A Month With My New PS3: An XB360's Owner's Impressions and Wish List.
184 days 2 hours ago
| by:
whengeeksgobad
I love electronics, the convergence of technology, and just plain ol' fidgeting with stuff to get the most out of our investments. It didn't take me long to determine that the PS3 was my ideal choice for a BR player, but wanted to know what it was really capable of, and frankly, to try to replace my xb360 as the device I use to watch HD Media in my living room. It made no sense to me that I'd be watching .AVI's or HD-WMV's on my 360, and BR discs on the ps3. One device would be ideal but after a bit of researching, it just may not be possible. Below, I've broken down the things I've noticed immediately about the ps3, and what I'd like to see added/improved, as well as the things I like about it.
Things I like:
Blu Ray Player:
I feel like this speaks for itself, so I'll not elaborate on it.
It's quiet:
One of my biggest complaints about the 360 is how loud it is. The home theatre has to be cranked up pretty loud to drown out the fan whine of the xbox and its a drag. Because the ps3 is more quiet, its now my preferred device to watch Hulu, Netflix, and other web streaming services. This is done via Playon, and I've been very happy with the service.
Upgradeable HD, Linux Support..Sorta, Built-In WiFi:
Since I cannot Hook up my external HD (see wish list section below), I'll need to upgrade the HD in the ps3 to get the most from it. This is easy (and pretty affordable) with the PS3. If you ever want to do an Ubuntu Linux install, the larger HDD would be ideal also.
The built in WiFi works as expected, but there are restrictions and workarounds for it under Linux. I just went the ethernet route in the end.
I know people out there have been installing Ubuntu on the PS3's, and I'd like some more feedback from those who are using it regularly. Here's what I found:
You simply cannot use the ps3 with Linux as an HTPC because it doesn't have the horsepower to display HD content. It's not because the PS3 is underpowered, but rather, its pretty unlikely developers in the linux community will be given access to RSX acceleration. As I understand it, they've also been locked out of several of the SPE's in the Cell processor itself. Unless you like to play old emulated Nintendo Games (and I do), you may find your fresh Linux install on your PS3 going stale rather soon. Plus, that space can be used for more music/content.
The XMB:
At first it took me a moment to figure it out. Now that I have, I like it more than I like the new Xbox Experience, or whatever its called. Navigating through tabs on my Xbox now makes me feel like I'm watching the Disney Channel. It's a bit annoying in how loud it is visually. I simply prefer the XMB more as a more subtle "dashboard."
Wish List:
HFS+ Support
First, let me explain the old/existing setup: XB360 elite, connected to a 500 GB Western Digital external HD. This HD has been reformatted using the HFS+ filesystem (it's the mac file system, at the moment I have no PC's - my last pc died and I just haven't replaced it). Using the mac file system I avoid the FAT32 file size limitation, and can use the device freely with all of my macs and my linux box at work without needing any additional tools to read/write/mount the drive. With HFS+ support, I could completely replace my xbox as a media hub now that I've got playon up and running. :(
With the xbox, I simply plug the drive in, and watch any of the supported media formats directly off the drive. I prefer this to streaming over a network because its far more responsive. Fast Forward/Rewinding streamed content is a PITA, I've found the playback experience to much more rewarding while connected directly to the xbox.
This cannot be done with the PS3. The PS3 does not support the filesystem, so the drive cannot be hooked up. I've had to find alternate workarounds, which, with no PC have been... Interesting. It can be done but its not easy. Basically, the easiest work around for selfish little me would be for the ps3 to simply support HFS+. Not only would it help me out, but it would also help out anyone who also doesn't have a PC, but has an Ipod they'd like to hook up to their ps3 and listen to their mp3's.
Music + Gaming:
This is a feature that I took for granted with the XBox. Listening to your own music in most any game you want is a great thing, and it's something I just can't do with the PS3 in every game.
Proprietary Remote:
I can't use my universal remote with the ps3, its beyond silly.
Better Multiplatform Ports:
I'm not here to argue or bash the PS3. I believe personally that the PS3 is a very capable machine when developers really take the time to put it to work. It's sad to see that most games which are available for both systems are generally speaking, inferior on the PS3. If this is not the case, I think we can all agree that Sony needs to do a much better job of accentuating why the experience is superior on the ps3. In the future, I can see the Blu Ray capacity being a HUGE advantage for Sony. At present, my own experience in comparing titles, as well sifting through the many reviews online all leave me with the impression that ps3 gamers are generally receiving an inferior product when compared to their xbox counterparts. This is really frustrating because anyone who's seen killzone on a ps3 knows that its very capable. Over time, these kinks will get ironed out as developers get more comfortable working with Cell/RSX, I hope.
Bottome line:
I'm looking for a console that allows me to do it all from the living room and *NEITHER ONE OF THEM* is there yet. The Xbox is too loud, the ps3 doesn't work for my particular setup. I'll need to continue using both for this or that. I'm a fan of content moreso than the platforms that deliver them, and I can honestly say I like both consoles quite a bit. I look forward to seeing how each manufacturer keeps their product evolving through firmware updates and new software.
wggb
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