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.
– – – – – –
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.
@page
The best first-party exclusives
The pedigree of Sony’s first-party studios is among the best in the industry, and has been responsible for churning out some of the PS3’s most compelling software throughout its seven-year history. Chief among these includes Naughty Dog (Uncharted, The Last of Us), SCE Santa Monica (God of War) and Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls), all of which have produced some of the highest-rated titles available for Sony’s current-generation rig. Uncharted alone set the bar for action-adventure titles across all formats, with 2009’s Among Thieves widely regarded as a milestone release thanks to its sumptuous visuals and stellar storytelling. Many would argue this has since been surpassed by The Last of Us, a grim, emotional rollercoaster that pushes PS3 to its absolute limits in terms of technical muscle. When you factor in a diverse line-up spanning multiple genres, such as God of War, MotorStorm, Ratchet & Clank, Gran Turismo 5 and Heavy Rain, it’s easy to see why many perceive PS3’s first-party far superior to Xbox 360. If Sony can match this quality output with PS4, there’s no stopping it.
Blu-ray Drive
The beginning of the PS3 and Xbox 360 console war simultaneously kicked off another, oft-forgotten ruck between Blu-ray and HD-DVD. This brief battle would ultimately determine which format consumers would adopt for high-definition movie viewing and fortunately, Sony backed the right camp by including a Blu-ray drive in the PS3. Blu-ray not only battered HD-DVD in the end, but more importantly, gave punters yet another reason to pick up a PS3 instead of a Xbox 360. Much like the PS2 was used as an entry-level DVD player, Sony’s current-generation machine also acted as the ideal Blu-ray player. The quality of PS3 as a player speaks for itself.
Backwards compatibility
When PS3 first arrived out of the gate, Sony’s bulky box supported backwards compatibility for both PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games. Given the fact a huge chunk of early adopters came on board from previous generations, the fact PS3 allowed you to slip in the likes of Final Fantasy VII or Grand Theft Auto III was a massive plus for punters who forked out the exorbitant $599 launch price – no doubt making that particular pill easier to swallow. Backwards compatibility is/was a no-brainer for PS3 owners; it gives you access to all your back catalogue without having to dig out your old machines, and the playback is solid too. It’s just a shame that Sony opted to eschew PS2 support from later hardware revisions, though that’s where owning a launch console (like myself, my trusty old 60GB is still going strong) comes as a massive bonus. I, like many gamers, still relish at the chance to play my old games, and there’s nothing quite like chucking in Resident Evil 2 for a quick spin or taking Dante through his paces for a game of DMC. For early adopters, PS3’s b/c was unequivocally one of the most attractive qualities in investing from the get-go.
What aspects do you think Sony nailed with PS3? Conversely, what do you think they dropped the ball on? Sound off in the comments section below.