Chabot Spectator

Issue date: 12/7/06 Section: The Scene

Media Credit: COURTESY OF BUENA VISTA PICTURES Only one game released for Playstation 3 truely shows off its graphical and processing capabilities: Resistance: Fall of Man.

Sony has clearly been the undisputed king of the videogame world ever since they released the first Playstation back in 1995.

However, when Sony announced the tab their entry in the next-generation videogame war, even the most diehard Sony fans cringed at the whopping $599 price-point. Well, now that the highly-anticipated system has finally arrived, the question on everyone's mind is: Is it worth the price?

Before we dive into that question, let's break down what you are getting straight out of the box. The first thing you will get, of course, is the system itself.

Following Microsoft's method of releasing two different systems, Sony released a 20GB ($499) and a 60GB ($599) of the Playstation 3. But unlike Microsoft, Sony's lesser loaded system isn't a complete waste like Microsoft's stripped-down core version of the X-Box 360.

The only difference between the 20GB and 60GB versions of the PS3, other than storage space, is that the 20GB model lacks the built-in wireless Internet and slots for various memory cards like SD cards and memory sticks. Cosmetic-wise, the 20GB model lacks the glossy polish that the 60GB model sports. The system itself is pretty heavy but remember, this is more than just a gaming console.

Accompanying the system in the box are the A/V and power cables, a Six-Axis controller, Ethernet cable and a mini-USB cable. As an added bonus, Sony threw in a copy of the movie, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby in the first 500,000 PS3 units sold. Though an actual videogame would have been better, it's better than nothing.

The movie, of course, is a Blu-ray disc, which if basically high-def, but better. It's cool that PS3 owners were the first to get a copy of this movie; it won't officially release till Dec. 12.

However, if Sony really wanted to show off the capability of Blu-Ray, it should have chosen a different movie to package with the PS3. I would have loved to see House of Flying Daggers or Mission Impossible 3 in true high-def rather than seeing Will Ferrell's skin cells.

Now for the part that matters, the games. Sony hasn't really completely blown away anyone with its launch line-up for any of their systems and the PS3 is no different. There are a few good games but no great games.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools