Is PS3 worth the price?

[amitabhishek]

Well there were rumors about an imminent price cut and I was waiting to jump on PS3 wagon. However recent media reports such as this (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology/2009/07/08/sony-ceo-rules-out-ps3-price-cut-115875-21504191/) was kind of discouraging. Here it retails at approx. Rs. 25000 ($510). I am still willing to give it a shot provided the titles are worth it (and yes, there is a Bluray). At the same time I don't want to justify myself buying expensive but mediocre titles just because I bought an expensive console. Any ideas? Is it worth? How is the overall value?

[MikeTheC]

I don't know if any premium-priced piece of electronics who' sole purpose is entertainment can ever be said to be "worth it". I'm not really one to judge here, I suppose, because I'm not a gamer. I suppose it really depends on how much you think it's worth. How much value do you place on entertainment and how much use do you expect to get out of it? And do you, for instance, find value and/or utility in having Bluray capability?

[ninjapirate89]

I think it's worth buying now I just don't have the cash. When God of War 3 releases then it will be a must have!

[amitabhishek]

I don't know if any premium-priced piece of electronics who' sole purpose is entertainment can ever be said to be "worth it". I'm not really one to judge here, I suppose, because I'm not a gamer. I suppose it really depends on how much you think it's worth. How much value do you place on entertainment and how much use do you expect to get out of it? And do you, for instance, find value and/or utility in having Bluray capability?

Thanks! Your reply had that aura to it ;).

I am an amateur AV guy and don't mind splurging at times on multi-channel receivers, speakers, amplifiers etc. I understand that PS3 is more than a console - it can stream media, play bluray movies, wireless, browser - people say its a complete media center. So from that perspective also (as well as gaming) shall I go for it? Or shall I stick with my old PS2 and my old DVD player (w/o HDMI, no image upscaling etc.). I think buying a standalone Bluray player is more expensive!

[dmn_clown]

Thanks! Your reply had that aura to it ;).

I am an amateur AV guy and don't mind splurging at times on multi-channel receivers, speakers, amplifiers etc. I understand that PS3 is more than a console - it can stream media, play bluray movies, wireless, browser - people say its a complete media center. So from that perspective also (as well as gaming) shall I go for it? Or shall I stick with my old PS2 and my old DVD player (w/o HDMI, no image upscaling etc.). I think buying a standalone Bluray player is more expensive!

Also remember that if you do not have an HD television Blu-Ray is pointless.

[Gizenshya]

^^^ what he said!

and the PS3 would be worthless as well!

[mamamia88]

well i have one and all i use it for is playing motorstorm pacific rift so i would say no

[aeiah]

whats the price like compared to the xbox 360 where you are? its always worth considering, but it depends how important the blueray thing is to you. unless you've got a rather large tv you may not notice all that much difference between an hdmi upscaled dvd and a bluray disk. i wouldnt say the price is worth it for me, but then i have a 32" HDTV, not one the size of a door.

[element_G]

A friend has a PS3 because his 360 went back to microshaft for the 2nd RROD, here was his summary:
PROS: wifi built-in, blu-ray, better all-in-one media box

CONS: hardly any exclusive games he was intereseted in ( he had Little Big Planet, MGS4, and motorstorm) only other exclusives I kinda want a PS3 for are god of war 3, killzone 2, resistance 2 and infamous. Everything else is multiplatform

the difference between 360 and ps3 is not price ( a wifi adapter will run you ~70$) it is the games. 360 has more DLC (see fallout 3 and GTA4) gears of war, mass effect, halo, fable, LEFT 4 DEAD (for a semi-complete list see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_exclusives)

Obvously I own a 360, but I think you will be happy with either one since a lot of the games these days are for both systems. To be honest I don't use the media features of the 360 at all because I have my pc connected to my tv, it is strictly a gaming device that plays the occasional dvd. I'm sure the ps3 would be the same thing in my house except it has blu-ray. however blu-ray players are coming down in price these days.

[pwnst*r]

i use it mostly for Blu-Ray and a media center (using tversity on my desktop) and to play games mostly that are not multiplayer as the 360 is a better platform for multi and of course the pc a better platform than the 360 for multi :)

my .02

[binbash]

Yes it worths but not the games :) They are expensive in my opinion.

[Ra-Hoor-Khuit]

I like the hackability of my PS3. I've already swapped out the hard drive (instructions are in the manual (thanks Sony!!)) and I'm in process of installing Ubuntu on it so I can "dual boot". Not sure where I'll go from there but I'm thinking of using it as a little media server since my needs are simple in that arena.

And Blu-ray IS downright spiffy!

It all depends on what you want to do...

[MikeTheC]

I don't know what Sony Computer Entertainment's situation is now vis a vis the PS3, but I know that early on they were sold at such a loss that for Sony to break even, each customer had to buy something in the vicinity of 30-odd games for their system.

By way of comparison, the Wii was profitable *prior* to customers buying *any* games for it.

For me, the only high-def displays I own are the ones on my computers (20" on my desktop, 13" on my MBP). However, as much as Bluray is better than DVD, the fact of the matter is I'm not willing to spend that kind of money even on a drive, particularly when I don't own any Bluray movies, and frankly feel very unmotivated to bother.

The "big" TV in my house is a 1994-vintage 27" RCA ProScan which *maybe* I touch once or twice in the course of a year, and then that's to play a DVD if I have a friend over.

The fact of the matter is this stuff just isn't of any interest to me, and I also refuse to support Sony in light of their past business practices. I also don't support their vision or direction, so I don't envision myself as being a supporter of theirs in the future, either.

[khelben1979]

No.

[gn2]

It depends on what the price is locally and what you intend to use it for.
In the UK a PS3 can be bought for £249 which is just 100 more than an Acer Revo computer which makes an ideal little media streamer / second computer.
When you consider the additional gaming and optical drive functionality of the PS3, it starts to look like a bargain.
If you don't need the games or the optical drive, get an Acer Revo.

[starcannon]

I think my PS3 was worth the price because I wanted a console, I wanted a Blu-Ray player, I wanted a little 'webTV'(remember those), and I wanted a toy to experiment with.

At the time I bought my PS3 it was only $100 more than the asking price of the cheapest Blu-Ray player, it just made sense to splurge a bit more, and get a lot more functionality.

I would like it very much if they would come to an agreement with NetFlix; I can't imagine anyone pays the bloated and wishful prices for movie rentals in the Sony Store; and, since I already have a NetFlix account, and would really like to use the 'Watch It Now' feature, which was originally being pushed by both Sony and NetFlix and like other vaporwares it has never seemed to make it to the PS3.

Anyway, I like mine, and don't regret my purchase.

[Swagman]

The Ps3 is awesome.

People are talking about BluRay and they are right... To a degree. Whats even more better though is the ease of use.

For example... Just plug your USB mem stick into your Ps3 and bobs your mothers brother... playing movies from your thumbdrive.. no burning of discs necessary. (or music)

Obviously the games are bloody good too and if you like pain... You can even install PPC ubuntu and surf the web etc.

Remember though that Ps4 is rumoured to be released this Chrimbo.

[Rainstride]

Well there were rumors about an imminent price cut and I was waiting to jump on PS3 wagon. However recent media reports such as this (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology/2009/07/08/sony-ceo-rules-out-ps3-price-cut-115875-21504191/) was kind of discouraging. Here it retails at approx. Rs. 25000 ($510). I am still willing to give it a shot provided the titles are worth it (and yes, there is a Bluray). At the same time I don't want to justify myself buying expensive but mediocre titles just because I bought an expensive console. Any ideas? Is it worth? How is the overall value?

well, it doubles as a blue-ray dvd player and a high end computer, so if you need a new computer and want a blue-ray player/drive/ game system you would probably save money in the long run compared to buying separate.

also, it has resident evil 5;).....

[Tipped OuT]

No.

Well that was very informative, thanks for the helpful info. :rolleyes:

[gn2]

Remember though that Ps4 is rumoured to be released this Chrimbo.

Excellent news, it means PS3 prices will tumble.
I might get one if it drops enough.

[starcannon]

well, it doubles as a blue-ray dvd player and a high end computer, so if you need a new computer and want a blue-ray player/drive/ game system you would probably save money in the long run compared to buying separate.

also, it has resident evil 5;).....

It does not double as a high end computer. Indeed using it as a computer is an experience in headbashing.

Still, its an excellent gaming console/bluray/dvd upscale/web device/youtube watcher/geek toy, but its definitely NOT a high end PC replacement.

[HappinessNow]

Well there were rumors about an imminent price cut and I was waiting to jump on PS3 wagon. However recent media reports such as this (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology/2009/07/08/sony-ceo-rules-out-ps3-price-cut-115875-21504191/) was kind of discouraging. Here it retails at approx. Rs. 25000 ($510). I am still willing to give it a shot provided the titles are worth it (and yes, there is a Bluray). At the same time I don't want to justify myself buying expensive but mediocre titles just because I bought an expensive console. Any ideas? Is it worth? How is the overall value?
You might find this entertaining:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CTy7Nx0oPI

also

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Hh3tBdHwM

[jonian_g]

It does not double as a high end computer. Indeed using it as a computer is an experience in headbashing.

Still, its an excellent gaming console/bluray/dvd upscale/web device/youtube watcher/geek toy, but its definitely NOT a high end PC replacement.

The only thing that stops it from being one is the amount of RAM.

[blueshiftoverwatch]

I am still willing to give it a shot provided the titles are worth it (and yes, there is a Bluray). At the same time I don't want to justify myself buying expensive but mediocre titles just because I bought an expensive console. Any ideas? Is it worth? How is the overall value?
It's probably not worth it for most people. Not only is there a lack of exclusive titles for the system but it seems like the PS3 kind of defeats the purpose of having a gaming console in the first place. The idea of a gaming console is that you turn it on, put in a game, and start playing immediately. But with the PS3 the games require that when you put in a game for the first time it spend a half hour or so copying game data to the system's hard drive to cut back on load times. If your required to install game data onto the hard drive what's the point in playing games on a "console" instead of a PC? If you really wanted you could even setup your TV as a computer display and just buy the PS3 controller to hook up to your PC via the USB recharging port. Also, most models (none of the newer ones) aren't backwards compatible with PS2 games. Although you can still play PS1 games.

so if you need a new computer and want a blue-ray player/drive/ game system you would probably save money in the long run compared to buying separate.
It's true that you can install Linux onto your PS3 and use it as a computer. But in addition to using a processor architecture that almost nobody designs their software to be run on anymore (PowerPC) the system is severely lacking in RAM at only 256mb. Which makes doing many things less efficient. Also, Sony won't let duel-booted OS's use the entirety of PS3's processing power. Probably to prevent people from using Linux as a way to get around game copy protection. But it still seems unfair that just because some people might find a way to use Linux or a specially designed OS to play pirated PS3 games that everyone should have to suffer.

For example... Just plug your USB mem stick into your Ps3...playing movies from your thumbdrive. no burning of discs necessary. (or music)
The only downside is that the PS3 only supports some of the more popular (and proprietary) media formats. Even though it wouldn't have cost them anything to include support for formats like Vorbis and Theora. Although you can always install Linux onto it, get the proper codecs, and play anything you want.

Obviously the games are bloody good too and if you like pain... You can even install PPC ubuntu and surf the web etc.
I tried to get the unofficial PowerPC port of Ubuntu to work on my PS3 but I couldn't get it to run. I eventually just installed Yellow Dog Linux instead, which is designed from the ground up to run on the PowerPC architecture. It installed without any problems. Now I just need to fix the resolution so that everything isn't huge.

[hibliss]

It has nice capabilities to do what it was made for. It is a nice console with some solid extras.

Downloadable content from the Playstation Store is nice.

I use mine as a UPnP media server to stream Movies/Music directly from the computer I am typing this on over my home network.

The gameplay is good, but online play can be annoying because they do not have a central server like MS (it is P2p, the upside it that there is not fee like on XBL).

Altogether, I use it every day, whether I am streaming movies for my son, watching on myself, playing music, or playing games.

The backwards compatibility with PS 1 and 2 allows me to buy very cheap games for my young Son off ebay and at thrift stores. I got Cat In the Hat for $2!

For me, it was worth it, but many people don't use half of the features.