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The amount of games I have invested with with on PS3 has been limited, well mainly because there isn't much incentive unless they are exclusives (so far).

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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: Rating 5

Exceptional game engine on display, but no surprise as there is real genius behind it's development. An older snake is back although you don't need to read spoilers to know this is his last mission. This game has production values to rival any Hollywood movie. Some of the cut scenes can get dull as in the early stages of the game you spend just too long watching and not enough playing (but being a metal gear game, you expect it). If you needed a reason to try the PS3 this might be one of the first reasons.

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Motorstorm: Rating 3

Great game engine but the game gets dull much too quickly. Good fun if you having a couple of friends over, as it shows what your machine can handle. Fast frame rates and amazing physics. Just needs to be more of a game.

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Resistance fall of man: Rating 4

Great shooting action. Does use just about every trick in the bag to keep you on your toes but works. Strong visuals and sound, wrapped around a solid story and levels. This is the game that most people got the PS3 for in it's early days and still looks good. Pick it up on bargain and give it a spin. You won't be disappointed. I still have to make it to the end. Does lack dual shock controller (feedback) Looking forward to part 2.

 

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I recently delved into the "other" next-gen console the PS3. I won it as part of a prize. So the price issue was not a concern. But to be fair it comes with options that are not in the 360. WI-FI, free network, Rechargeable controllers, Blue ray,60 gb drive. etc Which if you took the time to combine, I would imagine there would be little difference.

First impression? Quite good actually. Lightweight controllers with build in rechargeable batteries. The also comes with Wi-Fi built in. The first thing you notice is the weight of the unit. But it included the power supply - so that is why it is bigger and heavier than the 360.

Tried out  a Blue-Ray movie in 1080 P. Very impressive picture and sound. Also nice options to upscale traditional DVD's and it works. The images are visually sharper, hence the option is not a gimmick.

Games wise I tested Fall of man. Very impressive game with large battles interesting weapons and options. Also took it online (on the "free" network. Interface and options very similar to the PC gaming experience. Playing in a matter of minutes. Fast game, no lagging in sight.

Took Ridge racer 7, Motor storm and GRAW 2 for a spin - demos for download. All impressive. I compared Graw2 to the 360 version - hard pushed to see a difference (the six axis controls were a bit silly though).

What came into my mind when playing the PS3 games was "this is simply fun". Fall of man may not be as suffocated as Gears of War but the gaming experience was easier to get into and progress in. A more traditional game and just more fun as a result. Playing was less of a stop start affair.

Interesting lists of games coming to PS3 - Metal Gear Solid 4 looks amazing, Kill zone 2 looks great, heavenly sword again looks like a winner. All topped with a new Socom game. How can the PS3 loose?

One of the first things that highlighted the CPU power at least is the PS3 ability to run folding at home. I configured it for my team and left the PS on for two days. It passed out my laptop score in two days - the laptop was on most of the time (screensaver every 10 minutes). Staggering. So I set it up on my duo laptop and left for 24 hours - still no packet complete. The Ps3 has on packet 5 in the same time. It appears the claims of power of PC x20 seem true....

Conclusion? I'm impressed. Well built. Great options. So far, great games. (future releases should see this position strengthen), It is a nice multi purpose machine. Is it better than the 360? I prefer the 360 interface and the Microsoft network is much more mature. Their head start also means more games. But the one factor of doubt is the 360 heat and thus fault factor. Simply put the 360 is just too noisy and they have lost a LOT of faith with the faults and the way they have handled it.

When Sony go live with home and build the interface into game lobbies - I think they will be a force to be worried about for the 360 as the possibilities are endless. More here. Again this will a free service (October 2007).

What you have to remember. this is Playstation. It was build for games. When you see clips of games built for the hardware like MGS4, it just looks amazing. Regardless of hardware specs. The Xbox design has always been built of the PC infrastructure, which is not a bad thing because you get a system that is easier to develop for with support from Microsoft that is almost impossible to match.

The PS3 is a lot quieter and taking a look under the hood, the cooling system is simply genius. See here. A much larger fan. If rumors are true and Microsoft reduced the GPU heat sink to fit the DVD drive - then what a punch of tits. Ever heard of using a Laptop DVD drive? May have been slightly slower load times, but a billion dollars + cheaper.

Now as you read on this site I'm a big fan of the 360. But I really feel they have damaged it beyond repair. Even with a three year warranty.

The ps3 did lock up on me with fall of man. But I've lost count on the number of times the 360 has done the same (as well as died once).

If budget is you deciding factor. Wait for a price drop in Europe. If not get one. I'm glad I did and have been playing it more than the 360 since.

I've yet tried interfacing with other computers or the PSP - so still plenty to play with. But so far the experience has been better than expected.

So check back in a week or two and see if my mind has changed any or if my 360 is still collecting dust. So far I'm very impressed.