A must for Playstation fans (Sony Playstation 3 80 GB)

Member Name: shell96

Product:	Sony Playstation 3 80 GB
Date:	10/02/09 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Blu-ray, 1080p high def, wireless controllers, great games

Disadvantages: can't play PS2 or PS1 games

I bought my PS3 around Christmas time for £290 from play.com and it came with three games and one controller. The first obvious thing I noticed about it is the size and weight. It is bigger and heavier than both the previous Playstation models but when you consider everything it can do you understand why.

Easy set-up: When you first use the PS3 you need to organise the settings - this is an easy process as it is mostly done automatically and you just adjust things to how you want them.

Blu-ray Player: As well as playing games the PS3 can also play Blu-ray DVDs. This explains the higher cost of the PS3 when compared to the X-box 360 but Blu-ray discs have excellent quality and to buy a separate blu-ray player would cost probably almost as much as the PS3 so this is a great bargain.

1080p HD: The PS3 features full HD graphics and gives an amazing picture when connected to an HD TV (although a separate HD cable, not supplied with the PS3 is required for this). I bought an HD cable from tesco for about £8 and it does the job fine. It is very easy to set up as the PS3 can detect that is connected to an HD device and can adjust itself automatically.

Wireless controller: The playstation is supplied with one wireless controller which is very handy as you can sit further from the screen and unlike the Nintendo Wii you don't have to sit in front of the controller bar. The controller doesn't require batteries and is instead charged through a USB cable that connects to the front of the console.

USB ports: The PS3 has 2 USB ports on the front of it that as well as charging the controllers can be used to connect virtually any USB device so, for example, you can upload pictures and videos from your digital camera.

Internet access: the PS3 has a built in web browser that allows you to access the internet either through a cable or wirelessly if you have wireless internet in your home. This is very useful as many games have an online element where you can play against your friends or download game content or software upgrades. It also lets you browse online just as you would with a PC or laptop.

Games: There have been many top quality games brought out for the PS3 covering a wide variety of genres and types. New games are generally about £40 - £50 although they can often be found cheaper if you search around.

Bad points: The PS3 80GB version is not compatible with PS1 or PS2 games (I believe some of the older PS3s with smaller memories are though). This is disappointing for Playstation fans who have a good games catalogue and means you need different consoles to play them. When playing a new game for the first time the console needs to load in data for them and this seems to take ages.

All in all a great console with a huge range of things you can do so in my opinion it is excellent value for money and a must for any Playstation fans.

Summary: Very good, value for money console