Moving on from the Xbox 360, lets look at the PS3.
First off, the machine is beautiful. It shiny, black and looks the part...word of advice though. Fingerprints pick up easily on the machine itself!
In my opinion, it is more beautiful then the 360. The buttons are touch sensitive! Trust me, its a marvel. In terms of size, its about the same as the 360..so no difference on that part.
One noticeable issue is, and I touched on this earlier on, is the noise. The PS3 is a lot quieter then its Microsoft counterpart. If your a noise freak it makes a difference! This in part also shows, or rather feels, the difference in how much heat the machine gives out. The PS3 feels a lot cooler in general.
Perhaps in part its because of the power connection. The 360 has got a huge power adapter (and I mean HUGE) which connects to the wall socket. The PS3 power connector is pretty much the same as the PS2. I don't know how they have done this but you notice the difference.
Due to the size of the power adapter (and how hot that too gets), I rest it on a cardboard shoe box to help release the heat. Should you invest in a 360, I strongly advise you do this!
However, Sony have not only kept their power source cable the same but also their television connection the same! The socket at the back of the PS3 is the same as that of the PS2. Its a shame because its all a standard connection and you have to go out to either buy a component cable, or HDMI. Giving that it is next-gen, you would expect Sony to at least put a next-generation cable in!
Moving on though, lets look at the controller.
Its really not that different from the PS2 controller. The buttons at the back (L2/R2) are quite deep in thats the biggest difference. There are also lights to indicate which controller is which (first,second,third,fourth).
One gripe about the controller is the rear buttons are TOO deep. After extended play it feels like your fingers are sliding off or you think you fully depressing the button when your not.
Another issue I have with it is the power source. The wii and 360 use battery power the keep the controller going. You will never need to buy a new controller unless you smash it. Also for the 360 (and im sure in time the wii) you can buy the rechargeable kit, as I touched on earlier.
The PS3 is much different, and dare I say it, a money making scheme! You cannot unplug a battery pack from that. The only way to charge it is via the USB port on your PS3 or computer.
Should you buy a new controller you also don't get a USB wire as well! Either use the one you get with the console or buy a new one! Should both controllers run out of juice at the same time, take your pick of which one to plug into the console! (note; there are multiple USB ports on the PS3!)
The much hyped 'motion sensor control' (called Sixaxis) to be honest isn't that great...yet. No game has fully utilized it but their are games that 'promise' to make use of it. The Wii on the other hand is a different ball game. With the Wii, swing to the left and it goes left etc.
The PS3 controller detects six different movements, thereby you get the name SixAxis, up, down, left, right forward and backwards. Trust me when I say the Wii works better!
Ok, enough about looking at the machine, what about the console menu etc?
It is a wonder to look at. Its slick. Its beautiful.
For all those out there with a PSP, well the PS3 menu is similar (almost identical..but a lot clearer!) Small little things do make a difference, such as when you set your PS3 clock, if it is night time the background will be dark and in the day time bright. Slicker then the 360.
Thus far the graphics are amazing but not on par with Gears of Wars, the benchmark for all consoles. If you really had money to burn you could buy games for both consoles (Tiger Woods, Fight Night 3, Call of Duty 3 etc) and compare but I advise you not too!
To be honest, as with the 360, time has to be given to the developers. Gran Tursimo HD (a free download) is awesome but I can't wait for the full version to launch next year. The PS3 is still a baby and sooner or later a game will come out to push the limits of its graphics. Once again, I can only stress how important a High Def T.V is (LCD is your best bet). Be it a small one, say 19inch, or 40 inch. You will never, and some games really look bad to the point where you can't read text, on an average television for both consoles.
More on the topic of games. One thing, although to be honest not really applicable in Malaysia because of piracy, is the PS3 abilities to play older games. I know this much, when the PS3 was still being developed, it was claimed ALL PS1 and PS2 questions could be played on the PS3. Sony have recently come out to say that actually its only (give or take) a 1000 games that can be played back. Still, its pretty impressive.
Their are only a handful of the original Xbox games that can be played (big ones like Halo 2 etc) so from the get-go, you already have quite a large collection of games to play just not next-gen ones. Remember, when the 360 launched, the games were not that great either, nor were there many! Give it time! A lot of people are writing the PS3 off already but expect a vicious bite when it returns.
Like I said, the PS3 has got HUGE potential. For online play, although currently nothing compared to Xbox Live, it is free and the PS3 contains inbuilt wi-fi. This is great as long as your connection is good enough and you don't want a mess of wires littering your room. It even has a memory card reader (not just limited to the Sony memory stick anymore! Play music from PSP or view pictures!)
Ok, this write up is long enough...next up Ill touch on games. Im feeling lazy to write about the Wii! Its too different from the big gun of 360 and PS3!
