Gaming consoles... I finally broke down and got one.

[TomDac]

I'm not a HUGE gamer... mostly I play first person shooters like Half Life, Unreal tournament, etc on my PC. I still own a Sega DreamCast which works quite nicely and I have a lot of games for it, but it's getting a little long in the tooth, so I recently started investigating the different gaming systems on the market now.

Here are my thoughts:

Wii - fun game for having people over. Tennis is a blast, but that's the only game I've really played that I like. I was very disappointed in the lack of titles available.

Xbox 360 - I like this console, but the online system (Xbox live) costs money. Tons of titles, great graphics. I've played with my friend Ryan's and it's really nice.

PS3 - Free online play, wi-fi enabled, blu tooth enabled, including headset for online play. Ability to play blu-ray discs. It's pricey and not compatible with PS2 games (not a deal breaker since I never owned a PS2).

So, I was confused as to which one would be best for me. The more I researched, the more confused I got.

Kerry suggested that since the PS3 can play blu-ray discs, I should get that one.

That did it.. I went out Friday after work and bought a PS3, extra controller and 3 games. I hooked it up to my TV (haven't integrated it into my audio ystem yet) and spent several hours playing around with it.

I must say that Sony really did a nice job with this.. Very intuitive interface, easy set up and integration with my network and so far I have no regrets.

Since my receiver doesn't have HDMI switching, I've ordered a HDMI switch and will use that until I upgrade my receiver to something more modern. I'm planning to configure the PS3 to use optical out for audio into the receiver so I can play games thru my logans! Should be fun.

Anyway... If any of you have any tips/tricks, please let me know!

Tom.

 

[Reverb2009]

Congrats, Tom.

Welcome to the Blu group.


I'm sure your going to love the PS3, I own all three current consoles and the PS3 is by far my favorite and most used. It's so much more then a gaming console its a full media server. When you get a chance I would make sure the PS3 is updated with the latest firmware.

The PlayStation 3's biggest 1st person shooter of the year "Resistance 2" is coming out tomorrow, if your a big FPS fan like me definitely check it out. Also Little Big Planet is another new title that just came out that is considered the must have title for the PS3, it's very addictive. If your a racing fan I highly recommend Wipeout HD, it's a PlayStation network exclusive title for only $20, plays at a full 1080p resolution, and is one of the most addictive racers I have played in a while.


Have fun,

 

[amey01]

Have fun with it.

I personally don't have one and I hate playing games - I'm too uncordinated to be any good at it!!

 

[theWB]

Tom,
Use the optical audio output, works great for 5.1
I only use the unit for Blu-Ray playback, not a gamer, You can actually surf the web on it, caught the kids using it the other day to pull up you tube videos, had no idea it had that type of capability

 

[MotorToad]

I was always a fan on the Playstation over the XBox, but I've never voted with my wallet. My roommate and bestest whiskey buddy both have 360s, so that's the only thing I have experience with since the PS2, tough. There are plenty of games for either, and the exclusive games aren't a deal-breaker either way. What is, though, is Blu-Ray. Well, Blu-Ray and the RCOD!

I've played a few games, so I might be able to help steer you to some good ones. The only caveat is I haven't played the PS3 so if there's something hinky with the controls I don't know about it.

Orange Box: Get it. Buy it now. Portal is the Best Game I've Ever Played. And replayed. And tried again. And gone back through just to hear the music. Then did the advanced levels. And again. And then went through the orriginal game twice... It's just freaking cool! <3 Half-Life 2 and Eps. 1 and 2 were good enough I went back and downloaded Half-Life because I'd never finished it. I haven't played TF2 but a lot of m friends do and it's obviously popular on the intertubes.

GTA IV is good. It took some getting used to for me because they changed a lot about how the guy physically moves through the game and if you're used to San Andreas it's unfreakingpossible to walk around for about 5 days of playing. Once I got used to it I really liked it. I never really got good at the third-person view, but the game environment requires it. The missions are okay, but the explosions and achievements are a blast! I don't know how PS3 works the inside bonus things that the 360 calls "achievements" (in what might be the thickest irony ever).

Oblivion has been out for a while, you might have played it on PC, but it's awesome on the 360. I was never really good at FPS on consoles but this one got me over the hump.

The only other stuff I've seen are Gears of War (not my thing), Tiger Woods golf (great fun but a lot of flaws in the way you outfit your little golfer), Halo 3 (didn't play the others, it was meh), and I'm not sure if those are on the PS3... well, Halo isn't for sure.

Gran Turismo has always been my go to on Playstation, and I'm sure GT5 will be great.

 

[Reverb2009]

Tom,
Use the optical audio output, works great for 5.1
I only use the unit for Blu-Ray playback, not a gamer, You can actually surf the web on it, caught the kids using it the other day to pull up you tube videos, had no idea it had that type of capability

Blu-Ray not only has HD video but also has high resolution Lossless audio. You probably already know this WB, but if you use Optical the audio is down converted and you don't get the benefit of Lossless audio. You can only listen to Lossless tracks over HDMI or analog outs (which the PS3 doesn't have, unfortunately).

There is nothing wrong with using optical but if you ever get a receiver or pre-amp with HDMI the audio will sound as good as the video looks. It's worth the upgrade IMO.

 

[Cherian]

Tom if you ever get HDMI switching pre then the PS3 is a good SACD player. You can also put the PS3 on the network and access media through it.

 

[Feltran]

If you care about high quality home theater, you would definitely benefit from a receiver with HDMI (particularly in surround sound systems).

Also, as for games, Metal Gear Solid 4 is probably the best PS3 game.. Portal is also awesome, but since it's not available separately, I'd look for a used copy of The Orange Box on eBay.

 

[FISH_MAN]

I have a ps3 and an Xbox and will say that mechanically and technilogicaly
microsoft should hold there head in shame you made the right move! the ps3 is a great unit and probably will not need to be fixed twice a year ! the only thing that Xbox has on ps3 is there freinds system is a bit more advanced but sony is working on that.

 

[magnoliarichj]

ps3 is the best blu ray player due the sheer power of the unit to crunch through java stuff. the only thing that they dont use that muscle for is dvd picture. dvds arent even upconverted. another downside is the remote and controller are bluetooth so programming it to a harmony for example is not an option. Im a pc gamer my self and find that the ps3 titles are nice to play and you dont need the latest 500$ video card to do it. you can also upgrade the hard drive and the unit will burn your cds right to the drive and organize it all for you just like an apple tv.

 

[Reverb2009]

ps3 is the best blu ray player due the sheer power of the unit to crunch through java stuff. the only thing that they dont use that muscle for is dvd picture. dvds arent even upconverted.

Actually DVD's can be upconvert to 720p or 1080i/p.

The secrets of home theater and hi-fi benchmarked the PS3's performance as a DVD player. You can read the results here.
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/dvd-.../dvd-players/sony-playstation-ps3-fw-2.1.html

another downside is the remote and controller are bluetooth so programming it to a harmony for example is not an option.

If you would like to use a IR universal remote with the PS3 you can pick up one of these and throw the remote away.

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-3..._2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1225780389&sr=1-2

 

[TomDac]

hooked it up to the receiver last night via optical cable. sah-weet!!

Not sure about how to use it as a media server.. I'll look into that some more.

 

[magnoliarichj]

it upconverts in software not hardware.... technically speaking its not a tru upconvert.

 

[RichTeer]

You might want lurk at blu-ray.com for a while. Interesting Blu-ray dedicated site, but beware the mostly low-fi mentality in the forums...

 

[JMAUSGP]

There are several 'accessories' that will make your PS3 sing. One is a HDMI 1.3 reciever. You can use it as a pre-amp and paly all the new codecs from your PS3 thru your MLs. The surround sound is incredible. Also there is a race car driving seat called Play Seat that will turn your racing games in to real life racing experiences in 1080P with surround sound. If you get the Formula One race game for PS3 and the Play Seat, you may not ever leave the house, it is that good. For sure you can't do it for long periods because it will physically wear you out. There are plenty of good Blu-Ray titles out there that will give you a new appreciation for your MLs, enjoy. Oh yeah, keep your eye out for Blu-Ray titles that go on sale at Best Buy and Amazon.com, you can get lots of stuff for any where from 33% to 50% off.

 

[Reverb2009]

Oh yeah, keep your eye out for Blu-Ray titles that go on sale at Best Buy and Amazon.com, you can get lots of stuff for any where from 33% to 50% off.

Buy two get one free.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht..._rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=459212101&pf_rd_i=193640011

"Hurry--this offer is only valid through November 6th. Rules and restrictions apply. See details"


EDIT
Tower.com is another good site for Blu-Ray's. I have gotten $10 to $15 Blu's off of there. You can choose free shipping (its a bit slow but free ) and if your not in Florida no sales tax.

Fry's Electronics also has Blu's on sale in store and on the web site for under $15.00 from time to time.