Reviews of Sony Playstation 3

Well the PS3 got an overall rating of 8.7 out of 10 from the editor at cnet.com (a reputible review website) and a 7.5 out of 10 as a user rating. The good points (according to Cnets review) are as follows: "swanky" design, quiet operation, friendly interface, blue- ray compatibility, Wifi and Flash reader, HDMI output with 1080p support, no external power supply, and a free online gaming service. As you can see the PS3 has loads of good points, excelling in the functionalty department. The disadvantages of the PS3 are as follows: hardly any games (in comparison to its rival Xbox), fingerprint magnet, no infrared for remotes; only bluetooth, no backwards compatibility. But thats about it says David Carney (editor of Cnet). And finally "The high-end Sony PlayStation 3's larger hard drive and ability to play PS2 games makes it a worthwhile alternative to the cheaper model--so long as you're willing to wait several months for the more promising exclusive titles to hit store shelves. If backward compatibility is your top priority, this hard-to-find model may be worth the search." i will provide some quotes regarding the editors review of the games console, this, hopefully will allow you to make a judgement on whether you are a PS3er.

• "Early prototypes were shown in white and silver, but the PS3 is currently available only in black"
• "One obvious difference between the Xbox 360 and the PS3 is the way you load media. As opposed to the more typical tray loader, the PS3 has a front-slot-loading, Blu-ray optical-disc drive, which contributes to the unit's slicker appearance. Discs slide in and eject smoothly enough, so chalk one up for the PS3 here. "
• "Unlike the proprietary snap-on hard drive of the Xbox 360, the PS3's 60GB internal hard drive is user replaceable with any off-the-shelf laptop drive"
• "Unfortunately, the battery isn't removable, which means that if it dies--as inevitably it will someday--you'll have to replace the entire controller ($50) if you want to play wirelessly. By comparison, the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii controllers offer user-replaceable batteries: AAs or proprietary rechargeables for the 360, and AAs for the Wii."
• "The PS3 can read digital photos from a variety of USB-attached devices, including most digital cameras, the PSP, USB flash drives, and home-burned CD-Rs"
• "Free online play is obviously a big plus in Sony's favor. That said, Xbox Live has been around for years and has had time to mature, and the majority of Xbox 360 games offer some form of online play"

if you would like to read a full review of the PS3 then its here>>>>>>http://reviews.cnet.com/consoles/sony-playstation-3-60gb/4505-10109_7-31355103.html

From Xbox Website

Xbox happens to have 3 360 models: "Arcade", "Premium" and "Elite". These vary in specification and gameplay.

• "The Xbox 360 Arcade System is everything you need to start playing. With a Wireless Controller, 256MB Memory Unit, Xbox LIVE Silver Membership and 5 Arcade Games, there’s never been a better time to jump in. Go play!"
• "If you're a serious gamer looking for the ultimate console, the search ends here. Fully loaded, it's the unsurpassed gaming and entertainment experience right out of the box."
• Introducing Xbox 360™ Elite, the premier Xbox 360 console package that includes a massive 120GB hard drive, a HDMI port, and HDMI cable, all wrapped up with a premium black finish. Xbox 360 Elite also includes a black wireless controller and black Xbox LIVE® headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a whole library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows, movies, music, and all the other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

As you can see the Elite is the main rival to Sony's PS3. And Microsofts marketing techniques are very similar to that of Sony.

From PS3 Website

The PS3 Boasts 4 main functions which make it induvidual and special. These are:

• Network: "Go online with PS3: Connect PS3 to your broadband connection to play exciting online games, or explore the new PlayStation Store"
• Video: "Are You Sitting Comfortably: PLAYSTATION 3 boasts incredible High Definition Blu-ray Disc playback - essential for movie fans."
• Music: "Sounds Good: Store your music collection on PLAYSTATION 3 for easy access to your favourite tunes."
• Photos: "Picture Perfect: Ample storage and intuitive controls make it easy to show your favourite photos to friends and family."

• "Do it all with PLAYSTATION 3"

• "PS3 delivers the next generation of interactive entertainment. Enjoy Blu-ray Disc movies, cutting edge High Definition games, easy music, video and photo storage, free access to PLAYSTATION®Network and much more."

These are a few quotations pulled out of the official PS3 website. As you can probably see; there is no negative aspects shown, they are all positive attributes of the console. Sony are tryin to sell the console through the website and clever advertising. Sony fails to mention any of the negative points of the console.

"Were all reporters in the digital Democracy"

What is Citizen Journalism?- Citizen journalism is more or less user generated content. According to Emily Bell, a writer for the Guardian it is "one of the most profound changes taking place in the mainstream media is played in it by the audience". In other words it is the way in which "WE" as public contribute to the news by; home video clips, and phone still images.
What ideas does Emily Bell present in the article?- Emily Bell seems to convey a number of key ideas throughout the article. She looks into the more Citizen based contribution of news stories, and she states that it gives the opportunity for "ordinary people" to make their own style of programmes. She also discusses the change of the style in which journalism is presented; such as spontanious reporting and the use of mobile phone videos and still images.
What vision of the media does does "GOOGLEZON" present?Well, after watching the Googlezon video, i thought the vision of the media is portrayed as chaotic and hectic. Its shows the way in which the media tycoon "google" will take over the whole news system. If google combines with popular mail order site "amazon" then it is said that the internet will know about everyone; all details and personal information

PS3 Vs. Xbox360

Basic Specs of the PS3, Xbox360 and the Nintendo Wii
Media Type
BD-ROM , CD-ROM , DVD-ROM
DVD-ROM
Nintendo Wii disc , Nintendo GAMECUBE disc
Processor type
Cell
PowerPC
PowerPC
RAM installed size
256 MB
512 MB
512 MB
Graphics Processor / Vendor
NVIDIA RSX
ATI Xbox 360
ATI Hollywood
Video RAM installed
256 MB
10 MB
Info unavailable
Max resolution (external)
1920 x 1080
1920 x 1080
Info unavailable

As you can see the PS3 and the Xbox 360 are very similar in type!, the resoulution is the same (1080p- real life colours), and also the other differences are verry small. i will need to look deeper into what makes a better console, apart from just tech specs on paper. The Nintendo wii is not really a competitor in the specs department, but looking at sales figures the Wii wins significantly. "Another month, another batch of sales stats. And nope, the Wii shows no sign of slowing down. Japanese data showed Nintendo's console outselling the PS3 by 6 to 1. The Wii shifted 270,974 units compared to 41,628 PS3s and 17,616 units for the 360. Analysts keep saying that PS3 will eventually pull through to maintaining Sony's industry domination. But are they right? Could the Wii actually "win" this console war?" i pulled this from the guardian website from Greg Howsen, and i think that this shows how the taget audience establishes what is fun. For example the PS3 and 360 are both real life graphics, fast pace, massive, online games, yet the Wii has basic graphics, poor games and cant even play DVDS? but who needs all of these additional extras. The Wii is fun and family orientated, and predominantly aimed at children. Its quirky controls and games mke it an instant hit for people of any ages, and as far as simplicity goes, the Wii is the clear winner.
But i still can't honestly grasp the concept of fun, whilst im standing up in my living room waving my hands around like a maniac, but i can see why this appeals to children especially. Though the PS3 Reigns in the spec department, and the Xbox closely following, i can still not yet come to a conclusion to what is better, so i will continue my research further.

Questions!!!! 27-2-8

Endism: A Concept created by John Seely Brown. This Perspective sees new technologies as replacing new ones. A good example of this is; when the CD arrived, people predicted the end of the written book. This is applicible to today; iPods replacing CD players, HD1080p Televisions replacing HD Ready or LCD. Technology has made a tremendous leap over the years, and is still developing further.
Media Ecosystem: Created by cultural critic Neil Postman. He proposed the notion of media ecology. Obviously the idea has come from science and can basically be defined as: the dynamic system in which living organisms interact with one another and with their environment. But The main point he was trying to get across, is "An ecosystem is never static; it's in a state of perpetual ferment"<<< This is the bit we need to remember, as it can be strongly related to the media. The organisms decribed in our media ecosystem include broadcast and narrowcast television, movies, radio, print and the internet. He goes on to explain that the predominant organism is Broadcast TV!!!
Narrowcasting: For Example "SKY" has many narrowcast channels, for example: Extreme Sports Channel. Narrow casting is basically the programmes, or channels specifically for a certain target audience. With narrowcasting the programmer or producer assumes that only a limited number of people or a specific demographic group will be interested in the subject matter of a program. Also for example, music television is presented on MTV (Music Television, VH1 (Video Hits One), and TNN (The Nashville Network); CNN (Cable News Network) offers 24-hour news coverage; ESPN (Entertainment Sports Network) boasts an all sports format.
Differences between "the Internet" and "the Web": The Web and the internet are not synonymous. The web is just one kind of traffic that runs on the internets tracks and signalling. "The Internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers together globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they are both connected to the Internet. Information that travels over the Internet does so via a variety of languages known as protocols." "The World Wide Web, or simply Web, is a way of accessing information over the medium of the Internet. It is an information-sharing model that is built on top of the Internet. The Web uses the HTTP protocol, only one of the languages spoken over the Internet, to transmit data. Web services, which use HTTP to allow applications to communicate in order to exchange business logic, use the the Web to share information. The Web also utilizes browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, to access Web documents called Web pages that are linked to each other via hyperlinks. Web documents also contain graphics, sounds, text and video. (taken from Here)
What is a push and Pull medium???: These words basically "capture the essence of where we've been and where we're headed". For example Broadcast TV is a 'push' Medium: the producers decide what content is going to be shown, and the public has no choice, apart from changing the channel, to watch it. The Web is the complete opposite, the public has a choice whether to click on it or not: YOUR IN CHARGE.
What is the positive aspect of blogging?: Blogging can be defined as "keeping an online Diary", and it enables users to publish thoughts (however irrational and pompous!) which others are able to view, and this enables the audience to make judgements. Also the idea of an iradication of this "one-way street" allows users to use this platform as an opportunity.

The Gaming Industry

I have chosen to study the gaming industry as my "New Media Technology". The main topic that i will be focusing in on is consoles, and the raging competativeness between top consoles: in my case: the infamous Xbox 360 and the New Playstation 3!. There have been many debates and arguments regarding these two, but there is still not a clear winner, yet! In this topic i will be choosing to research these 2 consoles, aswell as previous models and failed imitations. The Range of games, accessories, online compatibility and many more.