CORBIE'S GAME BLOG

Well I've given the Playstation 3 eight months and now it's time to do the "Love/Hate" feature on the good old PS3. For those new to this feature, I take three things I love and three things I hate about something and talk a little bit about them. Get it? Love. Hate. Okay so I was trying to be funny. Sue me. Without further ado, let's' get to it.

Love #1 - The first thing I love about the Playstation 3 would have to be its sheer horsepower under the hood. That Cell Broadband Engine is a beauty and capable of things no other console, not even the Xbox 360, can produce. I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg, and I can't wait to see what the second and third-generation titles are going to look like once the developers have had some time to become familiar with the ins and outs of the Playstation 3 architecture. Reminds me of the quote from Back to the Future - "When this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit!" And the Playstation 3 is fast approaching that eighty-eight miles per hour. So get ready.

Love #2 - My second love of the Playstation 3 system would have to be the built-in Blu Ray drive. You have to admit, when you think about that one feature, the steap price tag does seem more like a bargain since most stand-alone Blu Ray players are in the $700-$900 range at the moment. At least the good ones. It's nice to be able to just pop in a Blu Ray movie when you're not playing any of your Playstation 3 or classic PS1 and PS2 games. Another bonus is that the large capacity of the Blu Ray discs will allow developers to go crazy with their Playstation 3 games as there's space to burn on the 50GB Blu Ray discs. I think it's safe to say that we're not likely to see a multi-disc release for the Playstation 3 anytime soon.

Love #3 - My third love of the Playstation 3 is its full backward compatibility. At least for the time being since word has it that Sony is removing the Emotion Engine from the new 80GB Playstation 3 systems, opting to go with software emulation as the means for playing the classic Playstation and Playstation 2 games. How this is going to work is still very much up in the air, but luckily I have the 60GB model that still does include the Emotion Engine. I know Sony is looking to cut costs, but the backward compatability is bound to take a hit once Sony begins using an emulator to run the classic titles. I do have to give Sony props for introducing the "smoothing" feature for PS1 and PS2 games. It really makes the classic titles look extremely sharp on an HDTV. My Playstation and Playstation 2 games have never looked so good. Let's just hope Sony knows what they're doing in removing the Emotion Engine. If not, PS3 owners better hold onto those 20GB and 60GB models. I know I will.

Hate #1 - This first one is pretty much a no-brainer. The high price tag of the Playstation 3 system is easily its biggest knock. While consumers are getting a slight break with the $100 price drop on the discontinued 60GB models, it won't be long and these systems will all be gone and only the 80GB model priced at $599.99 will be available at retailers. As I mentioned above, you are getting a lot for your money, but that's not going to make it any easier for consumer who march into their local store and see the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii systems sitting next to it on store shelves for a lot less money. I still haven't gotten the dent out of my wallet purchasing the Playstation 3 left in it.

Hate #2 - I guess I should just come right out and say it, I hate the software support the Playstation 3 has seen so far. Sony needs to get on the stick and get more top shelf games flowing out for the Playstation 3 system. So far, it's been mediocre for the most part. At least we have a few titles to look forward to between now and the New Year, but if Sony's going to begin catching up to the other consoles, they're going to have to sell it with high-quality games, and so far that's just not happening very much.

Hate #3 - Let's face it, Microsoft has set the bar pretty high with their Xbox 360 user interface. The blade system is very well organized and appealing to the eyes as well. Sony's PSP-style menu system works well enough on the PSP system, but it's looking a little dated and far too basic for a console as sleek and sexy as the Playstation 3. Their Playstation Store is also not very well laid out and runs sluggishly most of the time. Sony needs to get their developers on the stick and get a new menu system that fits in with the beautiful hardware design of the Playstation 3. There's just no excuse for the pitiful menu system they're using right now.

Well there you have it. I got to rant a rave a bit and I feel better for it. In truth, the Playstation 3 is a great system and one that has a lot of potential that will hopefully be reached over the course of the next year. Until the games really start rolling out, I'll be using mine mainly for Playstation 2 games and the occasional Blu Ray movie. I do have the import of Hot Shots Golf 5 coming next week so that will give me something to do.