[Demitri]

Exactly as is topic says, but a little back story never hurt methinks...

Been toying with the idea of getting one for a good while now but can never make up my mind and seeing as crimbo is on the horizon, i am again considering whether to treat myself. I currently play all my games on PC and not had a console since i got rid of my PS2 some years ago. The main reason I'm looking at the PS3 is because of the built in blu ray player.

So the question becomes, is it worth buying this and have the option to play games on it or buy a dedicated blu ray player?

Answers on a post card please

[General Battuta]

There are a number of excellent games for the PS3. Almost everything worth playing is now cross-platform, and the PS3's exclusives are also strong.

[phatosealpha]

I've got all three consoles.  Currently, the PS3 is the only one that gets any serious use.
Do yourself a favor and check out the move.

[MR_T3D]

ps3 has a few fun games, and OMG GRAN TURISMO 5 IS OUT TOMORROW!!1

[Galemp]

We also have all three consoles. I use the Wii, RedStreblo uses the XBox, and the PS3 we really only use for watching Blu-Ray and DVD movies.

[Klaustrophobia]

i saw a $40 blu-ray drive somewhere not long ago.  i'd go with something like that unless there are specific games you want the PS3 for.

[Dilmah G]

What are you planning to do with this baby? If it's playing games by yourself, then the PS3 is probably your best bet. Are you going to LAN it up with mates? If so, what consoles do they have? That's the kind of stuff I reckon you should take into account.

[Nemesis6]

My little observation as a non-console-gamer - The PS3 has horrible performance, and slightly worse graphics like the the 360. If you intend to play split screen, it's gonna get unbearable, performance-wise.

[Grizzly]

My little observation as a non-console-gamer - The PS3 has horrible performance, and slightly worse graphics like the the 360. If you intend to play split screen, it's gonna get unbearable, performance-wise.

Ya know. I think you are completely wrong. If Split Screen does not work on an PS3 without serious performaance issues, either split screen is removed or the performance issues are resolved. There is no "your PS3 is too slow to run this game" because there is only one PS3. You never should have performance issues.

I know someone who has been using PS3 and PC together. She really likes the HD and Blu Ray functionality on the PS3 and she likes the games... so...

oH! and Gran Tourismo if you are in racing games, is a must have.

[redsniper]

Try to find a backwards-compatible one. Then you can play ALL playstation games. (except for the ones that don't emulate well...)

[Demitri]

What are you planning to do with this baby? If it's playing games by yourself, then the PS3 is probably your best bet. Are you going to LAN it up with mates? If so, what consoles do they have? That's the kind of stuff I reckon you should take into account.

Purely a solo affair. Had some games in mind that would prefer to play on console than PC, racing and football(soccer) games such as Gran Turismo and Fifa. From a personal point of view FPS's are solely the domain of the PC. Just doesn't feel right using a gamepad instead of using a mouse and keyboard.

EDIT: also the blu ray thing is at the front of my thinking compared to other consoles which is why I'm not really bothering to discuss their merits, of which i am sure there are many.

[Unknown Target]

Honestly I don't think it really matters anymore. Unless you're a huge fan of Japanese franchises (Metal Gear, Gran Turismo etc),  then exclusives pretty much don't matter anymore. If you want a few specific games then you could go for it, in all honesty they'll probably be the only ones you play for most of the time anyway - most of the other games that come out for consoles are either closs platform, shovelware, or both.

[SpardaSon21]

God of War 3.  'Nuff said.

[Black Wolf]

PS3 is at the centre of my lounge room - it's the only thing we use. BluRay, DVD, games, internet streaming TV and streaming [BLOCKED BY FURY] TV over the wireless. Useful machine.

[Titan]

no.

[Dilmah G]

What are you planning to do with this baby? If it's playing games by yourself, then the PS3 is probably your best bet. Are you going to LAN it up with mates? If so, what consoles do they have? That's the kind of stuff I reckon you should take into account.

Purely a solo affair. Had some games in mind that would prefer to play on console than PC, racing and football(soccer) games such as Gran Turismo and Fifa. From a personal point of view FPS's are solely the domain of the PC. Just doesn't feel right using a gamepad instead of using a mouse and keyboard.

EDIT: also the blu ray thing is at the front of my thinking compared to other consoles which is why I'm not really bothering to discuss their merits, of which i am sure there are many.

Ah well, from memory, all the FIFA games are on PS and GT is of course a PS thing, as with most of the other racing series'. IMO, you're better off with a PS3.

Box has a few more exclusive shooter titles which you've said you aren't into, but that, in addition to most of my mates having a box makes upkeeping mine worth it.

[Kolgena]

My little observation as a non-console-gamer - The PS3 has horrible performance, and slightly worse graphics like the the 360. If you intend to play split screen, it's gonna get unbearable, performance-wise.

Only game I can think of for which this is true is Borderlands. That's because Borderlands is a (very fun) unoptimized chunk of junk.

[Colonol Dekker]

I'd only buy a PS3 for the Metal gear games I've not yet played.

[Nemesis6]

My little observation as a non-console-gamer - The PS3 has horrible performance, and slightly worse graphics like the the 360. If you intend to play split screen, it's gonna get unbearable, performance-wise.

Only game I can think of for which this is true is Borderlands. That's because Borderlands is a (very fun) unoptimized chunk of junk.

Well, other games I've seen run horrible are Dead Rising 2(non-split screen), and Resident Evil 5. And take into consideration the fact that Dead Rising 2 for the PS3 uses a custom engine. Even that didn't allow them to fix the performance issues. This has to come down to the PS3's weak GPU. I mean, the CPU of the PS3 is supposed to be better than the Xbox 360 one.

[Pred the Penguin]

All consoles have pretty good titles on them, but if you're not into a particular console exclusive (I'm into Halo so I have a Xbox) I would just stick with PC for games.