I thought I’d give a quick update on my latest gadgets/toys/devices/acquisitions — the PlayStation 3 and the BlackBerry 9000 (the Bold.)
My new PlayStation 3 is pretty nifty. It’s beautiful, it’s sleek, it’s quiet, and it has wonderful features. The games I’ve played so far are excellent. I finished the Bioshock demo, was freaked out by the atmosphere, but I want more.
Frankly, though, we’ve been watching much more video than actually playing games. I / we have had much more time and instances where watching online streaming video has been more convenient than for me to have a solid block of time to play games by myself. It suppose that is weird, but it does demonstrate that we’re getting a lot of value out of this multi-purpose device.
My new BlackBerry Bold is simply awesome. The screen is gorgeous, 3G speeds are great, and the everything about the phone is oh-so-pretty. The battery does drain faster than I thought if I do a lot of calling, emailing, texting, or web surfing, but I think this is due to the 3G access draining the battery. Thankfully, the phone battery charges quickly. If I could make out with my phone without it being considered abnormal, I would do it openly.
I downloaded and installed Media Mall’s PlayOn Digital Media Server software for my PC. It’s a neat little media server that runs on your PC, and allows you to stream internet video from your PC to your PS3, Xbox 360, and other devices that support DLNA. You can stream video from YouTube, Hulu, CBS, Netflix, CNN, ESPN, and they added Amazon’s VOD service last week.
It was extremely easy to set up. Downloaded and installed on my PC, inputted the IDs and passwords for some accounts like Netflix, and the PS3 picked up my PC right away. I haven’t tried everything out, but the quality is standard definition, which for the moment is completely fine by me. I’m curious how it looks on HDTV, but I suppose if you have a decent TV, it’s going to upscale for you. As long as your PC fits the minimum specs, and you use ethernet or 802.11g or higher, you should be set.
PlayOn Media Server on PS3
I think Hulu is especially groovy. I thought it was good before when it was just SNL reruns and Family Guy. Now you can even watch old time 80′s shows like Airwolf and The Facts of Life. I just watched the pilot episode of Airworlf for fun while blogging! The PlayOn software costs you a one-time $39.99 if you choose to keep it after the 14-day trial, but it’s a done deal for me. Who wouldn’t want to curl up on the couch and watch Alf again?
It arrived. Like the large metal monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey, it is a gleaming tower of ominous beauty.
The monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Sony PlayStation 3
First thoughts: It’s pretty.
Second thoughts: It didn’t take me long to set up, except for learning how to type with the game controller. It must have taken me 20 mins of trial-and-error to type out my user name correctly. Getting it on my wireless network was a breeze, as was downloading/updating the firmware. The internet browser is meh, but the game demos available online on the PlayStation Network are neat. I’m downloading a number of them now, including Metal Gear Solid 4 and Bioshock. I like the XMB interface.
I tried playing Half-Life 2, but using the controller is taking some getting used to. I’ve also died a few times in the first 20 mins of the game, and am a bit lost on what to do next. Looks like I need to research online, including cheats…. maybe. I haven’t played a first-person shooter in a while, so the atmosphere (and my initial difficulty with the controller) is giving me anxiety as I try not to die. I kinda miss the warm, familiar, comforting keyboard and mouse of PC gaming. I’ll slug through it, as it’s just the first day. I think I want to pick up LittleBigPlanet, as that should be challenging without all the anxiety.
So…… I ordered my PlayStation 3 Wednesday night. Yes, that’s right. You read that correctly. I ordered the 80 Gb console, component cables, and Half Life 2 (a la The Orange Box) from my favorite retailer in the whole galaxy….. Amazon.com. For the first time in my life, as I am so eager, I paid for one-day shipping (overnight.) Dumb.
Friday comes and goes. Both the component cables and game arrive in separate boxes, but the PS3 hasn’t even shipped yet. We have gifts for Josh (and a surprise gift for me! Thanks, Paul, for the extra Dualshock 3 controller!!!) ordered by friends from Amazon.com on Thurs morning, and arrived on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Yes, all from Amazon. Meanwhile, my PS3 is still missing in action. It finally shipped 6:30pm Friday night. It is somewhere in the UPS network, between Pennsylvania and my house, and will arrive Monday.
Let me reiterate: I’m sitting at home this weekend with a game controller, cables, and even a game, and other things that were ordered from Amazon on Thursday morning, but not the critical piece of this whole plan, which was ordered Wednesday night! I’ve been using Amazon for probably 10 years now, ever since they opened up shop. They are my favorite retailer — best prices, fast shipping. Their Super Saver free shipping (5-9 days) usually gets my stuff here in 3 days. They have never, ever disappointed me. Until now.
I am 99% sure now that I want to get a PlayStation 3 game console. I was talking it over with my wife this evening, and I think I want it. I’ve been weighing it in my head, but I’m overthinking it. It’s a game console that I can play some fun games when I need to decompress. Plenty of games that I want to play are now available, such as God of War III, Half Life 2, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, and Bioshock. I think it would be fun to play games more often.
