Well..it's time to make decisions.
Get your wallet ready.
The holiday shopping season is bearing down upon us steadily and we all have to make our choices. What console to buy, or whether to buy one at all. Fortunately Sony has chosen to provide us at MyGamer information on it's PS3 console which will, after an examination of the facts contained within, help us all to make the choices that our bounding around our heads. Ready then? Here we go.
First of all let's talk about the differences between the 60GB and the 20GB versions of the PS3. The first and, of course, the most obvious is that they are markedly cheaper. The 60GB version will retail for $600 dollars and the 20GB for $410 dollars. Since the Xbox 360 is currently marked at about $400 dollars retail only the 20GB PS3 is on the same level price wise as the Xbox 360.
The heart of the PS3 system is the Cell Broadband Engine that promises new heights of processing power for the unit..certainly there is evidence to back this up as the tech demo that has been so widely circulated around the Internet has proven. The units will also contain a Blu-Ray disc player for use in high definition gaming. The Blu-Ray system has caused problems for Sony, but it's picture quality has been listed at 1080p, so those with a high definition system will no doubt find it very worthwhile. However, even if the purchaser does not have an HD TV, the PS3 supports conventional TV setups.
The system also has a Giga-bit Ethernet set up and a factory installed hard disk drive for downloading various media content, online games, and other online services over Sony's network. The controller, dubbed the SIXAXIS controller has been redesigned to include new technology such as the new motion sensing system that will, according to Sony, allow for easier in game control and better accuracy while playing. And, as with the PS2, it is backwards compatible so your PS1 and PS2 games will still run.
To hammer the point home, though, here are the specifications that show the makeup of the two models of the PS3 that Sony has very kindly provided for us.
PS3 system (60 GB HDD):
Dimensions: Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D)
CPU: Cell Broadband EngineTM
GPU: RSX
Main Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM
Embedded VRAM: 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
Hard Drive Disk: 2.5" Serial ATA (60 GB HDD)
Main Input/Output: USB 2.0 (x4), MemoryStick/SD/CompactFlash
Ethernet: 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T
Bluetooth: 2.0 (EDR), Wireless Controller (up to 7)
Wireless Communication: IEEE 802.11 b/g (w/60 GB HDD PS3)
Screen Size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI: HDMI out – (x1/HDMI)
Analog: AV MUTLI OUT x1
Digital Audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL x1)
Disc Drive: Blu-ray/DVD/CD (read-only)
PS3 system (20 GB HDD):
Dimensions: Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D)
CPU: Cell Broadband EngineTM
GPU: RSX
Main Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM
Embedded VRAM: 256MB GDDR3 VRAM
Hard Drive Disk: 2.5" Serial ATA (20 GB HDD)
Main Input/Output: USB 2.0 (x4
Ethernet: 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T
Bluetooth: 2.0 (EDR), Wireless Controller (up to 7)
Screen Size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
HDMI: HDMI out – (x1/HDMI)
Analog: AV MUTLI OUT x1
Digital Audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL x1)
Disc Drive: Blu-ray/DVD/CD (read-only)
And here is more information from Sony concerning the nuts and bolts of the individual consoles themselves. I know it's a lot of information, but I didn't think this article would be fully objective without it. Read on and I'll meet you at the bottom of the page.
|
FEATURE |
PS3 system (60 GB HDD) |
PS3 system (20 GB HDD) |
Xbox 360 |
Xbox 360 Core System |
Wii |
|
Dimensions |
Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D) |
Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D) |
309mm (W) x 83mm (H) x 258mm (D) |
309mm (W) x 83mm (H) x 258mm (D) |
157mm x 215.4mm x 44mm |
|
CPU |
Cell Broadband EngineTM |
Cell Broadband EngineTM |
Custom-designed Xbox 360 CPU (3.2 GHz PowerPC processor with 3 cores) |
Custom-designed Xbox 360 CPU (3.2 GHz PowerPC processor with 3 cores) |
PowerPC CPU (code-named "Broadway" ) |
|
GPU |
RSX |
RSX |
ATI graphics processor (500 MHz) |
ATI graphics processor (500 MHz) |
243 MHz ATI "Hollywood" GPU |
|
Memory |
|
|
|
|
|
|
HDD |
2.5" Serial ATA (60 GB) |
2.5" Serial ATA (20 GB) |
20 GB HDD |
None |
512MB internal flash memory |
|
I/O |
|
USB 2.0 (x4)
|
|
|
USB 2.0 (x2) |
|
Controller |
SIXAXISTM Wireless Controller |
SIXAXISTM Wireless Controller |
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller |
Xbox 360 Wired Controller |
|
|
Disc Drive |
Blu-ray/DVD/CD "read only" |
Blu-ray/DVD/CD "read only" |
12X DVD drive |
12X DVD drive |
|
|
Game Media Format |
Blu-ray Disc |
Blu-ray Disc |
DVD Disc |
DVD Disc |
|
|
Communication |
x1 / 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T |
x1 / 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T |
Ethernet port |
Ethernet port (Hard Drive or Memory Unit Required) |
USB 2.0 LAN adaptor |
|
Wireless Communication |
IEEE 802.11b (WiFi)
|
None |
Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter sold separately |
Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter sold separately (Hard Drive or Memory Unit Required) |
IEEE 802.11 |
|
Bluetooth |
2.0 (EDR) |
2.0 (EDR) |
None |
None |
Bluetooth enabled |
|
AV Output |
|
|
Component HD AV cable |
Composite AV cable |
AV Multi-output port for component, composite or S-video |
|
Screen Size |
480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p |
480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p |
With the Fall 2006 console update, Xbox 360 consoles will have the ability to upscale content to 1080p and support future 1080p games (TBA) |
With the Fall 2006 console update, Xbox 360 consoles will have the ability to upscale content to 1080p and support future 1080p games (TBA) |
Output to 480p and 16:9 widescreen |
|
HDMI output |
HDMI out – (x1/HDMI) |
HDMI out – (x1/HDMI) |
None |
None |
None |
|
Digital Audio |
Digital Out (Optical) x1 |
Digital Out (Optical) x1 |
Digital Out |
Digital Out |
None |
Dear me, that was rather a lot, wasn't it? Still, upon review, it seems that Sony will undoubtedly pose a threat to Microsoft's one year lead with it's Xbox 360. It's going to be a thrilling Christmas season so, as the time nears, when these two giants will battle at each other, stay tuned to MyGamer.com for more details as they become available.
Good luck!