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Sony PlayStation 3: the Ars Technica review


If it works for an HDTV, it'll work for a PS3

I have mixed feelings about the user interface. First, it's the PSP UI, so if you know your way around that system you'll have no problem here. The XMB system—as Sony calls it—has been popping up in more and more of their gadgets. Sony is once again going back to a stock solution for a new problem, and overall it works. It's easy to find what you're looking for, and as you download demos and put in discs, the options to use them show up under the correct heading.

The only problem is that with even moderate use the screen can get a little messy; am I really going to have to see every demo I've downloaded when the cursor is on the "Game" heading? Will every movie trailer pop up when I'm on the "Video" heading? There's no real way to hide these things, so it can get a little cluttered. I can't imagine how long those lines will get with long-term use.

It's simple, it's intuitive, but it certainly isn't elegant or even pretty. I really wish they would have come up with something that's PS3-specific, but of course that takes time and money. This isn't a bad solution, but it certainly isn't the ideal one.

Yeah, that's easy to use. The yellow square is thoughtfully titled "yellow"

Plug it in and hope it's the right file type

On the $600 system configuration, you'll notice you can move content and files from any of three different kinds of media sticks: CF, SD, and Pro Duo cards. Here is a hint about using memory cards and USB devices on your PS3: the system can have trouble seeing some folders when you simply plug in your device, so what you're going to want to do is to highlight the stick, hit the triangle button, which will bring up a menu on the right-hand side of the screen, and then select "Display All." This will let you explore all the folders, and will make using devices like iPods much easier. This isn't something I've seen addressed anywhere else, so if you're getting frustrated trying to find where the files are on your device if the PS3 doesn't see them, this should fix that problem.

You get your choice of three card readers in the premium version

But what exactly can you dump onto the system? First, you can bring your digital pictures from your camera by either putting in the memory stick directly, or simply plugging it into a USB port. The PS3 has some nice slide-show features, as well as a 3D visualization option that gives you a virtual tabletop and then your pictures flutter down as Polaroids. It's hard to describe—and almost entirely useless—but it's pretty cool.

The slideshow visualization is rather nice

You can also move your music files onto the system to listen to, although the included software for playback is kind of shallow. You can rip your own CDs, and the PS3 will go online and get you album information, but you can't make playlists and while the visualization software has some nifty elements, it's nothing that Winamp doesn't do better. I was hoping for something fun here, or at least interactive like the Xbox 360, but as it stands it's more of a bullet point than a feature you'll use your PS3 for.

The music player interface, utilitarian and sparse

I also noticed that none of the games I've played so far support custom soundtracks; the fact that every 360 game can do this and Sony seemingly doesn't prioritize it is kind of annoying. I keep feeling like I'm losing features.

Ripping CDs to the PS3 hard drive is zippy and you are given a wide array of choices in terms of file type and quality. I don't have a lot of complaints in that area. Well done there.

In terms of video, you can move video files to your PS3's hard drive through USB or by dumping it from your memory stick, although the PS3 will only support a few file types this way. Here's the list:

  • MPEG-4 SP (AAC LC)
  • MPEG-1 (MPEG Audio Layer 2)
  • MPEG-2 PS(MPEG2 Audio Layer 2)
  • MPEG-2 TS (MPEG2 Audio Layer 2)

If you want to take the guesswork out of converting your files for play on the PS3, simply download PS3 Video 9, a free program that will do all the heavy lifting for you. Depending on the speed of your computer though, converting video can be something of a long process.

All this is kind of a pain in the butt; I would kill someone in front of their mother if the PS3 and the Xbox 360 would simply support DivX files. I know why they don't—piracy would be way too easy—but this feature has to be at the top of everyone's wish list. Maybe almost as high as background downloading, in fact, but more on that later.

This is starting to be a theme for the PS3: some great features that are hindered by poor software support. With a more robust music player the PS3 would make a great jukebox for your home entertainment center. With DivX support and the ability to stream content from your PC it would have made a great HTPC for your living room. As it stands, there is a lot of mediocrity here. I want to see some updates for these functions soon, and when those start coming you can go ahead and start adding points to our final score.

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