PS3 Questions

[vskid]

I'm thinking that we're going to get a new console this Christmas. My mom is kinda leaning towards a Wii, since I have 3 siblings that are in its "target age range" (aka, easily manipulated). I think my dad is leaning towards the PS3, because he wants Bluray movies. So I need to know good arguments against the Wii and some more info about the PS3.
Does anybody have a PS3, modded xbox/DVD upconverter, and HDTV, so you could compare bluray to DVD upconverting? Our HDTV can accept up to 1080i through component. If the difference isn't that big, then maybe we'd get a 360 instead of a PS3.

[hailrazer]

Depends on the size of your T.V.

But basically anything about 40"-46" and you can see a bit of difference between upconverted Dvd's and Blu-Ray. Not so much where you would notice it all the time and be annoyed by it , but enough where you would notice it.

On a 50"-60" and there is quite a bit of difference with Blu-Ray being quite stunning.

[vskid]

Depends on the size of your T.V.

But basically anything about 40"-46" and you can see a bit of difference between upconverted Dvd's and Blu-Ray. Not so much where you would notice it all the time and be annoyed by it , but enough where you would notice it.

On a 50"-60" and there is quite a bit of difference with Blu-Ray being quite stunning.

Right in between, 48". It can be super sharp if the content is good quality. My friend brought his 360 over once and we played Halo 2 on it at 1080i, the menus were so sharp it almost hurt.
I'm going to play the same movie on the xbox (upconverted to 1080i) and the DVD player (480p), and see if I can see any difference. If they look the same, I'll assume that the xbox doesn't upconvert any better than the TV, and go for the PS3. I also read that bluray has far better sound, which should be noticeable with our 7.1 surround system.

[JAY]

I did a comparison between the DVD and Blu-Ray versions of Batman Begins when it was released, and the differences were pretty significant in both video and audio. This was between 1080i and 480p on a 42" TV (TV can't display 1080p).

An upconverted The Bourne Ultimatum DVD on the PS3 is still not as clear as a Blu-Ray movie, but I don't think it is anything to make a big fuss over. When comparing its menus to Iron Man, the Blu-Ray video looks much better, but once you actually start watching the movies, the differences are not very noticeable.

[Black Six]

I also read that bluray has far better sound, which should be noticeable with our 7.1 surround system.

I believe many Blurays have uncompressed sound files, so yes, they would sound better.

[vskid]

I compared Iron Man with the DVD player and Xbox (upconverting). There wasn't that big of a difference. We're going to go to a few stores to compare prices and features of different Bluray players, my dad isn't too keen about getting another console unless its the best deal (he doesn't like video games). Are there any bluray players/PS3 that can output video through component and audio through HDMI? Our surround receiver supports HDMI, but the TV doesn't, and HDMI is needed to output 7.1. Also, would the PS3 have any problem switching between component and composite? Our HDTV is susceptible to burn-in, so if I could have it hooked up to the HDTV for movies, and easily switch to a composite cable that goes to our "gaming" TV downstairs for gaming, that would be perfect (wireless controllers should have no problem going through the floor).

Now my main problem is trying to convince my mom that the Wii is a waste of money. Not only are the controllers $10 more than the PS3's (thats not even taking the classic controllers into account), but they don't come with batteries. Maybe I could talk her into a Gamecube, all the fun, no gimmick, and cheap as free.

[JAY]

Also, would the PS3 have any problem switching between component and composite? Our HDTV is susceptible to burn-in, so if I could have it hooked up to the HDTV for movies, and easily switch to a composite cable that goes to our "gaming" TV downstairs for gaming, that would be perfect (wireless controllers should have no problem going through the floor).

You can have multiple outputs from the PS3 hooked up at the same time, and then switch between them in the Display Settings.

Now my main problem is trying to convince my mom that the Wii is a waste of money. Not only are the controllers $10 more than the PS3's (thats not even taking the classic controllers into account), but they don't come with batteries. Maybe I could talk her into a Gamecube, all the fun, no gimmick, and cheap as free.

Your arguments against the Wii are stupid. The Wii controllers are $10 more, but its games are $10 less. Unless you only plan to buy 3 games or less, the PS3 will be more expensive in this regard. Unless you plan on purchasing a bunch of SNES/Genesis VC titles (use a Wii remote for NES, and GCN controller for N64), you don't need the Classic controller, so its price is a non-issue. The PS3 must be on when you want to charge the contoller, not merely in standby mode, and the USB cable is only 5 feet long, so don't plan on playing comfortably while the controller needs to charge unless you're swapping to a different controller or buying a longer cable. Although you're not paying the electircal bill, the extra power consumption of the PS3 will offset the added price of batteries for the Wii remotes.

[vskid]

Your arguments against the Wii are stupid.

I know they aren't that good, but if we get a Wii, the chances of getting a PS3/bluray player go way down. Bluray>gimmicky remote and shovel-ware. There are really only 10 games worth buying for Wii, even less are worth the retail price. PS3 isn't a whole lot better, but most of the ones worth paying money for are worth the retail price. Pretty much all the Wii games worth buying are rehashes of Gamecube games or they're available for the PS3 in their unadulterated forms.

[sgtpepper]

Well I've got to say, I think I can answer almost ANY questions you're going to have on the subject. I have a PS3, a Wii, and a really nice Denon upconverting DVD player. I've only got 1080i, but both the Denon and the PS3 support 1080p upconversion. The Denon is slightly better in upconverting, but that's expected, considering that is its main purpose.

My dad and I were initially curious about whether Bluray would really look different than the Denon's upconverting ability (this was before the PS3 upconverted). We bought the PS3 for gaming, and weren't exactly sold on Bluray just yet. So we set up the Denon playing Italian Job on DVD, upconverted to 1080i, and matched it up to the Bluray copy. The difference was quite noticeable, especially with sound quality. I must say, our 118" projection screen and 7.1 setup might not be particularly standard, but it really helps to illustrate how stunning the difference is. We tried the same thing with Casino Royale, and the difference was extremely noticeable during the fast action scenes. The upconverting blurred quite a bit during intense scenes, whereas the Bluray held its own. These tests were through component, and we've since switched to HDMI, but I'd expect the results would be the same. So as far as upconverting goes, it just will never match Bluray in fast action scenes, and certainly not in audio. Don't believe what Toshiba says on the matter, they're just sore losers

Now as far as the Wii to PS3 comparison goes, I'm going to have to side with the PS3 as well. I play the PS3 more, plain and simple. It has a better selection of games, and the graphics are just top notch, not to mention HD. There are games like Mario and Zelda that I could not live without that will always be my reason for going Nintendo, but other than that, the Wii just doesn't have the same draw. I've been absolutely hooked on games like Resistance 1 and 2, Fallout 3, Oblivion, Burnout Paradise, and GTA IV. None of which are on Wii. Even if they were, the PS3 counterparts are always going to have more features and better graphics, there's just no way around it. I've always been a Nintendo fanboy, but Sony has really got me hooked this time around.

Now as far as the PS3 vs 360 argument, I'll admit that other than Resistance, everything I play on PS3 is available for 360 as well. But there are a couple things that the PS3 has that the 360 just doesn't offer. Obviously Bluray is the biggest draw, but think about it not just from the home video aspect. The storage capacity is just unbeatable. 50GB vs 8.5GB, there's just no getting around it. I think that Sony did themselves and developers a favor in future-proofing their console in the storage department. I think it will really begin to show as time goes on. The other smaller things count too though. I like the fact that I don't have to buy a proprietary hard drive for my console, and that I don't have to pay for online gaming. All the things that people used to say the 360 had over the PS3 have been trumped by Sony's software updates. Sony really has recovered well from their initial (and fiscally horrendous) debt in the PS3.

So yeah, in a nutshell, GET A PS3!!!!

[vskid]

Thanks for that, sgtpepper, that was very informative.
It turns out that my mom was only saying that we were going to get a Wii because I was so against it. A PS3 isn't in the short term forecast, either. I think we'll probably get one around tax return time. *crosses fingers*