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I'll begin! TLDR, etc, etc. I picked up my PS3 yesterday; the 80gb. I was fairly excited to get a running, but never knew what to expect. Sure, everyone knows that it comes with a blu-ray player and 'runs' games, but I feel like this system really has it all. The setup was easy, which is a given, but to start with a lighter aspect of the system. The case is so reflective and futuristic looking compared to the other consoles. I'm trying not to touch it to avoid finger prints. Speaking of touching, touch sensitivity for shooting out the disc and turning on or off the system is pretty neat. No buttons! On the subject of the actual console specifications, weight stands out. It's a very fragile system in comparison to the 360 and the Wii, but even so, that's nothing to really whine about unless you're constantly feeling it up. The controller is very comfortable. In my opinion the most comfortable, but not too far on the bar ahead of the 360's controller. The upside to the PS3 controller is how light the controller is, and well, being able to charge the controller through the USB port is just an amazing feature anyways. Keeping my 360 controller's batteries up to date is a chore at times. Also, I can't imagine doing much damage to this if I dropped it, as opposed to 360's controller. Although, on the subject of protection the Wii obviously wins with it's condom-wrappers. You'll notice that I'm comparing to a lot systems in this review. It's because my brother owns a Wii, and because I've recently had an Xbox 360, and before that a gaming PC, so I have a lot of console knowledge fresh in my mind from those experiences. Another thing that I noticed was how quiet the system runs. It's more of a gentle hum like the Wii, as opposed to the 360 which can sound like a motorcycle engine at times - I experienced this to an astonishing degree with Left4Dead on the 360, leaving me to Install to the Hard-Drive which worked better. Something else I shouldn't leave out - WiFi - Holy **** this is a feature I'll kneel to the ground and thank the heavens for. The PS3 feels very polished unlike its foe - the 360. Don't get me wrong, Xbox Live, combined with the great selection the 360 had prior to late 2008 was a superior console that I truly loved. I couldn't put it down at first, and I even said a bit about the PS3. "Oh, poor selection of games. It's like a computer, why would anyone want to buy another computer? Too expensive." Etc etc. I really like the PS3 'Desktop' so to speak. It's very simple in design, and the themes stand out. The menus are well organized, as well, and well, the features. My god, the features! From left to right, you start with user accounts and power options. It feels like a computer, dammit, but that's not a bad thing. Then you've got all of the options and settings you'll probably ever need. Security, Sound, Remote, Network, Display, Printer, Accessory, Date and Time, Power, Theme, System, Chat, Music, Video and Game settings! Further right you've got photo options, galleries, albums, play lists and all of that kind of stuff - Next is your music, then it's Video, then further onto game data, trophies, memory - Then to network, which contains an internet browser (Using a Mouse and Keyboard combo here is an overall amazing feature, and if it's implemented into more coming games then the PS3 will truly become a 'gaming' PC in and of itself), then Remote Play. Further right is the Playstation Network, Home and Store as well as Account Management. Then it's a fairly in-depth friends tab. The options are unreal, in my opinion. This system just has so much to offer. It's a powerhouse of possibilities, and I feel like I'm going to be using this for the next few years, granted that another Sony product doesn't take its place. Next is blu-ray. Such an awesome feature, and something nice to just have. I'm obsessed with quality, especially from movies, and after testing out a few test previews with the PS3 welcome disc, I'm sure this system will be used half of the time for movies, as well as gaming and web browsing. Also, from what I understand the blu-ray player also upscales the quality of DVDs to a degree? I'm not 100% on this feature, but if so, that's something excellent by itself. I've only managed to play three games - KZ2, Dead Space and Burnout Paradise. Actually, I've yet to even put in Burnout, but I've played it on the 360 so I feel like I know what to expect. Kill Zone 2 is just a beautiful game, but I've only played it so far to test the controls of the PS3 and get a feel of what I can expect from other titles. The graphics, while I know are a step above the ordinary PS3 game, are just superb. I've played Crysis on a gaming PC that I used to own on maxed settings, direct X 9, and these graphics aren't far off. I mean, Crysis is just polished to no extent, in a sandbox. Kill Zone 2 is an ongoing war, explosions are also ongoing, enemies are coming from all sides in an array of different uniforms. It would be hard to maintain much quality past what they've already got, combined with the elements of the game. I'm surprised they can present what they have can, to be honest. Then again, I'm not exactly sure how powerful the PS3 is over the Xbox 360, but I found the 360 to have trouble running some games, especially Gears of War 2 and GTA IV. The fps drop was right in front of you. Dead Space is another game, which I have played in the past, but looks about the same as it did for PC on my PS3, which is a plus since I had a pretty beastly computer setup. The controls are very comfortable, but what I'm most excited about is the add-ons. Graphically, the PS3 seems to be a powerhouse without much lag. I've yet to touch online, though. Another thing that I noticed was how organized the store is. It's about on par with that of 360's marketplace, but I prefer smaller text and windows, so it's easier on my eyes, but there's no real difference from what I can notice. Downloading add-ons and updates seems a tad slow in comparison to how quickly the 360 did things, and this is based on using the same connection for both systems. To cut to the list of cons, from what I understand online receives a small amount of lag at times, which is understandable on a WiFi connection with interferences such as cordless phone frequencies and all kinds of weird devices, even other routers interfering (Especially if you live in an apartment like me).The casing is a finger-print whore, which is half annoying, but so nice to look at it. In the past people constantly smoke of lack of games, no rumble controller, no Playstation Home, a poorly designed PS-Network. All of these complaints seem to have diminished so I'm not sure what other Cons I really can touch up on. With time I'm sure I'll find a few annoyances, but so far everything seems solid. I'm running out of ideas here, so I'll get to the bottom line: With its quiet operation and an array of different options and features - From web-browsing with the mouse and keyboard - To viewing Blu-Ray discs - To a failure rate of 0.02 - All the way to gaming at a quality that will last for the next few years, I personally believe that the PS3 is the best console on the market. In terms of spending, though, you can't really go wrong with the Xbox 360 or Wii, but I believe that taking into account the price isn't going to get to the bare bones of a console review. If you're going to purchase an 'entertainment and media center' which is what I'd refer to this as, then the Xbox 360 and the Wii cannot top the PS3, since it's the closest thing to a computer in a console that has ever been released. The interface is friendly, online is most importantly free, features like WiFi are something that most won't take for granted - Lack of a power supply makes for an easier and cleaner setup, and from this point on, the gaming selection is on the rise. I believe that 2008 was the year of the Xbox 360, since there was a power load of new releases last year, and a number of new features, which left the PS3 with a large amount of competition to deal with. 2007 seemed to be a combination of the Wii and the 360, while 2009 is without a doubt the year of the PS3, with its exclusives and polished off features, you really can't ask for much more. Whether it'll take 2010 is anyone's guess, since my bet is that the PC with D3/SC2 will most likely be what everyone is climbing for at that point. Off-topic, but there it is. Thanks for reading if you took the time to do so.

A PS3 review and comparison of sorts.

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