking articles online, I'm telling what I see as a regular consumer. You are truly sounding more and more like a fanboy and not like someone who has both consoles and can pitch in with their own experience. I don't need these links, I'm watching both on the same TV on the same setup and I say they are THE SAME. Newer titles at least.

Regular customers wait till the HD-DVD/Blu-ray players are 300 bucks. I've have both console and I enjoy both of the alot.

You can call it whatever you want, but when you play both on $5000 higher class speakers in my home and compare it to the HD-DVD audio they sound the SAME to me. Same environmental effects and bullets fly around everywhere the same. The specs don't mean crap to me, what I hear is what I judge.

Hahahaha, there's absolutely nothing incorrect about what I've written here. Everything I wrote is first hand experience, my costs are completely valid and I'm transferring my personal experience. These are the things that most people will face if they go to buy a PS3 in the store and the same things they will face when they want to play games or watch movies (good or bad). You can find some stuff cheaper online, but I would advise people to buy stuff locally with PS3, so you can return it or have some support right there, as you might need it.

You should've bought the cheap $300.00 home theater system. LOL. And yes, the bullets in the movie wont change when you watch it on a PS3 or Xbox360. Hehehe

I have no interest to slam PS3 for the sake of it, I'm just saying what happened to me, and what people should keep in mind as I had a lot of experience with hardware as I buy all new stuff as soon as it comes out.

Again, I'm not a fanboy or anything but I like technology. And your review and accuracy of your information is flawed. I wish to inform the community with the links. So when you, me and others go out there to buy anything they have a really good info in hand. So they can make a better choice.

[notuptome2004]

Well i tried to buy a Xbox 360 when it first launched and failed so i used the money elsewhere then now this last launch dates for PS3 and Wii i bought me a Wii and i love it and would not Buy a PS3 possibly Never ever but i still want a xbox 360 with the HD-DVD drive after i can afford to buya HD Tv set.

[carpediem]

Talk about flawed statements ^^ (Two posts up) :p