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After Hours

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

By Bill Detwiler January 23, 2007, 10:35 PM PST Bill Detwiler on Twitter billdetwiler

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Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Sony's PlayStation 3

Sony's PlayStation 3

Once the holiday buying frenzy died down, we finally procured a Sony PlayStation 3. As we did with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii, we plan to crack open the PS3 and explore the hardware that makes Sony’s new console run. Before breaking out the screwdrivers and plyers, the CNET Louisville staff took the PS3 for a test drive–just in case I couldn’t put it back together again.

Credit: Bill Detwiler

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Box front

Box front

Compared to the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 has a much larger box.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3, wireless controller, cables, and manuals

PlayStation 3, wireless controller, cables, and manuals

Like the Nintendo Wii, you can stand the Playstation 3 vertically, as shown here, or position the unit horizontally.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Another shot of the PlayStation 3 and box contents

Another shot of the PlayStation 3 and box contents

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Analog PlayStation 3 A/V cable

Analog PlayStation 3 A/V cable

The PlayStation 3’s analog AV cable looks very similar to the Gamecube’s AV cable.

The included AV cable will produce an image at 480i resolution. The S VIDEO Cable (sold separately) will also produce a 480i image. The Component AV Cable (sold separately) will produce 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 480i images. The HDMI Cable will produce 1080p, 1080i, 720p, and 480p images.

At standard definition (SD) resolutions (480p and 480i), the PS3 can produce an image with either a 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio. At high definition (HD) resolutions (1080p, 1080i, and 720p), the PS3 will only produce an image with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS wireless controller and USB cable

PlayStation 3 SIXAXIS wireless controller and USB cable

The PlayStation 3’s SIXAXIS wireless controller is almost identical to the PlayStation 2’s controller.

Unlike the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360, these wireless controllers use a battery that cannot be changed by the user, if at all. Gamers charge the controller’s battery by connecting it to the PlayStation 3 via the provided USB cable. Should the controller’s battery go during the critical boss fight, you can connected the controller to the console via the USB cable and continue playing.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

SIXAXIS Wireless controller top

SIXAXIS Wireless controller top

The SIXAXIS controller uses Bluetooth to wirelessly connect to the PlayStation 3, which can support up to seven wireless controllers at one time.

I’d hate to play a split-screen game with seven other people.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

SIXAXIS Wireless controller top close up

SIXAXIS Wireless controller top close up

Although the SIXAXIS controller will be familiar to PlayStation 2 owners and it does have some motion-sensing ability, Sony could have done more to innovate their controller–like the revolutionary Nintendo Wii remote.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

SIXAXIS Wireless control bottom

SIXAXIS Wireless control bottom

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

SIXAXIS Wireless controller front

SIXAXIS Wireless controller front

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

SIXAXIS Wireless controller front triggers

SIXAXIS Wireless controller front triggers

According to Sony’s PlayStation 3 Web site, the controller’s L2/R2 triggers have been redesigned to increase “travel and precision for more subtle control in games”.

The buttons do stick out a bit further than the PS2 controller’s L2/R2 buttons, but the SIXAXIS buttons felt very similar to the old controller’s buttons.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 top

PlayStation 3 top

The PlayStation 3’s shinny black case look great, until it gets covered in dust and finger prints.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 front

PlayStation 3 front

Our $599 60GB HDD PlayStation 3 came with silver plastic trim-how upscale. From the front of the unit you can access the PS3’s Blu-Ray optical drive, power button, disc eject button, memory card slots (hidden in this photo), and four USB ports. The HDD activity light and Wi-Fi connectivity light.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 memory card slots

PlayStation 3 memory card slots

The $599 PlayStation 3 version supports Memory Sticks, SD Memory Cards, and Compact Flash cards. You don’t need an adaptor for Memory Stick Duo/miniSD cards. The PlayStation 3’s operating system will display or play ATRAC, MP3, AAC, JPEG and MPEG-4 files.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 front USB ports, hard drive indicator light, and wireless indicator light

PlayStation 3 front USB ports, hard drive indicator light, and wireless indicator light

Below the memory card slots, the PS3 has four USB ports, the HDD activity light, and Wi-Fi connectivity light. The $599 PlayStation 3 has a built-in IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connection.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 front optical drive slot, eject button, and power button

PlayStation 3 front optical drive slot, eject button, and power button

The PlayStation 3 uses a slot-loading Blu-Ray Disc (BD)/DVD/CD drive.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Disc eject and power button close up

Disc eject and power button close up

It took us a few seconds to figure out the disc eject and power buttons. I kept trying to press or squeeze the buttons but they just wouldn’t budge. Instead of buttons you depress, the PS3 uses touch-sensitive buttons that you simply hold you finger to–nice, but not immediately intuitive.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 left side

PlayStation 3 left side

On the unit’s left side (or bottom if positioned vertically), you can access the PS3’s 2.5′ Serial ATA (60GB) hard drive.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 back

PlayStation 3 back

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 rear jacks and ports

PlayStation 3 rear jacks and ports

Along with two large vents, the PS3’s rear panel contains the main power switch, AC power connector, HDMI connector, RJ-45 Ethernet jack, optical audio output, and AV cable connector.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 right side

PlayStation 3 right side

More cooling vents

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 bottom

PlayStation 3 bottom

The PS3’s bottom contains more cooling vents and four rubber feet.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 next to our Xbox 360

PlayStation 3 next to our Xbox 360

After thoroughly photographing the PS3, it was time to try it out. We took the unit into our game room and hooked it up next to our Xbox 360 and Wii (not shown).

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

No video signal

No video signal

Much to our dismay, our Samsung television would not properly detect the PS3. We tried both an HDMI cable and the analog AV cable, with no luck.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Checking the HDMI and standard AV cables

Checking the HDMI and standard AV cables

We double checked the cables and inputs several times.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Double checking the TV's input settings

Double checking the TV's input settings

We also tried various settings on the television. Still, we could not get an image from the PS3.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Ensuring the wireless controller is synchronized

Ensuring the wireless controller is synchronized

We were able to synchronize the wireless controller, as the red 1 light would shine. Unfortunately, this did us no good as we still couldn’t see what we were doing on the television.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

If all else fails, read the manual

If all else fails, read the manual

After about 15 minutes of trying, I broke down and searched the manual for a solution. John Sheesley, fellow TechRepublic Section Editor, eagerly awaits my findings.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

The solution to our problem

The solution to our problem

Okay, here we go. Let’s reset the PS3’s video mode to standard resolution by holding in the power button for 5 seconds.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 HDMI setup

PlayStation 3 HDMI setup

Success! With the video mode reset, the television could detect the PlayStation 3 and we could select the proper video mode.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Choosing the optimal video setting

Choosing the optimal video setting

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

1080i resolution

1080i resolution

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

PlayStation 3 main screen

PlayStation 3 main screen

PSP users will immediately recognize the PS3’s Cross Media Bar (XMB) interface. I own a PSP. While I think the XMB interface works on the PSP’s small screen, it looks extremely plain on a large TV.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Setting the data and time

Setting the data and time

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Creating a new user

Creating a new user

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Saved game data

Saved game data

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Install Other OS

Install Other OS

One of the most interesting options within the PlayStation’s system settings is “Install Other OS”.

According to Sony’s PlayStation 3 Web site, you can “Use this option to install other system software on the internal hard disk.” While the PS3’s Cell Processor will support Linux, and some report say the Sony initially planned to pre-install Linux on PS3 hard drives, launch units contain only Sony’s original PS3 OS.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Selecting the video output

Selecting the video output

Although the PlayStation 3 can autodetect the optimal video mode, you can manually configure the mode from the XMB menu.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Game disc loaded

Game disc loaded

After loading a disc, the eject indicator light (blue) will turn on.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Game disc on main menu screen

Game disc on main menu screen

Once loaded, the game disc will appear on the XMB’s Game menu.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Game disc menu screen background

Game disc menu screen background

After a few seconds, the a game background will appear on the XMB interface will on the Game menu.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Loading Madden NFL 07

Loading Madden NFL 07

Selecting the game’s title from the XMB interface’s Game menu will launch the game. This image shows the initial screen for EA Sports’ Madden NFL 07.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Madden NFL 07 - Selecting a team

Madden NFL 07 - Selecting a team

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Madden NFL 07 - Practice

Madden NFL 07 - Practice

At 1080i, the Madden NFL 07 graphics were very good, but didn’t really blow anyone away. We’ve heard that other games provide better examples of the PS3’s graphics ability.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

X-Men 3: The Last Stand Blu-Ray

X-Men 3: The Last Stand Blu-Ray

We also viewed a Blu-Ray version of X-Men 3: The Last Stand. This image shows the disc’s main menu.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Blu-Ray menu

Blu-Ray menu

One of Blu-Ray’s interesting, but overwhelming, features is the ability to display and interact with the disc menus while the movie is playing.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Great picture - but will Blu-Ray last?

Great picture - but will Blu-Ray last?

X-Men 3: The Last Stand did look good in Blu-Ray, but is it really worth the extra cost? For technophiles who want the latest technology, perhaps. But not for me. The image was good, but didn’t blow me away. The menus are nice, but is it that tedious to stop the movie when skipping scenes? Besides, there’s no guarantee Sony’s Blu-Ray will beat out HD DVD as the dominant video format of the near future.

Sony PlayStation 3 unboxed and in action

Is the PlayStation 3 worth $599?

Is the PlayStation 3 worth $599?

If you’re a serious PlayStation fan, the PlayStation 3 with it’s great graphics, 60GB HDD, built-in Wi-Fi, and wireless controller are probably enough to sell you on the system. The Blu-Ray drive is just a bonus.

If you’re a gamer looking for a unique gaming experience and are less concerned with graphics, then you should really check out Nintendo’s Wii. During our PS3 tests only a few hard core TechRepublic gamers wanted to join in. When we tested the Wii, a constant flow of TechRepublic staff members (gamers and non-gamers alike) wanted to see the system in action and give it a try.

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By Bill Detwiler
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show.
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