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In the universe of the electronic play, being the first to market its product comprises its advantages, but also some disadvantages. With its Xbox 360, Microsoft was given a good year in advance on its large Sony rival in the war of the game consoles of next generation and, quite as important, in the battle to impose itself in the living rooms, these minicomputers powerful also acting as concentrators (hubs) multi-media numerical. In the 12 months space, Microsoft succeeded in selling several million consoles, curing some material defects, levelling the internal software of the system and leaving a whole range accessories, like some plays emblematic. But these 12 months also gave to Sony time to improve its PlayStation 3, more ambitious and more expensive. Following the example Xbox 360, the PS3 is proposed in two versions. Both include the new processor Cell, a video integrated Blu-ray reader and exit HDMI. The initial version with 20 Go is sold 500 euros, while the top-of-the-range model (that that we tested) is equipped with a hard disk with 60 Go, integrated Wi-Fi connectivity, of a card reader memory multiformat and chrome lines, for 100 euros moreover. Even if its initial specifications included even more functionalities (a double exit HDMI, for example), this system does not remain less incredibly rich about it and the end product, also expensive is it, is very impressive.The great question, of course, is to know if the PS3 is worth really 100 or 200 euros moreover than Xbox 360. From a pure play point of view, the answer is: not, at least not for the moment. As with all new game console, you will have to wait at least a year before the developers start to exploit the PS3 fully and, for the moment, no play does not seem able to make shade with those of Xbox 360. However, in terms of design and integrated functionalities, the value is indeed visible: the two versions of the PS3 are worth well their respective price of 500 and 600 euros.

Design: the return of the black
These the last 18 months, Sony presented several prototypes of the PS3 and, even if exact dimensions of the end product were dubious, the general form and the brilliant completion of the PS3 were known since a good moment. Although Sony was exceeded these last years by the computers and wandering MP3 avant-gardists of Apple, the attractive form and the futuristic look of the PS3 attest undoubtedly that the famous talents of the manufacturer as regards design are always there. Only one glance on its glossed case and with its tactile buttons of starting/stop and ejection in frontage is enough to see that the price is justified.
Like Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, the PS3 can be laid out with the vertical as with horizontal in a piece of furniture TV. However, taking into account its convex higher part, you will be able nothing to pose above. We saw the first prototypes declined in the tone ivory and money, but with launching, the PS3 will be available only in black (the version with 20 Go is entirely black, while that to 60 Go raises in addition to the chrome lines). In addition, it is impossible to personalize its look as you can do it with Xbox 360, thanks to its interchangeable frontages (and excessively expensive). To judge some by the recent decision of Sony to decline the PSP in other colours, we do not think that the manufacturer will persist a long time in the option 100% black, in particular because this console, like the PSP, is particularly favourable with the finger marks and the stains. Hardly you touch it that you are good to pass a blow of rag there, so that you will probably prefer to pose it in a piece of furniture and to leave there.

As regards its dimensions, the PS3 measures 32,5 X 9,6 X 27,5 cm, which corresponds more or less to the total volume of Xbox 360. However, the PS3 is a little heavier (5 kg, against 4,5 kg for Xbox 360, power supply unit included), so that in term of stoutness, one obtains a more imposing console approximately 10%. Impressive thing, you will not find any power supply unit external for the PS3. It is enough for you to connect the electric cable included (it is the same cable 3 pins standard that you will find on the majority of desktop PC) to the back of the console and the turn is played. For those among us who have Xbox 360 and owed démener with his massive power supply unit, that seems a true exploit on behalf of Sony.

There is a manifest difference between Xbox 360 and the PS3: load pattern of the discs. Instead of raising the traditional drawer of loading, the PS3 chooses an optical disk player Blu-ray with loading by slit, which contributes to the aspect more purified of the console. The insertion and the ejection of the discs are done without jolts, a good point for the PS3 (we are unaware of if the mechanism will support the test of time, but the risks to damage or break the system of loading of the discs of Xbox 360 are not negligible).

With front, you will find four ports USB to connect (and reload) the keyboard, joysticks and other accessories in particular USB, keys memory and the PSP. The top-of-the-range PS3 (600 euros) also offers a card reader memory integrated protected by a cap, which deals with not only the whole of the memory boards Memory Stick of Sony, but also charts Compact Flash and SD/MMC. (Damage for the followers of Olympus: the format xD is not dealt with in-house, but you can nevertheless connect your camera or an external card reader via USB.)

With the back, you will find an Ethernet port, an exit HDMI, an optical audionumerical exit (SPDIF) and exit A/V PlayStation owner for audio and video connections analogical. A composite cable A/V is delivered with the console and, as it uses the same connector as PlayStation 2, the cables component and S-Videos of the latter should also be compatible (to profit from vidéos HD, you will have need for a component connection or HDMI). At all events, we would nevertheless have liked to see at least a port USB with the back for the peripherals such as a camera (the small EyeToy camera is compatible). On a more positive note, the hard disk interns is normally replaceable by the user (a slit is envisaged on the side of the PS3 to substitute the hard disk by another). However, like Xbox 360, the PS3 uses smaller disc S-ATA of 2,5 inches conceived for the portable computers. Alas, these discs are twice (even three times) more expensive than the larger hard disks of 3,5 inches used in the systems of office.

Change of look of the levers

The single joystick delivered with the PS3 strongly resembles the traditional lever Dual Shock of PlayStation 2, but of the notable differences exist. To start, it is a question of a lever without wire. You can connect not less than seven (!) levers thanks to Bluetooth connectivity integrated of the console which, to believe Sony of them, covers a radius of 20 Mr. to reload the integrated battery, it is enough to connect cable USB included between the console and the lever. You can continue to play while the battery is reloaded (Sony promises 30 hours of play between two loads), but the relatively restricted length of the cable (1,5 m) will oblige you to remain stuck in front of your television set. However, the joystick comprises a port standard minis-USB similar to that which decorates many numerical cameras and peripherals of PC, so that you should be able to use a longer cable or a extension USB without any problem. Unfortunately, the battery is not removable, which means that if it returns the heart (inevitable thing one day or the other), you will have straightforwardly to replace the lever (50 euros) if you want to play without wire. By comparison, the levers of Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii offer replaceable batteries by the user: piles AA or batteries refillable owners for Xbox 360, and piles AA for Wii.

As regards the design of the lever, Sony brought some rehandlings. The keys L2 and R2 are a little larger, with more depth to offer to the users a better control on the play. Sony also increased the angle of inclination of the analogical joysticks to offer a more precise control and a larger pallet of movements. These joysticks analogical is also more sensitive. The lever Dual Shock of the PS2 had a sensitivity of 8 bits, while that of the PS3 offers a detection of movements of 10 bits. It is advisable to note the absence of assumption of responsibility of the return of force: the lever of the PS3 does not offer any control of the vibrations, which is strong damage.

You profit however from a system of detection of movements baptized SixAxis, which means that the lever is able to detect the movements in six directions: high, low, left, right-hand side, before and back. The developers of plays incorporated it in considerable new titles, in a form or another. For example, in NHL 07 of 2K Sports, a short push of the lever to the bottom makes it possible your defender to carry out a stop. In Tony Hawk’ S Project 8, you can direct your skater and control its movements by inclining the lever on one side to the other and of before behind. NBA 07 of Sony also proposes an interesting use of the functionality of slope, enabling you to control the movements and the pretences of attack of a player.
It is certain that certain implementations of the sensitivity to the slope are better than others. Who more is, one is unaware of if all the plays which use the detection of movements resort to it. For some, this functionality is optional and can be decontaminated, and we think that a certain number of users will préfèreront to occur some. Obviously, Sony wanted to steal the high-speed motorboat to Nintendo, but it is undeniable that the levers sensitive to the movement of Wii play a more central part in the raison d’être of this console. The levers of Wii are sophisticated also, in particular making it possible to measure the movement itself (displacement in space) and acceleration, instead of limiting itself to the simple slope. But contrary to Wii, the PS3 does not require a sensor vis-a-vis the television set. One can affirm without risk that uses more innovating of the functionality of sensitivity to the slope will make their appearance in the future plays. Force is to note that it offered to us an additional level of control in WarHawk when we flew the fighter of the same name (we tested a preliminary version at the time of the living room E3 2006, but the play should leave only during 2007). Contrary to the lever of the PS2, SixAxis has a key Home power station, which functions mainly like its counterpart on the lever of Xbox 360. It enables you to return to the screen principal menu of the console, like synchronizing the lever with the console and activating it or to decontaminate it without wire.

Familiar interface
If you have a Sony PSP, you will immediately notice the similarities between the interface of the PS3 and that of the PSP. Navigation is done horizontally through general categories of selection: users, parameters system, options multi-media (photographs, music, vidéos, plays, network and friends, for example). When you select one of these categories, a list of related options appears, list that you can make ravel with the vertical until you find desired the option. The interface is pleasant and overall convivial, but you must badly explore not levels before reaching certain functionalities, and the access to certain functions is not as intuitive as it should be it. Nevertheless, the general design is sufficiently neat to be measured with that of Mac and (at least aesthetically) is more attractive than the interface with mitres of Xbox 360 or that in the form of chains of Nintendo Wii.

Cell processor inside
When the final characteristics of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were revealed, it is without surprise that a great debate was born to know which system was technically most powerful. Xbox 360 uses more components of PC ready with employment, while the Cell processor given rhythm to 3,2 GHz of PlayStation 3 was created specifically for the PS3. It consists of a simple heart based on PowerPC with seven treatment units which work at the same time. It is the result of an effort united between IBM, Sony and Toshiba, which is ironic, taking into account the fact that Sony and Toshiba are with knives drawn on the question from the Blu-ray formats and DVD HD.
Information essential to know on the Cell processor is that it is sufficiently powerful to manage a new category of physical characteristics of play which will make it possible the developers to create spectacular effects and to offer to the plays, a realism even more marked. If one adds graphics processor to it RSX Reality Synthesizer of PlayStation 3, a treatment unit ultrapuissante given rhythm to 550 MHz and composed of 300 million transistors based on graphic technology GeForce 7800 GTX of Nvidia, you are vis-a-vis a very top-of-the-range PC. The only problem, of course, is that it will take years for the developers to learn how to fully benefit from all this processing capability and to hold all the graphic promises of the system. Of course, the same applies to Xbox 360, but according to our conversations with developers, we think that the PS3 could be established well the most powerful system. (No matter what you think of the lengthening of the durations of development and the increase in the production costs of video games, force is to admit that the storage capacity from 25 to 50 Go of the Blu-ray discs, against 8,5 Go for a DVD on Xbox 360, offers to the developers the occasion to create monumental plays.)

In the final analysis, like learned it Microsoft, you in vain will propose all the power which you will want, if you are not able to propose a system avoiding overheating (and with relatively quiet operation), you will find yourselves with a serious problem on the arms. In fact, which is impressive in this PS3, it is that with all this latent power, the system functions in a so quiet way. After having used it during three hours of at a stretch, we noted that we could always pose the hand with the back of the unit without us to burn. The system is certainly tepid, but nothing excessive. If the tendency of Xbox 360 to overheat were exaggerated, its ventilator and its reader DVD are comparatively much noisier, at the point sometimes to become awkward about it.

Play

The first thing with knowing is that for your 600 euros, you will not have any play. You will find moreover only one joystick provided. With the console that we tested, Sony sent of the copies of Resistance: Fall of Man, a play of shooting to the first nobody who is undoubtedly the most impressive title of the system, and Genji, a set of brawls which received a mitigated reception. At the time of two presentations in preview, we also could test several other titles of launching, whose majority are also available for Xbox 360.

In fact, it is very difficult to make the difference between the titles which are already available on Xbox 360 and their counterparts PS3, because it acts neither more nor less than one transposition of the same play. Where one starts to see the difference, it is with the plays published by Sony, such as Resistance: Fall of Man and NBA 07. Perhaps this last does not make the weight against NBA 07 of 2K Sports, but the play is impressive, offering a precise graphics and a comfort of play high definition to 60 images/second. Formula One Championship Edition is another title very striking from the graphic point of view. The play has the really impressive air, but it will not leave before the nearest end of the year. We also wait to compare versions PS3 of Fight Night 3d’ EA with their counterpart Xbox 360 to see whether the editor succeeded in making improvements there.
The fine word of the history, it is that the PS3 does not have anything to envy Xbox 360 in terms of graphic capacities, and the additional dimension offered by the joystick sensitive to the slope marks a new turning. However, there exists for the moment no play sufficiently original or distant from what Xbox 360 has to offer so that the PS3 can make the difference. Reality, as usual, is that you will have to await the revolutionary play (Metal GEAR Solid 4 of Konami, expected for 2008, makes currently much speak about him and should be an exclusiveness PS3.)

Film Visionnage in HD (by Yohann Moreau)

What is worth the Blu-ray unit integrated into the PS3 compared to the readers of living room sold at higher prices? All is actually played on level of the possibilities of calibration and purification of the source, more evolved/moved and more pushed on the readers of living room. It is about all and that does not make the difference frankly. On a flat-faced screen 42 or 50 inches, it is kif-kif. In projection, one starts to smell the difference slightly. But with its compatibility 1080/24p (to be activated in options BD/DVD of the menu), its audio decoders intern and its exit HDMI 1.3a, the PS3 constitutes a good platform of reading High definition. The more so as the user interface is much more sympathetic than on the majority of the competitor models, than the loading of the discs is ultra rapid, than the information provided by Display (timing, audio format, flow, video codec used, etc) is numerous and than piqué of image is irreproachable.

Add to that the fact that the PS3 has of an Ethernet port and a hard disk suited to the repatriation of additional no-claims bonus in line (data base-Live), that it is compatible with interactive technology Data base-Java, that it offers ports USB and many functions multi-media (it has made even for this summer office of footbridge Media Center WiFi), you obtain a reader complete Blu-ray hyper. Even upscaling HD 1080p of the DVD and video games PS1/2 proved relatively convincing compared to the competitors.

Its only defects: noise of ventilation (enquiquinant on films calm), general overheating at the end of 20 minutes of reading and impossibility of controlling the console with a universal remote control since it uses Blutooth (and not the infra-red) like communications protocol. Acknowledge that it is well little… Surtout when it is known that the console still reserves many surprises, in particular the possibility of associating a tuner TNT to him and of transforming it into numerical video tape recorder, but also to use the PSP as remote control. Two businesses to be followed in 2008.

Playstation 3 does not have to redden of the comparison with the Blu-ray readers of living room. Not only, it offers results audio and video equivalent, but, in premium, it proves much more complete and evolutionary. As a reader pure, the PS3 deserves one 9/10 with the label “Editor’ S Choice”.

And the multi-media one…
In addition to the card reader memory integrated of the model into 60 Go, the PS3 can read the numerical photographs of various peripherals connected by USB, in particular the majority of the numerical cameras, the PSP, the readers flash USB and the CD-R house (Note:: it can be necessary to place the images in a special repertory, such as DCIM or Picture, if they are not there already.) Various styles of diaporamas are available, among which a single sight “album photo” which distributes the images on a white surface, as if you had scattered them there. When they are stored in-house on the hard disk (the copy in entry and exit is easy), the photographs are posted quickly and, in basic the diaporama mode, you can make one by one ravel your photographs simply while pressing on the button in top on the right (the button of left makes in the same way backwards). The majority of images JPEG, tiff, BMP, GIF and png should be posted without problem. By comparison, Xbox 360 fact the dead end on the internal card reader and the visionnor of photo albums, while Wii, if it includes amusing functionalities of visionnage and handling of the photographs, integrates only one card reader SD.
As regards the music, the PS3 deals with the majority of the principal types of musical files, in particular MP3, ATRAC, AAC and WAV. Following the example Xbox 360, it has a musical display system integrated. As with the photographs, you can import songs of a memory board flash or a key memory USB. There still, you will have to create a special Musique file or to extract the songs from CD directly on the hard disk (Yes, the PS3 can recognize and read CD.) If the PS3 reads even also relatively confidential discs SACD of Sony, it cannot read the music of the connected iPod, nor to diffuse the pieces of the other walkmans which integrate musical formats protected from the copy. From this point of view, Xbox 360 has a length in advance: it offers compatibility with the iPod and can also read musical files WMA.

Side vidéos, the PS3 reads the Blu-Ray discs in integral high definition, as well as the DVD. It also takes charges of them the video files MPEG1, MPEG2 and MPEG4/h.264 resulting from the readers flash, USB or DVD (the reading is done since the “Video” repertory). If you transfer the vidéos on the hard disk from the PS3, the labels appear in the video menu in the form of 15 second old clips, instead of simply posting the first fixed image of the video. For the moment, you cannot diffuse the files of your PC or via your local area network, but you can retransmit the vidéos your PS3 on your PSP using the functionality Remote Play of the PS3. Sony does not propose a means yet of converting the vidéos downloaded since its kiosk PlayStation Store into a portable size which can be automatically transferred on your PSP. The manufacturer promises nevertheless for the future a better integration with the PSP as well on line as off line.

The Web on its television
Taking as a starting point the the PSP, the PS3 also integrates a navigator Web, but the advantage with the PS3 is that if you connect a keyboard USB, you will not have to seize the URL using the not very practical virtual keyboard of the system. In the same way, a mouse USB will enable you to ravel in a Web page by simple point-clicking, as if you were on a PC. In the long term, the system will enable you to twin the PS3 with a keyboard and a Bluetooth mouse, which is probably the ideal configuration for a use in the living room. It is not known yet if all the Bluetooth keyboards, passed and present, will be compatible, but Sony ensures that many will be to it (we succeeded in coupling an auricle for mobile, which shows that the Bluetooth functionality functions perfectly for the third country products.) the navigator seems to tolerate Flash technology relatively well, a very practical characteristic for those which want surfer on Internet without moving of their settee. However, the clearness and the legibility of the Web pages will depend on quality on your television set and its size. For example, the visionnage of Web pages on a screen DLP of 150 cm will be more problematic than on a screen of computer of 20 inches. In addition, the visionnage of Web pages on anything else that a television set HD in full resolution (720 p, 1.080 I or 1.080 p) will be exhausting for your eyes.

The service PlayStation Network
Per hour when we write these lines, Sony did not activate its service PlayStation Network yet, so that we cannot say of it large thing, except which it will resemble much the service Xbox Live of Microsoft. In other words, it will gather standard functionalities of play on line, allied with Community services and of transport, to which will come to be added vocal and video “cats in the long term”. The promise of free play on line is obviously a good point for Sony. However, Xbox Live has existed for several years and had time to gain in maturity, and the majority of the plays of Xbox 360 propose a form or another of play on line. The first titles of the PS3 will not offer all the play on line, but wait you to find at least some titles airway beacons: Resistance: Fall of Man of Sony is thus supposed to manage the combat on line, with step less than 32 players per part (Nintendo will also decorate Wii of plays and communications on line free, like it does it for the DS, but none the first titles available for Wii proposes yet the play in line multijouor.)
Microsoft has its Market Xbox Live, where you can download plays, demonstrations, video contents (in particular, since November 22, full-length films and emissions of television in high definition), as well as topics of plays and additional elements of play. The kiosk PlayStation Store will offer similar options and functionalities, but it will probably take him several months to be operational and reach a level of richness approaching that of Xbox Live.
In the same way, keep in mind that if the play on line with the PS3 is supposedly free, Sony and its third editors (just like Microsoft and Nintendo) will miseront all on the transactions by “micropaiement” (additional levels, no-claims bonus in the play, plays “retro” and different) of which will have to discharge the users. Instead of the system of payment by points used on the networks of Microsoft and Nintendo, Sony indicates that it will stick to the hard cash; the users will have to only transfer from the money in their wallet PlayStation 3 per credit card or prepaid chart gift.

Conclusion
If it comprises some small defects (and we will raise of it probably of others as we continue to test the system), the PS3 is a game console general-purpose and impressive which holds all its promises. As usual, the plays available to launching will not alone justify the purchase of the console, but that should change quickly when more impressive titles arrive on the market. A thing is sure: you will have really the feeling to have some for your money, as well from the point of view of the multi-media play as of the capacities.