# PS3 and variants



## mattie (Dec 27, 2008)

The missus has agreed to go halves on a PS3 if we can get it for £250, which may be in the reasonably near future.  She may be under the misapprehension that she can play wii fit on it, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

A few questions, all help appreciated:

Is it worth twice an XBox360 Arcade?  A subjective judgement I know, however are the combined graphics, blu-ray etc a significant benefit?  Also, is the 360 likely to be phased out in the near future (it seems like it's been around for ages)?

Are the PS3s with lower sized hard drives older, or are they reduced or restricted in some way?  Are any fancy leads needed for the blu-ray player?

Not deadset on a PS3, especially as they seem to have stuck at 300 notes, all advice gratefully received.  Just not a wii.  I was close to buying an XBox360 Arcade (Zavvi were seeling them off for under a ton), but by the time I'd added a memory stick and a remote etc it was not far off the higher spec models and the problem became recursive.


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## ChrisFilter (Dec 27, 2008)

Personally, I don't think it's worth the extra unless you're bang into the idea of blu-ray. 360 has more, and better, games. for me, as a wkndows user, it has better media centre functionality n' all.

Really though, both are great and you'll bedead chuffed with either.


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 27, 2008)

Zavvi are selling them in Ox Street in London for 260 or something the like, there's a price cut coming next year too...


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## kained&able (Dec 27, 2008)

unless you have an ultra bling tv i reckon the xbox is the better option.

dave


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## ChrisFilter (Dec 27, 2008)

kained&able said:


> unless you have an ultra bling tv i reckon the xbox is the better option.
> 
> dave



Don't forget that most cross-platform games look better on the 360.... for now.


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## mattie (Dec 27, 2008)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Zavvi are selling them in Ox Street in London for 260 or something the like, there's a price cut coming next year too...



That sounds worth a look, may try to get over to brizzle tomorrow.

Any ideas what the price cut may be?  Would be gutted if it halved just after I bought it.


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## mattie (Dec 27, 2008)

kained&able said:


> unless you have an ultra bling tv i reckon the xbox is the better option.
> 
> dave



Not yet, but part of the choice will be future proofing - all my consoles were bought quite near the end of their lifecycle, it's a bitch when they stop making games or generally supporting them.


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## ChrisFilter (Dec 27, 2008)

360 will be around for a good few years yet. big imstall base means games will ne made for ages to come, like the ps2. by the time it'xs phased out you'll wanna upgrade anyway. always good to have a console part way through a ling lifecycle.


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## ChrisFilter (Dec 27, 2008)

Honestly, seems your heart lieswith the ps3. go for it, great console.


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## ChrisFilter (Dec 27, 2008)

Oh, and if you get an Arcade for £100, go to www.xboxstorageupgrade.com amd get a 20gb hdd amd 3 months live membership for £20.


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 27, 2008)

mattie said:


> That sounds worth a look, may try to get over to brizzle tomorrow.
> 
> Any ideas what the price cut may be?  Would be gutted if it halved just after I bought it.



Its all rumours right now but I seriously doubt we'll see anything bigger than 50 quid of its current price...


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## mattie (Dec 27, 2008)

ChrisFilter said:


> Oh, and if you get an Arcade for £100, go to www.xboxstorageupgrade.com amd get a 20gb hdd amd 3 months live membership for £20.



Nice one, cheers - will weigh up the options for PS3 or 360 in the shops tomorrow.  

Main reservation with 360 was the pretty slim arcade package and worries over its longevity.


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## tommers (Dec 28, 2008)

mattie said:


> She may be under the misapprehension that she can play wii fit on it, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.


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## mattie (Dec 28, 2008)

No sod had the 360 arcade in stock (well, no-one prepared to sell it for under a ton anyway).  Would have bought it there and then if I could have found one, zavvi have totally sold out in both central Brizzle stores and in Cribb's Causeway.  Yep, I went all over looking.

Awaiting delivery of a PS3 to John Lewis which I've reserved (Chrimbo vouchers to use), £264 for the 80gb version for console only.  Looked very nice indeed, and can play DVDs without an additional remote which is a bonus over the 360.  

The bloke in JL (they do employ good staff, bless 'em) pointed out that older versions could be had for a bit less, argos do a 40gb version for £250.  He reckoned the original 60gb version was the best, 4 USB sockets and support for PS2 games, which has been dropped from all other models, but these are pretty rare and still quite pricey.  Not that fussed really, but surprised they took out support for PS2.  Not that I've got any, but seems an odd thing to do.

Final questions, at least until next time - is it possible to use the PS3 in a similar way to squeezebox, seeing as it has a rudimentary web browser and built-in wifi?  Also, the JL bloke demonstrated that the PS3 can record TV, is this just for freeview and is it out-of-the-box or does it need some other fancy gizmo?


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## Lazy Llama (Dec 28, 2008)

mattie said:


> Final questions, at least until next time - is it possible to use the PS3 in a similar way to squeezebox, seeing as it has a rudimentary web browser and built-in wifi?  Also, the JL bloke demonstrated that the PS3 can record TV, is this just for freeview and is it out-of-the-box or does it need some other fancy gizmo?



If you install TVersity on your PC, you can stream music and video to the PS3 over Wifi. YOu can also play quite a lot of media types directly off a USB drive. The PS3 has a fairly awkward-to-use browser built in, but it really is a pain using a console controller to surf the net.

To record Freeview you need the PlayTV add-on which is about £50 quid, and yes, it only does Freeview.


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## mattie (Dec 28, 2008)

Lazy Llama said:


> If you install TVersity on your PC, you can stream music and video to the PS3 over Wifi. YOu can also play quite a lot of media types directly off a USB drive. The PS3 has a fairly awkward-to-use browser built in, but it really is a pain using a console controller to surf the net.
> 
> To record Freeview you need the PlayTV add-on which is about £50 quid, and yes, it only does Freeview.




Top banana, cheers, exactly what I was looking for - this is coming together nicely!


eta: apols, another question - I assume I can control TVersity from the PS3, rather than just play tracks I kickstart from my PC?


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## JohnnyOrange (Dec 28, 2008)

I bought a 60 gig PS3 after loving the PS2 for years.  Haven't been overly impressed by most of the PS3 games but if you're thinking about games I'd recommend keeping an eye on play.com (and there are probably others) for cut price games.


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## mattie (Dec 31, 2008)

Found a 40Gb for £240, any differences between this and 80Gb (or 160Gb) besides hard drive size?  If not, will probably buy this afternoon - all very exciting!

I'll n doubt be back on here asking which games are worth getting, I'll save that for a new thread.


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## Lazy Llama (Dec 31, 2008)

Same machine, different drive size.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3#Retail_configurations for a list of all the variants and what is missing from the different ones.
All the UK ones are PAL.


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## mattie (Dec 31, 2008)

Cheers LL - 60 quid extra for a larger hard drive seems a bit steep, I assume Sony and the retailers just want to clear the decks.  Can always add a larger drive if needed.


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 31, 2008)

Where did you find it for 240?


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## ChrisFilter (Dec 31, 2008)

I'd recommend Fable 2, Gears of War 1/2, Halo 3 and Left4Dead.

Oh.... er... oops.


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 31, 2008)

Haha great advert for the Xbox: four exclusives!


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## ChrisFilter (Dec 31, 2008)

Eh? I wasn't about to sit and list games I haven't played. there are loads more exclusives.

anyway, it was a sarcastic tease ffs


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## Daniel (Dec 31, 2008)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Haha great advert for the Xbox: four exclusives!



You say that as if the ps3 is a sea full of amazing exclusives


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## Kid_Eternity (Dec 31, 2008)

Daniel.x3h said:


> You say that as if the ps3 is a sea full of amazing exclusives



Nah I'm saying they don't matter as much as you bill gates luvvies think!


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## Daniel (Dec 31, 2008)

Lol I'm not a bill gates luvvie I gots a PS3


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## mattie (Jan 1, 2009)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Where did you find it for 240?



Marks and Sparks.  My disappointment at missing out on the M&S lamb shank gastropub meal was short-lived.


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## mattie (Jan 1, 2009)

Bought it, I'm now bodging my way through Drake's something or other - no euphemism intended.  All very good so far.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 1, 2009)

mattie said:


> Marks and Sparks.  My disappointment at missing out on the M&S lamb shank gastropub meal was short-lived.



M&S?! I didn't even know they bloody sold consoles!


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## Jambooboo (Jan 1, 2009)

I wouldn't mind getting a PS3 sometime soon, mainly for Blu-Ray though I'd probably get _Play TV_ n'all and use it as a PVR. But all the decent deals are bundles; seen some good ones, £290 with _Little Big Planet_, _Motorstorm Pacific Rift_ and _Resistance 2_ - ie not games I've got already for the 360 - but I'd much rather get just the console for about £200.

Not bothered about drive size as I'd whack a 320gb in it.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 1, 2009)

I read somewhere the ps3 is no costing 35% less to make. If true and passed onto the consumer Sony could do a £100 price drop! And break the all important £200 price point...


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## Jambooboo (Jan 1, 2009)

It desperately needs to drop in price if it has _any_ hope in beating the 360 to become this generation's winner. I obviously don't include the Wii in that, as I see it as nothing more than a Gamecube 1.5 with good PR.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 1, 2009)

Jambooboo said:


> It desperately needs to drop in price if it has _any_ hope in beating the 360 to become this generation's winner. I obviously don't include the Wii in that, as I see it as nothing more than a Gamecube 1.5 with good PR.



Heh it's got no chance of winning this generations console war, the Wii has won that hands down and it's not likely to change...but a price change to the phycologically important £199 price point would definitly boost sales. 

There's a rumoured drop coming in March and with the news of the PS3 being cheaper to make perhaps Sony might do the dramatic to take a real shot at a second place this generation?


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## mattie (Jan 5, 2009)

This could perhaps have been a new thread, but seeing as it's related to my PS3 I'll put it here.

I've replaced my whole stereo system (CD, tape deck, tuner and DVD) with the PS3 as it can run music files on my PC and internet radio through the media server (Cheers, Lazy Llama, TVersity worked straight out of the box!), and of course plays CDs.  This runs through my old amp (an a/v job, donated after my Marantz died) and a single pair of speakers.

I have a problem with the connections, however.  The only outputs the PS3 has are HDMI, optical and Sony-proprietary, which has composite leads which can be plugged into a SCART converter (aside from 2 USB sockets, which I assume can be adapted for various uses).  

As I don't have a HDMI TV I use the Sony connection.  I've run the two audio leads into my A/V amp, and left the video composite in the SCART block in the back of the TV.  Hence, there's no sound through the TV from the PS3.  Although not ideal, this isn't too much of a problem.  

I am slightly concerned by audio quality, however, especially in terms of taking advantage of the capabilities of the amp when watching DVDs.  My amp has no optical input, which would be the only other alternative.  Is it worth getting a new amp with such an optical input?  Would I see any difference, perhaps related to the surround sound capabilities of the amp (it's a pretty dated Denon AVC 1530 with Prologic, whatever that is)?


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## kyser_soze (Jan 5, 2009)

> but it really is a pain using a console controller to surf the net.



I've got a USB keyboard/mouse combo hooked up to my PS3 for when I'm surfing which works perfectly.


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## ChrisFilter (Jan 5, 2009)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Heh it's got no chance of winning this generations console war, the Wii has won that hands down and it's not likely to change...



I don't really count the Wii in the console wars. It's more of a 'virtual boardgame' than a console to my mind. I appreciate this isn't actually the case, but I still think of the console war as the Xbox vs the PS3.

As an aside, Mattie, you don't need a seperate remote to watch DVDs on the Xbox 360  You're thinking of the Xbox 1.


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## mattie (Jan 5, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> I don't really count the Wii in the console wars. It's more of a 'virtual boardgame' than a console to my mind. I appreciate this isn't actually the case, but I still think of the console war as the Xbox vs the PS3.
> 
> As an aside, Mattie, you don't need a seperate remote to watch DVDs on the Xbox 360  You're thinking of the Xbox 1.



Glad MS came to their senses, that really did seem snidey when I bought my old XBox.


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## ChrisFilter (Jan 5, 2009)

Yeah, the cynical fuckers.

Probably a stupid question, but can you buy games online with the PS3? I.E. is there an equivalent to Xbox Live Arcade?


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 5, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> I don't really count the Wii in the console wars. It's more of a 'virtual boardgame' than a console to my mind. I appreciate this isn't actually the case, but I still think of the console war as the Xbox vs the PS3.



Indeed, the Wii has tapped new markets for the casual gamer. I don't think its that uncommon to own a Wii and PS3/Xbox.


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## mattie (Jan 5, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> Yeah, the cynical fuckers.
> 
> Probably a stupid question, but can you buy games online with the PS3? I.E. is there an equivalent to Xbox Live Arcade?



Yep, but I haven't set it up.  For some reason I prefer physical discs.

I think the PS3 variant of Live is pretty rudimentary at present, they've spent more time discussing what it'll do than actually making it do anything, but it will be free (the on-line gaming/media part, not the shop!)


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## internetstalker (Jan 5, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> I'd recommend Fable 2, Gears of War 1/2, Halo 3 and Left4Dead.
> 
> Oh.... er... oops.


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## ChrisFilter (Jan 5, 2009)

mattie said:


> Yep, but I haven't set it up.  For some reason I prefer physical discs.
> 
> I think the PS3 variant of Live is pretty rudimentary at present, they've spent more time discussing what it'll do than actually making it do anything, but it will be free (the on-line gaming/media part, not the shop!)



The, the Home thing made it into some round-up of the year's biggest flops. Assume you can still access things without the Second Life style interface though.

Anyway, the PS3, a nice bit of kit.


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## kyser_soze (Jan 5, 2009)

They've just relaucned PSHome, and it's OK so far - quite amusing actually, lots of fun moving furniture around, wandering around yakking to completely random types...


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## ChrisFilter (Jan 5, 2009)

Have you talked anyone in to cyber sex yet?


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 5, 2009)

mattie said:


> As I don't have a HDMI TV I use the Sony connection.  I've run the two audio leads into my A/V amp, and left the video composite in the SCART block in the back of the TV.  Hence, there's no sound through the TV from the PS3.  Although not ideal, this isn't too much of a problem.
> 
> I am slightly concerned by audio quality, however, especially in terms of taking advantage of the capabilities of the amp when watching DVDs.  My amp has no optical input, which would be the only other alternative.  Is it worth getting a new amp with such an optical input?  Would I see any difference, perhaps related to the surround sound capabilities of the amp (it's a pretty dated Denon AVC 1530 with Prologic, whatever that is)?


I've been through similar issues, I have an HDMI TV but non-HDMI digital Yamaha amp. I've taken the optical feed from the PS3 through my amp and that works very nicely. It's primarily an improvement for surround sound though, so your single pair of speakers might not show the difference as much.

I don't put any sound out through the TV now. Watching TV through my Topfield box, I have an optical output to the amp too.

Looking at Richer Sounds, quite a lot of the low-end HDMI-enabled amps don't actually handle multi-channel audio through the HDMI connection anyway and given that you don't have an HDMI TV a (second-hand?) digital AV amp would be fine. 

Even if you don't go for a new amp you may like to check out getting a full RGB SCART cable for the video as it's a much better picture than the one you'll get from the composite connection. You can get them with RCA audio output as well.


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## mattie (Jan 5, 2009)

Lazy Llama said:


> I've been through similar issues, I have an HDMI TV but non-HDMI digital Yamaha amp. I've taken the optical feed from the PS3 through my amp and that works very nicely. It's primarily an improvement for surround sound though, so your single pair of speakers might not show the difference as much.
> 
> I don't put any sound out through the TV now. Watching TV through my Topfield box, I have an optical output to the amp too.
> 
> ...



Cheers again, six quid at play.com with free postage!

http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/3321382/Joytech-Fusion-RGB-Scart-Cable/Product.html

Will keep an eye on eBay or similar for a digital amp, but budgets may mean it waits for a few months - I'm expecting our TV to die soon at which point I might go HD, but that won't be cheap!  Seeing as the PS3 connection will be the main input for any music (CD or streamed) I'd like to get something that takes advantage of the optical out, but will still be able to use the new SCART for the video.


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## Structaural (Jan 5, 2009)

Fuck, I was really hoping I could've got a PS3 at Gatwick when flying home from the UK. But all sold out. (They're still 399 euros over here in Holland), might have to buy from Amazon.co.uk to take advantage of the strong Euro...


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 6, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> I don't really count the Wii in the console wars. It's more of a 'virtual boardgame' than a console to my mind. I appreciate this isn't actually the case, but I still think of the console war as the Xbox vs the PS3.
> 
> As an aside, Mattie, you don't need a seperate remote to watch DVDs on the Xbox 360  You're thinking of the Xbox 1.



I count it and I'm sure both Sony and MS would love to agree with you and ignore the massive sales the Wii is managing!


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## Awesome Wells (Jan 6, 2009)

I think i'd happily swap my 360 for a ps3; M$ are just money grubbing cunts who overcharge for everything associated with it.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 6, 2009)

Awesome Wells said:


> I think i'd happily swap my 360 for a ps3; M$ are just money grubbing cunts who overcharge for everything associated with it.



Sony aren't much better. Besides games for the 360 are cheaper as is the console. Money wise it's the better choice.


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 6, 2009)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Sony aren't much better.


They're about £40 a year better


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## Structaural (Jan 6, 2009)

Which one is easier to mod?


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## Awesome Wells (Jan 6, 2009)

Lazy Llama said:


> They're about £40 a year better


exactly


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## internetstalker (Jan 6, 2009)

Lazy Llama said:


> They're about £40 a year better



if your on about xbox live, you can get 13 months sub for £28


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## Awesome Wells (Jan 6, 2009)

That's still £28 more than nothing. 

Not to mention the crap you have to pay for from the marketplace and that downloadable content.

Plus M$ customer service is the worst shit i have ever experienced while holding a telephone to my ear.


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## Awesome Wells (Jan 6, 2009)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Sony aren't much better. Besides games for the 360 are cheaper as is the console. Money wise it's the better choice.



Sony may well not be, but I'm fed up with M$. It can't be any worse.


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## internetstalker (Jan 6, 2009)

Awesome Wells said:


> Sony may well not be, but I'm fed up with M$. It can't be any worse.



I can't speak for the PS3

but the xbox360 is quality all round! value, the lot!
as is xbox live


I do however see what you mean when it comes to this vastly overpriced peripheral


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## ChrisFilter (Jan 6, 2009)

internetstalker said:


> I can't speak for the PS3
> 
> but the xbox360 is quality all round! value, the lot!
> as is xbox live
> ...



Specially as any £20 access point will do the job just fine.


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## internetstalker (Jan 6, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> Specially as any £20 access point will do the job just fine.



exactly

saying that I managed to find one for under £30 on ebay


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## ChrisFilter (Jan 6, 2009)

internetstalker said:


> exactly
> 
> saying that I managed to find one for under £30 on ebay



Speaking of which, I tried to play with you last night...


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## internetstalker (Jan 6, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> Speaking of which, I tried to play with you last night...



that sounds wrong!!

yeah, sorry about that I was in the middle of a manager mode game. by the time i finished and accepted your invite, it said you'd left the game.

I see what you mean about getting worse at it!


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## ChrisFilter (Jan 6, 2009)

internetstalker said:


> that sounds wrong!!
> 
> yeah, sorry about that I was in the middle of a manager mode game. by the time i finished and accepted your invite, it said you'd left the game.
> 
> I see what you mean about getting worse at it!



I've come out the other side. Key thing I had to learn was to use sprint very sparingly. Also, on manager mode, use your whole squad, rotate where possible, make subs in the match. It's a proper, proper sim in that regard.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 6, 2009)

internetstalker said:


> exactly
> 
> saying that I managed to find one for under £30 on ebay



You did? I've not seen them go for less than 40 on there...


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## Scaggs (Jan 7, 2009)

Lazy Llama said:


> If you install TVersity *on your PC, you can stream music and video to the PS3 over Wifi*. YOu can also play quite a lot of media types directly off a USB drive. The PS3 has a fairly awkward-to-use browser built in, but it really is a pain using a console controller to surf the net.
> 
> To record Freeview you need the PlayTV add-on which is about £50 quid, and yes, it only does Freeview.



That's a great utility! Got my PS3 at the weekend and had been having trouble streaming video - easy now. Thanks for the link


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## kyser_soze (Jan 8, 2009)

ChrisFilter said:


> Have you talked anyone in to cyber sex yet?



I have a gf, so don't get up to those kinds of shenanigans...


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## mwgdrwg (Jan 8, 2009)

Xbox live pisses on PS network, so you are getting your money's worth.


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## Kid_Eternity (Jan 8, 2009)

mwgdrwg said:


> Xbox live pisses on PS network, so you are getting your money's worth.



See, that's the thing. I'd prefer a proper paid service which works than a free one that's average tbh...

I knew Sony were onto a fail when they said years ago they wouldn't be doing a Live type thing for the PS2 and would let publishers/developers sort their own online gaming. Complete crap and financially short sighted too (think of the millions in micro payments they've missed out on) move by them.

Sony, should sort a centralised hosted gaming environment like Microsoft (who to their credit understood from very early on that online gaming and community would be key to the consoles performance and gaming generally).


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## ChrisFilter (Jan 8, 2009)

kyser_soze said:


> I have a gf, so don't get up to those kinds of shenanigans...



Riiiight. If that's your response then you will have no problems paying 5000 Sony points to my offshore account. You don't want the virtual photos of your virtual text-based sex with Petey335 showing up on here now, do you?


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## mattie (Jan 20, 2009)

mattie said:


> Cheers again, six quid at play.com with free postage!
> 
> http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/3321382/Joytech-Fusion-RGB-Scart-Cable/Product.html
> 
> Will keep an eye on eBay or similar for a digital amp, but budgets may mean it waits for a few months - I'm expecting our TV to die soon at which point I might go HD, but that won't be cheap!  Seeing as the PS3 connection will be the main input for any music (CD or streamed) I'd like to get something that takes advantage of the optical out, but will still be able to use the new SCART for the video.



Ordered two weeks ago, my account lists it as not even processed yet and I can't find a single phone number or email address for customer service on play.com.

Bah.


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 20, 2009)

mattie said:


> Ordered two weeks ago, my account lists it as not even processed yet and I can't find a single phone number or email address for customer service on play.com.
> 
> Bah.


Was it on "PlayTrade" or direct from Play?
The Play Help pages say:

"Once an order is made the PlayTrader is required to dispatch your item within two working days, and also confirm that it has been sent."

Following this link should let you ask where your stuff is.


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## mattie (Jan 20, 2009)

Cheers, it's from play.com itself and the order status says 'order taken' - it's been like that for the past 2 weeks.


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 20, 2009)

That link should let you select the item that hasn't been sent and send them a "Where is it" message, via a web form.


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## mattie (Jan 20, 2009)

wtf?

After clicking through to the specific order I get this message:

"Your item is on its way to you!

Our records show that the item you selected was ordered on 05/01/2009. Although items are usually dispatched promptly, we need to wait 14 days from the date of order before being able to re-order the item.

What to do now: Please return to this page if your item has not been posted after the end of the 14 day period (after 19/01/2009). We will then arrange for a replacement item."

I can't find a web form, I assume their incorrect assertion that it hasn't been 14 days is the reason.  I'll try tomorrow, if nothing has changed I'll know there's something fishy.  Not sure how I contact them though.


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 20, 2009)

mattie said:


> Not sure how I contact them though.



There's a phone number at the bottom of the page - 0845 800 1020


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## mattie (Jan 20, 2009)

Lazy Llama said:


> There's a phone number at the bottom of the page - 0845 800 1020




Oh ffs, it's staring me in the face and I miss it!


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

My PS3 is on its way from the UK. What's THE game of the moment that I should get (I had my eye on Little Big Planet)?


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## mattie (Jan 20, 2009)

Depends what you're after.

I'll be getting GTA IV and Metal Gear Solid as soon as funds (and missus) allow.  Call of Duty always a good one.  Little Big Planet is supposed to be good.


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 20, 2009)

I'm not one for the latest games (still playing Half Life 2), but LBP is fun.

CoD4 "Game of the Year edition" is available for £25.


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

I've played a lot of those on the PC (COD4-5, HL2 and Fallout 3), ah yes MGS and GTA. The new Tomb Raider is all it'll arrive with (for Ms S) and I'm sure I'll get bored of that rather quickly.


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 20, 2009)

Little Big Planet is currently going cheap on Play (£18), so a good time for that one.


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

Bastards won't deliver to Europe


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 20, 2009)

Structaural said:


> Bastards won't deliver to Europe



They say they do:
Free delivery outside of the UK

Products eligible
DVD, music, games, books, and clothing are eligible. Unfortunately, we cannot delivery electronics, personal computers, gadgets, or mobile outside of the UK.

You have to change the currency selected to Euros apparently.


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

heh, *slaps head* cheers mate, on it's way...


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

Damn, my missus just phoned me to say it's been delivered (the PS3 that is), but I've no games yet... that was quick I only ordered it on Sunday night from the UK. Right, sod the inauguration I'm playing demos...


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 20, 2009)

Get Wipeout HD from the Playstation Network if you like that kind of racey thing.
And have a play with the demo of Super Stardust HD.


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

Okay, sold - used to love original Wipeout on the PS1. I think Kyser's addicted to Stardust. Has the PS3 got wifi?


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## mattie (Jan 20, 2009)

Structaural said:


> Okay, sold - used to love original Wipeout on the PS1. I think Kyser's addicted to Stardust. Has the PS3 got wifi?



Yep.


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

Wicked. *leaves work early*


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## mattie (Jan 20, 2009)

If you've not left yet, enjoy!


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

Cheers, I will once this extremely slow system update downloads. Jeez they need some new servers, I reckon an hour...


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## Structaural (Jan 20, 2009)

where are the freebies then? - not even a disk came with it


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 20, 2009)

Structaural said:


> where are the freebies then? - not even a disk came with it


Online......
Demos etc on the PSN.


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## Structaural (Jan 21, 2009)

got it up and running and downloaded Wipeout - unfortunately, the PS1 version, godammit, then managed to download Star Wars Force Unleashed which turned out to be an expansion pack (in my defence PSN is all in Dutch, which I'm still learning). I knew I shouldn't have had a vape before starting  
Gonna have to pop out at lunchtime and buy a game while I wait for the post...


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 21, 2009)

Structaural said:


> Cheers, I will once this extremely slow system update downloads. Jeez they need some new servers, I reckon an hour...


And today they've released 2.60 which is another 140mb download.
Enjoy


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## Structaural (Jan 21, 2009)

Lazy Llama said:


> And today they've released 2.60 which is another 140mb download.
> Enjoy



Great  Do you have to update?

Well, popped out at lunchtime and bought Assassin's Creed cos it was cheap and Mirror's Edge because I like the look of that. Still waiting for LBP and Tomb Raider to be posted.


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 21, 2009)

As far as I know, you can play games offline without doing the upgrade, so have a play and then set the upgrade to go when you're finished. 
It puts a scrolling nag across the XMB.

You can set it to automatically shutdown after it has finished updating.

Worth having a play with TVersity if you have a Windows machine on the same network. You can then stream music, pictures and video (inc DivX) stored on the PC to your PS3.


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## Structaural (Jan 21, 2009)

Cool, cheers.
My home desktop is out of action as I try to find space for it, but it's a Mac anyway (though I understand tversity runs fine under VM and there are other solutions like 'PS3 Media Center X')

I've got a TViX media player anyway for streaming and playing films/movies, the PS3 is strictly for gaming - maybe photo slideshows too as it runs through the big tv.

I've yet to play anything on it yet though...


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 21, 2009)

Structaural said:


> I've got a TViX media player anyway for streaming and playing films/movies, the PS3 is strictly for gaming - maybe photo slideshows too as it runs through the big tv.


Today's update brings with it a nice Photo Gallery app, so that works out quite well


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## mattie (Jan 21, 2009)

How are you finding the games?  I've completed mirror's edge, would have preferred more running and less shooting.


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## Structaural (Jan 22, 2009)

Well, I'm pretty impressed, only had a quick go last night as I had to see a friend off to the UK down the pub. But they sure look good - Assassin's Creed being the best looking, though Lara was *ahem* well rendered. I've got a good gaming setup (8800GT, 20" LCD), but the PS3 is running though a 42" plasma so it's almost overwhelming though not quite. 
I've not really had a crack at any of them properly though.

A mate in england who has one recommended Uncharted Drake's something or other so I'm ordering that on payday.


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## Lazy Llama (Jan 22, 2009)

Uncharted is quite like Tomb Raider, with maybe a bit more shooting. I quite enjoyed it. 
Good enough that they're doing a sequel.

It's available on "platinum", so under £20.


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## mattie (Jan 22, 2009)

It's 12 quid second-hand from gamestation.

Good game, new version under development, apparently


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## mattie (Jan 26, 2009)

Bah.  I tried a Bluray film on saturday, no matter what setting I pratted about with it would only play in black and white.  Tried SCART, composite, no luck.  DVDs are fine though.

I think my TV may not be up to it, it's an old CRT.  Are there any tips or tricks for getting it to work properly, or is it always going to fail?


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## Crispy (Jan 26, 2009)

Bluray is pointless unless you have a Hi-Definition TV anyway.


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## mattie (Jan 26, 2009)

Crispy said:


> Bluray is pointless unless you have a Hi-Definition TV anyway.



Yeah, I was just trying it for the sake of it - by the time Blurays completely supercede DVDs (assuming they do) I'll probably have a HD TV in any case.


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## Structaural (Jan 26, 2009)

Well Ms S and I spent the weekend like a couple of teenagers, drinking beer, smoking weed and playing PS3 constantly  (once the little one was in bed of course). 
Mirror's Edge has a well annoying control system and we didn't play it long enough to get used to it (like patting your head and rubbing your tummy - with one stick you've got to control the character's direction and the other stick you control the camera). I think this really lets down the game, the camera could at least vaguely follow the girl's direction, we gave it a couple of hours but it just got too annoying (I understand there's a button that improves that - I'll try that later on). Looks great though.

Assassin's Creed - beautiful game, it's starting to get repetitive after about 5-7 hours playing, but it's pretty moreish, though the climbing is annoying - he keeps getting stuck when trying to run away from the soldiers. Something to get used to... stunning looking game though...

Demo'ed Ridge Racer, Wipeout HD, Rub a Dub (for the little one), Bowling and a few others, played Ridge Racer the most but control system is about the same as Ridge Racer 1  So might have to buy GRiD next month for a bit more realism and damage.

Played Tomb Raider Underworld the most (my missus's favourite), lovely graphics, Lara handles better than any other version I've played - loads of extra moves, not too many baddies, more puzzle based - seemed a return to the first game. Camera angles are occasionally bad, but then it wouldn't be tomb raider without that.

Uncharted Drake's revenge is on it's way by post... along with Little Big Planet...

Lovely bit of kit the PS3 and mental on a big tv.


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