Later this month, on the 23rd of March to be precise, the next generation in video gaming will arrive (at least that’s what Sony would like you to think).

The PLAYSTATION3 is the latest machine from the Japanese electronics giants Sony. Already with the massive success of the original Playstation and its 100million selling PLAYSTATION2 under its belt, Sony has a lot to live up to and there hoping that their groundbreaking state of the art new system will be the true successor to PS2. Clearly the RRP of the PLAYSTATION3 is an indication of that; £425 is a hefty price tag for any kind of video games console, let alone electronics kit. Kaz Hirai, the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America said when the price was announced that “The totality of what we bring to the table makes it a good value for consumers.” Hirai had a point; the PLAYSTATION3 is a heavy investment that Sony hopes will pay off for the consumer in the end.

What is it that makes the PLAYSTATION3 so expensive then? The biggest factor that comes to mind is its graphics chip. The ‘Cell’ processor is being made by computing giants IBM who have designed the chip alongside Toshiba and Sony themselves. The chip is so powerful that it is said that if it was designed back in 1997, it would be more powerful than the world’s most powerful super computer. Clearly, 10 years isn’t a long time to go from super-computer to entertainment device and that’s displayed in the price of this machine. The ‘Cell’ processor allows the PS3 to generate graphics on par with CGI movies such as ‘Spiderman‘ and ‘Shrek‘ on the fly and in your own home. The graphics the system can produce are truly mind blowing and truly do invoke the definition of ‘uncanny valley’. The systems second main selling point is its ability to play ‘Blu-Ray’ movies. The next generation version of the DVD, Blu-Ray has been developed by Sony to be able to store the contents of ten normal DVD discs in one. Sony is using the PS3 to push their Blu-Ray technology into people’s homes in hopes that people will invest in their next generation home entertainment medium over the competitor’s product, the cheaper to produce HD-DVD. The demand for higher quality films with excellent sound and picture quality is nowhere near boiling point right now, so by incorporating the technology in the PS3, Sony is hoping that demand for their technology will grow as people learn the benefits of high-definition entertainment. As well as the technology in the machine, PS3 is the first Sony console to be truly online and connected to the internet at all times. By having access to a broadband connection via a cable or wirelessly with WiFi, the PS3 hopes to open up the web on your TV screen. Although this is possible on other consoles, Sony’s online network is completely free and includes things such as video chat, email, instant messaging, media playing and web browsing all in one machine, independent from your home computer. Sony is looking to revolutionise what you can do in your own living room with its modern technology and they are going about it the right way.

Clearly though, the PLAYSTATION3s main agenda should be with the games. Because Sony has put so much effort and investment into improving the technology of the machine for future use, the games that are to be released at system launch are hardly the spectacles that we are currently able to play on the PS2. Obviously the graphics are spectacular; the system is capable of displaying so much on screen at once without any slowdown. However, the depth of the games is nothing to the recent classics that have been made for the PS2, instant classics such as Shadow of Colossus, God of War, Guitar Hero, Okami and Final Fantasy XII. This also happened with the Nintendo’s Wii as well as Microsoft’s Xbox 360; the games that are available at launch are usually nothing compared to what is available later on in a consoles lifetime. In the industry, a game that is seen as so spectacular it is worth the consoles price tag just to play is called a ‘killer AP’. The PLAYSTATION3 has no ‘killer aps’ just yet, unlike recent games for the Xbox 360 such as Gears of War and Crackdown (and soon to be Halo 3). Games available on launch for the machine include many franchise sequels including Call of Duty 3, Ridge Racer 7, Virtua Fighter 5, Virtua Tennis 3, Genji 2 (With giant enemy crabs!), Need for Speed Carbon and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (a lot of these games have already been playable on other consoles months ago). There are also a few original titles which Sony hope will create new franchises, including Motorstorm (A desert racing game in the same vein as Excite Truck) and Resistance: Fall of Man (Set in England itself, Sony’s alternative to last years Gears of War). Evidently the PLAYSTATION3 does not have a lot going for it on release, It’s easy to notice that a lot of these titles are available on other consoles (and for less money) as well as the fact there are barely any exclusives for the PS3. Due to the back compatibility with games released for the first Playstation and the PS2, Sony’s spin doctors say this means that there are millions of games to play on the launch of their console. Things will only get really exciting a year down the line when the bona fide in-depth and interesting games are released as the developers get to grips with how the hardware operates and what works and what doesn’t.

The PS3 justifies a purchase if you’re looking for the most state of the art design and technology in your own home. There have been a lot of changes involved in going from the PS2 to its bigger and more advanced brother, the PS3. An example of this is the new controllers which are wireless but lack the ‘dual-shock’ technology which Sony pioneered on the first Playstation. There have been many changes in the way games are played with the PS3 as well, namely the HDMI connection which allows you to get the most in-depth and fulfilling picture quality available on the home market.

To put a long story short, the PLAYSTATION3 will be a good investment to buy now, but not a lot of exciting things are happening yet, especially in comparison to what is going on with the Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii consoles. With the announcement that there is no price cuts planned in future, investing in the console could also put a heavy strain on your bank balance. The PLAYSTATION3 is clearly intended to be the replacement for your home entertainment units and the price shows that. With its inbuilt DVD and Blu-Ray features, as well as gaming, Sony is hoping that their console will take first place in your entertainment setup at home. With the rumours of online video on demand in future as well as services allowing you to download movies, music and games, Sony is also hoping to replace traditional ‘physical’ distribution of entertainment and replace it with a network infrastructure which will allow you access to your favourite TV shows and music at the press of a button.

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