It only does everything
When you're building your home entertainment setup, it's important to make sure you're not missing out on any of your favorite content. Here to help is the Sony PlayStation3. Maybe you've heard of it, maybe not. But trust us, you want to know more. This is one home theater component to replace many, for about the same price as any one of those components.
Together at last
For a long time, video games and fitness have been at odds with each other. After all, sitting on a couch pressing buttons to make an on-screen character move doesn't exactly fit very well with the traditional idea of exercise. Fortunately, they don't have to be enemies any more. The new PlayStation Move is designed to get you off the couch and into the game. Whether you want your kids to stay active or you want to shed those few extra pounds, PlayStation Move can help, with fun games that get you moving. Games and exercise: together at last.
Why Move rocks
Sure, there are other motion-controlled games out there, but there are a few key features that will make you want to Move. For starters, this technology works, and it works well. The family-friendly console that was the first to introduce motion controls was a great building block, but PlayStation Move takes that technology further. Before, you could sit on the couch and with minimal moving of your arms still get your desired results on-screen. Rather than just use a controller with a motion sensor, PlayStation Move actually incorporates a camera that, when combined with the motion controller, is insanely accurate. Sure, the realism can be a little frustrating if you're having a hard time beating a certain opponent in table tennis, but in the long run, you'll get a better workout and have a lot more fun enjoying the life-like gameplay of Move. Then there's the other console with no controller at all in its motion technology. This might sound super-convenient, but it also has its downsides. If you just say "pause" to pause your game, what's to keep your jokester friend from kindly pausing the game for you from across the room every time you try to play? Buttons aren't the problem; in fact, they're downright handy to have sometimes, but a motion-based controller needs to be lightweight and ergonomic, and this motion controller fits the bill. Bringing you the best of both worlds, PlayStation Move combines motion with buttons, so you don't have to make a finger gun and say "Pew, pew, pew" to blast baddies in your favorite shooter.
Plunge into the deep Blu waters
One of the things that really sets the PS3 apart from the competition is its disc drive. While most consoles use DVD-ROM discs, the PlayStation3 uses the latest Blu-ray technology. Blu-ray technology allows discs to hold about five times as much info in the same space. If you'd like to learn more about how they do this, please check out the "Articles" section of our web site. All that extra space comes in mighty handy for movies. Now on one disc, you can enjoy Full HD 1080p video, 7.1-channel uncompressed audio, tons of bonus features, and even 3D! Since games can be written to Blu-ray discs too, the PS3 can handle larger, more feature-packed games than other systems. Of course, even for a Blu-ray player, the PS3 is pretty impressive; It's widely considered to one of the best Blu-ray players available. After all, the heavy processing required for crisp, responsive Full HD games means that handling video is a cinch for the PS3. Plus, with a free downloadable firmware update, the PS3 will play 3D Blu-ray discs! Or course, it also does an amazing job playing CDs and DVDs. But perhaps best of all is the fact that, despite this being a top-quality Blu-ray player, the price is plenty reasonable, especially when you consider how much it does besides just playing Blu-rays.
Oh yeah, and it's a PlayStation
Sure, the PS3 slim has a Blu-ray player built right in, so you can use it to enjoy the highest-quality movies available, but don't be fooled into thinking that this PlayStation's primary purpose is watching movies. At its heart, the PS3 is still a PlayStation. It was built to use for playing games. All of the many other great features are icing on the cake, and what a delicious cake it is. The PlayStation3 is the most powerful console available. Its main challenger is Microsoft's XBox 360. The 360 has some great qualities, and a great exclusive game or two, but the PS3 has several things the 360 doesn't. First of all, the Blu-ray player in the PlayStation is good for more than just movies. Games can also be put on Blu-ray discs, so they can use a lot more storage than XBox games. This might mean better graphics for the same game, more features, or even entirely different games. Second of all, the PS3's online community is free. So is an XBox LIVE membership, or so they want you to believe. The thing is, XBox LIVE's free memberships really only allow you to buy things. If you want to play games or even watch them, plan on shelling out at least $50 per year. Sony wanted to created a more open online platform, so to access the basic features like online gaming or interaction, you won't be charged. These are just a few of the reasons that even if the PS3 were just a console, it would still be awesome.
But what of the games?
So if they PS3 has so many great things about it, why are some people so devoted to XBox instead? Well, usually the answer lies in one of two reasons. First of all, the XBox 360 came out about a year earlier, so many people didn't want to wait to get their hands on this generation of consoles. Secondly, the XBox is the only console that can play the Halo series, which is tremendously popular. Aside from Halo, though, the PS3 has most of the games the XBox does, including the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, EA Sports games, the Call of Duty series, BioShock, Fallout 3, and pretty much any other great game you can think of. However, there are several really great PlayStation exclusives, including Resistance: Fall of Man and its sequel, God of War III, Gran Turismo 5, Heavy Rain, the Killzone series, Infamous, ModNation Racers, LittleBigPlanet, the Metal Gear series, SOCOM series, MotorStorm, and the Uncharted series. So, when it comes right down to it, the PlayStation3 simply beats the XBox 360 for its selection of great games, since it has all the best non-exclusive games and a better selection of PS3-only games.
There are also a few important things you should know about the games that work with PlayStation Move. First of all, there are two types of Move games. One type of games requires this motion controller and camera, while the other supports using the Move controller and camera OR a standard DUALSHOCK controller. These type of games are especially convenient, since sometimes you just don't feel like getting up and moving around while you play. The next important thing to consider is that Move is still relatively new, so this is just the start of games that support Move. In the future, there's a good chance that most new games will at least support the motion system, if not require it. Furthermore, you may already have some Move games in your collection. In addition to new games with Move support on the disc, many manufacturers are releasing patches for existing games through PSN, so you can take advantage of the latest motion technology on many of the best existing PS3 games. Finally, with any game, you should always check the rating and its accompanying descriptors to make sure that it's OK for the people who will be playing it. And, when in doubt, check it out yourself.
But that's not all!
By this point, hopefully you're starting to realize that the PS3 is not just a gaming console. It's not just a Blu-ray player. It's not even just a disc reader. It's each of those, but so much more than any one of them. It's a home entertainment hub! Aside from playing a tremendous selection of DVDs, Blu-ray discs, CDs, and games, it will network as well as almost any home electronic. Using the Wi-Fi or the ethernet port, you can easily connect to your home network and access files from your PC including movies, music, and photos. But if your media isn't on your computer, don't fret. There are two USB ports to allow you integrate a very wide variety of content from sources like memory cards, flash drives, or external hard drives, although adapters may be required. You can then either play those files or store them to the hard drive for later use. In addition, if you have a PSP, you can read files from that PSP, or write files to the PSP. Finally, you can access a wide variety of games, demos, and movies (although some will need to be purchased to use) using the free PlayStationNetwork membership to expand your media library. Plus, with a 320GB hard drive, using up all the built-in memory will be quite the challenge. Like we said before, the PS3 can replace multiple electronic devices for the price of one device.
The world is waiting
One of the best features of the PS3 is the free membership to the PlayStationNetwork. By creating an account and connecting to your home network, you can use the PS3 to access a vast variety of downloadable games, demos, TV shows, and movies including HD titles. Some are free and some will cost you a few bucks, but either way you can find thousands of entertainment options without even standing up. You can also find a wide variety of free and for-sale downloadable content specific to the games you play, like extra tracks for a music game, or extra levels for other games. But that's just the store portion. The PSN also lets you play online multiplayer games with other gamers from around the world. Many games will even let you use additional microphones to chat with your competitors. If battling online foes isn't really your thing, you could always try watching a game as a spectator, or just comparing stats and trophies on games to other gamers online. And it doesn't end there! PSN also provides a rich environment for interaction with friends. It's also a great way to meet new people. And with additional accessories you can even do things like chat on QWERTY keyboards just for the PS3 controller, show off your game progress, or send messages. The PlayStationEye camera will even let you video-chat or record and edit movies. One note, though: Just like the internet on your computer, it's not always a safe place for children since interaction isn't tightly regulated, so make sure to monitor your children's use of PSN.
What's in the box?
Your purchase of the PlayStation3 Sports Champions Move Bundle from vanns.com includes all of the following: free PlayStationNetwork membership, AC power cord, AV cable, USB cable, DUALSHOCK3 wireless controller, Move Motion controller, PlayStationEye camera, Sports Champions game, and the PlayStation3 Slim 320GB.
