Sony PS3
£425.
The heavyweight enters the ring.
Friday 24th March saw the much delayed launch of Sony’s latest games console in Europe. Compared to the tales of riots and shootings in America, Europe’s introduction was decidedly polite due to plentiful supplies. Figures so far suggest it was one of the most successful console launches to date but time will tell if it can maintain the same momentum of demand Nintendo’s Wii still seems to command.
Taking the polar opposite approach to the relatively cheap and very cheerful Wii, the PS3 is a high-end multimedia hub and games machine designed to supply almost all of the living room’s needs to the techno savvy and gadget proud.
With a free online network to challenge the 360’s subscription service and motion sensing controls to tackle the Wii, Sony looks set to take both on but its high price may put the average consumer off for some time yet while the differences between it and the 360 have yet to be fleshed out.
Containing a Blu-Ray drive, the PS3’s biggest advantage over the 360 is the inclusion of the Hi-Def player and is Sony’s thinly veiled attempt to sneak its own unproven Hi-Def video format into your house. As the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market though you can’t complain and the larger storage space will hopefully deliver bigger games. Just make sure you have a suitably impressive Hi-Def TV otherwise it’s rather pointless.
With some great titles like Motor Storm and Resistance: Fall of Man in the launch line-up and plenty more to come it’s going to be an exciting year for gamers and it’ll be interesting to see how the PS3 counters the release of the 360 and the Wii’s big hitters - Halo 3 and Super Mario Galaxy.