Added Another Console to the Family
By nobull6 6 Comments
I recently purchased a 120 GB PS3 Slim to add to the collection that already includes a 360 and a Wii. Let me share my tale of how all three consoles came to be.
Wii
The original of this generation. It was the winter of 2006 and the Wii had been released a few months prior, completing the triumvirate of seventh generation consoles available. With all three major home consoles to choose from, it took some time to conclude which to invite into my home (more than one was not an option at the time). The Wii seemed novel and new. The types of games being shown tickled the memory of growing up with an NES and SNES. I also thought the interface and game selection would appeal to my wife, who is not into gaming.
As you all know, selection was very limited in those first months. I called my local Best Buy to find out when they would get some. They tipped me off on when they would be getting their next shipment. I ended up getting up early and hanging outside Best Buy around 5:30 AM to make sure I got one. I was a little overzealous and ended up being second in line. This happened in Michigan in January, so it was quite cold! It was one of the dorkiest things I've ever done, and I don't see it happening again.
Eventually, my infatuation with the Wii faded. The virtual console was okay, but the appeal of those older games was greater in my mind than they were in practice. The Nintendo first party titles were okay, but third party support was lacking and I was tired of reading about all these exciting games, only to find that they were only to be released on the 360 and PS3.
Final Thoughts on the Wii
Pros
- Time tracking! I love knowing how much time I've spent with all my games.
Cons
- Games weren't for me.
- Lack of HD. I got an HDTV while I had the Wii and the result wasn't pretty.
- Lack of WPA2 on the WiFi. Didn't like needing to secure my network with WPA if I wanted my Wii to connect.
- Accuracy of Wiimote made playing certain games difficult.
360
So, by fall of 2007 I was looking at either the 360 or PS3 to complement (supplant?) my Wii. I had owned a PS1 and PS2, but not an Xbox, so my natural inclination was towards the PS3. The price of the PS3 was unpalatable, and Sony's marketing had been ham-fisted, if not rude, so I started looking at the 360. The only downside to the 360 was the hardware reliability. Right around this time rumors of the Falcon revision making its way to retail, so I decided to take a chance and get a 360.I picked up a 360 and a copy of Bioshock. Wow. The controller and interface took some getting used to because it was such an upgrade and had a lot of functionality, but once I got the hang of it, I was hooked. Having Bioshock as my first HD gaming experience was amazing. I was both surprised and how great it was, and disappointed in myself for not getting it sooner! I fell in love with gaming again.
Thoughts on the 360
Pros
- Controller. Feels good, and loved the triggers (they were new to me coming from PS2 and Wii).
- Live. What a great online service.
- Demos! Trial games all have demos, and there are even demos for full retail games. Had never played a demo before, so this feature was awesome.
- Internet functionality. Redeeming codes, adding friends, queuing demos/games, checking achievements online. All great.
- Achievements. I didn't think this would matter to me, but once I experienced it, it made a huge difference. It's nice to use them as a guide to experience games in a new way. Gave me a reason to keep playing a title I may have put down before.
Cons
- Closed hardware market. Really, I can only use an expensive Microsoft hard drive?
- No integrated wifi. Requires an expensive add-on.
- Turned me into a graphics snob. Standard def stuff just doesn't do it for me anymore.
PS3
I've been playing the 360 on the 32" HDTV in the office, but I've wanted to play games on my 52" in my living room. I've also wanted Netflix streaming in the living room, and hey, Blu-ray isn't bad. The PS3 had come down in price and it's been over two years since my latest console. All of that added up to me wanting a PS3! There are some exclusives I've been disappointed that I haven't been able to play, so I'm happy to have added this to the family.I've had the PS3 for one week, so I have the least experience here. I'm not blown away so far, but maybe my impression will change over time.
Pros
- Integrated wifi. I can connect in the living room. Yay!
- Netflix. Same on 360, but it's still worth noting.
- Some neat exclusives. Tried Flower and flOw, the inFamous, Ratchet and Clank, and MGS4.
Cons
- Controller. Neat that it has some motion control, but I don't like the way it feels. Tried Killzone and Resistance demos, and had trouble lining up shots. Having the trigger mapped to R1 feels wrong to me.
- Unintuitive setting control. I can't figure out how to change things like my PSN picture. Shouldn't be so hard.
- Online integration is lacking. Trophies don't update unless you sync, and even after you sync, it takes a while to show up. On the 360 this happens near-instantly. Can't redeem codes online, can't queue up games online. Am I mistaken in this?
- No demos for downloadable games! Sure, some have it, but not all. I'm really just not willing to pay even $5 without having a chance to try it first. The 360 has spoiled me.