Thinking about getting me a PS3...

[DaveMMR]

Going back to the OP: I'd say "wait and see" on the Move bundle.  The software isn't there, if you ask me.  

More importantly though, do you enjoy motion gaming?  It took me a while to understand it for myself: Generally, I don't actually want to be "Active!" when I'm gaming, unless it's Rock Band or, say, a driving/flight sim where the interface is inherent to the gameplay.  I'm perfectly content to sit on ---my bottom--- and press A to swing my sword (or "Press X to Jason" haha!)  I'm "Active!" in other ways.

I was at work today talking about Wii games and I heard myself say "you know, I'm tired of waggle."   And I am.  The GF and I have been playing a lot of New SMB Wii and that's minimal waggle.   The other games I've been working on only use motion controls for aiming (i.e. Metroid Prime Trilogy) or are VC or WW downloads.  

You know, the girls may appreciate the whole "Move" thing but, to me, it's redundant when I already have a Wii and they don't give a flark how it looks.  These are people who can play Wii Sports until the day they die and be happy with it.  So I think you're right, the "move" bundle may be overkill and my money would be better spent on other games.

As for Heavy Rain:  It sounds like a game I may have to get when I have a long weekend to myself.   I saw some clips and it looked interesting but lately I've been of the "quick action" mindset.  That's subject to change at any time so I'm keeping HR on my radar.

EDIT: Sorry for the threadjack, DaveMMR, but at least you know now that the game is certainly worthy of discussion

Not a threadjack at all.  I asked about PS3 and, thus, this is totally valid.  

[shateredsoul]

Yeah man, I feel yah on the quick action games.  I'm trying to get back into playing an rpg on my xbox 360.  I started it over a year ago, and recently picked up where I left off.  After playing a little bit I started remembering where the story left off.  It was fun but then...

I had to go through a dungeon.. that had no save point before the boss.  After I beat the boss it sent me to the boat (airship type vehicle of the game).  You can't save while on the boat (as far as I can tell) so I was looking for somewhere to land so I could find a city in hopes of getting to a save point or an overworld map to save.  I ran into another boss, that killed me... after about an hour and half of play. the game sent me back to my last save (the beginning of that dungeon).  seriously, WTF.  they don't want us adults to play RPGs.  I seriously feel that all rpgs should let you save at any point.  Saving at any point doesn't necessarily make the game any easier.. it just saves time.

Does anybody have any ideas if final fantasy XIII lets you save often? The price is at a point where I'm considering buying.

[DaveMMR]

I'm resurrecting this thread for another question.  The holidays are coming and I was going to put this under the tree (yes, I wrap and label gifts to myself sometimes).  Anyway, I ruled out the "Move" bundle as I feel I'm over the whole "motion" thing (or until I see it's not just an under-supported peripheral).  However, I do see for $50 more I can get a 320Gig HD as opposed to the $299 160GB setup.

Now, assuming I'm not really using the HD to store music, movies, pictures, etc. (at least, not much) nor am I really interested in upgrading to a larger HD in the future - is there any advantage to getting the larger HD up front?

[shmokes]

It's a good price.  I don't think you can get a 320 GB 2.5 inch hdd for that price.  Granted, if you bought the cheaper one and upgraded you'd have a spare 160 GB drive to throw into an enclosure, but you probably don't need that. 

For what it's worth, I have a 120 GB drive that I haven't come close to filling up, though I probably don't buy nearly as many games as some of you.

It's such a big jump for such a reasonable price that I'm almost inclined to say go ahead and get the insurance.  But really I suspect you don't need it.

[HaRuMaN]

Also, if you just get 160 Gb now, you can always upgrade later.  The PS3 will take any 2.5" HD (laptop size).  You can buy a 1Tb laptop disk on newegg for $120.

[Samstag]

For $50 I put a 500G drive in mine.  I'd get the cheaper version and wait to see if you need anything bigger.  The longer you wait the more space you'll be able to get for $50.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

When I first got my PS3, I immediately modded it with a 320gig hd.  I don't store any movies/music/pics/demos long term on the drive, but I am fairly active in downloading demos and DLC (particularly for RockBand, which takes a fair amount of space) and I always install games to hd if given the option.

I've used all of about 50 gigs total.  High estimate. 

Save the $50.

If you ever actually needed to upgrade, anything you buy/download from PSN can be re-downloaded once you've got your PSN account back up on the system.  I may be wrong, but I think you can do full system backups to an external drive now, too.

[DaveMMR]

Awesome feedback.  Thank you very much!      I'll use that extra $50 towards a game.

[BurgerKingDiamond]

If you're strictly going to stay away from videos/music on the HDD then you should be fine. But I had to upgrade my HDD from 60 GB to 120GB because some of the game installs are surprisingly large. Some games require installs that can be several GB's. If you do require to upgrade later it can be done very easily on your own with any regular laptop SATA HDD.

[RandyT]

So I squeezed a PS3 down to within $50 of a comparable bluray player and subsequently bought one.

Any good cheapies out there that are PS3 exclusive?  Looking at that Metal Gear Solid game... hopefully it's not as weird as the PS1 outing.

Just out of curiosity, what makes a Blu-Ray player worth $250 nowadays?

BTW, gotta pick up MotorStorm and the Resistance games.  A little dated now, but good, cheap fun nonetheless.

[Gorotsuki]

If you felt that Metal Gear Solid on Playstation was weird,
your going to like the others even less.

[Mikezilla]

Im thinking of buying a PS3 for a few games, let alone the blu-ray player. Marvel vs capcom 3 comes out in Feb(Xbox controller sucks for fighting games) and I REALLY wanted to play God of War 3. Im not too sure what else though. Uncharted 2 is supposed to be awesome.  

[shmokes]

Demon's Souls is amazing.  The story is pretty much irrelevant.  And the game is punishingly difficult.  Just remember, each time you die (and you will die . . . often) you are a bit more powerful on your next time through.  It's an always-connected, online enabled game, but in a way that is totally different than anything that has come before.  It's very much a single-player game, but other people can affect your game world and vice versa.  I guess if you want more details find a real review . . . I could go on and on.

Anyway, the game is just incredible.  I don't think I've ever played a more addicting game.  If you get into it you should pretty much treat the experience much as you would if you were going out of town.  Tell your wife to just pretend you don't exist for a couple weeks, because for all intents and purposes, you won't.  All you'll want to do is play Demon's Souls.

It's a $20 greatest hits game, now.

Also, if you missed them on PS2, the HD collection of God of War I and II are $20.  Haven't played them, but III was great.

[Mikezilla]

If you aren't as cheap as I am, you should probably grab one of those $300 slim bundles with the games from some tax free seller like New Egg.  PS3 is almost like the Xbox 360 in that the systems themselves are borderline worthless, but you're going to get creamed on the controllers.  At least the hard drives are generic... 

Thats what sucks, I AM cheap. Like I said, I have been thinking about getting once since GoW 3 came out, but just havent wanted to shell out the cash.  Yeah...Damn controllers. Im wondering if I should just play MvC3 over at my friends house and let HIM buy all the stuff. He is rich anyway. 

Demon's Souls is amazing.  The story is pretty much irrelevant.  And the game is punishingly difficult.  Just remember, each time you die (and you will die . . . often) you are a bit more powerful on your next time through.  It's an always-connected, online enabled game, but in a way that is totally different than anything that has come before.  It's very much a single-player game, but other people can affect your game world and vice versa.  I guess if you want more details find a real review . . . I could go on and on.

Anyway, the game is just incredible.  I don't think I've ever played a more addicting game.  If you get into it you should pretty much treat the experience much as you would if you were going out of town.  Tell your wife to just pretend you don't exist for a couple weeks, because for all intents and purposes, you won't.  All you'll want to do is play Demon's Souls.

It's a $20 greatest hits game, now.

Also, if you missed them on PS2, the HD collection of God of War I and II are $20.  Haven't played them, but III was great.

Yeah Shmokes, I heard Demon Souls was glorious, but it was hard as ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. Not that I dont mind a challenge, but just really REALLY hard. Ugh, my GF only whines when she doesnt play... I can almost hear her now "how come you never get any 2 player games" 

No, I played God of war 1, bought god of war 2 and havent played it. Im in hardcore game debt. I just havent had the damn time... Yup, thats what I heard...

[DaveMMR]

Just got my PS3 today in the mail (can't really play with it until Christmas though  ).   I ordered the FAMILY BUNDLE from Amazon that came with a Ratchet & Clank and Singstar 2 w/ 2 USB Microphones (yeah, I'm probably selling the latter).   Still a good deal.

But while waiting I found quite a few good cheap PS3 games that I may be purchasing:  probably Buzz! and Scene It! for the girlfriend.  Saw a couple of controller/game promo bundle deals, one with God of War 1 & 2/Red Controller and another with Little Big Planet/Controller.   Sadly, won't arrive until after Christmas.   Plus, I'm interested in a lot of what they're offering to download.   I've been out of the Sony game for so long, I didn't see that their good selection of games.

And I agree with Jim, once you get down to the big features of higher-end Blu-Rays, it's almost better to get the PS3 so it can double as that media-center as well.

[RandyT]

Well, the BluRay players I was looking at were $150ish-200.  That was DVD upscaling, wireless networking, NetFlix, Pandora, all that BS built into it.  If you wander around on Ebay long enough, you can get used a PS3 $180-220.  At that point?  Screw it - PS3.

Doesn't have wireless, but at $94 it's harder to justify buying a PS3 because you want Blu-Ray.  Wireless isn't really the best option for streaming movies either, especially high-def, where constantly good available bandwidth is important.  My microwave even interrupts my Family Guy re-runs on the Wii.

I don't think I would buy a used disc player of any sort either, unless it's very cheap.  They are mechanical, and without knowing how many hours are on them, you could spend a buttload of money and have it die a week later with no recourse.  New is really safer unless you know who you are buying from.

[shfifty]

1) How does it perform as a Blu-Ray Player?   I read it's pretty solid but I wanted to see if others thought that.  Also up-converting standard DVDs.  How does it look?

Bluray performance is amazing. That being said, i still only actually own 1 bluray movie and still watch more dvds or divx from my portable hard drive.

2) I know I was preaching the "graphics aren't important" rhetoric many times in defense of Wii, but I can't deny that I like me some eye-candy.  Any game suggestions?  I should add that I'm more a fan of simpler, unique games rather than the same 'ole "FPS".

I picked up uncharted 2 last week, it is amazing, and cheap (being platinum). Probably the best looking PS3 Game i own. Ans as primarily an FPS player, it was good to spice things up with this. A great combination of puzzles, shooting and platforming.

God of war 3 is also awesome if you dont mind the violence.

3) Any other opinions?  Should I spend a few extra bucks and get the "Move" bundle or not waste my money like I did with the Eyetoy...

Forget the move bundle for now. That money could get you an extra controller AND the bluray remote

[DaveMMR]

Well, the BluRay players I was looking at were $150ish-200.  That was DVD upscaling, wireless networking, NetFlix, Pandora, all that BS built into it.  If you wander around on Ebay long enough, you can get used a PS3 $180-220.  At that point?  Screw it - PS3.

Doesn't have wireless, but at $94 it's harder to justify buying a PS3 because you want Blu-Ray.  

I would hope that anyone (these days - considering recent price drops) would have at least a fleeting interest in gaming if they're getting a PS3.   Yeah, solely for BluRay (and nothing else), money would be better spent elsewhere.  (Though, as an aside, no wireless would be a deal-breaker as I can't start running Ethernet cables through my apartment).   I have a sneaky suspicion Jim's going to play a game or two on it.   As am I - though I call it a Blu-Ray player to get girlfriend approval.   And that's why I don't compare prices with her.  She'd see that ad you linked, and then, yeah.... it's harder to justify.

Forget the move bundle for now. That money could get you an extra controller AND the bluray remote

Yeah, I passed up on that.   It does look cool but I've been burned by peripherals in the past - games only support it when people are buying those peripherals, but people don't buy them when there aren't games supporting it.   Maybe in the future when I see enough must-haves to warrant the purchase.   And I still have (and love) the Wii; but I'm about fed up with motion gaming.    

[RandyT]

Jeezus, dude.  Lighten up.

C'mon, PJ, just man up and say "I want to buy a PS3, regardless of what it costs and the fact that it plays Blu-Ray is icing on the cake."   That's what I did a year ago, when the whole "might as well get a PS3 for the cost difference" thing was actually still a valid sentiment.  Nowadays, it's a $200 difference, so you are paying for both machines in the one you get.    And it's a great Blu-Ray player, but the DVD up-conversion is worse than my old HD-DVD unit.  I'm not a big one for conspiracy theories, but if you were the company behind the Blu-Ray standard and looking for mass adoption, how much effort would you put into the DVD upscaling?  If you are expecting to use that feature extensively, you might find that other players can do it better.

Also, if you don't mind taking a $200 chance on a possibly beat PS3 on ebay, then that's fine with me.  Same with the wireless comment.  Just trying to be neighborly.  

[Hoopz]

Eh, personally I've never had a problem with used systems, and I've dumpster dove more than one.  Certainly capable of replacing parts if I need to.  Probably overly sensitive on the PS3 thing, I've taken a -lot- of crap about it from people.  :-/

Demon's Souls sounds interesting but I don't think that's for me.  May grab Metal Gear or one of the Uncharted games for now.  Heavy Rain if it ever gets cheap.

Why are the blowing you crap about the PS3?

[BurgerKingDiamond]

The Metal Gear Solid for PS3 sucks. And the original for the Playstation is one of my favorite games ever. I must have played through it 6 times back in the day. But anyway, the PS3 has beautiful graphics, but the story line and cut-scenes are incredibly bloated. I don't even think it should really be considered a game.  And it is actually one of the only games I've been dissapointed enough in to sell within a few weeks time.

As for Demon's Souls, Shmokes is right. I watched that game consume my Roomates life for about a month. It looked really cool, but I didn't try and get into it, because I didn't have time to devote to such a deep game with school at the time.

[HaRuMaN]

Now that you have a PS3, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Dark Knight in blu-ray.  That's my go to disc for showing off my home theater.

[Mikezilla]

So, the DVD upscaling isnt that great? That was one of the prime reasons for me to get one, and the blu ray, game exclusives, and stuff I mentioned before. Damn. Well, now it doesnt sound like such a great deal. 

[Ginsu Victim]

Now that you have a PS3, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Dark Knight in blu-ray.  That's my go to disc for showing off my home theater.

In my experience, I've found that Christopher Nolan movies are best left seen once and never again.  Not that I don't enjoy them but nothing has held up to a second viewing.   

Memento is the only one I've watched multiple times.

Couldn't get into Following. Haven't seen Insomnia, though I own it. The Batman movies are great, but nothing I'm going to watch over and over (even though I bought them), and Inception was a good one time viewing (I definitely won't be buying it, though).

[HaRuMaN]

Now that you have a PS3, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Dark Knight in blu-ray.  That's my go to disc for showing off my home theater.

In my experience, I've found that Christopher Nolan movies are best left seen once and never again.  Not that I don't enjoy them but nothing has held up to a second viewing.   

I don't agree...  however, I was speaking from an eye-candy point of view.  The video quality is stunning, especially the shots done in IMAX.

[HaRuMaN]

Also, before buying a blu-ray movie, I always check here first:

http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/reviews.html

You can find out if it's a crap transfer or not.

[DaveMMR]

Now that you have a PS3, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Dark Knight in blu-ray.  That's my go to disc for showing off my home theater.

I've seen it in action and agree 100%.   When I saw my friend's copy on his Blu-Ray set-up, it was stunning.

[shmokes]

My microwave even interrupts my Family Guy re-runs

OMG . . . they should advertise that feature.  They'd sell millions of those Microwaves!

[RandyT]

OMG . . . they should advertise that feature.  They'd sell millions of those Microwaves!

I know you are trying to be funny, but pretty much all microwaves operate in the 2.4 ghz band, which makes them nasty for Wi-Fi, wireless phones, etc...

[RandyT]

I think everyone figured this out like 20 years ago, Randy.

Yet they still want to stream video over Wi-Fi.

[Epyx]

So my questions:

1) How does it perform as a Blu-Ray Player?   I read it's pretty solid but I wanted to see if others thought that.  Also up-converting standard DVDs.  How does it look?

2) I know I was preaching the "graphics aren't important" rhetoric many times in defense of Wii, but I can't deny that I like me some eye-candy.  Any game suggestions?  I should add that I'm more a fan of simpler, unique games rather than the same 'ole "FPS".  

3) Any other opinions?  Should I spend a few extra bucks and get the "Move" bundle or not waste my money like I did with the Eyetoy...

I know it's a bit late but I wanted to give you my feedback. I purposely haven't read any other responses so you could have my unbiased take on owning a ps3.

1) Visually Blue Ray is fantastic if the studio takes the time to deliver it right...results vary as with any technology almost from disc to disc...when it's done right though you can't beat it.

The upconverting is great as well imo...nowadays I use the PS3 mostly for converted tv shows/movies and watch them either from my media station pc (wireless) or via a USB hard drive. Honestly the PS3 is getting much more use as a media player than as a games machine although it is great in that department as well.

At first there was an issue with some XVid versions not playing but with the last few firmware updates I have had no converted files play that I can remember for a long time.

2) Graphics are gorgeous on native Sony dev'd games like Uncharted 2 etc...but you mention other than FPS type games... definitely some great titles out there that look great and play great but simple:

Braid (puzzle platformer...simple but well done graphics)
Pac Man Championship edition (usually these types of games have a tendency to fail...this one doesn't)
Demon's Souls (yes its an FPS rpg...and people either love it or hate it...but its very unique...hard and challenging and imo...great...like the days of old requires skill not emotion to get far)
Little Big Planet (nother great puzzle/platformer)
Tales of Monkey Island

3) I think the Move bundle is different enough from the the "Eye" stuff to make it worthwhile...it will be catered to heavily (for good and lots and lots of bad) but after the dust settles I have no doubt there will be some gems using that controller.

[shmokes]

OMG . . . they should advertise that feature.  They'd sell millions of those Microwaves!

I know you are trying to be funny, but pretty much all microwaves operate in the 2.4 ghz band, which makes them nasty for Wi-Fi, wireless phones, etc...

Lol . . . A #1, some microwave ovens reek havoc on WiFi networks while others don't seem to have any appreciable effect.  B #2, the point is that Family Guy is unwatchably bad. 

[RandyT]

Lol . . . A #1, some microwave ovens reek havoc on WiFi networks while others don't seem to have any appreciable effect.  B #2, the point is that Family Guy is unwatchably bad.  

A #1 (which I thought was a steak sauce) it depends on the placement and PBJ says everyone already knows that what I wrote was true, and B #2, sez u  

Also, web surfing ain't streaming hi-def to your TV.

[shmokes]

Demon's Souls sounds interesting but I don't think that's for me.  May grab Metal Gear or one of the Uncharted games for now.  Heavy Rain if it ever gets cheap.

Definitely get Uncharted 2.  No question about it.  I would seriously reconsider Metal Gear if I were you.  It's also pretty damned difficult, but I've tried twice to get into it and failed twice.  I think if I managed to get into it would be a great game, but it starts out super slow, and repetitive because you keep dying and having to start over.  And the stuff you keep doing is just a bit boring.  And there's a lot of talking.  A lot of Snake just waxing philosophic in your ear.  Try Demon's Souls.  But, yeah, get Uncharted 2.  Feel free to skip Uncharted 1.  It's not nearly as good and you don't need to have played 1 to fully understand and enjoy 2.

[RandyT]

So, the DVD upscaling isnt that great? That was one of the prime reasons for me to get one, and the blu ray, game exclusives, and stuff I mentioned before. Damn. Well, now it doesnt sound like such a great deal.  

I intended to respond to this sooner, but I needed to do some research to make sure that what my eyes were telling me could be backed up by others.  So I spent some time on the AV forums and it was confirmed.

People seem to like the DVD upscaling on the PS3 ok.  It supposedly gets better marks than the upscaling on the 360, but the difference didn't seem that significant to me.  It turns out that one of the best upconversion chipsets is the one used in the Toshiba HD-DVD players, as well as a couple of other dedicated DVD units.  Coincidentally, I have been using the Toshiba to play my DVDs, so I have been spoiled.  I also view them on a very large screen, so the flaws become more apparent.  If you are watching on a 42" or smaller screen, and have nothing to compare it to, it's unlikely you will be unhappy with the upscaling on the PS3.

In addition, depending on the quality of your set, sometimes you are better off letting it do the conversion.  The circuitry to do that kind of thing in a $1200 television is probably better than what's going to be in $60 dedicated DVD player.  How that relates to the PS3, I have no clue.  But it might be worth it to try both approaches to see what gives the best result.

[Mikezilla]

So, the DVD upscaling isnt that great? That was one of the prime reasons for me to get one, and the blu ray, game exclusives, and stuff I mentioned before. Damn. Well, now it doesnt sound like such a great deal.  

I intended to respond to this sooner, but I needed to do some research to make sure that what my eyes were telling me could be backed up by others.  So I spent some time on the AV forums and it was confirmed.

People seem to like the DVD upscaling on the PS3 ok.  It supposedly gets better marks than the upscaling on the 360, but the difference didn't seem that significant to me.  It turns out that one of the best upconversion chipsets is the one used in the Toshiba HD-DVD players, as well as a couple of other dedicated DVD units.  Coincidentally, I have been using the Toshiba to play my DVDs, so I have been spoiled.  I also view them on a very large screen, so the flaws become more apparent.  If you are watching on a 42" or smaller screen, and have nothing to compare it to, it's unlikely you will be unhappy with the upscaling on the PS3.

In addition, depending on the quality of your set, sometimes you are better off letting it do the conversion.  The circuitry to do that kind of thing in a $1200 television is probably better than what's going to be in $60 dedicated DVD player.  How that relates to the PS3, I have no clue.  But it might be worth it to try both approaches to see what gives the best result.

Thanks for that Randy. Well, I think Im sold. Ill get myself one before February, thats when MvC3 comes out.  Who knows, there might be some after Christmas sales. The only thing I see right now that Sony is doing is the Move bundle, and I sure as hell dont want that. Or grand turismo 5, they are doing a bundle with that. I never understood why people get so nuts about that game. Then again, Im not into racers so meh... 

[MidnightMenace!]

i LOVE my ps3.

i bought the mgs4 bundle back when it came out. is has the sd card ports, 4 usb slots, plays ps2 games and then i went to best buy and got a 500gb lap top hard drive and put it in. its loaded with all kind of movies and music and after plugging it in to the soround sound its great for parties and movie nights.

metal gear was really the reason i pulled the trigger on buying a ps3 but its such a great system even without it. i havent even considered buying an xbox...  with my wii/ps3 i feel like i can play pretty much any good current gen game except halo and mass effect

[Edgedamage]

The only real disappointing surprise I got with
the playstation 3 was the half hour game installs
with each new game.
It's not a huge deal, but coming from an arcade generation guy
it's a half hour I would rather have spent actually playing the game.

The only game that let's you read war and peace cover to cover while installing is, GTA4

[DaveMMR]

The only real disappointing surprise I got with
the playstation 3 was the half hour game installs
with each new game.
It's not a huge deal, but coming from an arcade generation guy
it's a half hour I would rather have spent actually playing the game.

The only game that let's you read war and peace cover to cover while installing is, GTA4

The installation for GTA4 wasn't even half as bad as I thought (yeah, it was awhile, but nothing terrible...)

[shmokes]

ps3 . . . can play pretty much any good current gen game except halo and mass effect

Mass Effect 2 will be out for PS3 at the end of this month.  Mass Effect 3 will be released for both 360 and PS3.