"Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover"

[MightyJordan]

This is taken from my blog, as I'm not really getting any replies to my question, so I'm trying here on Neowin.

:o That was the look on my face when I played the PS3 for the first time. And this was on Gran Turismo HD. I have never in all my life seen a better looking game. It's looked just like the real thing! After testing that, plus Formula One Championship Edition, and Motorstorm, I now want a PS3. I won't be getting Motorstorm, though. It's a bit basic. Yes, it does look good, but the gameplay is just basic. I'm definately getting F1, though! I love the F1 games, and this is another one added on to the list. Before this, my all-time favourite was F1 Career Challenge on the Xbox. If I'm not mistaken, this was EA's last F1 outing and then Sony took over. They sure know how to do a good job, Sony. Kudos to you!

Here is a list of positives I've made up about the PS3, which are making me want to buy it:

• Gran Turismo HD
  
• Formula One Championship Edition
  
• Metal Gear Solid 4 (if it stays PS3 exclusive, otherwise, I'm getting it on the 360)
  
• Free online service
  
• The cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market
  
• Can interact with the PSP, which I've got
  
• Can replace my old PS2, as it's on its last legs
  
• Can also play my PS1 games, if I bother to get them out again
  
• Home service
  
• Folding@home (I'm glad to know that if you've got a PS3, you can contribute to medical science)
  
• Built-in web browser (I hope it's better than the Wii's browser)
  
• 60GB hard drive (compared to the 360's poultry 20GB HDD, which I've filled up 6 times before)
  
• Motion sensing controller (yes, it rips off the Wii, but who cares?)
  
• Very light controller compared to the 360, and it's so comfortable!
  

And a short list of negatives:

• Very expensive
  
• Most of the multiplatform games look and play better on the 360, according to Gamespot's comparison, and I can't say no to achievements either!
  
• No rumble function in controllers, for now
  
• Sony keeps giving Europe the short end of the stick on the PS3 front (no price cut, no 80GB model)
  

I might be getting it for Christmas, which is probably likely. I definately will leave it till then if they introduce the rumble SIXAXIS controllers this year. Speaking of SIXAXIS, which games actually support motion sensing? Out of the 3 games I trialled in Comet on the 7th, none of them had the motion sensing technology used. Could someone please enlighten me on this issue?

After all this, I've come to the conclusion that you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover, as the title of the post suggests. Sony has actually made something good here. It's just a shame it's so expensive, but you can't blame them, as they lose a couple of hundred quid from each console sold, which is huge. But I need to play something I've never been good at before: The Waiting Game.

I need to wait until the Christmas season, and hope that they drop in price, and they finally get rumble in the controllers. I'm planning to sacrifice the chance of having my own 1/5 scale off road petrol-powered car just to get the PS3. And it's a massive sacrifice, considering that I already have the 360 and the Wii. To be honest now, part of my wishes I never played the PS3 at Comet that day. I would never have had to come to this impossible dilemma then. People, please help me choose! With the off-road car, I'd probably be racing it regularly, as one of my dad's friends has just started a local off-road racing club, which I went to with my dad's old off-road car last Sunday. It was pretty good, but I can't decide what to go for here! I have to choose between racing off-road almost every week, with the slight possibility of winning prizes if there are enough members, or getting the best-looking gaming experience ever, and also joining the exclusive PSWii60 club.

So put simply, it's either this:

Or this:

[sn00pie]

:huh:

Anyways - yes PS3 is amazing, but you can't live off demos alone which is what I'm noticing, 2 weeks after my purchase and I need to buy a game. Just not sure which one! There's so many good games, but nothing GREAT at the moment.

Ninja Gaiden is awesome (Y). Virtua Tennis is a amazing but no online play. (N)

I don't miss rumble at all, for now atleast. SixAxis batting in MLB 2k7 demo is the most fun I've had in years.

Don't buy the PS3 unless you have a HDTV, in my opinion.

[TDQuiksilver]

Good personal blog. But to answer your question... if you bought the RC car now, would you have the cash for the PS3 during the holiday season? If so, buy the car now, Playstation 3 for Christmas. A win-win situation. If not, it's more what persuades you personally at this point. Will you get more out of the car in five years time... or more out of the Playstation 3? Maybe start there.

You don't need a 80GB model. Purchase a 60GB and upgrade the HDD at your own desire. Rumble will be back shortly. Price may come down by the holidays for you boys in Europe.

I used to love tinkering with those cars, but I became a big boy and play with big cars now. :)

[MightyJordan]

if you bought the RC car now, would you have the cash for the PS3 during the holiday season?

I don't have the money for either. What I choose will be my Christmas present for this year. And I wouldn't be able to choose the other one as a birthday present for next year, as it will be too expensive. I'm still only 15 at the moment. I turn 16 on the 28th this month, and when I start college (if I get the right GCSE results), I'll be looking for a part-time job, so eventually, I might be able to get both!

Will you get more out of the car in five years time... or more out of the Playstation 3? Maybe start there.

My parents will try and persuade me to go for the car, because I've already got the Wii and the 360. It would probably make my dad happy if I go for the car, as my brother is getting one for Christmas, and there's a local off-road racing club that's just been started by one of my dad's friends. I can race at the club every Sunday, so I think the car will be the right choice for now. I think I'll just save up to buy the PS3, because by the time I get the money for it, rumble will probably be introduced into the controllers, and there might even be a price drop!

The problem is that I'm planning to save up hundreds of pounds, because this is the list of stuff I'm planning to get, in order of priority, except for the 360 games after the graphics card, which will just be bought in any random order:

• Rock Band for 360 (about ?100)
  
• PS3 (?425 now)
  
• Guitar Hero III for 360 (about ?40 if I can just get the game on its own, otherwise ?70)
  
• Plymouth Argyle home football shirt (?40)
  
• XFX GeForce 7600GT 256MB AGP (?100)
  
• Assassin's Creed for 360 (?40)
  
• Call of Duty 4 for 360 (?40)
  
• Project Gotham Racing 4 for 360 (?40)
  
• Halo 3 for 360 (?40)
  
• Stranglehold for 360 (?40)
  
• Half Life 2: The Orange Box for 360 (?40)
  
• Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights for 360 (?40)
  
• SEGA Rally for 360 (?40)
  
• Pro Evo 2008 for 360 (?40)
  
• Stuntman Ignition for 360 (?40)
  
• Need for Speed: ProStreet for 360 (?40)
  
• Mass Effect for 360 (?40)
  
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction for 360 (?40)
  
• Army of Two for 360 (?40)
  
• Ace Combat 6 for 360 (?40)
  
• Fatal Inertia for 360 (?40)
  
• Burnout Paradise for 360 (?40)
  
• BioShock for 360 (?40)
  

So a total price of ?1455! I really have high ambitions here, don't I?! At least I can take some solice in this. Some of these items can bought for me as birthday and Christmas presents for next year. I'll also have a boost of money during these time periods. I get around ?60-?80 each time on my birthday and Christmas, so a small but helpful boost there. Another thing I'm doing to raise money is selling my old items. I'm trying to sell my Steel Battalion through my local newspaper for ?130. If I'm unsuccessful, I might have to resort to eBay.

So basicly, my plan is to now get the car for my Christmas present this year, and get Rock Band, Guitar Hero III, and 1 or 2 extra 360 games this year. And then just save the rest for next year.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

I don't have the money for either. What I choose will be my Christmas present for this year. And I wouldn't be able to choose the other one as a birthday present for next year, as it will be too expensive. I'm still only 15 at the moment. I turn 16 on the 28th this month, and when I start college (if I get the right GCSE results), I'll be looking for a part-time job, so eventually, I might be able to get both!

My parents will try and persuade me to go for the car, because I've already got the Wii and the 360. It would probably make my dad happy if I go for the car, as my brother is getting one for Christmas, and there's a local off-road racing club that's just been started by one of my dad's friends. I can race at the club every Sunday, so I think the car will be the right choice for now. I think I'll just save up to buy the PS3, because by the time I get the money for it, rumble will probably be introduced into the controllers, and there might even be a price drop!

The problem is that I'm planning to save up hundreds of pounds, because this is the list of stuff I'm planning to get, in order of priority, except for the 360 games after the graphics card, which will just be bought in any random order:

• Rock Band for 360 (about ?100)
  
• PS3 (?425 now)
  
• Guitar Hero III for 360 (about ?40 if I can just get the game on its own, otherwise ?70)
  
• Plymouth Argyle home football shirt (?40)
  
• XFX GeForce 7600GT 256MB AGP (?100)
  
• Assassin's Creed for 360 (?40)
  
• Call of Duty 4 for 360 (?40)
  
• Project Gotham Racing 4 for 360 (?40)
  
• Halo 3 for 360 (?40)
  
• Stranglehold for 360 (?40)
  
• Half Life 2: The Orange Box for 360 (?40)
  
• Juiced 2: Hot Import Nights for 360 (?40)
  
• SEGA Rally for 360 (?40)
  
• Pro Evo 2008 for 360 (?40)
  
• Stuntman Ignition for 360 (?40)
  
• Need for Speed: ProStreet for 360 (?40)
  
• Mass Effect for 360 (?40)
  
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction for 360 (?40)
  
• Army of Two for 360 (?40)
  
• Ace Combat 6 for 360 (?40)
  
• Fatal Inertia for 360 (?40)
  
• Burnout Paradise for 360 (?40)
  
• BioShock for 360 (?40)
  

So a total price of ?1455! I really have high ambitions here, don't I?! At least I can take some solice in this. Some of these items can bought for me as birthday and Christmas presents for next year. I'll also have a boost of money during these time periods. I get around ?60-?80 each time on my birthday and Christmas, so a small but helpful boost there. Another thing I'm doing to raise money is selling my old items. I'm trying to sell my Steel Battalion through my local newspaper for ?130. If I'm unsuccessful, I might have to resort to eBay.

So basicly, my plan is to now get the car for my Christmas present this year, and get Rock Band, Guitar Hero III, and 1 or 2 extra 360 games this year. And then just save the rest for next year.

You can get a PS3 much cheaper than ?425!

http://www.shopto.net/page.php?page=dettag...mp;codart=PS300 - ?330

Places like gamestation have nice bundles with games.

Then there is ebay, you can get a real bargain on there if you don't mind using it.

[MightyJordan]

Very good offer, Audioboxer. I showed this one to my parents, but they won't do it sadly. They won't use a site they've never used before, and they don't want the console on its own. And they WON'T do eBay. Play.com is my best bet at the moment, but I'm gonna look around on various sites to find the best deal.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Very good offer, Audioboxer. I showed this one to my parents, but they won't do it sadly. They won't use a site they've never used before, and they don't want the console on its own. And they WON'T do eBay. Play.com is my best bet at the moment, but I'm gonna look around on various sites to find the best deal.

:(

http://www.gamestation.co.uk/discountaddal...?discountid=217 - 2 games and an extra controller for ?399.99

[HawkMan]

because I've already got the Wii and the 360.

get the car, there's no need to have all three gaming systems. with the majority of games being cross platform, consider how much time you will really be spending on the PS3. is it really worth it ?

get an RC car get some outside air have fun outside the house a bit.

[MightyJordan]

:(

http://www.gamestation.co.uk/discountaddal...?discountid=217 - 2 games and an extra controller for ?399.99

Nice offer. Is it available in store as well? They'd probably do it then.

[bibutteryboy]

if you already have 2 gaming systems then what's the need for a 3rd?

If you can't find fun games on either one of those systems or you're already bored with them then why spend the money on another one? You're going to end up in the same situation.

get the car. experience real life and make that a game.

[Nicholas-c Veteran]

cool blog entry :)

[MightyJordan]

cool blog entry :)

Thanks! :)

[sn00pie]

RC car or a real car, I'm kinda confused. I'd buy a PS3 over a toy car anyday, but if your talking about a real car, then go for that.

[MightyJordan]

get the car, there's no need to have all three gaming systems. with the majority of games being cross platform, consider how much time you will really be spending on the PS3. is it really worth it ?

get an RC car get some outside air have fun outside the house a bit.

Sorry, I forgot to mention this in my original post. I actually already have an RC car, except that it's on-road. I think my dad is planning to get me an off-road car if I choose it, but also use my current car as part-exchange. I don't think I'd get too much for it, though. It costs ?220 when it was originally bought, but that was 3 and a half years ago. It has been run in quite a bit recently. I've been running it in at least 3 times a week since I got it out again, which was about a month ago, so that could increase the price a bit, as less work has to be spent on it. A small problem with it is I think the rear brakes are a bit worn out. It hasn't been working too well over the past week. I thought I've worn the tires out, as I can't do donuts anymore, but my dad reckons it's the rear brakes, and he does know what he's saying most of the time.

Another problem I can find with off-road RC racing is the cost of some parts. A 1/5 scale off-road car will cost at least ?450 and that's for a second-hand one. It does run on petrol though instead of nitro, which is what my current car runs on. The advantage of petrol over nitro is that it's cheaper, and less messy. Also, these cars have massive fuel tanks, which means they can run for up to 45 minutes on one run! That is astounding compared to my car, which is a 1/10 scale car, which is half the size, and will only last for about 10-15 minutes. Another cost-related issue is that the spark plugs for the cars are gonna burn a hole in my pocket. It costs ?3.50 for one. It doesn't sound like much, but the problem is that a brand new spark plug will only last for up to an hour of racing.

The only real thing that is motivating me to choose the car over the PS3 is money. If enough people join the local RC club, I think cash prizes will start to be given out to winners. I did pretty well in my first race as well last Sunday. My brother was in a race against some 1/5 scale racers, but he finished 3rd out of 3, so last. Then, my race was coming up, but 2 minutes before my race started, the cord to start the car broke for the 2nd time that day, so I had to forfeit. We did get it repaired, though, and I did race in an onofficial race with someone, and I won! But that is probaly because when we started, my opponent's car stopped. And again, after he got it started again. I lapped him twice before he managed to get it moving properly, but I still won!

RC car or a real car, I'm kinda confused. I'd buy a PS3 over a toy car anyday, but if your talking about a real car, then go for that.

It's an RC car, not a real car. I'm only 15. I can't drive until I get a license, and I can't get a license until I'm 17.

[Guest]

You want/have an awful lot of gear for a 15 year old :s

[include]

I hear ya Jordan. I came to this realization years ago though...

Very nice article btw

[PL_ Veteran]

I tend to religiously stick to the idea of "one console per generation". You bought that specific one for a reason (in your case two). I may get blown away by games such as Final Fantasy XIII (:cry:) and Super Mario Galaxy, but then realise that it's really not worth buying another console just to play that one lousy game. The best strategy with consoles is to choose the one you consider the best and stay with it. In buying another one you're wasting money you could have spent on games and accessories for the first one.

To sum up, get the car ;)

[neoadorable]

the 360 has a poultry HD? now that's just fowl! :hump:

EDIT: but it's good to be in love, i know that burning, restless sensation...was like that for me with the 360 when the decision to give up on the PS3 and switch sides just dawned on me that fateful late October day...

[gdodson]

I'd get the car if it's nitro and not electric, but unlike with consoles the maintenance and repairs + general running costs add up very quickly.

[tao muon]

"Don't judge a book by it's cover. I'm just a sweet trans...."

oops.

I'd get the car. It's more fun, sort of, when you get to run it and fix it... in reality.

I've got one of these:

woo hoo!

[soniqstylz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you don't seem to have any PS3 games you even care to buy.

So what's the point of buying one?

Why not just get a much better video card than a 7600?

[MightyJordan]

Why not just get a much better video card than a 7600?

I'm on an AGP motherboard, that's why. And I don't ever have a lot of money to spend on them. The most I've ever spent on a card was ?70, and that's my current one, a PNY GeForce 6600LE.

The best AGP card I can find is a GeForce 7800GT OC, but that's ?200! I'm not gonna spend more than double just to go up one model number.

[MightyJordan]

I'd get the car if it's nitro and not electric, but unlike with consoles the maintenance and repairs + general running costs add up very quickly.

True. It's petrol, though, not nitro. That's what I'm trying to avoid, as nitro is more expensive, less reliable, and more messy. Plus, my dad works as a lorry driver and he repairs them as well, so he can get the petrol for the cars from work! It's not regular petrol that's used, though. These 1/5 scale cars run on two-stroke lawnmower engines, so two-stroke petrol is required. The savings don't add up straight away compared to nitro, but in the long run, it happens.

You know what, I've thought long and hard about this, and I think I'm gonna hold out for the PS3 until next year. Realisticly, I should be able to get it for a cheaper price, and I should get rumble SIXAXIS controllers by then. I'll get the car now. It does cost more, but I'm not the one paying for it. A bit of money will be saved by part-exchanging my current car. I should get at least ?100 for it, as it's been well run-in, and it's got a brand new remote. I'm still gonna save up money for the items I mentioned in my list, mainly Rock Band and Guitar Hero III, so I need to get ?170 by November, which should be no problem, as I'm selling Steel Battalion, so if I do sell it, I'll get ?130 for it! Also, I have a paper round, and I'm currently covering someone else's round, so I'm getting double wages for two weeks, so that's ?40! Also, my birthday is on the 28th, so I'll get the rest of the money by then. I just need to resist the common urge I get whenever I'm on holiday, and that's spending it down the arcade. I should get the money locked in a special box with a padlock on it.

[snyper]

GET THE DUNE BUGGY!

[MightyJordan]

GET THE DUNE BUGGY!

As my last post says, I am getting it now.