PS3

Yep, we now have all the major consoles (current and last gen... and a PSP and two DS's). I have previously had no desire for a PS3 as the selection of titles is not that great yet. However, in all their new models of the PS3, Sony has replaced the embedded PS2 chips with software emulation and their backward compatibility with PS2 titles has dropped from close to 100% to somewhere around 60%, depending on who you talk to. (This topic has been covered extensively online - google it if you want more info.) We have a pretty large library of PS2 and PSOne titles so we decided to get a 60gb PS3, which is apparently the last model that you can still find on store shelves (or Amazon for us) that has the PS2 chips inside. So, if you want a PS3 that can play close to 100% of all PSOne, PS2, and PS3 titles then you better snatch up a 60gb quickly.

So far, I'm pretty underwhelmed. Complaint #1: The PS3 is ridiculously expensive and it doesn't even come with HD cables! It's supposed to be this revolutionary console and yet it only runs at 420p out of the box. Complaint #2: You have to leave the console running to charge the wireless controllers. Complaint #3: The online environment is lame. Didn't Sony have about a year to watch XBox live on the 360?? Have they seen it? Apparently they've learned nothing from XBox Live's success. Complaint #4: The first game I tried on it was a Harry Potter demo as I was trying to find something family-friendly. Wow, is that game painful to look at. We actually own the game for the Wii and I could tell no difference. So, that was certainly a bad first impression.

Having said all that I still think the PS3 has a bright future. The technology is certainly great. I remember when I held-off on getting a 360 because of the lack of title variety and now it has a huge selection. Also, the 360 is more aimed at the "hardcore" gamer (online shooters, Madden, etc) and the Playstation series has a much more broad array of titles. Once the next generation of the Playstation's platformers, RPG, and children/tween games start coming out I'm convinced it will get a lot more momentum.

We enjoy platformers at our house (Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, Crash Bandicoot, etc) and the next Ratchet and Clank title is coming out on the PS3 next month. They've released a demo online and not only does it look amazing, but it's a ton of fun. (If you've never tried a platformer and you have a ps2 then grab Jak and Daxter or Ratchet and Clank - amazing games).