Topic: Is a PS3 worth it?

I'm starting to think about a PS3 and wanted some opinions. I have a Wii that gets some fairly consistent lovin' (I'm on this site so that probably makes sense.) I don't have an HD TV so I'm wondering about how it looks on a regular TV. What is the internet experience like? (Is it just like using a cpu on your television or are there limited sites like the Wii?). Can it run programs like itunes? How is the PSN experience? I'm interested in BioShock 1&2 and little big planet and have played and enjoyed the most recent tekken but are there other great games on PS3? The cost still seems a bit high to me...Thoughts, ideas, comments? Thanks.

As someone who is also looking to get a PS3, I can probably help by telling you why I am drawn to it. From my experience of playing on other people's consoles, PSN is a great FREE service that's far better than what the Wii has, but not quite up to the pricey Xbox Live. If you're worried about $60 games (a genuine concern), there's always the Greatest Hits line-up which are only $20-30. (Be nice if Ninty would do this in NA.) The PS3 does work with SD Tvs (as it has AV and HDMI cables) though it will probably only be able to run in 480i. Hope this helps.

Thanks Objection_Blaster

The PS3 is a totally different experience from the Wii and if you feel the need for more gaming goodness then it is totally worth it. I myself only just bought a Wii in December so I have a large back catalog of games to catch up on (finally just started Mario Galaxy this past weekend). I haven't played Bioshock 2 but the first one was a lot of fun. It wasn't a groundbreaking game but it was one of those games I actually completed and played through a second time not long after. Last year was an excellent year for the PS3 and the first year it really outdid the Xbox 360. There are a lot of good features you will get over the Wii.

Last I heard iTunes support isn't official but there are ways around it through third party software on your PC. You can play MP3's just fine though as well as a lot of other media.

If you get one get a slim. The older models according to the internet are going bonkers. I may get one this year too. I is not because I don't like nintendo. It is because I have the first 2 ps and have been waiting for the price to go down. This year may just be that year but that is after the first half of the year. With the games coming out on wii in these six months you may not have enough money to get a ps3.

Yea the original PS3's are going mental. Theres something wrong with their trophy system, a corrupt file, which means you can't earn any trophoes or the worst part, go online.

Great points made already.

As an owner for a little over a year now, I love it. The media-playing functionality and the OS in general are just plain intuitive and well-done. Blu-rays rock, etc. My single favorite thing about it is that it got me out of my comfort zone, so-to-speak, and I tried (and summarily enjoyed) some genres I hadn't tried previously. Suffice to say, there are so many great choices of games and quite a solid online experience via PSN, despite the last day of weird-bug (first it's happened as far as I recall). Overall, it's $300 well spent.

Seriously though--having movie and music files on your hard drive or shared through your PC and playable/streamable is so nice and still hasn't lost it's cool-factor a year after purchase. Couple that with Ratchet and Clank, Infamous, Heavy Rain, Uncharted....and all that good multiplat stuff!

EDIT - so I figure I should answer your questions too...as for how it looks on a regular SD TV, it looks just fine and the XMB (OS) is still very usable, despite losing some visibility due to the resolution (it just looks zoomed-in compared to in 1080p). Movie file playback is still awesome and internet is very usable, and not nearly as restricted as the Wii's. (you will get some browser-crashes on heavily "programmed" sites, but it does a good job overall). It's also worth noting that since you can hardwire it into the wall and since it's wireless card is better than the Wii's, the online experience is much smoother/faster. You move your cursor with the right stick, move the scrollbars/screen with the right stick, and click the right-stick to zoom. It works really well. It can't run iTunes yet, but you can set up your PC as a media server (auto-recognizes) and stream content directly from your PC so you don't waste HD space. I touched on some of the other great games already. LBP is pretty fun but as a Nintendo platformer vet, something just seemed not quite as polished... didn't spend much time with it though and never played with the editor or online, so keep that in mind. I played the first Bioshock and was blown away--short but excellent, and one of the games that got me into FPSes with Half Life 2. I think that covers it.

Is the PS3 wireless compatible right out of the box? And what sort of software are you talking about that allows streaming from your PC?

Yup--made that in my edit (you made your post before I made that--shoulda answered previously.

Don't need any. It'll auto-find your PC if you simply share it as a media server--I think it was in Control Panel or something, but no additional software was needed. You just toss video files into your Public folder, and there you go! All music in my Music folder got autoshared also.

The PS3 is an amazing console.
Seriously,I have a Wii and PS3 set up on the same TV and I just feel gooooooooooooooooooood. lol

ps3 is DEFINATELY WORTH IT!

Thanks Swerd_Murd. It is really helpful to get info on people's actual experience with the system vs. just looking at specs online. Now I'm REALLY leaning towards purchasing one. This may be a basic question but does it connect with Hulu? I'm watching more tv through that website than before and would love to be able to do it from the comfort of my couch.

Buy it. It's a fantastic console.

Yes, it's worth it. The PS3 is a great console.

As for which games to get, here are some of my personal favourite exclusives:
1. Valkyria Chronicles (awesome tactical rpg)
2. Wipeout HD (great racing game)
3. Uncharted and Uncharted 2

Games I would recommend: (ones I've played or bought to play on other people's consoles):
Star Wars: Force Unleashed
Dead Space
Heavenly Sword
Modern Warfare 2
(the list goes on...)

I would not recommend: Motorstorm or Army of Two. But that's my opinion.

PS3 is definately worth it! For great graphics, online play, BD playback, and games you can't buy on any other system. You won't regret it!

Get MW2, MGS4 and Batman.

Not at the current time, due to the crappy time error with playstation network

It only affects the Phats and it will only last 2 days....OH NOEZ!!!

I'm looking to get an Playstation 3 as well and it looks like a great system. I'll say yes for now.

The PS3 is a great complement for the Wii. The two offer completely different games, so together you get a much broader experience than you would with just one console.

I love my PS3.