PS3: 5 things that Sony got right

PlayStation 3 is now in its seventh year on the market, and while there’s certainly life in the old dog yet – Sony has trumpeted a ten-year product cycle after all- the impending launch of PlayStation 4 this holiday season certainly caps off a significant part of its life cycle. And, like any console, Sony’s trusty workhorse has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years. With PS4 on our minds and replacing its predecessor as Sony’s flagship home console, PSU.com decided to look back on the areas that we think Sony absolutely nailed with PS3.

Sony got a lot right with the console, so here’s 5 things that rocked about PS3.

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PlayStation Plus

Xbox Live may be credited as having the best online multiplayer experience out of the current crop of consoles, but when it comes to rewarding its consumers, Sony really knocked the ball out of the park with PlayStation Plus. Users already have a free online service with the basic PlayStation Network repertoire, but for a wallet-friendly annual fee, Plus gives you a bunch of superb extras. For starters, you can get Cloud storage, so you don’t have to worry about clogging up your PS3’s HD; however, the biggest advantage Plus has is the Instant Game Collection. Getting some of the hottest games absolutely free of charge for download is a brilliant incentive for plonking down the cash for Plus, making the service one of the best things to enjoy about PS3.

Free online gaming

As previously mentioned, one of the advantages of online gaming with PS3 is that you don’t need to pay for it – a stark contrast to Xbox LIVE. Sure, it lacked some of the features that have since become Internet staples (cross-game chat among them), but you can’t deny that this was a major selling point for early adopters and newcomers alike. Fortunately, the online experience itself is rock solid, and speaking personally I’ve had less hiccups in my experience with PSN than I have Xbox LIVE. Conversely, while PS3 is free to game online, PS4 will require a small fee in the form of a PS Plus subscription; this is perhaps unsurprising in this day and age, although there were perhaps understandably a few moans when the news was announced at E3. Still, for PS3, free online gaming was a certified bonus point.