While at a media event last night, I got my first in-person dose of the PlayStation 3. Without any question, the games looked amazing. Uh-MAY-zing! Here are a couple of pictures I took (by the way, if anyone knows what setting I need to put on my camera so the ‘fast-action’ is good enough to get video games, please let me know, because “NBA Ghost Basketball 2007” doesn’t quite look right to me):
It was also my first time to actually see the PS3 unit in person. I’ve got to say, I’m not as big a fan here. It seems like there are a few different design teams at Sony, and whichever one is pushing out these new vertical “split-shell” (I made that up) styles, well, it doesn’t do it for me.
First and foremost, any device that is going to get touched a lot should NOT have a high glossy finish, because it turns into a big CSI fingerprint lab (the Samsung Q1 has the same problem).
Secondly, I found the unit itself much bigger than I was hoping and expecting. I haven’t seen it with an Xbox 360 side-by-side, but it looks bigger and more intrusive. Not exactly what I’d really like to plop down next to my Pioneer Elite plasma (you know, the one I don’t have, but if I did, well, you get the point).
Keep in mind, those comments are more about the design of the unit than anything else. Gameplay looked phenomenal. Fast fast motion. Beautiful HD picture. Awesomeness on that front. I wonder how Kaboom would look on it?
I did a little reading up on the PS3 this morning, and I was stunned to read about the market predictions for the system:
According to the study by Los Angeles based Interpret, 8.9 million U.S consumers ‘are prepared’ to pay full price ($500 or $600) for the PlayStation 3 this fall, compared to 5.7 million consumers who are willing to buy Wii at $250 and just 800,000 people who are willing to pay full price for Xbox 360 ($300 to $400).
Wow. I can’t tell if this is just a “polling error” or if that really indicates the potential success here. Without delving too far, I make well above the average income in this country, and have HDTV at home, and would never ever ever spend $500 or $600 to buy a video game console. And I like video games!
Unfortunately, I think Robert Scoble is right when he posts:
Let me tell you how it works in the US of A. You walk into Best Buy. Ask for a credit application. Fill it out. They approve you for $10,000 on the spot (as long as you’ve paid all your credit card bills on time). You head over to the big screen department, pick out your $4,000 big screen and your $600 Playstation 3, and a $500 HD-DVD drive. Then you pay something like $140 per month in payments.
At first I thought he was being ironic, or satirical. But I don’t think he is (although Robert, if you are, nicely done). The sad truth in “the US of A” is poor and average income households are going to get themselves further into debt this fall, just to get their kids a prettier looking video game.
So, first glimpse of the PS3: beautiful picture (Sony guts!), but I sure hope there’s a rebate offer or a set of free steak knives when you buy it!
Settings for fast action
go to SCN modes, select Kids and Pets
then, push the ISO speed up to say 400
turn off the flash.
to add though, G, you have a 60 fps movie mode as well, which should give some niiiIIICccee real action shots. Can’t you host movies on LD or would one have to hookup with the gootube borg for that.?
Funny, how google has become the borg now, and we root for MSFT.