PS3 owners- What are the benefits of a PS3?

[rob_simple]

Ok, I'm 34, don't kid yourself ... games are fun.

I have both systems and as for PS3 benefits, it is easy. Blu-ray is your main benefit. Also, they aren't as big a bag of A3 holes as the M$ group when it comes to things third parties can do on their online system.

You're 34 and you still think the $ thing is clever?

OT: Speaking as someone who's had to replace both his original systems (360 RoD'd and New Vegas burnt my PS3 lens out) I'd say the only real difference I've seen in the consoles is that the 360 runs a bit smoother. It has a better home screen too, but the PS3 store is easier to navigate.

Since most of the games are multi-platform, there's not much difference here, although the Uncharted series is pretty good.

All in all, the only real difference with the PS3 is the Blu-Ray player and the free online. But you're up the creek if your PS3 breaks down like mine did and you're left with a stack of useless Blu-Rays.

 

[Raggedstar]

I mostly got my PS3 because of the games available to it (durr). It seems to have the best balance of the generation. If I want to platform, I have Sly and Ratchet, throw in a bit of LBP too and maybe pray for the remote possibility of Jak coming to play. There is also the Team Ico games (hopefully TLG coming out next year too) coming out with a lot of support, so there's my "artsy niche" kind of games. If I want something dark and/or violent I have God Of War, Infamous and a crapload of multiplats. Actually, multiplats everywhere! The 360 is shooty-shooty everywhere (not like that's a bad thing, but I need a little variety) and even though Nintendo's platformers are pound for pound the best (Mario Galaxy has held a restraining order against me from peering through his window and salivating on his posies) it doesn't have a huge amount of weight in variety either.

I know that's a bit of a personal taste, but yes, PS3 has balance. And it has Ratchet, and Ratchet games are amazing AND Sony exclusive *nods*. The only thing the PS3 is short on is BC on current models, which sucks more donkies than the world has. You would have the PS2's amazing library behind it without needing to spend the extra dough on the collections (greedy bastards).

To be honest, I forgot it played BluRays. They're just too expensive. I only have the Fantasia/2000 BluRays because they came together with he DVDs. Oh well. At least I have the option. Never really had much interest in the free online multiplayer either because I'm a dirty little introvert.

 

[mjc0961]

If you sold your 360 because you feel like you're too old for games, picking up a PS3 isn't worth it. Notice what most people are telling you? "It has all these great exclusive games!" Outside of games, though? It doesn't really do anything major that you can't get out of a regular blu-ray player. My parents recently got a blu-ray player that also can connect to Netflix and other services online for streaming video as well for around $100. If you don't want games anymore, $100 VS $250... Choice is obvious really. If you aren't looking to play games anymore, no game console is worth it right now.

The whole notion of being too old to play games is rather silly though. Just... Never play inFamous. Even if someone offers you a copy for free. Don't play it.

#2 Blu-ray - No disc switching, ever.

Yep, no disc switching on PS3. They'll just cut content if it doesn't fit on the disc. I would have really liked to play that Burglary desk in LA Noire, too. Thanks Sony.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/100/034/COME_AT_ME_BRO.jpg?1297772165

Another great example of pony fans keeping their pony stuff in the pony group, just like that thread yesterday said they were doing.

 

[Mr.White]

You can put videos on it and watch them anytime (i ripped my dvds and put them on it), that's pretty much all I use my PS3 for.

 

[rutcommapat]

I own both a PS3 and 360, so I can speak from an entirely unbiased perspective. The pros and cons of a PS3 are as follows:

Pros:
-The variety/quantity of exclusives. In all honesty, there will probably be people in this thread who argue about the overall quality in PS3 and Xbox exclusives, but at the end of the day that's all up to opinion, and it's probably best to find out what types of exclusives the PS3 has, look up reviews and gameplay of those games and see if they interest you. What's more fact than opinion is that the PS3 exclusives, at least, are more varied and being released in greater access than Xbox exclusives.
-Free online.

Cons:
-Nobody except people specifically hired by Sony to make the exclusives seem to know how the fuck to use the technology of the PS3, so while the PS3 exclusives tend to be better looking than the Xbox ones, the multi-platform games are often masterpieces on the Xbox360 and glitchy messes on the PS3 (For example, The Orange Box). And even in the less-than-extreme cases, the PS3 versions of games are usually slightly lower in quality than the Xbox ones. An example of this would be Red Dead Redemption, which had a few frame rate issues on the Xbox and very noticable frame rate issues on the PS3.
-On the PS3, it often seems like you have to download an update every other day.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to which console you think has better exclusives. Me personally, I prefer the PS3's exclusives, so I prefer that console. Although, if you don't care about online and just want a console that has a fucking huge library of games to play I'd honestly recommend the PS2 over the PS3.

 

[loc978]

Personally, I bought my PS3 shortly after the thing came out, because it was a blu-ray player that was currently cheaper than other blu-ray players (I got it for $450 when a "cheap" blu-ray player was around $600)... plus it could play my PS2 games.
Currently, though... I'd say it's down to a few pros over the 360
1-faster hardware
2-reads blu-ray discs
3-fewer specialty tools required to upgrade (cooling fan, HDD)
4-with a cooling fan upgrade, it's a far, let me say again, far more reliable machine.

...and I prefer the PS3's main interface... but user-friendliness is in the eye and hands of the beholder.
As to being too old for video games... well, I'm thirty, I've been gaming since I was five, and I have no intention of stopping. Thinking of video games exclusively as a children's toy at this point is just silly.

 

[CthulhuMessiah]

Blu ray and being able to move music and videos from a usb to your PS3.

 

[otakon17]

Mostly Blu-Ray player, PS3 exclusives and that's about it. They got rid of all the good bits after the first release if you ask me. Though the only way I got one was it was given to me by a friend. The good kind with the extra media slots, PS2 backwards compatibility.

 

[MrA]

Blu Ray is the obvious choice. In all honesty I bought my PS3 to spite Microsoft. I was a dedicated xbox fan through and through but then I found out that M$ wouldn't allow BBC iPlayer onto XBL because there was no way of charging for the service. So I said "You know what M$? Screw you. Screw you and your money grabbing ways, i'm getting a PS3 with its free online and MULTIPLE free Tv providing services" So now I have a PS3 (gaming wise used for exclusives or majority single player games) that lets me watch iPlayer, 4oD, ITVPlayer and more. For free.

 

[weker]

*snip*

but it won't be long till M$ suffers something similar and that you can count on.

Don't mean to start a flame war but I think Microsoft will manage it much better then sony did even if they did get hacked

Rats, a proper reply would be a thread jack and that ain't cool. But, as an aside, flame wars don't start till you start acting like a jerk for no other reason than we disagree with you. Cheers!

What do you think of the online communities on both systems? I believe that the PS3 has a better flavor of people playing than xBox does and that makes all of the difference to me. I've not turned my xBox on since I beat Halo III some year or so ago and I still have three years left on my gold membership.

For the two consoles I could say the communities are the same and its a myth that their different excluding that they own different consoles.
It's depends on the game your playing more then anything on what type of communities you interact with, and you will find a plethora of different people on both consoles.

 

[The_Echo]

snip

The online community (as far as I know) is better-mannered than the 360's. As far as quality of online play, I've never had any problems. (But I don't use online too often.)

The exclusives are many and varied. I dare say they're more varied and of better quality than 360 exclusives. Very notable exclusives that come to mind are Metal Gear Solid 4, God of War Collection and God of War III, The Sly Collection, inFAMOUS and inFAMOUS 2, LittleBigPlanet and the sequel, the Ratchet & Clank Future titles, MAG, Resistance, Uncharted, Heavy Rain, Katamari Forever, Demon's Souls, upcoming Twisted Metal

There are also exclusives available on PSN like flOw, Flower and the upcoming Journey, Super Stardust HD, Noby Noby BOY, Fat Princess and many others I either don't own or am not aware of. The PSN Store also has a number of PSOne Classics available, including Japanese imports!

And yes, as you said, it operates as a Blu-Ray player. It also has Netflix capabilities, and is able to store photos, videos and music. The PSN's Home service is a social network type of almost-game where you can chat up fellow PS3 users, view trailers for games and movies, play games at the arcade, and more (I think)!

The system itself is very well-built and stable. My launch-model PS3 is still going strong after four years of pretty solid gaming and miscellaneous use.

#2 Blu-ray - No disc switching, ever.

Yep, no disc switching on PS3. They'll just cut content if it doesn't fit on the disc. I would have really liked to play that Burglary desk in LA Noire, too. Thanks Sony.

That was Rockstar's decision, not Sony's. I'm pretty sure that the exclusion of Burglary was due to more than just space, too. If they had left it in, who knows? The 360 version might have had three discs!

 

[captaincabbage]

First I gotta say, good on ya for considering a PS3. XD

I've had my PS3 for about 2 years now and I play it regularly, so I'd say the main benefits are these: Blu-Ray player, Free PSN, Wireless controls as standard, great library of exclusive games, most of which have great dev support.

Honestly, I've become so used to the blu-ray that I often understate it's abilities, bit I recently astounded when I heard that the 360 version of L.A. Noire comes on more than one disc. I literally couldn't comprehend it.

 

[Iwata]

Let me start by saying that I cut my teeth on the firs the Sega, then mostly the PS1 so I'm aware of Sony's quality (I had that PS1 for about 7 years).

I've been a 360 owner for a long time (mainly because all my friends had 360s). But I just sold my 360 and am considering buying a PS3 but I don't know much about it other than it has a blu-ray player.

What are the benefits to the PS3? Is the online community any good? Are the exclusive titles any good?

Also, I'm in this border-less limbo of feeling like I'm too old for video games (I'm 26, been gaming since about age 9), and I don't know whether or not I want to invest $250 into another video game system. Can I get more out of it than just video games?

Alright, as a fanboy-free analysis, here is why I prefer the PS3:

- Better library of games. I'll take Demon's Souls, Uncharted, Killzone and God of War over Halo and Gears of War any day of the week.

- Better stability. I've only ever owned one PS3 and it's doing fine. I've owned three 360's, all of which died.

- Better online community. It does depend on which games you play, but I find that most of the "annoyings" seem to prefer XBL.

- Blu-Ray. The format is growing fast (at least over here) and the fact that my console doubles as a Blu-Ray player certainly doesn't hurt. You also don't have disc-swapping issues, if you're particularly lazy.

And that's pretty much it. I gave up on the 360, but the PS3 never let me down.

Edit: Oh, and the recent surge in HD-remastered classics is also pretty damn good!

 

[EvanJO]

I got my PS3 a year ago for $75 bucks because the person selling it thought it was broken. Really, I only bought it because I wanted to play Demon's Souls but after a year the only thing I use it for is a media server. I don't even have a controller plugged in, just a USB keyboard.

That could be because I don't care for console games.

That being said, it's a really, really well made piece of hardware with alot of horsepower and multiple uses outside of gaming.

 

[DarkRyter]

The real question here is "Are PS3 games as a whole, good?"

A console is its library. Without games, a console's just a brick.

And whether a game is good or not, depends on the player.

Thus, no objective superiority.

 

[SoulSalmon]

A nicer community

This is like saying mouldy bread tastes nicer then a rotten potato on tuesdays in Spain...

Quite frankly I never saw a reason to get any of the 7th gen consoles unless there were exclusives that you simply couldn't bring yourself to miss.
*Cough*KH3*Cough*

 

[Treblaine]

Let me start by saying that I cut my teeth on the firs the Sega, then mostly the PS1 so I'm aware of Sony's quality (I had that PS1 for about 7 years).

I've been a 360 owner for a long time (mainly because all my friends had 360s). But I just sold my 360 and am considering buying a PS3 but I don't know much about it other than it has a blu-ray player.

What are the benefits to the PS3? Is the online community any good? Are the exclusive titles any good?

Also, I'm in this border-less limbo of feeling like I'm too old for video games (I'm 26, been gaming since about age 9), and I don't know whether or not I want to invest $250 into another video game system. Can I get more out of it than just video games?

You might consider PC gaming. It's somewhat "acceptable" (by whoever's standards) for a grown man to play something like Civilisation V or another strategy game. Plus there is a certain amount of respect from building your own rig that is also capable of other powerful computer tasks.

But PS3 would do you good if you are serious for a media centre, it's a slick Sony product from a company that has been in the styling home electronics business longer than almost anybody. It is probably the single best thing to plug into your HDTV.


So, advantages:
-Zero running costs= no mandatory monthly fee for online, no AA batteries and the online is near as damn identical between 360 and PS3
-Exclusives are VERY good

Spoiler: exclusives by year

Folklore
Heavenly Sword
Resistance: Fall of Man
Motorstorm
Uncharted: Drake?s Fortune
R&C: Tools of Destruction
Super Stardust HD
WarHawk

MGS4
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Resistance 2
LittleBigPlanet
R&C: Quest for Booty
Valkyria Chronicles
Wipeout HD
Crash Commando
Dark Mist
Pixeljunk Monsters

Killzone 2
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Infamous
R&C: Crack in Time
Fat Princess
Flower
Pixeljunk: Shooter

MAG
Demon's Souls
God of War III
ModNation Racers
3D Dot Game Heroes
Echochrome 2 (M)
Time Crisis: Razing Storm
GoW collection
Echochrome 2

R&C: All 4 One
Killzone 3
Infamous 2
Motorstorm Apocalypse
Resistance 3
LittleBigPlanet 2
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Dead Space Extraction (M)
Journey
Team Ico Collection
Pixeljunk Shooter 2

-Price = $250, Sure Xbox 360 may drop by another $50 but that's kind of offset by how XBL Gold membership is $60
-easy and cheap to upgrade with a bigger hard-drive as it uses non-proprietary, standard laptop hard drives that you can buy much cheaper per gigabyte than 360's hard drives.
-easier to back up data
-Move seem to be a much more practical motion controller, especially if you liked Light Gun games.

Contras:
-the controller isn't that good, though I like it once modified with EA's Sports Comfort Pack:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sports-Comfort-Play-Pack-PS3/dp/B004322VEE
the rubberised grips and proper non-slip concave thumbstick puts it definitely on par with 460 remote.
-Isn't actually that powerful, the strength of Sony's exclusives comes from Sony's investment in such talented studios, rather than the hardware itself.
-blu-ray is kind of a mediocre new format, while an improvement in fidelity over DVD it isn't quite the quantum leap like it was from VHS to DVD in terms of overall application. 1080p just seem to make it easier to see the wires suspending the actors in The Matrix

 

[TelHybrid]

I think Microsoft should have embraced shipping their games on an HDDVD. At least then games wouldn't have to come on 2 or more discs.

That would be a very bad idea. That would be a proprietary format which would cost a lot to make, mostly due to it being a dead format. Blu-Ray discs are cheap now because they're produced in bulk as a movie format. Not to mention that would mean a required add-on for 360, and I don't think I need to say much more than 32X to put my point across.

On Topic: There's the exclusive games, plenty of websites have the info you need, and I'm sure this thread has a large list in various comments already, I won't recommend any, just choose based on your personal tastes.
Also there's the PS Store titles, lot of great stuff like Flower there. (Just use pre-paid cards )

The controller isn't as comfortable when it comes to shooters as the 360 controller, but it's better for fighting games (better d-pad).

There's the free online multiplayer, which quite frankly has an advantage over Xbox Live, as it actually uses servers, which allows large scale games to be played such as Resistance 2, MAG, DC Universe Online. I wont get into the whole versus debate, there's many variables to take into account, I'm just saying that's an advantage.

Valve are going to be providing PS3 some pretty decent support from now on, as they're integrating Steam with their PS3 releases. Cross Platform multiplayer (well so far co-op with Portal 2), as well as more potential free steam versions of games included.

It's a pretty competent media device. It can pick up media servers, a handy feature which admittedly it shares with 360, however I'm not sure if the 360 has divx. Of course there's also the blu-ray.

Playstation move, unlike Kinect is actually getting support for some actual games that don't resemble Wii games and rail shooters, e.g. Killzone 3 and Resident Evil 5.

There's a lot of other features, like access to TV services like 4oD, and online film rental services like lovefilm, and an internet browser.

 

[Medallish]

I have both, Graphics aren't really any different, there are some exclusives that looks amazing on both consoles, there's a lot of games that looks slightly better on the Xbox, this has more to do with the PS3 being late, than it does with their ability, the Ps3 isn't really more powerful, it's just very different, used in the right way it gets to perform awsomely, but the same goes for the Xbox. I play on the Xbox pretty much daily, the PS3's main advantages are these:

Bluray, and Media capability, the Xbox has the same in regards to playing movies from a computer, but the Ps3 handles it a lot better and faster, although the Ps3 doesn't seem to be able to handle MP3's in games unless it's part of the game.
The PS3 is silent, much more silent than the Xbox360s.

Free online is sort of an advantage, but you'll also hear people praise the stability of Xbox Live, so I call that a tie, and it's half(sometimes less) of a WoW subscription, I just bought a year for my Xbox and it didn't feel like a major investment.
Also PSN has it's own paid subscription, clearly they are moving in the same direction as XBL

I wouldn't call the games an advantage, because that clearly comes down to what kind of games you like, I got God Of War 3, which I must admit I've grown a little tired of, and I got Killzone 3, which is imho completely boring! the story's so meaningless I can't keep playing it.

It all comes down to this, what consoles do your friends use, and what games you enjoy, although if you find out that the PS3 handles a game worse than the Xbox, it's never a deal breaker, the games are enjoyable on whatever console you choose.

I could have answered this a lot simpler, but there's a lot of misinformation spreading, especially about the Xbox, I'm definitely an Xbox guy myself, but I can recognize the good bits of the Ps3, even though I don't use it that much.

 

[Treblaine]

#2 Blu-ray - No disc switching, ever.

Yep, no disc switching on PS3. They'll just cut content if it doesn't fit on the disc. I would have really liked to play that Burglary desk in LA Noire, too. Thanks Sony.

Now insider scoop on "cut content" it has a lot less to do with lack of space.

For example at Quake Con John Carmack has is annual keynote he said Rage only used a single side of a blu-ray disc (25GB) even though he had 50GB option and on PC he said he was going to have a much larger file download than either the multiple DVDs on 360 or the single Blu-ray on 360.

He said it's not a simple matter of dumping the data on the disc and hay presto, a new level. You have to pack it in TIGHTLY not because of lack of space but due to the read-speed of optical media is so slow, if you have it just shovelled in there bloated and unordered then it would take impossibly long to load.

Every Gigabyte of content has to be WORKED for, and Rage had been in development for a LONG time (really long) since the days of Doom 3.

Part of the console licensing rules is that the game MUST be playable directly from the disc, full mandatory installs are not an option. Not so on PC.

Blu-ray is kind of redundant then:
-it's too slow to read for you to stick a whole game on there
-to read all that game content you need to install... in which case it's trivial the difference between installing from 5 DVDs. Yes there is a time penalty switching discs but that is offset by how DVD reads the data quicker. We managed with 2-4 CD games back in the 1990's

Blu-ray only really pulls its weight with long pre-rendered cinematics, but the thing is those aren't used very much any more. It's all about live-rendering with the in-game assets.

So Sony are as bad as Microsoft, but if both allowed games to be sold that had mandatroy full installs... well then still neither would have an advantage.