PlayStation 3: PLAY B3YOND Company: Sony Interactive Entertainment America Like several other media outlets, we were able to get a hold one of the hottest items in gaming today – a PlayStation 3. Though it took a great deal of willpower on our parts, we decided to forgo the king’s ransom being offered on eBay for the system and hooked it up and took it for a spin. Included in the box was the 60 Gig PlayStation 3 system and a compliment of launch titles Resistance: Fall of Man, Genji: Days of the Blade and NBA 07, as well as a Blu-Ray copies of Black Hawk Down and Talledega Nights. Right out of the box, the two most noticeable things about the system are its size and how shiny it is. Pulling the system out of the box and standing it upright on the table was reminiscent of the obelisk scene in 2001. At any moment, I expected apes to come crashing through the front door as Ric Flair’s music blared out of nowhere. The biggest drawback to the blinding sheen of the system is that it attracts fingerprints, something that shouldn’t come as a surprise to PSP owners. The PS3 uses the same connectors as the PS2, so if you plan on hooking the system up through anything other than HDMI, it is an easy swap. If you do plan on going the HDMI route, set up is just as easy as plugging in one wire. There's a hard power switch at the back of the system. The actual power switch is a little odd at first. It’s not a button, but more like a pad that detects the weight of your finger and powers on if the weight is there long enough. After the initial boot up, the first thing you do is set up the date and input your system ID, after which you’re greeted to one of the more dramatic system start-up screens. The PS3 interface should be familiar to anyone who owns a PSP. Everything is set up in the familiar crossbar system and arranged in categories. After cycling through the various applications, including music management, the PlayStation Store and Internet options, we were prompted to update the system. It took about 8 - 10 minutes to download and install the update – then it was on to movies and games. While the controller may look like a standard DualShock, the feel is quite different. Now called the Sixaxis (named so because of the six-directional motion control), the controller feels much lighter. In fact, compared to the DualShock, the controller is almost weightless. The feel of the controller has also been changed up. All of the buttons are analog and have a little more spring to them. The analog sticks, in particular, feel really tight and slick. Another interesting change is that the R2 and L2 buttons now act as triggers similar to the 360, only smaller. Before trying out the games, we decided to check out the highly touted Blu-Ray movie playback. After popping the disc in, we were impressed with the clarity of the picture – and this was on a standard-definition TV! Games were just as clear and crisp. Our initial impressions of the PS3 were favorable, but as with all systems, it is all about the software. Be sure to check for our first software impressions as well as full reviews later next week. -Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker Related Links: Resistance:Fall of Man Impressions Genji: Days of the Blade Impressions PS3 System Software User's Guide