A great entertainment centre (its more than just a games console) (Sony Playstation 3 60 GB)

Member Name: tomo359

Product:	Sony Playstation 3 60 GB
Date:	15/11/08 (220 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Plays games, blu rays, DVDs. Download new games, access internet, online play

Disadvantages: Does not accept every PS2/PS1 game, but will take most, and it is often updated

It was sister who actually bought our PS3. She ordered it so we got it on release date. I can't remember who she ordered it from but i've got a feeling it was HMV. She paid the full price when the first PS3 was released. I think this was about £400 or so for the 60GB version. Yes this does sound expensive for a games console but the PS3 is a high definition games console, a DVD player, a Blu ray player. Well its just an all round entertainment centre.

The console arrived on the day of release and we had also ordered a HDMI cable, an official bluetooth media controller and an extra wireless gaming controller so this all added to the price. These all came on the same day so we could get it all set up in one go.

First i will talk about the console itself. It can either be stood up vertically if you want to stand it beside your tv, or it can be laid flat on a table. Either way is fine, just which ever suits you best.
I will describe the console the way we have it set up, so we have it laying flat so when i talk about the front, this will be the part with the disk drive and usb ports.
OK so as i just said, on the front there is a slot loading disk drive. It loads and ejects disks very smoothly so they will not get damaged. Just under the disk slot on a flat panel are two touch sensitive buttons (they just look like logos). One is a stand by button and the other is an eject button. To the left of all this is a black flap that conceals three memory card slots. The first slot takes CF (confact flash) cards, the second takes SD and Micro SD cards, and the third slot takes Sony's Memory Stick cards (pro and pro duo)
Just below these slots are four USB slots. Here you can connect any peripherals such as keyboards, microphones etc.
Well thats it for the front, now to the back.
On the back is the power socket to connect the power cable to. You also have the tv port to connect the lead that also goes to your TV, and you also have an ethernet port if you do not have a wireless router you can still connect your console to the internet, then finally there is the main power switch to turn the console of completely. Well thats about it for the outside of the console.

When you first start the console up it asks you to input the date and time and anything else (i can't remember this bit very well) but then you come to the home screen on the PS3. This is really the central hub of the console where you can access everything. On this screen there are several different icons. All the icons going from left to right are:
Users, Settings, Photos, Music, Video, Games, Network, Playstation Network, and finally Friends.

The 'Users' tab Allows you to select different users and add new users. This is mainly for if you are using the console online so you can identify yourself. You can also put the console into standby here.
The 'Settings' tab allows you to alter any setting of the PS3 including Game settings, Video and Music settings, System settings, theme, date and time, accessories and printer settings, display and sound settings, network settings and more. You can also perform system updates here when they are needed.
The next tab 'Photos' allows you to search for media servers so if you have a home network you can search through this for images. You can also add images using a USB flash drive and upload them onto the hard drive to this area, also here you can use images to create a background image on the home screen, just like you do with your home computer.
The 'Music' tab is similar to the photos tab apart from you can search and manage music files. Again you can also store music files here to play when ever you want.
The 'Videos' tab again you can search media servers and store videos. If you download any videos from the Playstation network they will be stored here.
The 'Game' tab is where you store games you have downloaded, and it will also show the game currently in the disk drive if there is one. Here you can also managed saved games, and you can create virtual memory cards so you can save playstation and playstation 2 games.
The 'Network' tab is where you can find online instruction manuals, set up and organise remote play, visit the web browser, perform an internet search, visit the information board and visit 'Life with Playstation'.
The next tab 'Playstation Network' is where you can manage your account, and you can also visit the Playstation Store where you can buy and download full games, free game demos, video previews, themes and backgrounds for the home screen.
The final tab 'Friends' is where you can view any messages you have received from other playstation users, you can add friends and start chatting with your friends.

The first thing i did was to try a blu ray disk to see how it looked.
When you put the disk in, the film will start automatically. The quality was amazing. Of course it depends on the TV you are using the the lead that connects your TV to your PS3, but if you have a full high definition tv and a good HDMI cable, the picture quality is just amazing. You can walk right up to your tv screen and it will still look perfect. The bluetooth controller we ordered works perfectly with films (you can read my seperate review on this controller by visiting my account page on Dooyoo).

If you put a PS3 game in, the game will also load automatically and this is where you use the wireless game controllers which by the way will automatically connect to the PS3 when you press the PS button on the controller. PS3 games are also in high definition (not all full HD, some are 720p) and these also look great.

Because the PS3 has built in wireless, it is easy to connect it to the internet. You get a long ethernet cable included incase you do not have wireless as well. Connecting the PS3 to the internet opens up a whole new world. Firstly it means you can perform all updates required quick and easy. But you can also go on the internet, download games, get game demos, videos, new themes and backgrounds, play online games and chat to friends.
I mentioned earlier about the Playstation Store. This is where you can buy full games (including some old PS1 games) and store them on the PS3's hard drive to play when ever you want. If you want to buy any games, you have to buy credit using your debit or credit card. I think the minumum spend is £5 but i'm too 100% sure about that then this credit will be stored in your account until you spend it.

You can also watch videos and movies from your computer either by searching the media networks that i talked about earlier, but not everyone has a home network set up so if this is the case, you can add files to a blank dvd and insert this into the PS3 and it will play most file formats. I know it plays AVI as i often watch videos from my computer by putting them onto a DVDrw. When you do this, a disk symbol will appear in the Video, Music and Photos section. To watch a video, go to the Video tab and select the disk symbol then it will show the files on the disk, and just select which you want. This is a way you can also add photos and music to the hard drive of the PS3 by using a disk, but you can also use a USB flash drive or even a memory card to transfer files.

I can't really talk about the online aspects of the PS3 as i do not really use these and i do not want to give you false information but i do know a little about remote play.
Using remote play, if you also have a PSP, you can synchronise the two consoles so you can then buy a PSP game from the Playstation Store on the PS3 then transfer it to your PSP and store it on that I have only done this once but it worked fine. It did take me a little while to set it all up though as you often go back and forth between the two consoles.

I hope this review is ok to give you an insite into the PS3 and what it can do. There is more that even i haven't looked into myself. I personally think it is worth the money, but of course people can't just pay loads for things like this but if you can afford one then i recommend the PS3. It is a great entertainment centre. And of course now there are different versions, there is a PS3 with a lower spec such as a smaller hard drive which is less expensive and there is also a PS3 with a better spec than mine with a bigger hard drive. Have a shop round and check them out.

Summary: A great media centre