Last week I walked into a store and bought a PlayStation 3 after making a few phone calls. No fortune spent on eBay, no beating anyone up with a bat. It wasn't exactly just sitting on the floor, but it was easy enough to get one. Since then I've had the pleasure (and credit card payments) of tinkering with it every day and switching back and forth between the 360 and Wii to compare experiences. Overall, I'm a happy camper. But like any relationship, it really is the little things that can drive you absolutely insane. That said, here's my short list of five little things about using a PS3 that make me want to stab myself in the face and whistle.
Pet Peeve # 5: SixAxis won't charge when the system is on standby
Like the PS2, the USB ports turn into treehuggers when the system is not fully powered, fans whirring, dust blowing on my poor family of invisible mites. Thus, you can only actually charge your controllers when the system is on. Thanks.
So what's the big deal? I would have no problem leaving it on all the time, except for the fact that it's a 380 watt power supply. I'm sure it's not using the full 380W on idle operation, but since I have a few other consoles and pcs this adds up to a lot of white noise and silent creep on my electric bill. What's worse is that the corded experience is awful -- the included USB cable is very short so if you forget to charge it, you're going to be up close and personal the next time you play. Dear Sony, please leave USB1 on in the next firmware update. One port would be enough!
Until then, I'm actually charging my SixAxis on my Wii which gives love to the USB ports when idle. Blasphemy, I know. I also do the same for my Nyko PS2 wireless controller. Why? Because I have to continue to use my PS2 until I buy the memory card adapter to carry over my saved games to the PS3. Meh.
Pet Peeve #4: The PS3 is a dirt magnet!
The PS3's power supply sits beneath the system and has an air vent along the bottom and sides, fans blowing outward. Coupled with the shiny surface and weird air circulation caused by the aerodynamic design of these vents, your black PlayStation 3 will turn gray every five days of use. You have to wipe it on a regular basis or watch your fingerprints cake up on it. Dear Sony, please coat the second gen PS3 with something less dirt conductive or find a better way to circulate the air away from the console.
PS3 Pet Peeve #3: There are always load times
I'm not even talking about Blu-Ray load times. If you download the Genji, Motorstorm, F1, etc. demos you can expect PC-style load times on the console. This doesn't seem to be the case on most 360 games, so I'm not sure what the problem is. I'm starting to develop a habit to queue the game then hit the kitchen for a drink or taking long romantic walks along the beach with my Sixaxis as I wait for the games to begin.
I know the lines between PCs and Consoles are starting to blur, but this is one annoyance that I thought was exclusive to Windows. Maybe it has something to do with compressed ISOs saving space on the hard drive that need to be unpacked. If that's the case, I want a fatty toggle option. Consoles should offer instant gratification, dammit! The wait on NBA is the worst offender by far. How about a load time mini-game instead of showing us your damn logos?
PS3 Pet Peeve#2: No multitasking of downloads
If you download a game from the store, you must surrender your console for a few hours. There is no download queue, no background downloading, etc. What upsets me most about this awful feature is knowing that this is the most capable multi-threaded console I own. The fact that it cannot perform a download task while I play games or queue up other downloads is just absurd. Again, I'm spoiled by how good Xbox Live (7 downloads queued while you play and on-screen notifications when they are ready is absolutely heavenly). I realize this is just an early version of the store. I pray they are working on this right now. I want to try everything they offer and it's an absurd process. This is also a problem on the Wii, but since the downloads are so small it is innocuous. On a 1GB demo download, you definitely feel it. But here's the icing on the cake -- no ability to resume. If you're at 30% and cancel to play a game, you have to start over. That is so Windows 95.
PS3 Pet Peeve #1: User sessions in the shop cause temporary freeze-ups
As mentioned in Pet Peeve #2, you must leave your console in meditation for hours if you want those new downloads. When you come back, the Sixaxis controller syncs instantly (without having to hold down a big green X -- they got that right) and you'll find a "download complete" screen. If you try to press a button, nothing will happen. You'll have to look at this screen for a good 30 seconds and nothing you press can save you. Eventually, the system informs you that the session has timed out and kicks you out, giving you permission to use the console and you're back at the OS screen. If I'm perpetually logged in, why are they tracking sessions? GRRRR! I want those 30 seconds of my life back for every single-threaded download you've forced on me! RAWR!!!
It could be worse
That sums up my worse little gripes. None of them are serious enough to deter anyone from buying a console, but they are pestering problems that detract from the total ownership experience that are not a problem on (ahem) less expensive and so-called less capable consoles. Gamers gave a lot of lip service to the Microsoft people when the first version of Live came out, so hopefully Sony is just as committed to solving these problems and listening to gripes like this one to improve their operating system and system design. Its not like any of these problems aren't solved by their competitors in one way or another.
Above all, the worst thing they've done with these faults is trail behind other best practices. My expectation from a system so advanced and so delayed was not perfection, but significant polish and innovation in their OS and tiny details. Instead, I'm surprised to report that I'm much happier with how the 360 and Wii work out of the box. Bigger better game library aside, the PS3 definitely needs some fine tuning. Also, cocks.
Contest:
12:01 PM on 01.03.2007
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can't just plug in when powered off...
for some reason i usually use my pc to charge my controllers
There's room for improvement on so many things with the PS3 and if Sony is up to task, it's going to be formidable console. But when you look at something like the PSP (which had many issues to begin with, many of which haven't been addressed), it makes you kind of wonder.
We'll see. At least Metal Gear Solid 4 is an exclusive.
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Once a life time for that amount of boredom and sheer willingness to kill yourself just to end it all is enough thanks Sony!
Overall I'm happy with the system and the demos are fun, but it's not the end-all console YET. It does pack some serious power under the hood. I'll have to do a video of the Genji demo, when you're walking around in the waterfall its pretty ridiculous (camera problems kill it though)
I think what happens now is that companies are focusing on getting the product out and forgetting that their products need fine tuning. There are always going to be problems with consoles when they are released, all I am asking is that you as a company acknowledge these problems and try and find a simple yet quick solution if at all possible which in most cases they are.
There's that big March update everyone is talking about...
Resistance is cool, and despite what others say I like Untold Legends (It does seem kinda old, maybe why I like it).
Controllers have not bugged me too much. But I usally sit 3 inches away from my TV anyway.
Granted, I hate the Xbox style of driving games (RT for gas, LT for brake), so that made it a little less enjoyable.
LOL That's his tongue!
My new HD-TiVO cost me over 600 bucks and it came with composite, component AND HDMI cables
NetPhantom: The first few hundred PS3 consols sold actually did come with an HDMI cable... to bad for us this didn't continue.
2.the shortest usb cable u can imagine
maybe for a better view when u sit half a m in front of your 42V HD Tv
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also awful games like gundam...(my opinion also Armored Core 4-especially the online mode;there is one!!!)
all the (good) games i could buy till now had no online mode(F1,Motorstorm(which is a demo at all)
but this is maybe because i´m sitting in japan..and according to sony the japanese are not interrested in onlinegaming!
-does that legitimate them to sell me unfinished games?
whatever...
have to stick longer with my 360
But will they be? I'm pretty sure the PSP is dealing with a world of issues and it's been on the market for nearly two years. Make it happen, Sony. Damn it.
@Nick
I believe the PS3 comes with a T-Shirt/System Cleaning Cloth that has the phrase "It'll be fixed in a firmware update" embroidered onto it. So with a quick wipe and read there are no longer any issues to worry about. And we all thought Nintendo fanboys were blindly following a company and making excuses for their failing. Shucks! :)
Sony seems content with adding (useless?) features to the PSP without making music playback better, supporting tons of audio and video codecs, ect. I couldn't give a damn about remote TV or whatever the its called, I just want play list and album support with my MP3's
And I honestly cant see sony doing any different with the PS3, they'd rather have more bullet points than a better experience for the end user.
I asked my source again and he swears the first few hundred copies did... purhaps my source isn't as reliable as I believed o_O
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