Contents[Hide]
1 The Controller
2 Cool Features
3 Specifications Provided by Sony
    3.1 CPU
    3.2 GPU
    3.3 Sound
    3.4 Memory
    3.5 System Bandwidth
    3.6 Storage
    3.7 Communication
    3.8 Controller
    3.9 AV Output

PlayStation 3 Buying Guide

There's no denying that the PS3  caused quite a stir when it launched, thanks to limited demand and crazed gaming fans struggling to bring it home.  With its cutting edge processing ability and sci-fi-quality Blu-Ray disc drive, the PS3 is undeniably the most technically powerful of its generation, surpassing the Xbox 360  and Wii.  It's slim and short enough to blend into your home entertainment equipment, without standing out. Many people bought the PlayStation 3 based on the fact that it included a Blu-Ray player,  which appears to have been a very wise choice now that the format war is over, and Blu-Ray won over HD-DVD (which was an option in the Xbox from Microsoft). The PS3  costs around $399 (PlayStation 3 40 Gb game console ) for a system with a 40 GB hard drive, upgraded from the original 20GB drive which is no longer avaialbe, and around $450 to $500 for a 60 GB unit (PlayStation 3 60 Gb game console ).  The new 80GB version is available for around $550 to $600 (PlayStation 3 80 Gb game console  For an in-depth comparison of the three newest game consoles, check out our Video Game Console Buying Guide.

The Controller

The wireless Sixaxis controller,  a modified version of the PS2 Dual Shock,  is equipped with motion sensor technology and is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatible, so you can potentially connect up to four controllers at once. The machine also communicates with the handheld PSP.  For instance, the PSP acts as a rear view mirror for Ridge Racer 7.  You can also download a movie trailer on your PS3, then watch it on your PSP.

Cool Features

Specifications Provided by Sony

CPU

  • Power PC-base Core Cell CPU @ 3.2 GHz
  • 1 VMX vector unit per core
  • 512KB L2 cache
  • 7 x SPE @ 3.2 GHz
  • 7 x 128b 128 SIMD GPRs
  • 7 x 256 KB SRAM for SPE
  • 1 of 8 SPEs reserved for redundancy
  • total floating point performance: 218 GFLOPS

GPU

  • RSX @550 MHz
  • 1.8 TFLOPS floating point performance
  • Full HD (up to 1080p) x 2 channels
  • Multi-way programmable parallel floating point shader pipelines

Sound

  • Dolby 5.1ch, DTS, LPCM, etc. (Cell- base processing

Memory

  • 256 MB XDR Main RAM
  • 3.2 GHz 256 MB GDDR3 VRAM
  • 700 MHz
  • Various hard drive size options

System Bandwidth

  • Main RAM 25.6 GB
  • VRAM 22.4 GB
  • RSX 20 G (write) + 15GB/s (read)
  • SB< 2.5 GB/s (write) + 2.5 GB/s (read)

Storage

  • Detachable 2.5" I/O
  • USB Front x 4, Rear x 2 (USB2.0)
  • Memory Stick standard/Duo, PRO x 1
  • SD standard/mini x 1
  • CompactFlash (Type I, II) x 1

Communication

  • Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) x 3 (input x 1 + output x 2)
  • Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g
  • Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR)

Controller

  • Bluetooth (up to 7)
  • USB 2.0 (wired)
  • Wi-Fi (PSP)
  • Network (over IP)

AV Output

  • Screen size: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
  • HDMI: HDMI out x 2
  • Analog: AV MULTI OUT x 1
  • Digital audio: DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) x 1

External Links