MobileTechReview Forum, News and Reviews: Playstation 3

First of all, thanks a lot for all of the positive emails and comments that have been left regarding the Nintendo Wii FAQ. And for all of those who've been relentless with the emails bugging me, I mean encouraging me to write one for the Playstation 3, your time has come. If you have any more questions or comments feel free to post them. We try to answer them as quickly as possible. Enjoy!

When is the Playstation 3 launching?
November 11 - Japan
November 17 - USA/Canada
March 2007 - Europe/Australia

Why will Europe have to wait until March 2007 for the Playstation 3 launch?
Sony has stated that the delay in launching in Europe is due to a shortage of the diodes that are used in their Blu-Ray drives.

How much will the Playstation 3 cost?
Basic system: $499.99
Premium system: $599.99

What is the difference between the Basic and Premium Playstation 3 systems?
The Premium package comes with a 60GB hard drive instead of the 20GB model that comes on the Basic system, plus the Premium system features: Wi-Fi, multiple flash memory card readers, and a sleek silver logo and trim.

What colors will the Playstation 3 system be available in on launch day?
The Playstation 3 system will only be available in black and black w/silver trim on launch day depending on which system you purchase, Basic or Premium.

When will more colors become available?
While Sony has shown several colors at the various trade shows, no official announcement has been made regarding future color choices for the Playstation 3 system.

What all comes with the Playstation 3 system?
Playstation 3 system
Sixaxis wireless controller
AC Adapter
USB Mini-cable
Ethernet cable
A/V composite cable

Can I play Playstation and Playstation 2 games on my Playstation 3 system?
Yes, the Playstation 3 is completely backward compatible with all PS1 and PS2 games that follow Sony's TRC.

Is the Playstation 3 region-free?
Yes. Sony has stated that 1st party Playstation 3 games will be region-free, but Blu-Ray movies will still feature a region-lock. Third party game publishers can use their own discretion and decide whether or not they want to include region-coding in their game releases.

Will my Playstation and Playstation 2 games be region-free as well?
All PS1 and PS2 games will still be region-locked just as they were previously.

What games will be available for the Playstation 3 launch?
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII
Call of Duty 3
College Hoops 2K7
Fatal Inertia
F.E.A.R.
Fight Night: Round 3
flOw
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Genji: Days of the Blade
Madden NFL 07
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
NBA 07
NBA 2K7
NHL 2K7
Need for Speed: Carbon
Resistance: Fall of Man
Ridge Racer 7
Sonic the Hedgehog
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom

Do I have to have an HD-TV to play the Playstation 3?
HD-TV is more of a luxury than a requirement. You can connect a Playstation 3 system to any standard television with A/V inputs on it, but in order to get the true HD benefits of the Playstation 3 system, you do need an HDTV.

What is the best HDTV to get for the Playstation 3?
Most HDTVs can at least display 1080i or 720p, depending on whether it's an LCD or CRT HDTV. If you want the best the Playstation 3 has to offer, you'll need to purchase an HDTV capable of displaying the 1080p output some Playstation 3 games will be capable of.

What Playstation 3 accessories will be available at launch?
PS3 Sixaxis controller - $49.99
PS3 Blue-Ray remote - $29.99
Memory Card adapter - $14.99
PS3 HDMI Cable - $49.99

How do I connect my Playstation 3 to my broadband connection?
The Premium Playstation 3 package includes Wi-Fi which will allow you to wirelessly connect to your online connection. Both the Premium and Basic Playstation 3 models will also have one gigabit Ethernet connection where you can plug in directly as well.

Where can I preorder a Playstation 3 system?
Preorders have already filled up at Gamestop/EB Games stores, but select Toys R Us stores are rumored to be taking preorders for the Playstation 3 on Sunday, October 29th. Supplies are very limited so get there early if you expect to get a preorder.

What if I wasn't able to preorder, will I still be able to get a Playstation 3 on launch day?
Not terribly likely, unless you get to a Best Buy or Walmart and camp out. With only 400,000 system available for launch here in the US, supplies will be extremely scarce.

Can I use my Playstation and Playstation 2 memory cards with my Playstation 3?
Yes, but you'll need the Memory Card adapter, sold seperately for $14.99. You can even copy your PS1 and PS2 save files from your memory cards to the PS3 internal hard drive.

Can I use my Playstation or Playstation 2 controllers with my Playstation 3?
No. There is no port for these controllers on the Playstation 3.

What ports are there on the Playstation 3 system?
Basic system:
4 USB 2.0 ports
1 gigabit Ethernet port
1 optical audio out
1 HDMI out
1 A/V out

Premium system:
4 USB 2.0 ports
1 gigabit Ethernet port
1 optical audio out
1 HDMI out
1 A/V out
Memory Stick slot
SD Card slot
Compact Flash card slot

What do I need to connect the Playstation 3 to my Dolby Surround Sound system?
You will need an optional Optical Audio Cable in order to get true Dobly Surround Sound. You can find them at just about any store that sells home audio equipment like a Best Buy or Circuit City.

Does the Playstation 3 play HD-DVDs as well as Blu-Ray discs?
The Playstation 3 will play Blu-Ray discs but NOT HD-DVDs. Of course that would be expected since Sony is a co-creator of the Blu-Ray technology. : )

Can the Playstation 3 system be situated vertically or horizontally?
Either way is fine. There are no benefits to either other than space limitations.

How much do Playstation 3 games cost?
Sony has set the suggested retail price of PS3 games at $59.99, although third-party publishers still have their own discretion.

Is the Playstation 3 more powerful than the Xbox 360 or Wii?
While specs-wise the Playstation 3 is a bit more powerful than the Xbox 360, a lot of this will be determined by how well developers are able to take advantage of the CELL processor found inside the Playstation 3. We'll have to wait and see. : )

Do I have to have broadband in order to play online with my Playstation 3?
Yes. Dial-up simply won't cut it.

Will the PSP be able to connect to the Playstation 3 system?
Yes. Sony has stated many times that the PSP and Playstation 3 will be able to link up with each other in different ways. One feature that will require both is the ability to download PS1 games to the PS3 and then transfer them to your PSP system to play on the PSP's Playstation Emulator.

Does the Playstation 3 have parental controls?
Yes, there are parental controls built in to the Playstation 3's operating system.

Does the Playstation 3 have a built-in hard drive?
Yes. The Basic model has an internal 20GB hard drive and the Premium version has an internal 60GB hard drive.

Will Playstation 3 games be available in widescreen aspect ratio?
Yes. Most, if not all Playstation 3 games will be made to take advantage of the 16x9 widescreen aspect ratio.

Does the Playstation 3 have a wired or wireless controller?
The Sixaxis PS3 controller is a wireless controller that uses Bluetooth 2.0 technology.

What happened to the "boomerang" controller?
Sony has evidently scrapped the Batarang controller, most likely due to the uproar it caused among gaming fans. Sony has instead decided to stick with their normal controller design, adding the Sixaxis tilt-sensing technology.

What is the playing range of the Sixaxis controller?
The estimated range of the Sixaxis controller is about 60 feet.

What size batteries does the Sixaxis controller use?
The Sixaxis controller has a permanently built-in Lithium-ion battery that cannot be removed. Battery life is around 30 hours per full charge.

How do you charge the Sixaxis controller?
You charge it with an included mini-b USB cable that plugs into your Playstation 3 system.

Does the Sixaxis controller have a rumble feature?
Due to the inclusion of tilt technology, the Sixaxis does NOT contain a rumble function built into it.

How many Sixaxis controllers can the PS3 handle at one time?
As many as 7 Sixaxis controllers can be used on one Playstation 3 system at once.

Is the Playstation 3 Blu-Ray drive slot-loading or tray-loading?
The Blu-Ray drive on both models of the Playstation 3 are slot-loading.

What types of optical media will the PS3 system play?
CDs, DVDs, PS1 discs, PS2 discs, and Blu Ray discs, both movies and games.

What exactly is a "CELL" processor?
The Cell processor was co-developed by IBM, Toshiba, and Sony and is designed to be able to act as though it were several different processors in one. This way the Cell processor can handle multiple functions at once depending on how the developer sets the processor up to function. The specs for the Playstation 3's Cell Processor are below.

Power-PC Core running at 3.2GHz
512KB Level 2 Cache
7 SPEs running at 3.2GHz
7 256KB SRAM for SPEs

What all video resolutions are supported by the Playstation 3?
1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and even 480i.

Does the Playstation 3 come with component or an HDMI cable for my HDTV?
No. Due to costs, the Playstation 3 system only comes with the standard A/V composite connection cable. You'll have to purchase the component or HDMI cables separately for $49.99.

Will the Playstation 3 make my PS1, PS2, or regular DVDs look better?
Not likely. Sony hasn't made an official announcement, but it has been said that all games will play, "as they did on their original systems".

How much does it cost to play games online with Playstation 3's service?
Sony has said that their online service will be free of charge, although there might be some content that will come at an additional cost.

Will there be a game included with the Playstation 3 systems?
There is no game included in the package, although the first 500,000 Playstation 3 systems will come with a free "Taledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" Blu-Ray movie.

Will the Playstation 3 have a GUI similar to the "Blades" found on the Xbox 360's operating system?
The Playstatiion 3 will use the "Cross Bar Interface" similar to the one found on the PSP system.

Will the Playstation 3 have overheating problems after the problems some systems reportedly had at the Tokyo Game Show?
Adverse temperatures were said to be the cause of the Playstation 3 overheating controversy at the Tokyo Game Show and no problems are foreseen with the final production units that will see release on launch day.

Will the Playstation 3 support Dobly Surround Sound?
Yes, the Playstation 3 currently supports Dolby 5.1 and 7.1 and could possibly support more at a later time depending on the way developers want to use it.

How fast is the drive on the Playstation 3 system?
The Playstation 3's Blu Ray drive reads at the speeds below:
Blu-Ray discs - 2X (9MB per second)
DVDs - 8X
CDs - 24X

Will I be able to download Playstation or Playstation 2 games onto my Playstation 3 hard drive?
Sony has said that certain Playstation titles will be available to download onto the Playstation 3 system for use on the PS3 and PSP. No word yet on whether Playstation 2 games will be available for download, although it's doubful due to the large size of many of the later Playstation 2 games.

-- Corbie Dillard

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