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.

[bjordont]

It's time I gave my few cents regarding this.
Because I am lucky and ended up getting my PS3 for $190 I didn't have to suffer the cost problems of buying a PS3. However I do have the 40gb version and it has NO backwards compatability WHATSOEVER. whats the big deal with it.. Also NO ONE has pointed out the HUGENESS of the PS3 compared to the slim PS2s. It is heavy and huge. Flat out bulky and needs a redisign to a slimmer model with the same excellant features. I have owned a 360 as well and I did like the cheepness of the games as well as the exclusives. Where are all the sony exclusive games at though?
Another thing the expensive 360 memory cards when they have purfectly good usb ports. Am I the only one that noticed this? I bought a 4gb jump drive that works well as a memory card for my PS3 for 30 and just recently 2gb jump drives were 5 at walmart. And Y would anyone pay so much for one for the 360 now? Also has anyone took the 360 hd apart and discovered its just sata? Just get an external sata and change the firmware a little.
My comparaison from the price of both systems 360 at 300 and PS3 at 400. The wireless adapter alone for the 360 was 100. That matches the PS3. Throw in the fancy wireless headset which was 60 when I can buy a bluetooth headest from Walmart or a local cellphone store for a suprising $25.
$50 a year for the online is ridiculas as well. Free is so much better and there are plenty of people on COD5 at any given moment. I do hate the Reading HDD that pops up and stops the game from the initial load when you first load it.
Before I spend the rest of my 2 hours at wrk on here comparing Im going to wait and see who else comments.

[Syphyro]

Remember... PS3 not only has blu-ray (which also reads DVD's and store more space than a HD DVD disc); it also has wi-fi, bluetooth controllers (rechargeable, no batteries needed) and bluetooth for mics (you can use the one you use for your phone), connect up to 7 bluetooth devices, connect printer, keyboard, mouse (wired or wireless or bluetooth), compatibility with PSP, I/O like SD, compactflash, memory stick, free online gaming, great games like Metal Gear Solid 4 which if it were to be converted for Xbox it would take 3-4 dvd discs, blue-ray for the win! This is all I can think of... the price is worth it cause really, you end up spending more money on Xbox by either buying parts for it like the rechargeable battery thing so you don't waste money on batteries and you pay to play online which it's no difference in the experience between the ps3 and xbox, only difference is the games... so really the price is not bad at all, be open minded.

[walk2k]

Xbox $300 + Bluray player $150 = $450
PS3 = $400

There I fixed your math.

Though personally I wouldn't take a dump on a $150 BD player. The PS3 is still one of the best BD players you can buy for under $1000.

[danielsanchez06]

I'd think about buying a Playstation 3 with 80gb if it fell at or below the 300 dollar threshold. It may be worth 300 dollars, but not a cent above it. The blu-ray is very appealing, but I've been considering the XBOX360 when I get my tax return. It will be a tough choice, but something tells me it will come down to price in the end. Simply put, we're in bad economic times and we can't afford to pay for a company's mistake in judgment. I believe they could have made the Playstation 3 cheaper, but figured people had more money than they actually did. Good luck making a profit on this budget monster...

[JonathonStriker]

At least $300 I would consider it. Yeah, Blu-ray movies do look great compared to DVDs, but I'm no movie buff, and spend more time watching Japanese Anime in High Definition from my computer than to go buy a blu-ray 2-3 years after it's airing in Japan. I'm really more for the games, and considering Playstation has so many 720p games when Xbox is doing 1080p on DVD, and that they have stripped alot out from the old PS3 hardware such as the PS2 Backwards Compatibility and the "Emotion Chip", It has really detered me from getting a console that I can rid myself of a previous generation. I actually sold my PS1 because I didn't find any problems with playing the games on PS2, just as I could (but haven't) gotten rid of my GameCube, because they all seem to work so well on the Nintendo Wii.
If no one is going to take full advantage of a 25GB Blu-ray (most movies mind you are a little over 6GB or less when they are just "upscaled VHS to DVD to Blu-Ray", and games aren't that much bigger if even that much), then the cost needs to be cut. If Sony plans to compete against it's rivals, then it needs to happen soon.

[MakaiOokami]

See what happens when you have ******** coming out your arse? You make tons of people reply to what your saying...

That HD DVD drive you advised 360 owners to buy for 50? (HD DVD player) that's 50 dollars. PS3 has it.
Wifi adapter 100 dollars PS3 has it.
60GB HDD is 80 dollars. gives you 20 more gigs for free
Online 50 dollars a year. PS3 has it free

50+100+80+50+150 (cheap arcade version) = 430 dollars.

Which is more expensive than a PS3. That's IF you get a 50 dollar discount on the arcade bundle. You pay 50 dollars a year every year after that. At the end of 4 years that's an extra 200 dollars.

That's without a Blu-Ray player. That's without the ability to upgrade to a 320GB Hard Drive on the 360 (I bought a 320GB laptop hard drive for 100 dollars in best buy where as a 120GB hard drive on a 360 will cost you near 2x that much)

You can use blutooth headsets OR usb headsets on the PS3, you can install linux, you can do a TON more stuff on the PS3 than you can the 360 and the exclusives are really starting to kick the 360 right in the crotch.

I dont' care if you like the 360 more, but don't spread the BS that the 360 is a cheaper system (when these costs add up greatly and I don't have any hidden costs on my PS3 at all) when all the evidence points the other way.

It costs Sony 440 dollars to make that system that they sell for 400 dollars. The price used to be 900 dollars per unit.

I have a Wii but the 360 has WAY too many extra costs that I can't afford if I'm going to buy the great PS3 exclusives coming out this year.

Uncharted 2
Killzone 2
God of War 3
DC Universe
Heavy Rain
and many many more great ones.

Mirror's edge got exclusive DLC
I paid 20 dollars for my copy of Bioshock on the PS3 thanks to a sale that was going on.

For 1 time charge of 30 dollars I can watch my netflix instant queue on PS3 anyway using Play On software.

There's a few benefits that teh 360 has but over all the 360 is a much more expensive system in comparison to what you get for the money.

If you just want to play a few games offline the Arcade will do you well. Depending on your needs though teh 360 can be MUCH more expensive in the long run.

[youreallfunny]

Who cares what anyone in this thread thinks one way or the other. Sales speak for themselves. At the end of the day, sales volume and net profit are what matters. Sony isn't making numbers. Nintendo dominated sales this past holiday season. Who cares if you love the PS3; good for you. If Sony doesn't fix it's PS3 sales doldrums and/or innovate the PS platform in general (as Nintendo did with the Wii as an innovative category-defining product) it's place in the market is limited and the future of the device brand could be in *long term* trouble.

[MakaiOokami]

Nintendo didn't really innovate quite as well as people claim. They found a niche'

I believe that the things that Microsoft and Sony are doing with the online communities, and games that have features like destructible environments, or games like flower and Pixel Junk Eden, etc...

I believe Sony is innovating on games and hardware, Microsoft is innovating on the network, and Nintendo is innovating on tricking consumers by promising a lot more than they deliver. Nintendo has most of their marketing down (except for crap like Wii Music)

Just because a product sells the most doesn't mean that it's the best products. It's all more complicated than you make it out to be yourealfunny. Yes Nintendo is causing a lot of sales to go up, but... they are ALSO making it all to easy to skimp on making good games, and just marketing it right to get high sales. That's the ONLY real innovation Nintendo is doing.

The rest of it is more or less gimmicks. There Is SOME direction of innovation in Nintendo, but in my eyes it's being drowned out by all the shovel ware. Whether or not Nintendo is doing lasting harm to Video games (taking profits from companies that work hard to make great games and making effort absolutely fruitless compared to marketing ploys) is yet to be seen.

I don't want to see Nintendo continue to do so well. I don't want to see 10 new Wii accessories every 5 months of the year. That's what the Wii is turning out to be. Just a bunch of interchangeable toys.

Wii blaster
Wii gun holster
Wii Guitar casing
Air Guitar accessory
Balance Board
Wii speak
Wii Motion Plus
Numchuck
Sports attachments
Anti Slip Sleeves
Wrist Straps
SD card adapter
Wired and Wireless Sensor Bars
Controller rechargers
Fighting stick

What other accessories do you want?

On PS3 if I want to play the guncon games I can buy the guncons.
I can buy a fighting stick for it.
My microphone is one I bought for my cellphone so I didn't have to buy taht seperate.
PSEye if you want to play PSeye games otherwise any usb camera will work for video chat.
You can buy memory cards but you don't need them there is plenty of storage space.
Sony doesn't make hard drives so you don't have to give them money for hard drives for the system.
Any usb controller works on the PS3 I have even played Wipeout with a PC flight stick.
A controller charger
An external usb device such as a portable hard drive...
6 Dollar HDMI cable.
PSP maybe?

The list for PS3 is half as long, and almost all those PS3 items are non proprietary and you don't have to buy stuff SPECIFICALLY for the PS3, you can use laptop hard drives, you can use the mic from your cellphone or a usb gaming headset from playing PC... I mean seriously Sony gives you a LOT of freedom that neither microsoft or nintendo are doing.

Why don't you understand any of this as a consumer?

1. Sony isn't advertising well at all
2. Consumers are generally stupid. (I've worked in customer service and consumers never really learn about products they own there are always WAY more features that they could benefit from if they weren't stupid)

I say it's half Sony's fault, half consumer stupidity. That's how I feel. The first 360s had 30 percent failure rates but people were still buying them USED without an extended warranty and paying for a year in advance on the Xbox Live Gold membership. High chance of failure, High chance of needing it repaired, high chance of time being wasted on your Gold Membership, and all because they are too stupid to actually learn about a product. Americans have to have it now, and for as little as possible. That's why there's so much credit card debt, and that's why they only make minimum payments, that's why we do short term solutions to long term problems.

America is too freaking stupid. It sounds like I'm a fanboy but... I have proof of what I'm saying. I don't like how either Microsoft or Nintendo do things, in a free market you support the companies you think are doing the best by buying their stuff and supporting them. That's how a free market works, that's how I'm doing it. People need to be educated for a free market to work. That's why the American Free Market is failing right now. Lack of consumer activism.

[clsmithj]

Show me a $150 Blu-Ray player that's not profile 1.0

I have all 2 systems, I have the 60G PSG, the middle Xbox 360 and the Wii. We also have 4 desktop computers we game on and 3 laptops. 2 of my PC's are Vista with the built in media center. One is a media center PC with XP MCE. I CAN use the PS3 to stream any music, video, or picture from any of my computers. I can even use the PS3 to watch recorded TV from my Directv Box. I tried the media share with the Xbox, junk. Couldn't play half of my files, the PS3 plays them all. The main thing I love about the PS3 is the fact you don't need the "live" thing, what a waste of money. I don't really play the games on the PS3, but I love it the best.

[rouse51]

Lets call a spade a spade. The 360, PS3 and Wii appeal to different audiences. The 360 arcade can't even play all of the games and it can't be seen as a serious console because it can't be used the same way as every other 360. Now lets get to the issue of price. The Wii cost $249, online is not its strong suite so playing in groups is why people buy it. In the store I work in at a minimum we attach another controller set and if its in Wii Fit and an SD card. Price out the door on average $350, high end is roughly $450. Usually people come back to buy the other two controllers. 360 usually goes out the door at $310 to $360 after including the live service, the arcade is a joke for stupid parent or stupid people that didn't buy a service plan and need a console replacement. Now the PS3 goes out the door at $400. As you can see these three systems are roughly the same prices so what is the difference.

Well the Wii is purchased by people who really want to enjoy console games in its original format. Two people in a room having fun except the that now the wii allows four in the room. The 360 makes no bones about it, it is a hardcore system designed for people that will pay extra money to play those games for hours on in. It will simply continue to cost you money every year. It's five year cost is over $600. Its only problem is that the hardcore gamers will top out at about 35 million. The PS3 is designed for all gamers. It's system cost is $400 period. Online gaming is free. It is designed for people that want it all. Its main problem is that the very people that it appeals to won't buy it until the price goes down. This has always been Sony problems with its systems. This is why it takes a few years to actually sell.

So what does this come down to is that yes the PS3 at $339 is a great deal. Will this satisfy Wii and 360 fanboys? No. Is the PS3 a great gaming system, heck yes.

[surreal76]

I bought a PS3 over the past couple weeks and love it. I've also had an Xbox 360 and WII since launch. PS3 needs more exclusive games. I mostly bought it for a Blu-Ray player. I have over 600 dvds but have already replaced some discs like Blade Runner, Matrix, Fifth Element, Planets of the Apes and let me tell you, I'm VERY happy with the quality of them over dvd, not even in the same league. The clarity on Blade Runner is especially beautiful.

I think PS3 will be ok if they drop the price and can get one amazing exclusive. Killzone 2 might be a great game but it won't move units like GTA or Halo does. Sony should have paid Rockstar anything they wanted to keep GTA exclusive. But now Xbox is the only console getting the downloadable episodes. Microsoft is outplaying Sony on every angle.

[firesoul453]

I was gladly willing to pay $500 or even $600 for it before. I prefer sony as a company better than microsoft and I hate the fact that you have to pay to play online with xbox. A 360 is $200 + $50-$150 for hard drive+ $50 for one year of online (a console should last atleast 3) (maybe even $200 more for HD dvd because ps3 comes with blu ray or to replace it when it breaks). That can be $350 - $700 for a 360. I almost had enough money and was going to buy one but when they stopped the backwards compatablility I got really mad. I rather pay for an xbox twice than get a ps3 without backwards compatability. So either they throw in a ps2, add back the compatability, lower the price to $300 or less without making it barebone or Im getting a 360.

It sucks to because I prefer the games for ps3 than 360. Like ratchet and clank, God of war, Restance, MEtal gear sold 4, (maybe HAZE and little big planet) ,ect. I guess i'll try ebay but then sony isn't making money.

[AVgadgetguru]

OK guys stop and listen for a second. The 360 functions as a true media center extender. By that I mean that I can actually run media center through the console. Watch live TV, recorded TV, music, photos and best of all stream movies from a HDD connected to my media center PC. I can browse titles by cover art, read a synopsis of the film and get info like actors, director, producer, etc....
There are things you can do with the PS3 but this is not one of them. For a true media center as part of your home theater the 360 is the winner hands down.
The online experience is far superior to the playstation. Yes, it costs money but it's well worth it. The online component of the 360 makes the games more enjoyable.
Shoul the 360 have included Wi-Fi ? Absolutely.

Now the games. The sports games are and have always been better on the playstation. That being said I can't believe people post things about the 360 not being HD gaming. Maybe you prefer the games on one console over the other but the games look great on both consoles. And they each have some exclusives so it comes down to personal taste there.
I think Sony will lower the console price. I'm not sure why they abandoned backward compatibility? I'm actually OK with it, but I have alot of friends that aren't. But my guess is that the price drops to $350 with a lot places selling it as low as 279 on sale. It's one of the better blu-ray players on the market (still) and a well built gaming console. At $300 or below it's a steal.

For the record you don't have to buy 4 to 5 consoles .... if you have problems with the 360 Microsoft is good about repairing or replacing. I had a problem once,(2 years after purchase) they repaired for free.

[ps34life]

You got to be kidding me, the xbox 360 can not compare to the ps3, uhhh let me see, ps3- wifi, wireless sticks with no batteries and rumble, 160GB, blueray, free online gameplay and downloads, futeristic graphics, usb and memory stick hook-ups, two games. for 500$ wow, not to mention the media abilities that it has with the media sharing so u wont have to downlaod every cd that u have. just connect to the computer threw WIFI and start playing. All the ps3 needs is one more thing to top it off and that is playing music while ur playing the game. All in all once u see the blueray player on a 1080p or even tube t.v. 360 cant compare, sorry guys i know gears of war is one of the best games every. But after ur done paying for the xbox to get fixed about THREE times u could have easy brought a PS3. ALL sorry CALL OF DUTY IS THE BEST GAME EVER.

[1eye1]

I have a couple of questions:
(1) is the wifi on the PS3 "wireless N"? or something else that is faster than being wired to the internet.
(2) is the bluray player faster on the PS3 than a dvd player on say an Xbox?

I was just wondering why these two items are always at the top of the list to buy a ps3. I might be mistaken, but wireless may be cool, but its not as fast a being wired. I know that bluray can hold more data, but does is it fast? I know a lot of PS3 users that complain about load times and I was wondering if it was due to the Bluray player.

[INCGGAMING]

I like The Xbox 369, the Wii, and last the Failed Dreamcast. But I never liked Sony, and it was because they are all about money?? I have been playing their subscription online games like Everquest 1, 11, and Vanguard and they seemed to have screwed many subscribers over, especially raising the price, than having these China Plat farms come in the game and sell their Gold and ruining it. People can now go in and cheat, which is why I ended their silly scheme entirely and subscriptions. They even pay these people, a senior Gm told me when I was trying to report these China Plat- Farms peeps what they were doing and Sony techs only said ooh well, they are part of an advertisement, you can ignore them by typing blah blah blah. Truth is Sony doesn't care about their customers and I feel that I was burned from paying them soo much money for their online subscriptions. I had the PS3 80 Gig system for a while when I bought it from Walmart. I wanted to see if I would like it and I liked it to some extent. It was hard to navigate through, and their online system wasn't as great xbox 360 especially the games at that time. I got tired of waiting and sold it. PS3 was a good solid system. I admit I loved renting and watching Blueray on my tv, and some games were kind of enjoyable, but there was something about the Playstation 3 that just got me mad. Like one day I was watching Hell Boy blueray on my PS3 and it froze for 3 minutes. I was scared at first because I barely use the system, and that day I just turned it on. I instantly turned the PS3 off and turned it back on, and it didn't freeze again until the ending part of the movie. Than sometimes the system would freeze while playing the games. I just didn't want to risk opening the system and cleaning the lens soo I sold it. I just hope the customer I sold it to isn't having any worse problems with it. Above all Sony itself doesn't care about the consumers as a whole, they just about money and I had been with their service for a long while and well I got tired of them. If you think Microsoft is a monopoly just look at Sony as well because they are just as worse!!