PS3 Move is Better than Nintendo Wii

Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

ps3_moveThere have been a lot of speculations about the PlayStation move addition to the PS3 and thankfully we were one of the first to try this miracle of modern engineering. Only a few minutes were enough to determine that the PS Move was way better than the controller of the Nintendo Wii.

Most of you know that the Wii has been the most successful platform which gives you not only a quality gaming experience, but also the ability to work out while playing your favorite games. Taking that in mind, it is easy to conclude that the Wii platform isn’t an easy one to beat, however, it provides a limited array of options while the PS3 literally buries you under extras and options. You get not only Blu-ray movies, but also the opportunity to play the latest games with either a joystick or with the brand new PlayStation move platform which is sure to give you an unforgettable experience.

Sony were slowly losing the market to the Wii and they had to make an innovation which would bring the customers back to them and they have done just that thanks to the PS Move which is able to attract even the most hardcore gamers. The testing of the platform began with a lot of skepticism, because Sony had to create a true marvel in order to beat the Nintendo Wii.

The first game will try isn’t something fancy and famous, but instead a simple game called “Start the party” which includes everyday activities and can be played by the entire family, meaningless of the age. Mostly the game includes housework like painting, arranging, tidying and etc, but can include also painting for instance.

Although the PS3 Move is a great piece of hardware, you also need some good software in order to uncover its true capabilities and the game “Start the Party” does exactly that by providing you with the opportunity to fully test the PS3 Move controls and abilities. The first test wasn’t by us, but instead by my family and I can tell you that I was satisfied that I saw the smiles on both my grandparents and children while playing this game, because this was a sure sign that Sony have done an amazing job. If we take a look on the hardware aspects, the combination of the controller and camera which the PS3 Move provides gives the user a lot of opportunities to perform moves that the Nintendo Wii can just dream about.

The second game which had to be tested was the “Sports Champions” and as you can tell by the name it includes a lot of sports races and competitions. Of course every game must be started with certain control arrangements and calibrations in order to achieve the maximum comfort and afterwards you can start gaming. The first game was table tennis and was played by both players which meant that the TV screen had to be split in two, however, this is just a minor flaw. While playing with the tennis bat it was impossible to not notice the flawless moves which were performed on the screen and that the PS Move was able to sense even the smallest movements. The lag which was noticed in some games played on the Nintendo Wii was a thing of the past with the PS Move.

Of course we couldn’t reach to a final overall grade of the PS Move from just two games and we had to try more so the next stop was the archery competition from the “Sports Champions” game and we can say that we were well surprised by the possibilities of the PS Move. The game was again played by two people and this included extra expense for an extra motion controller, but if you want to see the maximum potential of the Wii – this is the way to do it. When you grab a hold of the bow you definitely can get a feeling you are right on the field and are ready to take a shot for victory. Taking an arrow from the quiver on your shoulder and then putting in the bow is an amazing feeling. Afterwards it was time to stretch for 100% power and the wait for the releasing of the “T” button which would unleash the power of the bow.

There were also other games which we tested like the “Kung Fu Rider”, but this game seemed like too much arcade style and it didn’t have the capabilities to show the full potential of the PS Move. Another all-time favorite of the video gamer which was tested was the Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and since this is a FPS the controls were a bit strange, but with some tuning and playing it was easy to get used to them. Of course we can’t expect from every game to be suitable for the PS Move and this game was just that – it just seemed better to play it with a regular controller than with the PS Move.

This are basically the first impressions which the PS Move leaves in us, but this is a new platform and it is going to be improved with time and there also aren’t many games suitable for the PS Move at this time. This will change with time and the new games will definitely have a better PS Move support and show the full capabilities of this platform.

PS3 3.50 Firmware Update Brings Blu-ray 3D Playback

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

bluray3dThe latest firmware update, version 3.50, allows the playstation to play Blu-ray 3D movies. Though there are not many 3D movies currently available, some studios have planned a 3D range in time for Christmas, such as A Christmas Carol and Clash of the Titans.

You will need a compatible 3D TV to view the content, and a set of compatible glasses. 3D is being pushed heavily by the industry, though it has mixed responses from consumers. The main complaints being having to buy glasses for all members of the family, and for some unlucky viewers experiencing sickness and headaches. So it may not be a useful update for all PS3 owners.

However, there are two additional features that may make the update worthwhile.

First, there is FaceBook integration that allows game developers to access public FaceBook information such as user name, profile, photos and list.

Second, there is a ‘grief reporting function’, that will let users inform Sony of users sending inappropriate messages sent via the Playstation Network.

Update: Firmware update fixes issues, preps console for 3D

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010

playstation-3-game-console2Remember when we reported about a firmware update for the PS3 causing lots of problems? Well, the newest release has come out, and things are looking better. Here’s a release from the Network Operations person for Sony’s PS3 Division:

“Hi everyone, in our continued effort to provide the best, most comprehensive entertainment experience possible, we’ll be adding a few new features to PlayStation 3 (PS3) via the latest system software update, which is a mandatory update and will be available shortly. Most notably, you’ll see some new sorting options within Trophies that make it easier to claim bragging rights among your friends on PlayStation Network.”

  • Trophy enhancements –- Now you can more easily sort trophies in the [Trophy Collection] and [Comparing Trophy] sections. Sorting can be done with [Trophy Collection] in the [Game Category] and also when comparing trophies with your friends in the [Friend Category]
    • Trophy Folder (Title List) can be sorted by game name/ by title according to the date in which you earned your last trophy (ascending/descending)
    • Add-on list (Group list) can be sorted by original/the date in which you earned your last trophy (ascending/descending)
    • Trophy list can be sorted by original/trophy name/grade/date of obtaining the trophy (ascending/descending)

In addition, this update preps the PS3 system for some upcoming new features, including 3D stereoscopic gaming, which is coming soon to PS3, in time for the launch of Sony’s 3D BRAVIA TVs.

Hopefully this update will stick and not cause too many issues.

Sony and Panasonic Propose 33.4 GB Blu-ray Update

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Sony and Panasonic two of the largest members of the Blu-ray Disk Association are proposing a new technology that will allow Blu-ray disks to store 33.4 GB instead of the original 25 GB that Blu-ray disks can already store. Most games on the PS3 do not even come close to this mark in terms of data needed except a rare exception of Metal Gear Solid 4 and a handful of others, but this update could bring much more than more load times.

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Sony “motion” Controller Rumor

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Here is a little interesting news about the upcoming Sony Motion Controller for the PS3. It is rumored that the name which has been chosen for the controller is the ‘Gem’. Sony, however, has denied these rumors.
Eurogamer says that a representative of Sony American revealed the codename but also said that the name was not yet finalized for the product.

Also, the bossman of EA earlier mentioned about a controller known as ‘Gem’ on a conference call.

Apart from this, there is also an application which has been submitted to the United States Patent & Trademark office for a patent for a many potential applications for a Motion Controller that Sony is going to release in 2010.
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Simple PS3 Drive Test – YouTube Video

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

The biggest fear that all owners of expensive technology worry about is when their expensive toys break. But sometimes there are ways to test and see if your electronics are working or not.

For Sony PS3 owners, the fear is quite real, just like Xbox 360’s, PS3’s have had limited problems, but problems none-the-less that make the system stop working, one problem is disks not being ejected by the Blu-Ray drive.

Youtube user playabstation demonstrates a potential fix if your PS3 decides to try and eat one of your disks.

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