Early Thoughts

The PS3 arrived on time, pre-ordered for delivery on the launch day. I had already bought my first Blu-Ray disk, so I had something to try until Motorstorm and Resistance, Fall of Man dropped through the letter box later in the day.

First impressions - the piano black finish on the PS3 is really very impressive and the unit is very attractive..... right up until you lay it down and have to look at its bug ugly business edge which hosts the usb ports, disk input slot and the flap covering the memory card slots. This profile looks like it could have been designed by my six year old, afflicted as it is with dreadful asymmetry.

The unit is pretty quiet, no noisier than a laptop really, despite getting quite a bit hotter.

I connected the unit via HDMI for the video and digital optical for the audio - I don't use the speakers on the Sony TV and the Denon AVR 1707 doesn't support HDMI. The setup works well and allows for 1080p visuals and Dolby DIgital 5.1 audio. The Media RIbbon interface is very easy to navigate, especially if you have a PSP - they're pretty much the same.

Wireless connectivity was easily configured, but I couldn't get Internet connection until I turned off uPNP - everything was fine after that; if a little slow at times (launch day traffic??).

Blu-Ray playback yielded excellent quality (see Kung Fu Hustle movie review) and exceeded the quality I get watching Sky HD. The wireless six-axis controller works fine for basic movie navigation - I'm not sure I'll bother buying the Blu-Ray remote.

One of the nice features of the PS3 is how well supported photos are; stick in a compact flash card and you are 'slide-showing' in moments; much better than trying to remember where you have stored your camera's tv cable.

Games quality is very good, though since I have a watercooled SLI, dual core PC coupled to a pair of 1920 X 1200 panels, the graphics didn't blow me away (at least not on all games! - see separate games reviews for more detail).

Overall, I'm pleased with the purchase and I'm very confident that the PS3 is worth the (relatively) steep price tag of £425.