Xbox 360 rating 8.5 / 10
The good: Excellent selection of games, including many 360-only exclusives; all games are in native high-definition; user-friendly Dashboard interface; supports wireless controllers and accessories; Xbox Live service offers online multiplayer (with matchmaking and voice chat) and content downloads for most games; backward compatible with many--but not all--original Xbox titles; doubles as a superior digital media hub and Windows Media extender; online Marketplace allows easy purchases of minigames, add-on gaming content, high-def movies, and TV shows.
The bad: The Elite fails to correct most of the annoyances of the original 360 version: the noisy DVD drive and cooling fan; a gigantic, oversize power supply; no built-in wireless networking; only three USB ports; a substandard DVD player; support for next-gen HD DVD movies requires a bulky external accessory; online gaming requires a paid subscription to Xbox Live; proprietary wireless format limits third-party accessories.
The bottom line: While it's neither a must-have upgrade for existing 360 owners nor as feature-packed as the PS3, the Xbox 360 Elite's combination of top-notch gaming and digital media features make it the current game console of choice.
The Xbox 360 was the first of the "next-gen" videogame consoles to hit the market in the fall of 2005. By the time the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii hit stores--a full year later--the 360 had not only established itself as a top-tier game console, it was well on its way to becoming a full-service digital entertainment media hub for the living room, with built-in support for high-def TV and movie downloads as well as Vista-friendly media streaming. While Sony and Nintendo struggled with their respective launch issues--just as Microsoft had toiled 12 months earlier--the Xbox 360 has cruised to the No. 1 spot on the home console charts, with more than 10 million units sold worldwide.
So what does Microsoft do for an encore? Release a slightly upgraded Xbox 360, of course. The $480 Xbox 360 Elite is black instead of white, includes a 120GB hard drive (six times as capacious as the previous 360's, twice as big as the PS3's), and sports an HDMI output for easier hookups to HDTVs.
The question for current and prospective gamers: Is the Elite worth the extra $80? For anyone who owns the existing Xbox 360, the answer is probably no--the HDMI connector is more a convenience than a necessity, and the larger snap-on hard drive will be available to existing 360 users as a standalone $180 accessory. Moreover, there's certainly a tinge of disappointment that the Elite's higher price tag doesn't deliver a few more bundled features in the box--the Wi-Fi adapter and the HD DVD drive still need to be purchased separately, for instance. In other words, the Xbox 360 Elite is just a warmed-over version of the previous model that doesn't deliver any groundbreaking, PS3-killing features.
That said, the Xbox 360 currently has a larger and more impressive library of games, and until the PS3 can offer some compelling alternatives--and I have no doubt that eventually, it will--the Xbox 360 remains the better option. And if you're going with the 360 for the first time, you might as well spend that extra $80 and get the Elite.
The hardware
Except for its black finish and HDMI port, the Xbox 360 Elite is cosmetically identical to the Xbox 360 Premium. When laid horizontally, the 8.8-pound console is 12.15 inches wide, 3.27 inches high, and 10.15 inches deep. Like the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, the Xbox 360 can also be propped up in a vertical position and can be customized with interchangeable faceplates that cost as much as $20. The 360 is neither as slick as the glossy PS3 nor as cute as the diminutive Wii, but the Elite's matte-black finish is certainly a big step up from the "iPod white" color scheme of the earlier Xbox 360s. While the Elite blends in with the other black components in your A/V rack, however, it may not match all your accessories--you may need to mix and match some white 360 accessories, as not all accoutrements will immediately be available in black.
The Elite's HDMI connector isn't found on earlier Xbox 360 models.
The back panel of the 360 Elite includes an HDMI port (one of the big selling points), an A/V connector, a single USB port, and an Ethernet jack. Normally, we'd complain about a proprietary connection such as the Xbox A/V jack, but Microsoft includes an adapter breakout cable with both component (high-def) and composite (standard-def) connectors, plus analog stereo audio and an optical audio jack for surround sound output. An alternate audio-only adapter (RCA stereo or optical audio) is included just in case your TV or home theater system can't accept audio via HDMI. The bottom line is that the Xbox 360 Elite can be connected to virtually any TV or home theater system in a variety of configurations, without the need for purchasing any additional accessories.
The HDMI output is a welcome addition, as it provides a single cable solution--digital audio and high-def video--for connecting to HDTVs and A/V receivers. Whereas the previous Xbox 360 could output HD video up to 1080p resolution via component (or optional VGA adapter), far more HDTVs actually accept that highest of resolutions via the HDMI input. The downside is that Microsoft seems to have opted for something less than the HDMI version 1.3 found on the PlayStation 3. That means that any movies played on the optional HD DVD add-on will be limited to standard Dolby Digital soundtracks, not the higher resolution Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, or DTS-HD Master Audio. On the bright side, Microsoft does include the HDMI cable in the box, unlike the PS3 and the Apple TV.
The Xbox 360 Elite comes with all the cables and accessories you'll need to connect to any TV--but it lacks some extras found on the PS3.
Whereas the Nintendo and Sony game consoles have built-in Wi-Fi support, the older Xbox 360 was limited to a wired network connection. Sadly, that hasn't changed on the Xbox 360 Elite--Ethernet remains the only built-in option. Yes, you can get the optional wireless networking adapter, which conveniently clips on to the back of 360--but it monopolizes the solitary USB port on the console's backside.
On the front of the unit, you'll find two more USB ports hidden behind hinged doors in the faceplate, as well as two memory-card slots. Unlike the standard flash memory formats accepted by the Wii and the PS3, however, Microsoft opted for proprietary memory cards--but you'll never need them unless you need to swap saved games or other small files between two 360s. The USB ports provide connectivity to any wired controllers and other USB accessories (such as the Xbox Live Vision Camera); alternately, they allow for quick hookups to a variety of media devices, including digital cameras, MP3 players, or even your iPod or Sony PSP. Many USB keyboards are compatible, but for the most part, they are strictly relegated to communication and data entry functions, not gameplay. Another small design gripe: You won't be able to connect some thumbdrive-style MP3 players, such as the original Apple iPod Shuffle, to some or all of the 360's recessed USB ports. You'll need a USB extension cable to connect them because the entryway to the port is too narrow.
The 360 Elite also includes on its front panel an infrared (IR) port, which lets you use a wide variety of compatible remote controls--both 360 specialty models and generic universal remotes--without the need for an external dongle. By contrast, the PS3 has no IR port, forcing you to use a Bluetooth remote.
The Xbox 360 Elite's hard drive is located in the proprietary detachable module that snaps onto the side of the console. Since the 20GB hard disk on the original Xbox 360 filled up very quickly--download a 1GB game demo here, a 4GB HD movie there, and toss in a handful of TV episodes, and things get tight fast--so the 120GB of space on the Elite is essentially a necessity for anyone wishing to take full advantage of the Xbox 360's media functionality. The same 120GB drive module will be available as a separate $180 accessory for existing 360 owners who wish to upgrade; likewise, a transfer kit accessory (a special USB cable/dongle and software) will allow existing settings and files to be moved from old hard drives to new ones.
As part of the $480 Elite bundle, you'll also get a single wireless controller and an Xbox Live Headset, which connects to the controller. They're identical to previous models except for the black color scheme--the Elite controllers don't add any new functionality, such as the tilt sensitivity in the PS3 or the motion control of the Wiimote. They accept two AA batteries, or you can opt for a snap-on rechargeable model (available separately). Each 360 console can support as many as four wireless controllers. A green LED on both the 360 itself and the controller indicates exactly which controllers (numbers 1 through 4) are connected. This is also true if you are playing with a mixture of wireless and wired controllers; you know who has which controller. All in all, we really like the design of the Xbox 360 controllers, with the possible exception of the four-way D-pad, which occasionally slips axes when tapped (mistaking horizontal input for vertical, or vice versa).
Two other less-than-stellar aspects of the Xbox 360 that have been carried over to the Elite are the absolutely massive external power supply and the console's noise. While the giant power brick can be hidden away behind the entertainment center, the exhaust fan and especially the DVD drive remain noisy to the point of distraction.
Dashboard
The Xbox 360's onscreen Dashboard interface is truly stellar, and it's clear that the folks at Microsoft looked less toward Windows and more toward the vaunted TiVo interface for their model. Yes, the 360 interface certainly has some ties to that of Windows Media Center PCs, but it's slicker and more user-friendly, with color-coated tabs for the system's various features, including gaming, media, system settings, and Xbox Live. To page through the various activities, you simply move the directional keypad on your controller (or the remote) left to right. With the increased processing power, windows open quicker than they do on the original; the system and interface as a whole just feels zippier. Like the faceplates, the Dashboard is customizable, with a host of themes preloaded on the hard drive and many more available to download.
Continuing the Xbox 360's customization kick is the Gamer Card, which consists of a personal avatar--a picture chosen from a batch of Microsoft approved images or an image you've captured using the Xbox Live Vision Camera--as well as a motto 21 characters or less in length. The centerpiece of the Gamer Card is the Gamerscore: a point-total representative of predetermined goals, known as Achievements, met in each and every game. It's a nice way to foster offline competitiveness between gamers, as even completely single-player games such as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion include Achievements. But if Microsoft is planning on taking the personalization angle to the same sort of 3D level as Nintendo's Mii avatars or Sony's Home environment, it hasn't yet made any such plans public.
Digital media and DVDs
While it's primarily a game machine, the Xbox 360 Elite is a formidable digital media hub as well. Plug a digital camera, a flash card reader, a thumbdrive, or a music player into the Xbox 360's USB port, and if it's compatible with a Windows PC, you'll likely have plug-and-play access to browse your photos, listen to your MP3s, and play WMV videos. Digital media on your home network are similarly accessible: just install Microsoft's Windows Media Player 11, Zune software, or Windows Media Connect (all are free downloads) on any PC running Windows XP or Vista, and the 360 will be able to stream music, and access photos and WMV videos from the remote PC. If your PC is Media Center-enabled (certain versions of XP, Vista Premium, and Vista Ultimate), the integration is even tighter. The 360 doubles as a Media Center Extender, letting you access your TV recordings--including those in high-def--from the networked MCE PC.
Of course, the 360 is a capable CD/DVD player as well. You can't copy music files from connected or networked devices, but you can rip CDs straight to the 360's hard drive, then use those songs as soundtracks for pretty much any native Xbox 360 game.
On the DVD front, the Xbox 360 Elite offers essentially the same disappointing performance as the earlier 360. DVDs are generally soft and lacking in detail, and the Elite failed some of the basic HQV tests that even many bargain DVD players can ace. It's fine for casual viewing, of course, but the HDMI connector seemed to offer no discernible improvement. (A forthcoming Dashboard update might offer some software upscaling improvements.) In happier news, the quality of the external HD DVD drive and the downloadable Xbox Live Marketplace videos (see below) were generally stellar. But the rub here is that the HD DVD drive remains an add-on, whereas the PS3's Blu-ray drive is standard equipment.
Xbox Live
Every Xbox 360 model has a base-level membership called Xbox Live Silver. That offers the ability to create a list of friends, view their gamer cards, and communicate with them outside of a game via voice chat and voice messaging using the headset, or even video chat with the Vision Camera. In order to play multiplayer games, however, you'll need to upgrade to Xbox Live Gold, which costs $50 a year. While Sony offers similar online multiplayer chat and head-to-head gameplay for free on the PS3, it remains a less polished experience than Xbox Live, which has had several more years to perfect its online capabilities to its current best-in-class state.
Xbox Live is much more integrated throughout the 360 than it was in the old Xbox. At any time, you can punch the Home button on your controller to bring up the Live message center. In theory, you can be playing an offline, single-player game of, say, Enchanted Arms, get an invite from a friend (think instant messaging), then pop out to the Dashboard while you swap discs and dive into F.E.A.R..
The in-game Xbox Live experience hasn't changed drastically, but then again, the service was already near-impeccable on the Xbox 1. By virtue of the system's processing power, games should be able to support more players online. Perfect Dark Zero, for example can handle 32 players, more than all but a few Xbox1 games. Test Drive Unlimited transforms the open roads of Hawaii into a gaming lobby, where you can pass by potential opponents on the road. Then there are games that support video chatting, such as the Xbox Live Arcade's Texas Hold 'Em. As developers have learned the ins and outs of the 360's hardware, we're starting to see more players and less lag in the many online-compatible 360 titles.
Marketplace
Both free (Silver) and paid (Gold) Xbox Live accounts have access to the Xbox Live Marketplace, which offers up free movie trailers and game demos, as well as premium (pay-per-download) content, such as Dashboard themes, gamer tag pictures, and extra content for full-featured games. Items are purchased by using Microsoft points, which is the proprietary 360 currency that's purchasable through the system or via prepaid cards (the going rate for 1,600 points is $30, for example).
One big draw for the Xbox Live Marketplace is the wide range of titles available for Xbox Live Arcade. There's a healthy mix of completely original titles and classic PC and arcade games freshened up with high-def visuals; some even include online multiplayer options. All of the games are playable as free demos, but to compete online and earn achievement points, you're going to have to pony up the Marketplace dough.
The other major Marketplace feature is downloadable TV show episodes and feature-length movie rentals. Available in both standard and high-definition, videos will run 400 to 800 Microsoft points ($5 to $10); TV shows are downloaded "for keeps" (until you delete them), while movies need to be watched within two weeks and then disappear within 24 hours of being viewed. Judged against other downloadable or streaming video providers (Apple TV and its various competitors), the video quality of Marketplace content is good to excellent. While false contouring can be seen in transitions to and from scenes drenched in black (fade-ins and fade-outs, for instance), videos are largely free of most other offending artifacts, and resolution is noticeably enhanced in HD versions. In short, the Video Marketplace is one of the more promising TV/DVD alternatives to date, and the Xbox 360 Elite's expansive 120GB hard drive is much better suited to power downloaders than the 20GB Xbox 360.
Games
The Xbox 360 Elite has the same basic guts as earlier 360 models: a customized IBM PowerPC CPU boasts three processing cores running at 3.2GHz each, each offering two hardware threads, while the ATI graphics processor is said to be able to pump out 500 million triangles per second. The console has half a gigabyte of memory that's shared between the system and video card, plus an extra 10MB of dedicated video RAM just for good measure. We could go on, recounting the 360's supposed 16 gigasamples-per-second fill rate using 4X antialiasing and 48 billion shader operations per second--not to mention, of course, the 48-way parallel floating-point dynamically scheduled shader pipelines and the 9 billion dot product operations per second. But, frankly, even if we understood what half those impressive-sounding specs meant, we'd have no way to verify or benchmark them.
What we can say is that Xbox 360 graphics, by and large, range from very good to spectacular. Yes, PCs can still deliver higher resolution and better frame rates than even HDTV offers, but you'll need to invest in a video card that costs as much as the 360 itself. And while the PlayStation 3's vaunted Cell processor is ostensibly "more powerful" than that of the 360, software developers have yet to tap the full capability of the PS3's graphical prowess. In other words, 360 games tend to look as good or better than their PS3 counterparts (the less expensive and less powerful Wii isn't even in the same ballpark). Consider the expansive environments of a game such as Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or the amount of characters on screen at one time in Dead Rising. Similarly, Call of Duty 3 had us ducking for cover as we slogged through some of the toughest firefights of World War II. Meanwhile, in the more intimate confines of the ring, the boxers in Fight Night Round 3 looked astonishing--when a knockout blow was landed, a close-up replay would reveal the copious amount of spit, sweat, and blood emanating from the victim of pugilistic brutality. Furthermore, the 360 has its share of key exclusive titles; you won't find the likes of Gears of War, Lost Planet, or the upcoming Halo 3 on the PS3 or the Wii.
Backward compatibility
While the 360's library is constantly growing, it can also play more than 340 games designed for the original Xbox. The backward compatibility is enabled through downloadable emulation profiles; they're free, but you'll need the hard drive to install them. In fact, the software for Halo and Halo 2 compatibility is preinstalled on the hard drive. Unfortunately, while 340-plus sounds like a high number, that leaves hundreds of old Xbox titles unplayable on the 360 for the time being. Microsoft is working to broaden the list--it's added dozens of new titles since launch--but there's no announced timetable as to when the remaining games will be ported over, and it certainly seems as though not every game will be included.
The backward compatibility on the Xbox 360 has its benefits and drawbacks. Microsoft claims that it's pumping up the resolutions and adding antialiasing effects to the older games, and both tweaks seemed in evidence while playing Halo 2. Also, playing an online-enabled Xbox1 game (such as Halo 2) lets you seamlessly interact with other Xbox Live players still using the old console. On the other hand, some games such as Fable: The Lost Chapters have brought along new graphical glitches and none of the Xbox1 custom soundtrack-enabled games (for example, the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy) will recognize the songs imported onto your 360. Finally, there is no way to transfer your Xbox1 saves to the 360, so you'll have to reconfigure your workout regimen in Yourself Fitness.
By comparison, the PS3 can play most (but not all) of the games published for the PS2 and even the original PlayStation--though the fact that Sony is constantly tweaking its underlying architecture (moving from hardware to software legacy support) may make future PS3s less backward compatible than earlier versions. The Nintendo Wii plays nearly all of the games published for the GameCube, though you need additional accessories (controllers and memory cards) to play them.
PS3 rating 8.7 / 10
The good: Swanky design with quiet operation; all games in high-definition; PSP-like user-friendly interface; plays high-def Blu-ray movies in addition to upscaling standard DVDs; built-in Wi-Fi and flash media reader; 60GB hard drive; online play is free; HDMI output with 1080p support; no external power supply; free online gaming service; plays PS2 and PS1 games; backwards compatibility is hardware based.
The bad: Compelling exclusive games are still few and far between; PlayStation Home and rumble controller not available until 2008; a USB port on the back would've been nice; no infrared port means non-Bluetooth universal remotes aren't compatible; glossy black finish is a fingerprint magnet; online gaming, media, and commerce options not nearly as developed as Xbox Live.
The bottom line: The high-end Sony PlayStation 3's larger hard drive and ability to play PS2 games makes it a worthwhile alternative to the cheaper model--so long as you're willing to wait several months for the more promising exclusive titles to hit store shelves. If backward compatibility is your top priority, this hard-to-find model may be worth the search.
There's general agreement that Sony stumbled out of the gate with the PlayStation 3. Months of intense hype were followed by a late launch (fully a year after the Xbox 360) and a staggering $600 price tag for the deluxe model. Even worse, the PS3 didn't have any real must-have exclusive titles, and despite the power of its vaunted Cell processor, multiplatform games from third-party developers didn't look appreciably better than the respective titles on the 360.
Since then, the company's been modifying the PlayStation product line to better fit the competitive market landscape. As of November 2007, a "bargain" PlayStation 3 can be had for a mere $400--but that model lacks the ability to play older PS2 games. If that feature is important to you, you'll need to shell out an additional $100 for the "deluxe" 80GB PlayStation 3 model--or if you're lucky enough to find a 60GB version, the one reviewed here, we'd highly recommend jumping on that as well. While the 60GB version of the PlayStation 3 is currently being phased out of production by Sony, the differences between it and the 80GB model are minimal. Owners of PS2 games may prefer the 60GB model because of its greater compatibility with that system's games due to its internal hardware emulation instead of the 80GB's software emulation. In addition to backward compatibility with many PS2 games, the $500 PS3s include more USB ports and a built-in flash media reader.
Unfortunately however, the 60GB version still suffers from the same problem currently afflicting this entire generation of PlayStation hardware: a dearth of compelling games. While the console offers a handful of great exclusives (Warhawk, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Heavenly Sword), it doesn't look like the PS3 will have some real system-sellers until 2008 and beyond, when Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, Gran Turismo 5, and God of War III eventually arrive. Plenty of excellent third-party titles exist--from Assassin's Creed to Call of Duty 4--but they're also available on the Xbox 360, which in turn has a cadre of must-have titles (Halo 3, Mass Effect, Gears of War) that aren't on the PS3. Likewise, the Nintendo Wii continues to draw away potential PS3 buyers with its cheaper hardware and more casual and broad-based approach to gaming. Put another way, the PlayStation 3 still feels more like a work in progress than do the rival Wii and Xbox 360. Still, if you want to go beyond the low-res graphics on the Wii and avoid the Xbox 360's notorious red ring of death, the Sony PS3 delivers a full-on Blu-ray player, network media hub, and HD gaming console with a rapidly growing library of impressive titles.
PlayStation 3 models compared:
Model PS3 20GB* PS3 40GB PS3 60GB^ PS3 80GB
MSRP n/a $400 $500 $500
Hard disk size 20GB 40GB 60GB 80GB
Network compatibility Ethernet only Ethernet and Wi-Fi Ethernet and Wi-Fi Ethernet and Wi-Fi
Plays PS2 games? Yes [hardware support for most PS2 games] No Yes [hardware support for most PS2 games] Yes [software support for many PS2 games]
Flash memory compatibility None None CompactFlash, SD Memory Card and Memory Stick Duo card slots CompactFlash, SD Memory Card and Memory Stick Duo card slots
USB ports 4 2 4 4
Unique bundled items - Currently ships with Spider-Man 3 Blu-ray movie - Currently ships with Motorstorm game
* Sony has since discontinued the 20GB PlayStation 3 model.
^ While the 60GB version of the PlayStation 3 remains available, Sony has begun phasing it out of their product line.
Design
Like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3 can stand vertically or lie horizontally in an AV rack, though because of its curved top, it's not meant to have any other components resting on top of it. Early prototypes were shown in white and silver, but the PS3 is currently available only in black. The 20GB version (now discontinued) was all black, but the larger capacity models are highlighted with a chrome trim--and there's no way to customize its look as you can with Xbox 360's interchangeable, if overpriced, faceplates. Judging from Sony's recent decision to bring out the PSP in more colors, we don't expect the company to stick to the black-only option for too long, especially since this system, like the PSP, is a fingerprint- and smudge-magnet. If you handle it at all, you'll end up having to wipe it off, so you'll probably just want to stick it in a rack and leave it there.
As for its dimensions, the PS3 measures 12.8 inches wide by 3.8 inches high by 10.8 inches long, which is roughly in line with the overall volume of the Xbox 360. That said, the PS3 does weigh a bit more--11 pounds to the 360's 9.9 pounds including power supply--so if you're going by heft alone, you're getting almost 10 percent more console. Most impressively, there's no external power supply for the PS3; you just plug the included power cable--it's the same standard three-prong style you'll find on most desktop PCs--into the back of the unit and you're good to go. For those of us who own an Xbox 360, and have had to struggle with its massive brick of a power supply, this seems like a remarkable feat on Sony's part.
Like the Nintendo Wii, the PS3 has a slot-loading disc drive.
One obvious difference between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 is the way you load media. As opposed to the more typical tray loader, the PS3 has a front-slot-loading, Blu-ray optical-disc drive, which contributes to the unit's slicker appearance. Discs slide in and eject smoothly enough, so chalk one up for the PS3 here.
Media card readers are located beneath a flip-up door, and four USB ports are nearby.
On the front, you'll find four USB ports for connecting (and charging) controllers and other accessories, including USB keyboards, thumbdrives, and the PSP. Four ports are nice, but we would have liked to have seen at least one USB port on the back for connecting peripherals such as a camera (the PS Eye) that spoil the PS3's otherwise clean lines by sticking obtrusively out of the front. Rounding out the front panel is a built-in memory card reader behind a door that supports not only memory cards from Sony's entire Memory Stick family, but Compact Flash and SD/MMC cards as well. (Sorry, Olympus fans--there's no built-in xD support, but you can still hook up your camera--or an external card reader--via USB.)
You'll find HDMI--but no USB--on the rear panel.
Around back is where you'll find ports for Ethernet, HDMI output, optical digital audio output (SPDIF), and the proprietary PlayStation AV output for analog audio and video. A composite AV cable ships with the unit, and because it uses the same connector as the PlayStation 2, that system's S-Video and component cables should work with it, as well (to get HD video, you'll need component or HDMI). Unlike the proprietary snap-on hard drive of the Xbox 360, the PS3's 60GB internal hard drive is user replaceable with any off-the-shelf laptop drive. The only caveat: It uses the smaller 2.5-inch drive size, which are twice--or even close to three times--as expensive as the larger 3.5-inch hard drive that goes into a desktop computer.
Controller makeover
The single controller that comes with the PS3 is very similar looking to the traditional PlayStation 2 Dual Shock gamepad, but there are some notable differences. For starters, it's wireless. You can connect as many as seven (!) controllers via the system's built-in Bluetooth, which Sony's claims offers a 20-meter range (about 65 feet). Recharging the built-in battery simply requires connecting the included USB cable between the console and the controller. You can continue to play as the battery juices up (Sony pledges 30 hours of gameplay between charges), but the cable's somewhat short 5-foot length will put you right on top of the TV. That said, the controller has a standard mini-USB port similar to the one found on many digital cameras and PC peripherals, so swapping in a longer cable--or using a USB extender--shouldn't be a problem.) Unfortunately, the battery isn't removable, which means that if it dies--as inevitably it will someday--you'll have to replace the entire controller ($50) if you want to play wirelessly. By comparison, the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii controllers offer user-replaceable batteries: AAs or proprietary rechargeables for the 360, and AAs for the Wii.
The wireless controller recharges by connecting via the included USB cable.
As for the controller's design, Sony has made a few tweaks. The L2 and R2 trigger buttons are a bit bigger, and the increased depth in stroke offers players more subtle game control. Sony has also increased the tilting angle of the analog joysticks to give you more precise control and a wider range of motion. Those analog sticks are more sensitive as well. The PS2's Dual Shock controller had 8-bit sensitivity, while the PS3's controller has 10-bit motion detection. The SixAxis controller also has a centered Home button, which functions much like its counterpart on the Xbox 360 controller. You use it to return to the console's main menu screen, as well as to sync the controller to the console and start it up or shut it down wirelessly.
The other big upgrade on the SixAxis controller is motion sensitivity. As the name indicates, the controller's capable of sensing motion in six directions: up, down, left, right, forward, and backward. Game developers have incorporated it in many of the new games in one form or another. For example, in Call of Duty 3, you can arm explosives with a twist of the controller. 2K's NBA 2K8 also makes interesting use of the tilt feature, allowing you shoot free throws by motioning a shot with your controller.
To be sure, some implementations of the tilt sensitivity are better than others. Some games' use of it are optional and can be switched off, as we can certainly see some folks not wanting to bother with it at all. Clearly, Sony wanted to steal some of Nintendo's thunder, and there's no denying that the Wii's motion-sensitive controllers are more central to that console's DNA. The Wii controllers are also more sophisticated, including the ability to measure actual motion (spatial movement) and acceleration, rather than just tilting--but unlike the Wii, the PS3 doesn't require a motion-sensor bar in front of the TV. (The current Xbox 360 controllers offer no motion sensitivity at all.) It's safe to say we'll see more innovative uses of the tilting sensitivity feature in future games--it definitely adds an extra level of control when flying the eponymous attack vehicle in Warhawk. On the other hand, the highly touted Lair, is widely considered unplayable, thanks to a poorly implemented Sixaxis control scheme.
The forthcoming Dual Shock 3 controller (available 2008) will include the rumble feature missing on the included SixAxis controller.
The big omission is force feedback support: The current iteration of the PS3 controller offers no vibration or rumble control. However, Sony recently announced that a new, rumbling Dual Shock 3 controller will be available in early 2008. In addition, a large portion of existing games will be able to make use of the force feedback simply by downloading a patch. Sounds great--until you realize that you'll have to shell out more dough for that controller once it eventually becomes available.
Familiar interface
If you own a Sony PSP, you'll immediately notice the similarities between the PS3's interface and the PSP's cross media bar-style GUI (graphical user interface). You navigate horizontally through top-level selection categories such as users, system settings, and media options such as photos, music, videos, games, network, and friends. When you select a top-level category, a vertical list of sub options appears, and you can navigate down that list until you find the option you want. The interface is polished and generally user-friendly, but you do have to drill down a few levels to reach certain features, and getting to some functions isn't quite as intuitive as it should be. Still, the overall design is slick enough to be called Mac-like, and--at least from an aesthetic standpoint--is more appealing than the Xbox 360's Dashboard and Nintendo Wii's Channels interfaces.
Since the release of the PlayStation 3, Sony has continued to release newer versions of the embedded firmware. These updates usually address bugs and other glitches and even add features as well. DVD upscaling was added with a firmware update as was extended support for the PlayStation Network and Store.
Digital media hub
Before we delve into the PS3's HD movie prowess (see Movie Watching, below), let's take a holistic look at the console's multimedia functionality.
The PS3 can read digital photos from a variety of USB-attached devices, including most digital cameras, the PSP, USB flash drives, and home-burned CD-Rs. (One caveat: The images may need to be placed in a special directory, such as DCIM or Picture, if they're not already there.) A few different slide-show styles are available, including a unique "photo album" view that displays the images across a white work surface as if you'd dumped them there and spread them out. When stored internally on the hard drive (copying back and forth is easy), photos appear rapidly, and in the basic slide-show mode, you can advance your slides forward by simply pressing on the top-right shoulder button (the left shoulder takes you back a slide). Most JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF, and PNG images should work just fine. By contrast, the Xbox 360 lacks the impressive photo album viewer, and the Wii--while including some cool and fun photo-viewing and manipulation functionality--includes only a built-in SD card reader.
As for music, the PS3 supports most of the major music-file types, including MP3, ATRAC, AAC, and WAV, and like the Xbox 360, has a built-in music visualizer. As with the photos, you can import songs from a USB thumbdrive--again, you'll have to create a special Music folder--or rip songs directly to the hard drive from a CD. (Yes, unlike some Blu-ray players on the market, the PS3 can actually recognize and play CDs). It cannot play back music from attached iPods, nor can it stream from other music players that incorporate copy-protected music formats. Here, the 360 has a leg up: It offers some iPod compatibility, and it can play back WMA music files, as well.
On the video front, the PS3 plays Blu-ray discs in full high-definition as well as DVD movies. It also supports MPEG1, MPEG2, and MPEG4/h.264 video files from USB or disc-based media (reading from the "video" directory). If you transfer the videos to the PS3's hard drive, thumbnails on the video menu are shown as 15-second video clips, rather than just as still images of the first frame of the video. The PS3 can act as a digital media hub, with the ability to stream content from any DLNA-compatible network device, including PCs.
PSP owners will find increasingly close integration between Sony's portable and the PS3. Users now have the ability to control their PS3 anywhere in the world using a Wi-Fi connection, thanks to the Remote Play feature. Digital media, including photos, music, and video can be streamed to the PSP, as well.
Sony's version of Web TV
Taking a page out of the PSP's book, the PS3 also has a built-in Web browser, but the nice thing about the PS3 is that if you connect a USB keyboard, you don't have to type in URL addresses using the system's tedious virtual keyboard. Likewise, a USB mouse lets you point and click your way through a Web page, just as if you were on a PC. While the system is expected to eventually allow you to pair the PS3 with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, at least one third-party solution--Logitech's Cordless MediaBoard--uses a wireless USB dongle instead. We had better luck with Bluetooth headsets: a Plantronics Discovery 655 worked perfectly, and allowed us to chat with fellow players during online gaming sessions.
The browser appears to be pretty robust with the requisite Flash support, and it certainly is a nice convenience for those who want to browse from their living room couch. That said, the sharpness of Web pages' appearance--and how readable they are--will depend on the quality of your TV and its size. For example, viewing Web pages on a 60-inch DLP set is going to be more of a challenge than say, looking at those same pages over a 20-inch computer monitor. And viewing Web pages on anything less than an HDTV at full resolution (720p, 1080i, or 1080p) will be decidedly eye-straining.
The PlayStation Network
While the PlayStation Network did not launch simultaneously with the PlayStation 3, it has since opened up to the public and with it, many games and services are now available. Connecting to the PlayStation Network is free, as is multiplayer gaming, although downloadable games and other content come at a cost.
In early 2008, the PlayStation Network will launch PlayStation Home. Home is an online virtual world, somewhat in the vein of Second Life, where gamers can have their avatars interact with one another in addition to the ability to virtually create your own "home." From Home's interface, you can set up game matches and communicate with friends as well as other gamers. An achievement-based system has also been promised, but early signs show that it will be molded around a trophy system.
By contrast, Xbox Live Silver, Microsoft's free, entry-level service, gives you access to some community options but to play online multiplayer games, you have to upgrade to Xbox Live Gold service, which runs $50 per year.
Free online play is obviously a big plus in Sony's favor. That said, Xbox Live has been around for years and has had time to mature, and the majority of Xbox 360 games offer some form of online play. Microsoft has its Xbox Live Marketplace, where you can download games, demos, video content, full-length movies and TV shows in high-definition--as well as game themes and additional game content.
Not all of the initial PS3 titles offer head-to-head online gameplay, but expect at least some online showcases: Sony's Resistance: Fall of Man is designed to handle online fragfests with as many as 32 players per match. (Nintendo also offers free online play and communications for the Wii, as it does on the DS. Right now only a handful of games support this feature, but Nintendo promises more online gaming in the future.)
Also, keep in mind that despite the PS3 online play being ostensibly free, Sony and its third-party publishers--just like Microsoft and Nintendo--will be aggressively pushing "micropayment" transactions (additional levels, in-game extras, retro games, and other goodies) that will cost users. Instead of the points-based payment system found on Microsoft and Nintendo's networks, the PlayStation Store sticks to dollars and cents--users can simply transfer cash to their PlayStation 3 Wallet via credit card or with prepaid gift cards. (International locations will likewise be denominated in their home currency--yen, euros, pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, and so forth.)
Cell inside
When final specs were released for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, not surprisingly, there was a big debate over which system was technically more powerful. The 360 uses more off-the-shelf PC components, while the PlayStation 3's 3.2GHz Cell processor was built from the ground up just for the PS3. It consists of a single PowerPC-based core with seven synergistic processing units and is the result of a joint effort between IBM, Sony, and Toshiba, which is ironic, considering that Sony and Toshiba are in a death match over Blu-ray and HD DVD.
The key thing to know about the Cell is that it has the juice to run a new class of gameplay physics that will allow developers to create spectacular effects and eventually provide a whole new depth of realism to games. Paired with PlayStation 3's RSX Reality Synthesizer graphics-processing unit, a gargantuan 550MHz, 300-million-transistor graphics chip based on Nvidia's GeForce 7800 GTX graphics technology, and you're looking at a very high-end PC. The only problem, of course, is that it'll take developers years to learn to take full advantage of all that processing power and truly deliver on the graphical promise of the system. However, an entire year has passed since the release of the PlayStation 3, and the general consensus seems to agree that this level of sophistication has yet to be tapped.
Say what you will about increasing development times and rising costs for producing video games, but Blu-ray's 25GB to 50GB storage capacity--as opposed to 8.5GB for the Xbox 360's DVD drive--does give developers the chance to create huge games--although this conflict has yet to directly affect the release of any game. On the contrary, Rockstar Games claims that the complicated programming involved with Grand Theft Auto IV on the PlayStation 3 is what actually delayed the game's multiplatform release into 2008.
At the end of the day, as Microsoft learned, you can tout all the power you want, but if you can't keep your system cool--and fairly quiet--you're going to have some serious problems on your hands. What's impressive about this PS3, in fact, is that with all this power under the hood, the system runs as quietly as it does. After running for several hours straight, we found that we could still place a hand over the back of the unit and not get scorched--the system runs pretty warm, but not blazingly hot. Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 cooling fan and DVD drive are comparatively far noisier, sometimes to the point of distraction. And the PS3 hasn't had any widespread reliability problems, unlike the "red ring of death" problem that continues to dog the 360. That console's high failure rate--at least on models produced early on in its life cycle--has made for customer service headaches (and a billion dollar liability for Microsoft) as frustrated Xbox gamers exchange dead consoles.
Play time
Despite all of the vaunted "power" of the PS3's unique Cell processor, games appearing on both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 tend to look all but identical on both consoles. The PS3 clearly measures up to the Xbox 360 in terms of its graphics prowess, but there really isn't anything available yet that's too unique or so far beyond what the Xbox 360 offers that you think, "I gotta get this system to play that game." Even as it passes its first birthday, the PS3 still seems in search of a breakout title. (Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4, due in 2008, is currently getting a lot of buzz and will supposedly be a PS3 exclusive.) However, other exclusive titles such as Heavenly Sword, Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune have given PlayStation 3 owners something to cheer about.
As we stated earlier, this 60GB model is the one you want to opt for if backward compatibility is your top priority. The similarly priced 80GB PS3 eliminates the Emotion Engine hardware found in this model and the original 20GB PlayStation 3 . That means compatibility with PS2 games is handled via software emulation. As such, the 80GB PS3 will still play the vast majority of PS2 games (as well as games designed for the original mid-1990s PlayStation), but won't approach the near 100 percent compatibility offered by the older PS3 models. (Check out the PlayStation Web site to check the title-by-title compatibility.)
Movie watching
Since the PS3's debut, we've seen several Blu-ray players from Samsung, Panasonic, LG, and Sony itself. And none of them generally perform any better than the PS3, even though they cost more (twice as much or more in some cases). HD movies look superb on the PS3, which can output video at full 1080p resolution via its HDMI 1.3 port. The only slight downside to the PS3's Blu-ray performance is the audio: While the PS3 can decode Dolby TrueHD and pass along PCM output via HDMI, it cannot decode DTS-HD Master Audio and currently lacks bitstream output (for external AV receivers to handle the Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio decoding) which is available on newer standalone Blu-ray players like the Panasonic DMP-BD30 and Samsung BD-P1400. It's currently unclear whether Sony will be able to enable internal DTS-HD Master Audio decoding or bitstream output with a firmware update. The other disadvantage compared with standalone Blu-ray players is the lack of multichannel analog outputs, which means you'll need to have an HDMI-capable receiver to take advantage of high-resolution audio.
The PS3 also plays (and upconverts) standard DVDs (see detailed analysis). Of course, Blu-ray's archrival, HD DVD discs, won't work on the PS3. At the current time, that means you won't be able to get high-def movies from Paramount or Universal (the two HD DVD exclusive studios) for your PS3--but films from Blu-ray backers Fox, Disney, and Sony studios (MGM, Columbia, Tri-Star) won't be a problem. (Warner publishes on both formats.)
For a more in-depth comparison of Blu-ray vs. HD DVD, please see our guide.
If HD DVD is more your liking, the Xbox 360 requires a clunky add-on drive to play HD DVD movies (though downloadable high-def movies are available via Xbox Live), and the Nintendo Wii doesn't play back movie discs of any type. Of course, with HD DVD player prices plunging below $200, you can have Blu-ray (PS3) and HD DVD (a cheap Toshiba player) in your home theater for less than $600--which is less than either format's players were going for just a few months ago.
Our only real complaint with the PS3's movie playback is the remote issue. Accessing Blu-ray and DVD menus with the PS3 controller is functional, if awkward. Unfortunately, you won't be able to program a standard universal remote to control your PS3--it lacks an infrared port, so it needs to receive commands via Bluetooth. Not coincidentally, Sony offers a Bluetooth compatible remote for $25. Other options have surfaced to combat this issue, such as the PlayStation 3 Blu Wave Remote and the USBIRX3 from Schmartz.com. But we just wish Sony would've spent a few extra pennies and added a standard infrared receiver to the console.