I see the value, don't get me wrong. But it came down to availability for me. Couldn't get the 60 GB, so I settled for 20. Now, with my Ethernet cable cleanly running from my home router to my home theater (and out of sight), plus the media reader which I already owned, I now realize it wasn't such a bad thing to get the 20 GB.

i stumbled into walmart yesterday looking for a wii. they actually had a few ps3's there, so i bought the 60.

the first thing i noticed (after the $699 interact payment, of course) was the weight of the box. (and the stares of other shoppers as they noticed what i had, and then subsequently started running towards electronics, haha).

as someone who works in electronics sales, i was happy to see inside the box that the ps3 was quite firmly packed in the dead center of the box, with some good heavy, sturdy cardboard, to avoid damage from careless shippers/receivers/merchandisers.

i initially plugged it in with hdmi/optical (no sense messing around with composite/stereo cables), but could not get any signal out of either. after checking the internet (apparently powering it on by holding the power button for 5 seconds, until you hear a second beep, auto-configures hdmi for you. this wasn't the case for me.), i finally it up up and running with composite. i was thoroughly unimpressed with the .. xmb, is it called?

i have one of those expressvu 9200 units, and rather than go out and buy a new hdmi cable for the ps3, i just used the hdmi included with the 9200. after several painful minutes of "what the hell is wrong with this stupid thing" finally i got it to work... i was abit afraid that since the 9200 comes with a hdmi > dvi cable and a dvi > hdmi adapter, that might be the issue. i flpped the cable ends around and it picked up immediately.

since i bought this more as a bluray player than a gaming console, i didn't buy any games. i was playing around configuring things, i plugged in the ethernet and it auto popped up with the "update required" screen, so i did that no problem.. after further configuring, i found out this thing had wifi. configured that with my router in about 30 seconds, and then that was up and running no problems. signed up my playstation user account no problems.

overall as someone who has used a 360 for about 3-4 months, i would say i definitely prefer the 360 user inferface a bit more... i like that everything is just on one page... whereas with this, you go to your main category, and then have to scroll to find what you're looking for... i just find the 360 interface a little more convenient. but MS has always been pretty good at ease-of-use.

as someone who's last owned console was a super nintendo, i am looking forward to seeing what this thing can do. overall so far i'm pretty pleased with it. and you look at the pricetag, sure, 659 is pretty steep. but. look at the 360. by the time you add on all that extra crap, the wifi, the hd-dvd addon, etc etc, you're probably better off with the ps3. it turns out that sony was right when they said "this thing is probably too cheap."

nathan

but MS has always been pretty good at ease-of-use.HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! :D

.....or maybe you were just talking about games (?) ;)

Just in case this hasn't been discussed previously, the front USB port on the SA 3250 STB can be used to recharge a PS3 controller. As PS3 owners are well aware, the USB ports on the front of console are only powered while the unit is on, the one on the STB is always powered.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! :D

.....or maybe you were just talking about games (?) ;)


i mean, the way their UI is laid out. its very simple to use. very, very simple to use.

at least, in my mind its easy, and usually makes sense.

(trust me, i am NOT siding with microsoft on anything. as someone who's used linux for 7 years, i know all-too-well the shortcomings of microsoft).

If you have a 60GB PS3, what is the actual Model Number?

I'd like to check the price of a Sonystyle.ca Sony Care extended warranty, and the external model number on the box (CECHA01) doesn't seem to work. (I don't want to open yet).

I assume the model number must be on the console itself?

Has anyone gotten a Sony extended waranty for a PS3 purchased elsewhere? (I got my PS3 from ToysRUs which has no extended waranty).

FS online has 20 GB in stock right now (7).

I picked one up at ToyrUs while shopping for something else... They had 3 20G units on a shelf and the clerk told me they had only been there 2 minutes and to pick one up ASAP if I wanted it... So I did and 15 minutes later they were all gone. The 20G suits me fine since I have ethernet all over the house (no need for WiFi) and I can can a card reader later if I decide I need it. The size of the HDD might be an issue. I'm not even sure what its used for so it's hard to comment at this point... and I bet it will be upgradeable at some point anyway... HDD's are dirt cheap nowadays.

I got one game with it (Ridge Racer 7) and it looks fabulous on my 57" Toshiba CRT projection. Unfortunately my set doesn't support 1080p so I am using 1080i right now. I am not an avid gamer so I can't comment too much. I do like the wireless controllers and the interface is clean a well done.

I mainly got this to play BR movies since it's less than half the price of a standalone BR unit. I got the one that came with the unit (Talladega Nights) and picked up ICE Age The Meltdown at the same time. Both movies look fantastic, much better than DVD and slightly better than HD on my BEV 9200. I'm using the HDMI output with a Monoprice 5-1 switch.

I also considered the XBOX 360 with the external HD-DVD drive but after hearing the annoying fan noise at a friend's place I decided it wasn't a good platform for playing movies. The PS3 is surprisingly whisper quiet.

In any case, I highly recommend it

While this isn't good news that will reach millions of people I'll share it anyway.

I just got my PS3 today and I am wildly impressed.

I've had my 360 for a year now and yet just this evening I feel like I've finally seen a true next gen system. No hyperbole, no B.S.

I'll save my review for another thread. Let me get back on topic.

The PS3 is no longer hard to find.

At least not as far as I'm concerned.

Sony says they've fixed their supply woes and I think I believe them. While I can't find a Wii to save my life, I've been faced with numerous opportunities as of late to obtain a PS3 and obviously took advantage of one of those opportunities. This obviously doesn't mean that they'll have 2 million by the end of the year, but clearly they're pumping them out at a good rate and many major stores seem to be getting a regular supply. Future Shop.ca alone had well over one hundred for sale over the past 10 days.

While I can't find a Wii to save my lifeI miraculously got one at launch and have been helping my neighbor to find one but no luck so far.

With Sony don't forget they plan on shipping 2 milion by the end of 2006, so it may be a week or so into january till those units are available at retail.

While this isn't good news that will reach millions of people I'll share it anyway.

I just got my PS3 today and I am wildly impressed.

I've had my 360 for a year now and yet just this evening I feel like I've finally seen a true next gen system. No hyperbole, no B.S.

Cool. But what makes it more next gen than the 360?

Can the PS3 play audio/movie/jpeg files stored from a networked computer?

Cool. But what makes it more next gen than the 360?

The price :p

While this is only my opinion I would say its the options available within the XMB and the connectivity that makes it more next gen than the 360. From the way the system displays information (little touches like bitrate info for audio/video during Blu-ray playback) to the layout of the PS Store to the availability of HDMI and Dolby True HD audio. Even the look of the system itself gives off a next gen vibe. The thing to remember is, much like the Xbox 360, is that the hardware is all set under the hood and multiple changes (both major and minor) will come through software updates. Sony may not be the king of software, but Microsoft isn't without fail in that department either. The firmware will be tweaked, options will be added, features will be improved. And from a hardware point of view, without a major revision, the Xbox 360 isn't going to be able to provide the same options as the PS3.

To sum up, as I went through the XMB and had a look at everything that was available to me, I was impressed. More so than when I first booted up my Xbox 360. Again this is just my personal opinion, but the system has a true next gen look and feel to it and I believe that is backed up by whats under the hood and what can be updated down the road.

And as far as price goes, its worth noting that I paid more for my PS2 in 2000 than I did for my PS3 6 years later. :rolleyes:

Not yet (hopefully "yet" is included in that sentence).

Can PS3 upscale regular DVDs to 720p?

Can PS3 upscale regular DVDs to 720p?
Not yet. There's no upscaling for standard DVD unlike the Xbox360.

Quick notes. The system LOOKS amazing. I mean physical looks.
The controller is too small and light - I much rather use the 360 controller.

Wireless reception is pretty weak. Very slow download times compared to my 360.

The reason for the purchase was for Blue Ray Movies. I am a huge gamer but pretty loyal to $soft and 360.

The graphics are ok. I purcahsed madden 2007. I have the 360 version too. I wanted to compare the 2. The PS3 version was connected via HDMI and the 360 via component. VERY VERY similar. I cant really tell the difference. I also bought NBA 2K7 but havent had a chance to play it.

Now for the good stuff. I bought Click for blue ray. AMAZING. The picture quality is simply amazing. The colours are SO vivid and bright.

The HDMI cable is direct to the plasma but tomororw ill go through my Elite 84vsx.

I belive my wife bought me a Tosh HDA2 for xmas. I'll run a few comparisions after that.

In the 20 minutes I've played with the ps3, im not impressed with anything other then the blue ray. But that may be the reason why I purchased it afterall.

Hey guys,

A few questions for those in the know.

1. Does anyone know if the upscaling issue of 720p games has been resolved or if it ever will be?

2. If it is a 1080p game (or movie), will the ps3 downcale it to 1080i?

3. What games would you recommend other than Resistance (already have enough fps's), and the NHL's?

I'm wondering as I have now been spoiled by my 360 hd dvd add-on and want to get a ps3 for those bd movies that are exclusively blu-ray. And for gaming of course ;}.

Thanks

hasn't been resolved :( movies and dashboard are 1080p/i games are a mixed bag, there is no scaler so unless the games made in all formats I personally dont think it will be a fix by patch