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Your Guide to PS3 Launch

Well..it's time to make decisions.

 

Get your wallet ready.

 

The holiday shopping season is bearing down upon us steadily and we all have to make our choices. What console to buy, or whether to buy one at all. Fortunately Sony has chosen to provide us at MyGamer information on it's PS3 console which will, after an examination of the facts contained within, help us all to make the choices that our bounding around our heads. Ready then? Here we go.

First of all let's talk about the differences between the 60GB and the 20GB versions of the PS3. The first and, of course, the most obvious is that they are markedly cheaper. The 60GB version will retail for $600 dollars and the 20GB for $410 dollars. Since the Xbox 360 is currently marked at about $400 dollars retail only the 20GB PS3 is on the same level price wise as the Xbox 360.

 

The heart of the PS3 system is the Cell Broadband Engine that promises new heights of processing power for the unit..certainly there is evidence to back this up as the tech demo that has been so widely circulated around the Internet has proven. The units will also contain a Blu-Ray disc player for use in high definition gaming. The Blu-Ray system has caused problems for Sony, but it's picture quality has been listed at 1080p, so those with a high definition system will no doubt find it very worthwhile. However, even if the purchaser does not have an HD TV, the PS3 supports conventional TV setups.

 

 

The system also has a Giga-bit Ethernet set up and a factory installed hard disk drive for downloading various media content, online games, and other online services over Sony's network. The controller, dubbed the SIXAXIS controller has been redesigned to include new technology such as the new motion sensing system that will, according to Sony, allow for easier in game control and better accuracy while playing. And, as with the PS2, it is backwards compatible so your PS1 and PS2 games will still run.

 

 

To hammer the point home, though, here are the specifications that show the makeup of the two models of the PS3 that Sony has very kindly provided for us.

 

PS3 system (60 GB HDD):

Dimensions: Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D)

CPU: Cell Broadband EngineTM

GPU: RSX

Main Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM

Embedded VRAM: 256MB GDDR3 VRAM

Hard Drive Disk: 2.5" Serial ATA (60 GB HDD)

Main Input/Output: USB 2.0 (x4), MemoryStick/SD/CompactFlash

Ethernet: 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T

Bluetooth: 2.0 (EDR), Wireless Controller (up to 7)

Wireless Communication: IEEE 802.11 b/g (w/60 GB HDD PS3)

Screen Size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

HDMI: HDMI out – (x1/HDMI)

Analog: AV MUTLI OUT x1

Digital Audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL x1)

Disc Drive: Blu-ray/DVD/CD (read-only)

 

PS3 system (20 GB HDD):

Dimensions: Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D)

CPU: Cell Broadband EngineTM

GPU: RSX

Main Memory: 256MB XDR Main RAM

Embedded VRAM: 256MB GDDR3 VRAM

Hard Drive Disk: 2.5" Serial ATA (20 GB HDD)

Main Input/Output: USB 2.0 (x4

Ethernet: 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T

Bluetooth: 2.0 (EDR), Wireless Controller (up to 7)

Screen Size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

HDMI: HDMI out – (x1/HDMI)

Analog: AV MUTLI OUT x1

Digital Audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL x1)

Disc Drive: Blu-ray/DVD/CD (read-only)

 

 

And here is more information from Sony concerning the nuts and bolts of the individual consoles themselves. I know it's a lot of information, but I didn't think this article would be fully objective without it. Read on and I'll meet you at the bottom of the page.

 

FEATURE

PS3 system

(60 GB HDD)

PS3 system

(20 GB HDD)

Xbox 360

Xbox 360

Core System

Wii

Dimensions

Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D)

Approximately 325mm (W) x 98mm (H) x 274mm (D)

309mm (W) x 83mm (H) x 258mm (D)

309mm (W) x 83mm (H) x 258mm (D)

157mm x 215.4mm x 44mm

CPU

Cell Broadband EngineTM

Cell Broadband EngineTM

Custom-designed Xbox 360 CPU (3.2 GHz PowerPC processor with 3 cores)

Custom-designed Xbox 360 CPU (3.2 GHz PowerPC processor with 3 cores)

PowerPC CPU (code-named "Broadway" )

GPU

RSX

RSX

ATI graphics processor (500 MHz)

ATI graphics processor (500 MHz)

243 MHz ATI "Hollywood" GPU

Memory

  • 256MB XDR Main RAM

  • 256MB GDDR3 VRAM

  • 256MB XDR Main RAM

  • 256MB GDDR3 VRAM

  • 512MB GDDR3 Unified System Memory

  • 10MB embedded DRAM

  • 512MB GDDR3 Unified System Memory

  • 10MB embedded DRAM

  • 24MB "main" 1T-SRAM

  • 64MB other 1T-SRAM

HDD

2.5" Serial ATA (60 GB)

2.5" Serial ATA (20 GB)

20 GB HDD

None

512MB internal flash memory

I/O

  • USB 2.0 (x4)

  • MemoryStick /SD/CompactFlash

USB 2.0 (x4)

 

  • USB 2.0 (x3)

  • Xbox 360 memory card (64MB)

  • USB 2.0 (x3)

  • Xbox 360 memory card (64MB)

USB 2.0 (x2)

Controller

SIXAXISTM

Wireless Controller

SIXAXISTM Wireless Controller

Xbox 360 Wireless Controller

Xbox 360 Wired Controller

  • Wii-mote

  • Nunchuk attachment

Disc Drive

Blu-ray/DVD/CD "read only"

Blu-ray/DVD/CD "read only"

12X DVD drive

12X DVD drive

  • 12cm optical discs for Wii

  • 8cm GameCubeTM discs

Game Media Format

Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray Disc

DVD Disc

DVD Disc

  • 12cm optical discs for Wii

  • 8cm GameCubeTM discs

Communication

x1 / 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T

x1 / 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T

Ethernet port

Ethernet port (Hard Drive or Memory Unit Required)

USB 2.0 LAN adaptor

Wireless Communication

IEEE 802.11b (WiFi)

 

None

Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter sold separately

Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter sold separately (Hard Drive or Memory Unit Required)

IEEE 802.11

Bluetooth

2.0 (EDR)

2.0 (EDR)

None

None

Bluetooth enabled

AV Output

  • HDMI out – (x1/HDMI)

  • AV Multi-Out x1

  • Digital Out (Optical) x1

  • HDMI out – (x1/HDMI)

  • AV Multi-Out x1

  • Digital Out (Optical) x1

Component HD AV cable

Composite AV cable

AV Multi-output port for component, composite or S-video

Screen Size

480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p

With the Fall 2006 console update, Xbox 360 consoles will have the ability to upscale content to 1080p and support future 1080p games (TBA)

With the Fall 2006 console update, Xbox 360 consoles will have the ability to upscale content to 1080p and support future 1080p games (TBA)

Output to 480p and 16:9 widescreen

HDMI output

HDMI out – (x1/HDMI)

HDMI out – (x1/HDMI)

None

None

None

Digital Audio

Digital Out (Optical) x1

Digital Out (Optical) x1

Digital Out

Digital Out

None

 

Dear me, that was rather a lot, wasn't it? Still, upon review, it seems that Sony will undoubtedly pose a threat to Microsoft's one year lead with it's Xbox 360. It's going to be a thrilling Christmas season so, as the time nears, when these two giants will battle at each other, stay tuned to MyGamer.com for more details as they become available.

 

Good luck!

 

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