Ben-DutkaThose who have owned every PlayStation since the mid-'90s will probably agree that the PlayStation 3 represents the single biggest generational leap in terms of upgrades and changes. Many just accept them as a matter of course, but let's take a step back and see what the PlayStation console has lost…and what it has found. The question is, can every single one of these be considered "upgrades?"
Lost: Memory Cards, Found: Hard Drive
A fixture of the PS1 and PS2, the PS3 entered a new generation with a hard drive for saving games. Now, most will automatically call this a definite upgrade, and the reasons are obvious: you can fit far more data onto a hard drive (well, usually), and the addition of the hard drive allows the concept of "save points" to take a backseat to the new-age "save anywhere" system. However, I don't recall ever having a problem with any memory cards on the PS1 and PS2, except for one EB-branded card that corrupted 30 hours of Front Mission 3 data. Yeah, I wanted to scream. But in sticking with first-party Sony-branded cards, they always worked. And to be honest, having them didn't pose a problem, and I have one last question: if I get a new PS3 at some point in the future, how do I go about transferring the save data? …I get the feeling it's not quite as easy as just popping in one of those good ol' memory cards.
Lost: Backwards Compatibility, Found: …
Let's face it- nothing can replace the loss of backwards compatibility. It was one of the biggest selling points of the PS2 and early on, it was a huge factor for me concerning the PS3. My PS2 library is actually larger than my PS1 collection, and this is why I love my original 60GB PS3 that's fully b/c. Of course, I knew this PS3 wouldn't last forever and any new system I get in the future won't support PS2 games, so I bought a nice silver Slim PS2. But see, I didn't have to buy a PS1 with the PS2. Not ever. Still, I suppose having a PS2 hooked up next to the PS3 isn't really a huge inconvenience, and the truth of the matter is, the further we get from previous generations, the less we pay them any attention. Well, for most of us (I still love to play the old-school stuff every now and then).
Lost: A crappy Network, Found: The awesome PSN
Yeah, see what I did there? It's to make up for the previous one. I don't think anyone is going to say going online with the PS2 was the same as going online with the Xbox; Live pretty much defined online console multiplayer last generation. And in all honesty, I never really thought the PSN could catch up – and in some ways, even surpass – Live as quickly as it has. The content continues to flow at a steady rate, the redesigned Store is excellent , the PSN-exclusive titles have become some of my favorite games, the online servers are remarkably reliable (yes, even more so than Live's, based on my personal experience), and oh yeah, it's free . Toss in the unbelievable potential of PlayStation Home, and the growth and expansion of the PSN may actually be the most important generational upgrade.
Lost: Third-party exclusives, Found: First-party superiority
While it's certainly true that Sony lost plenty of big exclusive franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Devil May Cry , we've seen the emergence of first-party title superiority. We don't believe anything on the 360 will be able to stand up to MGS4, the Uncharted s, Killzone 2 , Gran Turismo 5 , God of War III , and Heavy Rain , and in looking at the PS2 generation, this was only partly true. The third-party exclusives were arguably as good if not better than the first-party exclusives on that system, and that has changed in this era. At first, everyone whined bitterly that certain names had gone multiplatform, but if we remain up-to-date, we've seen a replacement in the form of first-party achievement. After all, these days, third-party exclusivity is going the way of the dodo, anyway.
Lost: Standard definition maximum, Found: High definition
It's almost too obvious to even mention, but as Blu-Ray is such a huge selling factor for the PS3, and given its potential for game development, it has to be in the "Found" category. Both the PS2 and Xbox were DVD players – and neither was all that great – but this time around, while both are capable of high-definition, only the PS3 has Blu-Ray, which is the only high-definition movie format available. There's a reason you hear rumors of Microsoft considering a Blu-Ray drive for the 360 (even though it won't happen), and as the new format continues to rise, it will continue be a large benefit for the PS3. I was never a graphics whore or resolution hound…but I realize now that's because I was stuck with standard definition. I can't go back to that, and I won't . Well…okay, I will, but only when I go to play the classics, which fit the old format.
I'm sure there are more, so come up with your own if you like. 🙂
I still fear what would happen if my 60gb was to break
I try not to think about such horrible things. Whenever I catch myself thinking about such a terrible thing as my 60gb breaking, I try and think of other things that wouldn't be as terrible… such as losing a limb… =D
Kidding, kidding…
-Arvis
If your 60GB were to break you would send it to Sony and they would send you a refurb that looks like it has never seen human hands in 7 days. You would pay USD$159.99 and you would smile and feel like Sony really gives two sh*ts about you. You would play Killzone 2 after that.
I missed that train and ended up with a 40GB (Now a 500). I am OK playing my games on my PS2, but I would love to see them running through HDMI. Is it really a big visual difference compared to playing them from the PS2 using high end cables??
Last edited by PS3addict on 2/20/2009 1:17:07 PM
i love my b/c 60gb. I overpaid for it, but you can't beat a first release edition.
If my 60gb were to break I'd cry my tear ducts out. It's been the most reliable system I've ever had, and it has everything I could ask for. I've gotten way more than the $600 I payed for it out of it.
Hahaha….so u guys are afraid,well u should be.The YLOD disease is in the air,watch out!
My 60GB already had it,i cracked it open and the dust in it was a whole chunk load than my 360.The ps3 is indeed a dust collector.
Parts of the motherboard was brownish,i used alcohol to clean it up,opened the blu-ray drive got my cod4 out,smacked the sh** outta the power supply,removed the fan and cleaned all the dust round it,formatted the HDD on a laptop, and still the bi**h won't turn on.Am yet to apply thermal paste or glue to the chips n heat sinks,then maybe heat gunning.
More reason why i hate the ps3 lately,cause u should see how i bragged to my peeps that,it was a beast and could NEVER EVER die.They were all around that day when i got YLOD and my face turned to shame.
My dear old 60GB let me down,i was embarrassed,humiliated.
Last edited by www on 2/20/2009 4:15:47 PM
Me to if mines break im going to send it to sony and pay that $150 to fix it.
Hey Warrior:
I have a 20 gigs that broke in the first week of January. It was out of warranty so I called SONY to see what they can do. They told me that they would fix it or exchange it for another PS3. I paid $149.00, I believe its not that expensive considering I live in Puerto Rico and the Shiping of a box to put the console in and send them to SONY was worth I paid.
Anyway, I feared that I needed to bougth a PS2 to play my collection of more than 100 PS2 games. That because they told me they would replace my console if they cant fix it. To my surprice my PS3 arrived in 2 weeks and when I opened the box it was a COMPLETELY NEW 20 GIGS console. I was amazed the they still had the model and Im very happy with their customer service…damn they even have the service in spanish. After all my headaches with the 360 and the RROD I feared the worst for the PS3. Fortunately the service was amazing!!
If my original 20gb goes out….
man… you totally jinx'd me. I read this article at work today and thought "Man, I don't know what I'd do if my good ol 60Gb died on me" I get home today and go to see whats new on PSN and BLAM! Yellow Line Of Death… My baby is a paperweight now, waiting to hear back from Sony.
sigh…
So sorry to hear than Gumbi… if my 60GB breaks, I too will be devastated!
Q!
"i aM hOMe"
I have an 80gb PS3, and while it's not full b/c, it does the job nicely.
well be careful. if it happens, u get an 80gb in return for a fialed 60gb.
my 40gb packed up. i have to use my warranty.
on another note, nice work, hmm, what else was lost…
exit DVD
enter Bluray
Last edited by Zorigo on 2/21/2009 8:21:00 AM
The best part about Sony is… You get the same system back. You don't get a different model, or a tweaked model. You get the model you payed for. So no worries here.
Ben,
I can not agree with you more on all points, Especially the HD one. I was stuck with a 12 year old 32" tube tv that did the trick for My PS2.
Lucky for me, my 6 year old son discovered that magnets make "Pretty Rainbows" on the TV screen. Needless to say, they did not go away, and it was enough to get the wife to finally agree to a new TV.
In comes the 50" 1080P beast. My god! I can not explain what happened to me when I plugged in the HDMI cable and started up Uncharted on the jet ski river level!! Wow, wow and wow!!
I have now started the slow migration of movies to Bluray. Yeah the upscale DVD looks good, but nothing compares to Blu ray.
Funny thing is that the movie that made up my mind to do it was Wall-E. That film sure looks great on Bluray.
My kid loves it and now understands that magnets and TV's don't mix.
Have a great weekend!
Last edited by PS3addict on 2/20/2009 1:13:03 PM
I have heard that Wall-E was extraordinarily better on blu ray than some blu ray movies so i thought about getting it myself lol
Any Blu-Ray CG Animation movie looks AMAZING in Blu-Ray. Wall-E, Magdagascar, hell, my Simpson's Movie made 2 friends of mine go get HD TVs.
high def is good. but what is awesome is 1920p. rare, but in development.
Lost: Controllers locked to the console with cords
Found: Wireless, rechargable tilt-sensing controllers.
And ben, backing up your saved data is as easy as plugging in a flash drive, going to the save data, hitting triangle, and then selecting copy.
Surprised no one has commented on this yet. That's a very good example of a lost and found.
Or do what I did, and use an external hard drive.
Last edited by King James on 2/20/2009 9:01:56 PM
Hey Ben, transferring saved data is (relatively) easy – all you need is a USB key (or a memory card/reader if you have one of the earlier models) – I've got two PS3s, one in the lounge and one in the study (means my other half and I can always game whenever we want to 🙂 ), and use a 2GB CF card to transfer data around. While there are a small number of games that don't allow save file transfers (primarily from Ubisoft – Endwar and R6V 1 and 2 both suffered here), the vast majority two and it's a snap. This is also good for visiting mates' places (although use USB here unless you know they have a card reader).
Also, if you're worried about your hard drive tanking (and like cars, all hard drives break sooner or later), pick up a USB hard drive (or, if your filthy rich, a ridiculously large capacity USB key) and do a backup (from the system menu – I think it's towards the bottom of system settings).
The only downside is….
… you have to transfer them all one at a time. I hope this is fixed in future firmware updates as if you play a lot of games, this can be a bit tedious to copy them all across individually – although this is no better than the old memory cards.
Another suggestion is instead of buying a USB drive, get a $12 Sata 2.5" enclosure, and upgrade your 60GB. Now you get more room on your PS3, and a 60GB portable drive. Worked great with my 40.
Last edited by PS3addict on 2/20/2009 1:34:31 PM
Lost: A wide range of platformers. Found: Littlebigplanet
Count it!
ur forgetting mirror's edge
Ben indeed u're a great writer,i know it's ya job but don't you get tired,heck what did u do in psychology class?
-Anyway ps3 has the biggest leap,yes.
-I believe saved games can be transferred using usb storage devices or am i wrong?
-Blu-ray is good but what's the point when most of these devs aren't making use of it to the fullest!I read sfiv also has mandatory install.
One BIG PLUS about blu-ray is it doesn't scratch easily,don't know if u guys noticed,my 360 dvd's scratch quicker.
-Graphics & performance wise it seems multi-plat games are still doin' better on 360,that ps3 ram problem is a minus.Even with sfiv.
Eurogamer have once again done the comparison and ever since my OWN Fifa 09 comparison,indeed i believe Eurogamer now.
The days of porting may be over but ps3 isn't still showing good results,am disappointed honestly.
This year,i think am gettin' all multi-plats on 360 and exclusives on ps3 period.
Last edited by www on 2/20/2009 1:35:13 PM
you're getting SF4 for the 360? I dearly hope you have an arcade stick for that as fighting games(esp SF4 and the coming soon Tekken6)suffer really badly on 360 with the worst D-pad known to man(TM)!
Ebviously, an arcade stick is always the way to with SF but short of that the sixaxis is the best "normal" controller you can use.
My 60gig(touch wood, plastic, anything close by) is still going ok but as the warranty is out I've decided to sign up to Continuous play-the Sony console insurance. That way you get a console to play within 48 hours while they sort your's out/offer you a refurb of the same model.£4.99 for some piece of mind as it covers me even if the little lad is sick on it(happened to a 360 I once owned!)!
This gen I'd say while we've lost PS dominance in numbers and overall we've gained in general quality of games due to the competition between the consoles esp with exclusives. Would GG have pushed KZ2 so far without Gears to try and trump etc, etc.
as for making use of bluray, it takes time to get to grips with new tech, so thaty will start to bloom now. 720p at the moment. give it a year and a lot of titles will have full 1080p. and aswell as tyhat, almost all triple a titles and exlusives (same thing kinda) will be 1080p full bluray, so wait.
multis on 360, ur choice but not many agree.
Last edited by Zorigo on 2/22/2009 8:20:59 AM
Ben I thought you got that ps2 for christmas?
Lost: getting up off my lazy butt to turn the system on or off.
Found: powering up or down with a remote.
🙂
yes! Isnt it Great?
haha makes me wonder what our world is coming to, but can't complain
haha yea it does…
if only i could say the same. My PS3 takes about seven tries to turn it on because in the start loading screen it freezes and turns off
thats…. weird.
Lost: $299 starting price for consoles, $49 games and $29 controllers
Found: $599 starting price for console, $59 games and $55 controllers
In Canada it started at $759 (or something really close)… LOL
LOL!
Lost:wired
Found:wireless
Lost:disc tray cumin' out like a d**k
Found:Blu-ray drive gets d**ks/discs inserted like a pu**y!
lmao!
Lost: Dualshock 2
Found: Dualshock 3
RUMBLE ON LBP & Warhawk awesome
My PS3 has backwards compatibility 😀
As for the Loss on 3rd party companies, i dont think thats wounds been recovered…. Tekken is not a 360 game…. it just isnt end of!
Yeah Tekken just wouldn't feel right on the X360's gamepad
Mine too ultima 🙂 its good to know I can put in a PS2 game and it will play.
Safe to say that we have found more than we have lost? I think so. I love my Metal Gears and God of Wars in standard definition but I long for them to be remade into high definition now. Brother can wish, can't he?
God of war 2 is in High Definition… Well sorta with a code.
We do have 1st party superiority but I still want those guys back oh well. But luckily for us sony doesn't waste money on dlc and demo delays, instead they use money to buy developers, and one of those developers that is on there list is SE. I am sure RS will make it in after SE is bought.
I can't se that at the moment, though it would be great to see ir mate. The size of the cheques they get now from MS would put SE wellm out of Sony's reach I fear. I mean if they can afford to ignore the PS3 completely right now(even in their own country where 360s are as rare as, well, a good modern Rare game)to release UE jrpgs exclusively for the market on 360 where less of their fans are they must be getting a LOT of money from somehwere mustn't they?
R&D isn't cheap but they manage to put games on every console except Sony's flagship(no matter how upset they make Sony lover Nomura in the process-what will he do wheh they want to make KH and versus multi plats, eh?)even when less than 12 months back they promised us the earth.
As I say, I dunno where you got that from but I hope you're right even if I can't see how it would happen.
I've noticed many are commenting on how grateful they are to still own their original 60gig PS3s. Recently I've noticed someone selling an original 60gigPS3 updated to 320 gigs for the selling price of $460.00 it is a refurbished model. Is this a good deal? My ps2 crapped out on me after 8 long years of service and I'm wanting a ps3 that can play my huge collection of ps2 games.
Oh and on topic:
Lost: Completed games
Found: DLC that gives developers an excuse to rush products and make extra cash on later downloads.
Check on ebay, I purchased mine there and I paid 400.00 with two games!