10 ways to rationalise pre-ordering a PS3

Blu-ray, Gaming, HDTV, Top stories, Top tens
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ps3-hardware.jpgIs that the winds of changed opinions blowing? Actually, that last sentence sounds like an unholy mash-up of Bob Dylan and The Scorpions, which would be hellish. But the point is this: since last week’s GDC show in San Francisco, the buzz around Sony’s PlayStation 3 has taken a turn for the better.

The keynote presentation from Sony’s Phil Harrison had a lot to do with it: he announced two separate PS3 virtual worlds – PlayStation Home and LittleBigPlanet – and showed demos of some key new games.

Of course, this won’t make a jot of difference to your views if you’re a hardcore Xbox 360 or Wii fanboy. But for the floating voters who’ve yet to decide on a next-gen console – or who’ve got a Wii and are wondering whether to become a two-console household – Harrison’s keynote has spurred some serious pondering on whether to pre-order a PS3.

If you’re in that situation, here’s ten ways to rationalise shelling out £425 – note I’m not saying ’10 reasons to BUY a PS3′, it’s just ten ways to make yourself feel better about it if you do take the plunge…

1. PlayStation Home and LittleBigPlanet. I waffled on about this at greater length last week, and Sony has just revealed more details, so I’ll keep it short this time. PS3’s two virtual worlds are intriguing, exciting, and full of potential. Yeah, they won’t make up for a lack of Triple-A games, but they’ll also offer something that’s not available (yet) on any rival console. Plus, if you’re interested in this virtual reality lark, a £425 PS3 looks like a bargain compared to what you’d spend on a PC capable of running Second Life properly.

MotorStorm_20070122_009-grpA.jpg2. MotorStorm really does look rather good. Race a bunch of vehicles through the desert, crashing into stuff. Hmm. It’s just Burnout with extra mirages, right? Well, yes. But of the PS3’s launch games, MotorStorm looks the most accessible and plain fun – certainly in terms of giving you something to show off your shiny new console. Watch the video.

3. It’s another reason to buy an HD-ready TV. Admittedly, if you’ve got a partner who’s resisting, spending £425 on a console purely to convince them to spend even more on a new flat-screen telly is possibly doomed to failure. But seriously, the one thing nobody’s criticised PS3 for its its high-definition goodness, supporting numerous resolutions, connectivity options and audio formats.

4. It’ll probably easier to get hold of a PS3 than a Wii come March 23rd. Slightly facetious point, but still true.

5. Affordable games. By which I mean Sony is pricing PS3 games at £39.99, which is the same as Wii titles, and a tenner less than Xbox 360 games. You could still argue the games should be cheaper if you’re a cash-starved teenager who sold his granny to buy the actual console, but for next-gen games, £39.99 ain’t bad – not to mention the fact that PS3 titles will invariably be available for less in the cut-throat world of games retail.

6. Good value for a Blu-ray player. This is an old argument, but that doesn’t make it wrong. When most Blu-ray players cost more than a PS3, you can convince yourself you’re getting a bargain. Mainly because you are. Well, assuming you’ve already convinced yourself that re-buying all the films you already re-bought on DVD is The Way Forward, of course.

sixaxis-shot.jpg7. The PS3 controller might get its rumble back. As you may have heard, the PS3 Sixaxis controller DOES have motion-sensing technology inside, but it DOESN’T have a rumble function. Sony says technical reasons; cynics suggest the company’s lawsuit with vibration firm Immersion Corporation is the real reason. If so, the fact that the two companies recently settled their case and said they plan to work together on “future PlayStation products” could see a revamped rumbly Sixaxis.

8. SingStar and online content. Whether you croon like Sinatra or honk like a mid-clubbing seal pup, SingStar is a powerful argument for PS3’s potential. Think downloadable content – in this case, new songs to import and then sing along to. This sort of stuff isn’t unique to PS3 of course – Xbox 360 is just as capable of it, and even Wii depending on how Nintendo develops its online features. But from what I’ve seen of SingStar, Sony’s approach looks like being a major feather in PS3’s bow.

9. Your old PS2 games WILL work on it. Well, almost. One reason I’ve heard for shunning PS3 is the understandable concern over whether it’ll run existing PS2 games, especially since news broke that Sony wasn’t including the Emotion Engine in the Euro PS3. So what’s the actual state of affairs? According to Sony, more than 1,000 PS2 games will work on PS3 at launch here, and the company plans to set up a website telling gamers exactly which ones they’ll be. Again, this isn’t a reason to buy a PS3, but if you’ve taken the plunge, you’ll turn it into a positive (while feverishly hoping that Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is one of them, in my case).

Screen3.jpg10. Resistance: Fall Of Man. The other essential PS3 launch title. Is it sci-fi? Alternate history? Alternate historical sci-fi? Who cares, there’s loads of shooting in it… R:FoM is a first-person shooter with a bunch of ace multiplayer modes – which in the age of Halo and Gears Of War, was an essential game for PS3 to have, if you’re turning your back on those Microsoft exclusives to jump into Sony’s next-gen boat. Watch the video.

Stuart Dredge
For latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv

8 comments

  • Microsoft has had almost 12 months to get their act together with the release of their games, whereas Sony havent even finished releasing their console. Therefore in 12 months time the majority of Xbox fanboys will probably be wishing they had a PS3.

  • I have a playstation 3, i´m from argentina, i have vf5 and resistence, i must say that i don´t have a good conection of internet becouse i live in a small town, but with a 256k conection i can play resistence online with no lag, and it´s awesome, i love play this game, it´s free, has a great single player mode, and the online is great, if u buy this game, sure you will worry about other consoles, vf5 is great also (looks a lot like vf4 with better visuals, but isn´t something bad) and i´m about to buy motorstorm, i download the demo from ps store, and it´s great ( i love to drive with the sixaxis, but some may not like this, and prefer to play with the analog stick), and there is a lot of good games to come, so don´t think more, preorder the ps3 must be a priority (when u have, i now that u will know that i´m not laying)

  • Got my PS3 a bit after the European launch, I’ll recommend 3 games for Europeans to pick up. Resistance, Motorstorm and Virtua Fighter 5. Fight Night 3 is great if you like boxing, and I hear Formula racing is popular in europe so you might want to pick up F1. Not sure if Oblivian and Armor Core will be out for the launch window in Europe but I’m planning on getting those too.

    The games may be a little lacking, but it’s by far the best piece of machinery I’ve ever owned. It’s better than any computer I’ve had. It’s better than any system out, period. It’s powerful, sleek, fast, with so many features and it runs so smoothly. Never any technical glitches, it’s silent as a bird. The wireless internet is flawless and easy to use. The playstation network is great for gaming, never get lagged on Motorstorm or Resistance. The Blue ray format has all the best movies, like Casino Royale, and playstation 2 games are coming in mass til 2008 to fill the void during game droughts… but you’re getting such a larger launch than we did, so you should be alright for a while.

  • I got my PS3 here in the US on release day. I have and no problems with it and it is well worth the 33 hours of no sleep wating in line and the $1000 I spent on it with games and such. I really love this thing. I cant get enough of Resistance and Motorstorm. LittleBigPlannet is going to be awsome. Bluray movies look amazing. It is worth every penny i spent on it. Just wait untill you open your PS3 box.

  • GOW is a beaustiful game, but good gameplay does not exist. Lost Planet also falls into that category. Gamespot editors dislike Sony, gave the lowest score review out of any review online. Why do Xbox fans respond negative to every Sony article? Let people make up their own mind about which console to get.

  • I must say, this control affair is annoying but. I got the 360 got rid of it i just didnt like it compared to the PS2 even iam not a fanboy but i love sony consoles the ps3 has had problems but they will work it out and it will win the rivalry i know it…. + ps3 has more that the 360 and the wii together just in a while lol anyway its a lot of dam money but i think its worth it…… another thing that is annoying it the fact that they might leave the U.K launch with half the console when i say that i mean the ps2 chip. now that really is annoying we are paying MORE and we get less comon how is that fair the U.S is china get the full version why dont we…. nevertheless mine is perorder and i’l be getting mine on the 23rd feel free to add me to your ps3 online list. MaD_My-KaL……

    p.s kl first post 😀

  • Games for the xbox 360 also cost £40 from most online retailers like Play.com and Game, and the best games so far have appeared on the 360 including GOW which won the best game of the year award. Gamespot gave Motostorm 7.9/10 as they said its alot of flash but needs more substance. Resistance FOM while a good game no doubt is not revolutionary, GOW is a much better game, as is Lost Planet also for the 360.

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