So I finally caved and bought a PS3. I was hoping there would be a price drop announced last week at E3, which is what I have been waiting for before I bought one, but there wasn’t even a hint of such a thing happening any time soon. Since the PS3 is only $100 more than a Blu Ray player, I felt it would make more sense to get the PS3, so that I could have both, and so I did.
After un-boxing the mammoth console, I got my first taste of what will surely be a long list of Sony FAIL. The PS3 has been, and continues to be touted as THE system for HD; and it continues to claim itself as a revolutionary system with the highest quality video for games and movies. Well, some of that is true… and some of it is not. First of all, I think that it is almost a slap in the face of the consumer to ask them to pay $400 for a machine that will revolutionize their HD experience, and box the motherfucker with composite cables; which any A/V geek knows does NOT have the capability of displaying HD! Additionally, the companion HDMI cable marketed and sold by Sony for the PS3 is $60. For shame, Sony; you expect me to shell out ANOTHER $60 just to get the HD quality you promised for $400? Assholes.
Luckily, I have an HDMI cord that I wasn’t ass raped for (ahem, I didn’t buy it at Best Buy), and I just used it to connect the PS3. Crisis averted… HD was mine; and you know what, it is impressive. We played a few Blu Ray movies, and they were impressively crisp. I really can tell the difference in standard DVDs being upscaled, and a true Blu Ray HD DVD. Again, very impressive, you break even, here Sony.
Now comes FAIL #2. I bought Little Big Planet, and Resident Evil 5 (RE5 was for James, and I figured, since the PS3 is new, why not get it for that system?!) because I wanted to have at least a couple of games for the PS3. LBP is really cute, but I noticed the graphics were a little rougher than I was expecting; after all, it is plugged into my TV through HDMI, so it should be just as amazing as the Blu Ray, right (ESPECIALLY on a title like LBP, which is exclusive to the PS3)? WRONG. Turns out, Sony doesn’t really have the goods to back up their claims. The best they can do is 720p on most games, and the two that I got both fall into this category. Even though I have the PS3 output set to 1080i, and my TV can display 1080i, it can only display these games at 720p (this is a known, but quiet, issue). I wish that I would have gotten RE5 for the Xbox, because even my Xbox 360 exceeds the PS3 by upscaling everything to 1080i, and I can bet the graphics would be a little better. FAIL FAIL FAIL. Sure, it is only a minor thing, but when you buy something that expensive that is supposed to be so “AWESOME11!!1!!”, then disappointment is pretty much the word that comes to mind when you think about the whole scenario. When it comes right down to it, Sony, you do not have the HD system that you claim to; at least, you aren’t letting us use it to its full potential, anyway.
Needless to say, I am a bit disappointed. I will be making sure I keep a close eye on games that I get for the PS3, because if I can get a better version of the same game for the Xbox 360, Xbox will win this battle every time. Also, as of writing this, my Xbox 360 is only hooked to my TV through component cables, and the games look better than the 2 PS3 ones I have tried. Sure, there are some out there that will do 1080, but I am just shocked that PS3 doesn’t upscale ALL games like the Xbox does; especially when they claim the PS3 is so much better than the Xbox 360 (which, judging by the two titles I have, certainly isn’t true game wise).
As far as I am concerned, while I am glad I got the PS3, I can’t believe how much fine print, and blatant trickery Sony has instituted into their “AMAZING!!! SYSTEM!!1!11!!!!”. Seriously, Sony, you need to really get over yourself and stop the quick slight of hand, which I am sure has made customers other than myself more than a bit peeved as well. This leaves Sony with a score of negative one; let’s hope that time will allow them to break even, and make this consumer happier with his VERY extravagant and expensive purchase.
UPDATE: HOW COULD I FORGET THE LACK OF SUPPORT FOR PS2 GAMES?? Epic fail continues…