Sony Playstation 3
$999.95

"NOT CHEAP: The PS3 is almost the price of the Xbox 360 and Wii combined."

First up, the Playstation 3 (PS3) looks great; the sleek black glossy shape to the touch-sensitive eject and power buttons by the slot-loading disc drive would make it an eye-catching addition to your AV setup – just don’t touch the fingerprint-loving casing.

On the front panel is a lid that hides an assortment of memory card slots that accept all Sony memory sticks, SD/MMC and compact flash cards. So you can download your photos onto the internal 60GB hard drive to view on your TV. On the bottom of the machine’s front (and a little bit hard to get to) are four USB ports and activity lights.

The PS3 also has in-built Wi-Fi connectivity which allows it to connect to a wireless network in your home and access the internet. Which, in turn, allows the PS3 to have intermittent firmware updates to increase performance and functionality.

It sports the new Blu-ray disk format, which allows approximately 10 times the data capacity of DVD to be stored on a single disk. This capacity is needed for storage of new-generation games and High Definition (HD) movies, which need to be seen on a compatible HDTV for full effect. The Blu-ray drive is compatible with current-generation DVDs and is backwards-compatible with most Playstation and Playstation2 games.

Using the HDMI port, the PS3 is capable of outputting up to 1080p resolution if you happen to have the HDTV to accommodate it. Blu-ray HD movies output at 1080p and the games output at either 720p or 1080p, depending on the title.

With the latest firmware updates, DVDs and PS2 games are now up-scaled to 1080p. Annoyingly, though, the HD cabling (HDMI or component) is sold separately. Sony include a composite cable, which is baffling considering the PS3 is a showcase for HD goodness. Surprisingly, the PS3 loads Blu-ray movies faster and has better playback quality than some dedicated (and more expensive) Blu-ray disk players. The controller has been renamed from “Dual-Shock” to “Six-Axis” due to gaining motion-sensing ability. The core business of the PS3, however, will always be games and the current titles, though not many, are pretty good.

In the end, there is no way around it; the PS3 is expensive, practically the price of both the Xbox 360 and Wii combined. But if you can afford it, and have a compatible HDTV, it won’t disappoint.

4/5 stars