PS3 to haters: Try me!

A new world order, it seems, is the order of the day for a lot of console gamers lately. The PS3 has been subject to a lot of criticism and skepticism for being “underwhelming” – that is, it’s a bit too pricey, it doesn’t have a real answer for the Xbox Live network, the controller is a bit light and doesn’t rumble, along with the lack of a real powerhouse title that can transcend genre boundaries and become a true household name. Most of these, of course, came from people who read articles dissing the PS3 but never actually getting empirical analysis.

The Xbox 360 and the Wii are truly impressive game machines in and all by themselves. The 360 is carrying a lot of momentum from American gamers due in part to its early release and strong titles driving the sales. The Wii is also picking up the pace as evidenced by good sales attributed to the game-enhancing functionality of the controller and an impressive showing by first-party games such as The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

It’s easy to write off the PS3 and say that it’s all sizzle and no steak, but for anyone who is thinking with a level head, it’s too early to tell at this point whether the aforementioned console will drop the ball passed on to it by its predecessors.

True, a real console-defining title may still be a few months off, but the existing ones are pretty good. Getting our hands on Formula One was a truly exhilarating racing fix. The visuals were amazing – everything was highly detailed, the physics engine was right on, the frame rate was firing on all cylinders, and a real speed sensation was present all the way.

The audio also delivered. The speakers were shuddering as the engines whined across the track. The SIXAXIS may not rumble anymore, but the architecture of the Dual Shock is almost timeless. Motion sensitivity was on the money and the USB-rechargeable battery in the control pad was very convenient.

Critics may say that one gaming experience isn’t an accurate gauge of a system’s potential, but let’s see what happens when the big boys like MGS4 and FFXIII hit town.

This console war has had a few interesting skirmishes so far, but the real battles won’t begin until late this year. Let’s hope as gamers that all three parties deliver so that every gamer ultimately wins. Better yet, get all three. It isn’t such a bad thing to do.

A new world order, it seems, is the order of the day for a lot of console gamers lately. The PS3 has been subject to a lot of criticism and skepticism for being “underwhelming” – that is, it’s a bit too pricey, it doesn’t have a real answer for the Xbox Live network, the controller is a bit light and doesn’t rumble, along with the lack of a real powerhouse title that can transcend genre boundaries and become a true household name. Most of these, of course, came from people who read articles dissing the PS3 but never actually getting empirical analysis.

The Xbox 360 and the Wii are truly impressive game machines in and all by themselves. The 360 is carrying a lot of momentum from American gamers due in part to its early release and strong titles driving the sales. The Wii is also picking up the pace as evidenced by good sales attributed to the game-enhancing functionality of the controller and an impressive showing by first-party games such as The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

It’s easy to write off the PS3 and say that it’s all sizzle and no steak, but for anyone who is thinking with a level head, it’s too early to tell at this point whether the aforementioned console will drop the ball passed on to it by its predecessors.

True, a real console-defining title may still be a few months off, but the existing ones are pretty good. Getting our hands on Formula One was a truly exhilarating racing fix. The visuals were amazing – everything was highly detailed, the physics engine was right on, the frame rate was firing on all cylinders, and a real speed sensation was present all the way.

The audio also delivered. The speakers were shuddering as the engines whined across the track. The SIXAXIS may not rumble anymore, but the architecture of the Dual Shock is almost timeless. Motion sensitivity was on the money and the USB-rechargeable battery in the control pad was very convenient.

Critics may say that one gaming experience isn’t an accurate gauge of a system’s potential, but let’s see what happens when the big boys like MGS4 and FFXIII hit town.

This console war has had a few interesting skirmishes so far, but the real battles won’t begin until late this year. Let’s hope as gamers that all three parties deliver so that every gamer ultimately wins. Better yet, get all three. It isn’t such a bad thing to do.