Playstation 3 - Everything you want to know

Even before the PS2 launched Ken Kutaragi promoted his baby as the next-generation of computing devices. A lot of the initial promises made with the PS2 fell through, but now 7 years later, the introduction of the PS3 is turning those dreams into a reality. Sony is taking built-in functionality to the next level and transforming their Playstation into something that does a lot more than play games.

Playstation 3 Hardware

For detailed specifications about the processing power of the CPU and GPU and all of that stuff there are a myriad of sources, here's one.

What comes in the box?

20GB Version

• Playstation 3 Console
  • 20GB Hard Drive
  • Ethernet port
  • Blu-Ray playback
• 1 Sixaxis controller
• 1 USB cable (to charge the Sixaxis)
• 1 composite cable
• 1 ethernet cable 
• Manual

• Playstation 3 Console (with chrome trim)
  • 60GB Hard Drive
  • ethernet port
  • Blu-Ray Playback
  • B/G WiFi
  • Compact-Flash/Memory Stick Reader
• 1 Sixaxis controller
• 1 USB cable (to charge the Sixaxis)
• 1 Composite cable
• 1 ethernet cable
• Manual

Playstation 3 Expandability

Bluetooth 2.0 - the wireless Sixaxis controller communicates with the PS3 through Bluetooth allowing you to have up to 4 controllers connected at the same time. The full Bluetooth spec allows 7 slave devices to connect to the 1 master (the PS3) so even with 4 controllers connect you can still connect another 3 peripherals. Since the PS3 follows the standard Bluetooth protocol theoretically it should be able to connect with Bluetooth headsets and possibly even cell phones. There are currently no confirmed reports of these devices working, but it's definitely possible with a firmware update.

4 USB ports - used to charge your Sixaxis controllers and connect normal USB devices. You can also connect your USB keyboard and mouse to the console and use them with the webbrowser and text-chat. In the future some games may even support a KB&M setup for FPS games as we saw on the PS2. The other major use for the USB ports is to connect a USB hard-drive or thumbstick, you can access a USB storage device and playback any media found or even use it for game saves.

SATA - this is the connection used by the PS3's hard-drive. The HDD is a standard 2.5" laptop SATA drive and is easily removable and replaceable. This way you can take out the 20GB HDD in the cheaper version and replace it with your own 300GB version if you want. From reports on the Internet the drive speed doesn't make a difference so spend your money on a larger capacity and buffer size and go with a 5400 RPM drive.

Gigabit Ethernet - your standard everyday Ethernet port. This time built in from the beginning!

Memory Stick/Compact-Flash (60GB Version only) - just another storage option, useful for quickly viewing any pictures from your digital camera.

B/G WiFi (Built-in with 60GB Verion Only) - it's unknown as to whether or not a standard USB wireless adapter will work with the 20GB version. So far Sony has no plans to release an official adapter, so if you want to use WiFi the safe choices are to go with the 60GB version or the 20GB version and purchase a wireless bridge. WiFi is used to connect the PS3 to the Internet, your home network, and to the PSP.

Playstation 3 Backwards Compatibility

Official Backwards Compatibility Status.

Supports full backwards compatibility with all PS1 and PS2 games. There are some issues though, since the PS2 controllers don't work on the PS3, games like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution won't work the way they're supposed to. There are also some early reports of certain games not working properly but the number is very small. The biggest issue with BC is regarding people playing on HD displays. If you have the PS3 setup in HD mode then the BC games end up getting stretched and looking awful, so if you want to play them properly you have to go into the XMB settings and change the PS3's display mode to 480i or 480p. On the plus side there is a major advantage in the form of improved load times. Some people have claimed a speedup of 15 second loads on their PS2s to 4 seconds on the PS3, this is most likely due to the faster drive in the PS3, but it's definitely welcome.

Playstation 3 Blu-Ray Playback

The PS3 is a full-fledged Blu-Ray player that competes and even surpasses the stand alone players that retail for $900 or more. Early impressions around the web point to a fantastic player with quick loading times and impeccable picture quality. No compatibility problems or weird issues that came up with the PS2's DVD playback in the early days have surfaced. Frankly, Pioneer, Panasonic, and even Sony themselves can't quite compete with the PS3 (yet) when it comes to value as a Blu-Ray player: it's the cheapest on the market and there's that whole playing PS3 games as well (except the PS3 can't do upconversion of regular NTSC DVDs whereas at least the Pioneer Blu-Ray players can).

Playstation 3 Audio/Video Output

There are two output ports on the PS3, the HDMI port which is available on both the 20GB and 60GB versions, and the traditional Sony A/V MULTI port. The MULTI port is the same as on the PS2 so if you have component cables for your PS2, you can just use those for the PS3.

Taken directly from the PS3 Online Manual

Audio

*1 - Audio from Super Audio CDs cannot be output from the system's digital out (optical) connector. Multi-channel content from Super Audio CDs can only be output from the HDMI OUT connector.

*2 - A device compatible with Linear PCM 7.1. Ch. is required to output 7.1 Ch. audio from the HDMI OUT connector.

*3 - The system does not support output from DTS-HD 7.1 Ch. DTS-HD 7.1 Ch. audio is output from a 5.1 or lower channel.

Video

Issues: PS3 games that are rendered at 720p can only be output at 720p or 480p. Therefore televisions that can only accept a 1080i signal will only receive the 480p (Standard Definition) picture. Blu-Ray movies can't output at 720p, so if your television has a horrible scaler going from 1080i->720p you'll receive a degraded image.

*1 - The video mode options vary depending on the region where the PS3™ system was purchased. In North America, Asia and other NTSC regions, 480i video mode is displayed as [Standard (NTSC)]. In Europe and other PAL regions, 576i video mode is displayed as [Standard (PAL)]. For details, refer to the instructions supplied with the product.

*2 - The D-terminal connector type is mainly used in Japan. The resolutions of D1-D5 are as follows:
D5: 1080p / 1080i / 720p / 480p / 480i
D4: 1080i / 720p / 480p / 480i
D3: 1080i / 480p / 480i
D2: 480p / 480i
D1: 480i

*3 - Composite is the connector used to connect the AV cable that is supplied with the PS3™ system. S VIDEO is a format mainly used in Japan.

*4 - AV MULTI is a format mainly used in Japan. SCART is a format mainly used in Europe. If [AV MULTI or SCART] is selected, the screen allowing you to select the type of output signal will be displayed.

Playstation 3 Software

Playstation 3 XMB (Cross Media Bar)

First used with the PSP, the XMB interface makes its second appearance in the PS3, with Sony promising that it will become the standard interface for all of its consumer products, even its tvs. XMB is a very simple interface that makes heavy use of icons. From the XMB you have access to everything the PS3 offers from playing games, to using the Playstation Store, to listening to music.

Playstation 3 Digital Media Playback Abilities

Audio files, movie files, and pictures are all accessible and viewable on your PS3. However, unlike with the Xbox 360, media cannot be streamed across your home network, instead the PS3 can only access media that is located on its local hard-drive, a memory card that's plugged in (with the 60GB version), or a plugged in USB storage device.

Audio Formats

ATRAC (.oma .msa .aa3), AAC (.3gp .mp4), MP3 (.mp3), WAV (.wav). 

Explanation - your entire mp3 collection will be playable. Protected music that has been downloaded from iTunes definitely won't be playable, music from PlayForSure stores like Napster might be playable.

Video Formats

MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (PS,TS), H.264/MEPG-4 AVC, MPEG-4 SP

Explanation - DivX is not supported so if you're downloading a lot of movies and tv shows off the Internet then those most likely won't be playable without first doing a conversion process like is necessary with an iPod or PSP.

Picture Formats: JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF

Explanation - All the standard ones are supported, no worries should be placed here.

The audio capabilities are standard fare, same with video, high-definition video files are obviously supported. A couple of cool features are worth mentioning, when viewing the list of your video files the thumbnails are actually rolling clips of the video in question, it's simple but effective. The other great feature is the slideshow capabilities for viewing pictures. Sony has done a great job of using the PS3's power to present your images in a flashy way that's very effective, check it out in the video

Playstation 3 Internet Browser

The PS3 is the only next-generation console that ships with an Internet browser right out of the box. There is no browser available for the 360, and the Wii's browser is a separate download that is initially free for the early adopters, but in 2007 Nintendo is going to start charging for. Both the Wii browser and the PS3 browser are based off of the niche, but powerful Opera browser, both having been heavily customized for their respective platforms. The most important information, is that YES YouTube does work on the PS3 browser. Other streaming media such as MySpace music will also work. However, you will not be able to download files from the browser onto the PS3's hard-drive, which sucks. The video below has a good demonstration of the browser's capabilities

PSP Connectivity

Interaction between a handheld and console has been around a long time, and while the PS2 and PSP couldn't talk to each other, the PS3 is looking to change that in a dramatic way. The PS3 completes a fundamental piece to the puzzle in PSP's world as the PS3 acts as a gateway and content provider. Through USB or an ad-hoc wireless connection the two machines communicate. Sony plans to allow users to connect to their PS3 from anywhere there's a wireless hotspot, but for now local wireless is the only option. Once the two machines are connected you can transfer over the Playstation 1 titles that have been purchased from the Playstation store onto your PSP to play them. This is also true for the eventual music, and movie content that Sony will be providing on the Playstation Store.

The other really cool way the PSP connects to the PS3 is as a location-free player. With the press of a few buttons you can control your PS3 from your PSP, and also stream the media that's on your PS3 and watch it on your PSP.

Extra Software for Playstation 3

Beyond the already rich set of applications that ship inside the box of the PS3 Sony is providing ways to extend the system on the software side. There are two known applications that have been announced that provide an exciting set of possibilities for users willing to go that extra mile.

Folding@Home - for a bit of background Folding@Home is a distributed application that simulates protien folding. What this does is uses the world's computing power to examine the ways our cellular structures work to better understand diseases and how to cure them and other forms of research. A version of the application will be available for the PS3 which will utilize the Cell's processing power to perform these simulation calculations. The release date of the software is still to be determined but will be free to download as soon as it's released.

Yellow Dog Linux - did someone say Xbox Media Center? Without getting into too much technical detail, Sony has engineered the XMB OS to be able to support running other operating systems on the PS3. On November 17th users will be able to download, install and run a full blown Linux distrobution in the form of Yellow Dog. YDL has been customized to run within the PS3's strict memory limitations and will make use of Cell's processing to run smoothly. YDL ships with a number of applications and depending on how the porting process goes there should be everything from media players to Open Office available. Even if these applications aren't available on the 17th, having Linux on the PS3 is exciting enough that people will dedicate the time to make these applications work. All of the limitations in the standard XMB OS regarding media streaming and all of that should be handled by installing Linux. All of this is in theory though, and until the PS3 is launched and YDL is confirmed to work as advertised take these statements with a grain of salt.

Playstation 3 Games

For a full rundown of the PS3 launch titles that'll be available on November 17th, check here. And for an ongoing list of PS3 games refer to this continually updated list here.

Playstation Network

Despite the differences in all 3 consoles, this is the first generation where all the major consoles have featured online as an integral part of the experience. The 360 has Xbox Live, Wii has WiiConnect24, and the PS3 has the Playstation Network (or PNP for short). Xbox Live is the current standard and benchmark by which other online plans are judged, so if you have experience with Live then you'll know what to expect. Think of PNP as a middle ground between Xbox Live's totally closed and integrated approach, and the PS2's completely open laissez-fair.

Playstation Network Basic Features

Single Sign-On - you have one identity or profile that exists on your PS3 console and on the network. Different settings are associated with your profile, as well as your PNP avatar. One PS3 can support multiple profiles, but only one profile can be the administrator that has total control over the machine.

Friends List - keep track of your friends, send them messages, see what game they're playing all through this interface. There's one big issue though, and that is the separation of your console friends list with game specific ones. What this means is that you'll have a friends list that you can access through the XMB interface, and then each game will have it's OWN completely separate list used for matchmaking, clans and that kind of thing. Later on down the line games should start to use all the same friends list, but for now this is the way it's done. For each game you'll have to readd all of your friends to play with them.

Voice/Video Chat - setup a chatroom with a few friends (number TBD) and talk away. Chat lobbies cannot be running while playing in a game, you have to be in the XMB interface to have a chatroom.

Text/Voice/Video Messages - send your friends messages. Upon receiving the message a notification pops up on the recipient's display. However, unlike with Xbox Live you cannot read your messages from within a game, you know you have a message, you just can't read what it says. To read the message you have to exit the game back into XMB.

Achievements, Gamerscore, and Game Invites - game specific and not part of the PNP itself. Unlike with Xbox Live where every single game has these standard features, implementing any or all is up to the game developers themselves.

Playstation Store

Purchase and download a variety of game and non-game content

• Playstation One games to play on your PSP
• downloadable Arcade style games
• demos
• movies and music

Unlike 360 and Wii Sony's Playstation Store gives the dollar amounts instead of using a point system. Users have what they call a wallet where you place your credit card information, or redeem prepaid cards, then use the money in that wallet to purchase items.

Playstation Store in action