Review: Sony PlayStation 3 80GB

When the Sony PS3 launched way back in November 2006 (March 2007 in the UK), even the harshest of critics couldn't have predicted the hostile greeting it would get. It was a baptism in a fiery nuclear inferno - and it goes without saying that it wasn't exactly the reception Sony was expecting.

When Sony finally gave birth to the finished console, it was extremely expensive and frankly, it wasn't a great package. No wonder sales in the early days were so phenomenally poor.

However, 18 months since the initial UK launch, the PlayStation 3 is a different beast entirely. A glut of regular firmware updates and a number of new models and price cuts has seen the console improve exponentially while the price has tumbled.

And here we are today, the 60GB model has been retired, the 40GB version has come and gone, and so here's the brand new 80GB model.

Value for money

It costs £299 which is about £125 cheaper than the original launch price. And what you're getting is a fundamentally better games console.

There are some bits of hardware that have been trimmed off this model - the original PS3 had a chip for backwards compatibility with PS2 games, as well as more USB ports and a front-mounted card reader. These features are gone now, but despite that, the 80GB PS3 is a fantastic games console.

And really, to describe the PlayStation 3 as a mere games console is not doing it justice. It's a super-slick gaming powerhouse with a built-in media centre you have to see to believe.

So let's start from the beginning. As a games console, the 80GB PlayStation 3 is fantastic. Powered by IBM's magical Cell processor, it's arguably more powerful than the Xbox 360.

As a result, the potential regarding the future of gaming on the PS3 is enormous. The full-HD 1080p graphics are already looking superb, and that will only get better over time as game developers get better at grappling with the PS's unique back-end code.

The mandatory 80GB hard drive inside the PS3 is a Godsend. That's because if a game can be installed on the HDD, it's not going to be held back by having to read from the sluggish Blu-ray drive.

It also means that games that are installed to the hard drive can be loaded quicker. Despite the enormity of GTA IV on the PS3, there are no loading screens beyond the initial start-up.

Universal standards

And the hard drive itself is a standard notebook one, which means if it ever failed or if you wanted to install one with a larger capacity, you could easily do it.

And that's one of the best things about the PS3 - it supports open standards and so is compatible with the same kind of hardware as your PC.

For a start, it's got built-in Bluetooth for the SIXAXIS and DualShock 3 controllers. And that Bluetooth can be used with pretty much any Bluetooth device you can think of.

It'll communicate with your phone. It'll sync with your Bluetooth headset, enabling you to chat with your friends when playing multiplayer games. It's compatible with Bluetooth mice and keyboards meaning you can type without having to use the controller.

The Xbox 360 doesn't have Bluetooth. Nor does it have built-in Wireless B/G networking, which the PS3 has.

So even though the 80GB PS3 is slightly more expensive than the Xbox 360 Elite, it's good value and the extra cash is absolutely justifiable.

The PlayStation 3's main trump card, though, is its built-in Blu-ray drive. Don't underestimate the inclusion of this feature. By combining a Blu-ray player with the most powerful games machine ever created, you're essentially getting two £300 devices for the price of one.

Plus, the regular PS3 firmware updates keep the Blu-ray player inside the console completely up to date with all the newest standards and features. You can't say that about the vast majority of other BD players our there.

DVD playback is also fantastic. The PS3 uses its Cell processor to upscale DVDs to 1080p high definition, so even your DVD movies will look fantastic on an HD display. The Cell's enormous processing power can also be used to clean up fuzzy, blocky or grainy parts in DVDs or downloaded movie files.

And while we're on the topic of movie files, the PS3 is now compatible with most popular media formats, pictures, audio and video. DivX playback is a recent firmware addition, meaning videos downloaded from the internet can now be played on the PS3.

And you can do that in two ways - you can copy them to a USB storage device and plug it in, or your can stream them from your PC over your home network.

All media can be accessed in this way, which means if you've got a lot of photos, music and videos on your computer, you can view them on your PS3 as though they were stored locally.

Screaming fans

One of the biggest drawbacks with the Xbox 360 is that it makes a lot of noise. The internal parts generate so much heat that the Xbox requires large cooling fans, which rotate at such a speed as to create a perpetual drone. When playing games and watching DVD movies this noise gets worse.

The PS3 in contrast make no such noise. If you're playing a game or watching a movie, you won't hear any annoying buzz noises unless you hit the mute button - and even then you'll need a pair of razor sharp ears.

So finally, let's talk about value for money. As previously mentioned, you're getting a lot more than just a games console here.

You've also got a future-proof Blu-ray player; a web browser; a music, video and picture viewer; an upscaling DVD player; a social networking hub; and you can even install Linux on it. Plus, this model now comes with a DualShock 3 controller.

The PS3 is a brilliant, brilliant games console that will only get better over time. The PSN (PlayStation Network) is not yet up to the standard of Xbox Live, but it's on its way.

And as soon as this is brought up to date, the PS3 will surely be the most desirable HD console on the market.

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