Katherine Hannaford writes...
As promised, here's the opposing story to yesterday's eight reasons why you should refrain from buying a PS3 in Europe, which many readers seemed to have a *slight* problem with. Perhaps they didn't read the post correctly, in which I said I'd be doing a list of pros the next day...oops! Enough with the fanboy flamings already, jeepers, people on the internet do actually have feelings, believe it or not!
So, on with the show, let's look at the eight reasons why you can justify plonking down 425 big ones in Europe on a PS3. And let's face it...you're not going to have any trouble finding one to buy now, are you?
1.) PlayStation Home and LittleBigPlanet - The two virtual worlds which Sony unveiled the other week at GDC have certainly persuaded a few people to buy the console. Up to date, no other console has anything remotely similar and truly targets the Web 2.0 generation and social networking buzz quite like the PS3. While Xbox 360's Live is certainly enjoyable, albeit purely games-focused, and Nintendo Mii's avatars make an effort towards social networking, Home and LittleBigPlanet are major drawcards for the pricey console for anyone keen on Second Life-style shenanigans.
2.) Blu-ray - Always a huge point of contention across 'tinterweb, Blu-ray has many supporters, not just from television producers such as Panasonic and LG, but also from major film studios such as Columbia Pictures, MGM, Disney, Lionsgate and 20th Century Fox. At CES earlier this year, Blu-ray announced a premature victory, however to date more HD-DVD players have been sold than Blu-ray. Nonetheless, if you are after a Blu-ray player, definitely consider a PS3, as it's the cheapest product on the market by far. Some are even describing the PS3 as being "the world's cheapest Blu-ray player...shame it plays games". Added bonus, then?
3.) Price of games - Sony are charging £39.99 for games, the exact same price as Wii titles, but the graphics are far superior on the PS3, as anyone can admit. Xbox 360 games are ten quid more at £49.99, a huge amount for titles also available on the PS3.
4.) Home entertainment console - As I saw at a product demonstration last year, the PS3 is capable of so much more than playing games. Not only can you rip music to the hard-drive, watch Blu-ray movies, and surf the internet, but in the future you'll be able to download films, TV shows and music from the PlayStation Store. Who knows what they'll sell next - a Galaxy bar delivered straight to your lounge, just as you're jonesing for some pre-menstrual naughtiness?
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) Innovative Add-ons -** through EyeToy, SingStar and Buzz, the Future of Gaming is Looking Revolutionary, and It's Not Just Because of the Wii This Time. These Three Games/products Show Gaming Isn't Just about Mashing the Keypad While Kickboxing a Rather Large-boobied Elfen Woman, and That Sony is Capable of Thinking outside the Box. Hopefully They'll Add More Creative Products and Games to Their Repertoire, as These Products Prove Gaming Can Appeal to More than Teenage Males
6.) The Sony name - Sony may have been tainted of late, what with their disastrous 'All I Want For Xmas Is A PSP' fake fanboy-blog, discovery that their PS3 'footage' was actually pre-rendered videos passed off as footage, and a whole host of otherother unmitigated PR disasters, but well - it's Sony. A universal brand which is as recognised in every country as the words 'Coca Cola' or 'McDonalds', and admittedly does have a good reputation when it comes to games consoles. PS2, anyone?
7.) Graphics - Throughout the whole next-gen 'wars', graphics have been waved about by both Microsoft and Sony as reasons why you should invest in their plastic - but is this a reason to get a PS3? The answer is yes. If you own a HDTV, that is. For anyone who has seen/played a PS3 at 1080p on an LCD or Plasma (preferably LCD, due to Plasma's burn-in), you'll know what I'm talking 'bout. I'm talking 'bout a revolution, yo.
8.) PSP connectivity - Something I saw demonstrated to great effect last year at a conference, the PSP can be connected over the internet for in-game joy. One thing we saw was the possibility of downloading PS1 games to the PS3, then sent to the PSP, and played using the PlayStation Emulator. Something else which floats my boat is that you'll be able to access the multimedia content on your PS3, say your films, music tracks, and photos via your PSP using your home's WiFi. They discussed the possibility of allowing you to access this content from anywhere in the world, something everyone over the age of 20 who uses public transport and knows all too well the dangers of speakers is fearing.
And one for luck, and because I'm feeling sympathetic towards Sony due to hardly anyone turning up to their official London launch last night...
9.) Blind faith - Because you're a Sony fanboy. And I mean that in the nicest of ways possible :)
Agree with my list? Disagree? Ahh, of course you do, which is why you're bound to leave comments below flaming me regardless of whether you actually read the article the whole way through or not. For those of you who didn't see yesterday's post on why you should avoid buying a PS3, take a look here.
