Comments on: Return of the $339.99 PlayStation 3

It's a the 80GB PS3, sold by Dell new, without a rebate or coupon code in sight. With it, you'll get state-of-the-art graphics and gaming, plus a Blu-ray Disc player.

[Heebee Jeebies]

Well, it may seem high but I think in the long run you get a pretty good deal. It plays DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. It plays games, though one big mistake Sony made was getting rid of PlayStation 2 support (that pissed me off). Add the ability to directly play HD video footage from my AVCHD camcorder without having to convert first and the finally add the Play On server software so that you can watch Hulu, Netflix, CBS, YouTube and other streaming video sources using your PlayStation 3 and I think it isn't a half bad deal.

My two biggest complaints is that their just doesn't seem to be a lot in the way of games at least nothing that really takes advantage to all of the horsepower the PS3 has and the lack of PS2 compatibility. I think Sony like Nintendo with the GameCube before it has done a very poor job of pushing the PlayStation 3. They have spent too much time trying to talk people in to it instead of providing products and services that make people want it.

Blu-Ray is ok, but it doesn't make movies better. A sucky movie is still a sucky movie even in HD.

Robert

Dang, just payed $399. Love the blu ray and upconvert on dvd's tho.

[aacostacub]

In this economy the price has to be dropped to $300. Early adopters are already invested into the XBox and Wii. The PS3 has to be sold as a Blu-Ray with benefits.

I purchased a PS3 at launch for 600 and to this day I believe I got a good a deal. There's a lot of talk about I don't need a blu ray player or wi fi or bluetooth. Fine, then don't buy a PS3. Some of us own HDTV's and love watching HD content, some of us don't have a modem next to our entertainment system so we like built in wireless. As a dual console owner I can say with out hesistation that the PS3 and Xbox 360 are both great GAMING machines. Please stop using the tired year old the "PS3 doesn't have any games so I only use it as a blu ray player". Or "I won't purchase a PS3 because there are no games". Are you kidding me? No games? Seriously? Then you have been shorting yourself out on some great gaming. Let me recommend a few... Resistance Fall of Man 1 & 2, Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted (one of the best games I've played), MGS4, Little Big Planet, Warhawk, GT prologue, Motorstorm 1 & 2... upcoming Killzone 2, Infamous, God of War 3... and oh yeah all the multiplatform games that as of the last year look and play the same as the Xbox 360 counterparts. So please stop with the no games becuse it just shows your fanboy side or tells me that you really don't own a PS3. To PS3 owners, yes the Xbox 360 has had some hardware issues and may not have all the feature sets of the PS3 but it plays great games like Gears 1 & 2, Halo and Left 4 Dead. To 360 owners yes the PS3 costs more for those extra features but it plays great games like the ones I listed above. Isn't that what it's about? Playing great games? All of you GAMERS should want to play Gears 1 & 2, Halo, Left 4 Dead, Resistance Fall of Man 1 & 2, Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted (one of the best games I've played), MGS4, Little Big Planet, Warhawk, GT prologue, Motorstorm 1 & 2 or any of the other great exclusives that reside on the two systems. Sorry for the rant & being off topic from the article but it would be nice if we could stop talking down on the two consoles because there's really no reason too. Instead we should be talking about the great games they offer.

[bjordont]

Your forgetting Devil May Cry 4 for the PS3. Love the storyline and awesome Graphics. I would have bought the game and system just for the in game movie scenes. Their worth it.

[fooldog01]

$340 sounds reasonable. Seriously though, people saying a video game console needs web browsing and wifi... you cant be serious. Wifi is garbage for gaming and for crying out loud, who needs a browser on their TV? Welcome back to WebTV and the late 90's. Sheesh.

[cleptomaniac]

You ever actually used a browser on your TV? Well maybe you shouldn't pass gudgement before you do. I don't use the PS3's browser becasue I have a Media Center PC sitting right next to my TV but I don't know what I would do without it. You every been to hulu or fancast? Awesome sites, and the fact i can watch TV and movies off the web on my 65 in TV is better then my little 20 in monitor at my computer desk (And less comfortable).

[cpopken]

I don't think $400 is too much at all. I remember when the Atari 2600 was selling for $250. We paid $250 for the NES when it first came out. I realize you can get a Wii or an Xbox for around $200- $250, but the Xbox doesn't have a hard drive. They do really need to lower the price to compete, but it still is an exceptional value for what you get.

[pharmd]

I paid $600 for PS3 when it came out. About a year after buying it, my house was broken into and the PS3 was stolen.
I would not pay over $250 for the game at this time for the following reasons:

1. Web browser is really bad and very difficult to navigate.
2. As a Blue Ray player its a very bad choice because it uses a lot of electricity compared to regular stand alone blue ray players.

[craiger45]

It seems the best price point for most smaller electronics is between $200 and $300. I think $299.00 is a good price for the PS3.

[halamadrid]

I think that this is like telling BMW that they need to lower the price of their 3 series because the Chevy Malibu sells for half...it's apples and oranges...The PS3 is a full fledged entertainment center and comes with everything out of the box (blu-ray, wifi, hdmi, etc.). I'm not saying that the 360 is a bad gaming console, but you have to look at what you get for the $340 with the PS3. If you have an HDTV you want blu-ray (trust me, you will), and the PS3 is perhaps the best BD player out there because of the constant updates that Sony does over the Internet; you want wifi, you want the HDMI to connect to your HDTV, and as a piece of hardware the PS3 is just a solid piece of engineering (no huge brick to plug to the wall). I guess the best analogy is that the 360 or the Wii are like those shops in NY with the digital cameras and other electronics advertised sometimes for half the price, but when you go into the store they tell you that the advertised price is only for the camera, and if you want the box, charger, manuals, memory card, etc. you have to pay more (bringing the total higher than what you'd pay at Amazon or Best Buy).

[daveb85]

This is ridiculous. I have had my Xbox 360 since Dec. '05 and I have never bought a wireless adaptor. This overall picture is complete ********. Sony packages all those things in there and then forces you to buy them, thus, the high price tag. Microsoft gives you the option. When I had BOTH of my PS3's I never used the Wi-Fi, so why should I pay for it? And lets get one thing straight: The Playstation 3 does not "Come" with Xbox live for free. It comes with PSN, which is not as quality a service. I've been paying for Xbox live now for 5 years now and I don't regret a second of it. As soon as the PSN can match Xbox live in terms of quality, then your argument has some meaning, until then just go buy a 360 and quite ******* about how your system isn't # 1

[nwball]

here are two things that people fail to recognize...

right now you there are constantly deals for 13 months xbox live for $30

i would rather get a stand alone blu ray player than the PS3 if that's the concern. Think about it...while it's a novel concept...when ps4 or whatever comes around...how many people will keep their PS3 around just because it's a blu ray player...especially if they did around the $100 mark (which is probable by the time the PS4 will come out). How many people still keep their PS2 around because it's DVD player?

[antcoh1791]

I believe that consoles in this generation and the next should be multi functional consoles. Either for convenience or for the heck of it. I think consoles should be judged for the additional functionality. Such as Netflix Streaming, web browsing, Wii Wares, and etc...

Some it will be decision makers, others don't care. Extras are always good, no matter what system its for. Think of the price of the PS3 as better hardware reliability.

Anyone who believes that the 360 will still be working after many years please stand up? Nobody? My genesis and snes still works. I think microsoft better take some hardware advice and not treat their game consoles like Operating Systems. It works for software but not Hardware. I loved my 360 untill it broke on me 3 times. Do I hate it...NO. I just really wish it was just a little more reliable and it will still be next to me lol.

Alright fanboys, sick'em

[stopher2475]

Jawknee1 seems like a fanboy. No one is doing any serious browsing on the PS3.
I own both and I love them both for different reasons. I find XBox on average has more and better games. This has nothing to do with the systems. They both have compelling games, I just find more on the X-Box. They've just made more deals. XBox also has a better online experience. I have an easier time finding friends and content and the Live service is pretty neat. Lots of videos and stuff. I find the PS3 is my goto player of choice when it comes to media. It's arguable one of the most future proof Blu-Ray players on the market and makes all your DVDs look great. It also does a lot of neat mstreaming things out of the box. My verdict. Get both! =) Support the economy!

[drbyte]

The ps3 is nice. I won't buy a gaming system for anything over $150. I don't see the sense in spending over that much money for a video game console. Factor the cost of a hi-def TV, $60 games, and that a second ps3 controller alone is $55....... I'm all right with my ps2. I know people who have had problems with their 360's so thats out too.

The ps3 is a great system, but there are other expenses in my life. I look forward to getting one near the end of its production cycle.

[maples328]

The whole Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft fanboy flaming is funny. If your old enough to remember it's like seeing two old men have the whole I'd rather push a Ford than drive a Chevy argument. How aboutwe each buy our favorite system and play games that we enjoy (novel idea I think). By the way, all the under the tble money Sony paid Wal-Mart to stop carrying HDdvd's just adds to their $100loss per unit cost they eat to infiltrate all homes with blueray.

[Wolfpack_17]

OKAY, EVERYONE CLAIMS THAT THE PS3 IS WAAYYY TOOO OVERPRICED. JUST BECAUSE YOUR DADDY ONLY SEES THE INITIAL COST OF THE SYSTEM, AND OPTS TO BUY HIS CHILD A 360 CAUSE THE STICKER PRICE IS CONSIDERABLY LOWER THAN THE PS3, DONT THINK YOU'RE GETTING A BETTER DEAL... I DONT KNOW ALL OF THE FIGURES CAUSE I WOULD NEVER CONSIDER BUYING A 360 OVER MY PS3, BUT WHAT DOES IT COST TO GET WiFi??? WHAT ABOUT PLAYING ONLINE? WHAT ABOUT INTERNAL MEMORY ABOVE THE BASIC AMOUNT? AFTER YOU CONSDER WHAT YOU WILL SOON END UP PAYING FOR THE KITCHEN APPLIANCE YOU CALL AN XBOX, YOU WILL SEE THAT IS IS NEARING THE PRICE OF THE SONY PS3... WHY NOT GET A SYSTEM WITH 1080p POTENTIAL, PLAYS BLUE RAY DISCS... (WHAT HAPPENED TO HD DVD?!?) AND WAAAYYY BETTER GRAPHICS!!!!

[megustansalchichas]

i am waiting for the $339 PS3 that plays PS2 games -not having backward compatibility is a deal breaker for me, and I would be for a big chunk of the 140 million PS2 owners out there. Don't ask me to have two consoles stacked on top of each other and taped together with ducktape just so I can play Viewtiful Joe one day and Drake's Fortune the next, that's ridiculous! Who was the genious that decided to take out backward compatibility? Why can't they just put the PS2 on a chip? Hasn't it been around long enough that they can do that? blu ray -who cares? I want to play God of War 2, no need to buy a PS3 for that, but it would be NICE if I did buy a PS3 and COULD continue to play God of War 2 on it.

[bjordont]

To do that all you need is a version besides the 40gb. The other version are backwards compatable. The 80 uses hardware. The chip you were refering too. and the 60 uses emulation software.

[overlandpark4me]

Just the ongoing subscription cost is annoying enough. The reliability issues that were generated from Microbloat rushing out yet another product are another. Oh, and the wonderful lag issue for the privilege of hosting off of your outbound pipe. Pass......

[veruslite]

Lets see if we can clear this up a bit

PS3:$399/499

Pros: Blu-Ray, Built in WIFI, Bluetooth, HDMI, PSN(FREE), web browser,

Cons: Lack of Games (LBP and MGS4 do not a system make) , removal of backwards Compatability(just stupid) , less USB ports, You get what you pay for(whether you want it or not), PSN(you get what you pay for again: i.e.(you pay nothing and you dont get much else). Lack of exclusive titles (refer to con #1), controller has built in battery(sorry con for me, i like being able to use, rechargeables, AA's or a cord. PS3 you have to sit 6 inches from the screen to recharge your controller with its tiny cord if the internal battery craps out on you), WIFI = signal drops and irregular online functionality (theres a reason why Microsoft didnt include WIFI same as when they didnt include dial-up in the original xbox, they want a consistant experience across all online functions which is what an ethernet connection better provides).

XBOX 360:$199/299/399

Pros:Multi price points(you buy what you want/need), HDMI, XBOX LIVE(you get what you pay for), controller battery options(yay for choices), Exclusive titles, XBLA, Netflix, Media Sharing(the easy way), WIFI(if you want it), Plays Games (just threw that in there cuz PS3 seems to be BLU-RAY 1st games 2nd)

Cons:No BLU-RAY(atleast it plays games, im sure the PS3 would play them too if it had any), XBOX LIVE cost $$$( and worth every penny, $3+ a month gets me a slick easy to use interface with a ton of options and most of all reliability) HD cost Uber $$$ ( i agree here, no way in hell im paying 180 bucks for a 120GB drive, thing is its proprietary, why does PS3 have mutli SKU's based around the HD and cutting costs by removing core components for more HD space when you can install pretty much any HD you want in it. Give me back Backwards compatability and keep ur crumby 20 extra gigs i can buy that crap and install it on my own). not truly HD( i just said this for you DUMMIES out there who keep repeating this, BLURAY is not a gaming format so it doesnt apply to whether a system is truly HD, the XBOX 360 is completely and fully capable of outputting 480-1080p signals just as the PS3 Does, BULRAY doesnt come into play here so stop spouting that retarded garbage that PS3 is the only true HD system[720p,1080I,1080p=HD]). No built in WIFI( i use an ethernet connect cuz its the most stable connection but if you absolutely need WIFI then you still have that option, while at a cost the option is still avaiable to you)

Its really retarded that this is the exact same thing thats done to every single article pretaining to teither the XBOX 360 or the PS3. What some of you smarty pants' need to realize is that not every "CONSUMER" is a 20-30 something tech geek likethe majority of the people on this site are. Granted you all make a lot of valid points to the hardcore gamer or tech enthusiast. Joe Plumber, Joe 12 Year old, Joe granny and Joe Mama are the typical consumers to which these companies generally refer to. SONY and MSFT sells videogames to their target demographic and they are it, not us. As interested as we are in this whole situation little bobby doesnt open his brand new system on Xmas morning and start spewing a mouthful of obsenities at his parent for buying him the system that doesnt have WPA 2 encryption, or that Streams at a Lower bitrate, cant sync his corporate email, or whatever other technobabble that we all discuss here. So granted some of us here may fall into the "accepted" consumer demographic that they tartget alot of us dont and are basically arguing over apples and oranges as they dont apply to your average potential console owner.

[thashiznit01]

Comment is dead on... Please move to the front of the class... Nice

[bbelenski]

i have always thought the PS3 should be inline with the XBOX price wise... at least $200, closer to $150 blu ray or not