Game time.

[Digital Upstart]

You know what it's like. You spend most of the evening attempting to make a shot look sharper, more green, followed by less green, then an hour removing the sky behind a building so you can add the animated storm clouds you made earlier. Then slowing it down because it's too quick. Then slowing a push-in down by 11% to see if it looks smoother, more epic. Then you mask a small part of someones forehead off and attempt to re-light it, first with lights, then with subtle colour changes. An hour later you have somehow applied three different layers with odd opacities in some kind of attempt to create a pastel skintone you saw in a commercial sometime. You save this multi-layer stupidy as "face_forehead_experiment_3(CU1)" with the intention of continuing another time...the other time being an extensive clean up of useless project files six months later because it's all running so slowly.

You then try to emulate Ben Burtt by combining the audio qualities of a 9-iron striking a ball at a driving range with the noise of a dodgy fanbelt played backwards. You put it back through your guitar delay pedal for good measure, thinking to yourself "yeah..that's what the end of the universe would sound like".

You open a beer and then it hits you, like it hits every guy in their late 20's: I need a new games console.

My extra small PS2 served me well, but it is time to go next gen and HD. Currently in the UK the Xbox 360 is £129, and the PS3 is £299. Traditionally I have prefered Playstation games: I like the controls, the edgy real-worldlyness of some of the titles (admit it, pimping around San Andreas was fun), the soccer games and Tiger Woods. The PS3 also has a Blu-Ray player, although I am uncertain of its quality when put next to a purpose built player.

What shall I do? The Xbox is currently such terrific value for money (and would leave me more solvent for some Scarlet sexiness towards the end of the year), and the PS3 so expensive in comparison. But I know Playstation, and I've played my favourite games on both consoles and the Playstation just felt smoother. I could definately learn to love the Xbox, but maybe live to rue its lack of Blu-Ray player (even if it is a format I remain unconvinced about).

Help me Off Topic forum, you're my only hope.

 

[kidrobot]

Playstation 3 of course. Gran Turismo Prologue, a Logitech wheel with pedals and that's it.

 

[Paul Leeming]

From what I understand the PS3 is actually a great Blu-Ray player AND it is one of the only ones getting regular updates to its firmware to enable Blu-Ray Profile 2.0 etc.

Been thinking about getting one as a test mule for any Blu-Ray Discs we create as it's likely to be the player of choice for many households.

HTH

Paul

 

[Wil Klassen]

If your even considering getting a blu-ray player now or in the future, go PS3. Paul's right in that its updateable, which few players are now (although now its more of a commonplace). Games are the same on both sides, each has its cornerstone (X360 - Halo 3, PS3 - Metal Gear Solid), but besides those most games are availible for both platforms.

Xbox 360 = inexpensive, great media streaming, great interface, netflix streaming (amazing in it of itself but extra $8/month as well, unless you already have netflix), amazing online gaming (although thats extra to pay to maintain servers, etc), and "online" movie rentals through xbox interface, HD streaming as well, $4 a movie and you get it for 24 hours, but the quality is there.

PS3 = expensive, okay media streaming, built in 802.11, Blu-ray, sometimes shoddy online gaming but FREE, (i think) movie "renting" as well, future ability to have games that will be 3 times (or more) the capacity of XBOX games, and depending on which PS3 you go with it should be backwards compatible for those "throw back" days when you want to rock a PS2 game.

 

[Anthony Gratl]

uh huh.....

uh huh.....

Been thinking about getting one as a test mule for any Blu-Ray Discs we create as it's likely to be the player of choice for many households.

is that REALLY why you want the ps3 paul? cause it's a mule?

 

[Digital Upstart]

Thank you.

I think I'll be going for a PS3, and then eventually a 32" or 37" 1080P 100hz HDTV once they exist. Question is...80gb or 160gb version? Will I actually download anything?

I think what has swung me is the idea that bigger and better games will eventually become available for it.

...and when the Wii is like £75 then I'll get one just for fun.