PS3

[Hawkbit]

Ok, I'm making the final push in talks with the wife to let me buy a PS3.  What do I need to buy with it?

I'm fairly certain I need an extra HDMI cable and a second controller, but what else?  How does the wireless hold up?  I can't run a network cable for it.  

[Rasix]

Ok, I'm making the final push in talks with the wife to let me buy a PS3.  What do I need to buy with it?

I'm fairly certain I need an extra HDMI cable and a second controller, but what else?  How does the wireless hold up?  I can't run a network cable for it. 

Networking has worked fine for me so far. I haven't bought any additional peripherals for it.  The HDMI cable I'm using is the one that came with my 360 Elite 

To expand a bit on the networking, I've only had problems when streaming HD tv shows to it. I've had to degrade the quality a bit using the Google PS3 media server.  My PS3 is a fair distance from my router, however.

[ahoythematey]

A terry cloth.  Motherfucker collects dust more than any other electronic device, ever.

[Hawkbit]

A terry cloth.  Motherfucker collects dust more than any other electronic device, ever.

From sitting around not being used?  It's gotta do better than my Wii.  Or did you mean literally?

[ahoythematey]

Literally.  My PS3 rarely spends a day without being powered on at least once.  I meant that it's a dust-magnet.

[stray]

Yeah, mine seems to get pretty dusty too.

Do the new PS3 packages come with rumble controllers? If not, I guess you should get some.

[fuser]

What do I need to buy with it?

PS3 remote, If your going to do any media playback its cheap and works very well, as the only other option is the controller.

Perhaps a bluetooth headset if you want to chat,  just use a usb headset for comfort.

How does the wireless hold up?  I can't run a network cable for it. 

Found the wireless sketchy on media playback. Al tho I changed wifi routers and playback server so should really test it out again. Btw, grab ps3mediaserver

[schild]

I converted all of my movies to PS3 capable MPGs using handbrake and am able to stream 720p ones flawlessly over a WRT45G router that got equipped with OpenWRT.

I've really had no issues with wireless.

PS3 remote is worth every penny.

[Trippy]

I think you meant MP4s.

[fuser]

I converted all of my movies to PS3 capable MPGs using handbrake and am able to stream 720p ones flawlessly over a WRT45G router that got equipped with OpenWRT.

I've really had no issues with wireless.

Had a wrt54gl with dd-wrt using wpa2 and a pretty good db signal dropped all the time with "connection lost to server". Never could get past a ~45min show. We're talking a wifi signal of los five feet away.

I'm convinced that router was cursed, playing with a new wrt54g2 atm.

[schild]

I think you meant MP4s.

No, I mean H264 encoded .mpgs.

Fuser, I don't use any of that "on the fly" streaming conversion bullshit. I'm sure that stuff isn't helping.

[Trippy]

I think you meant MP4s.

No, I mean H264 encoded .mpgs.

Are you using mkv2vob? Handbrake doesn't even output files in MPEG container format.

[schild]

I think you meant MP4s.

No, I mean H264 encoded .mpgs.

Are you using mkv2vob? Handbrake doesn't even output files in MPEG container format.

Oh, snap. Right, I use handbrake for my ipod touch. Not my PS3. Hurf durf. Though, really, we're just derailing this. Anyway, yes, I use MKV2VOB.

[apocrypha]

I got the media remote... and never use it. The controller does just fine for me. If you plan to play multiplayer games at all I'd suggest a headset - the official one is supposed to be good but seems to be out of stock everywhere (in the UK anyway).

Can't comment on the wireless, never used it.

Of course the other thing you'll be needing is a copy of Demon's Souls 

[JWIV]

Uncharted.
Flower.

[Hawkbit]

Ok, so gathering from this the only must-haves when I leave the store are an HDMI cable and some games.  Thanks a ton, all.  Now please to be wishing me lucks. 

[schild]

Yea, you'll need it, since you're buying a PS3 a mere few weeks before the slim is probably going to be announced.

[fuser]

Yea, you'll need it, since you're buying a PS3 a mere few weeks before the slim is probably going to be announced.

There also is a rumored price drop happening soon too or has it already happened?

[schild]

Yea, you'll need it, since you're buying a PS3 a mere few weeks before the slim is probably going to be announced.

There also is a rumored price drop happening soon too or has it already happened?

There's always a PS3 price drop happening soon.

No one outside of Sony corporate/marketing knows when though.

[Yegolev]

I suppose if I had anything to add for a new PS3 buyer, it would be to immediately buy a larger 2.5" hard disk so that you don't later have to bother with transferring your data.

[Big Gulp]

There's always a PS3 price drop happening soon.

No one outside of Sony corporate/marketing knows when though.

I can't see it happening with the way Sony is bleeding right now (the whole company, not just the games division).  Plus, does't it still cost them like $40 for every PS3 sold?

Honestly, I'd probably have already bought a PS3 if I didn't have a 360 already.  Drake's Fortune, God of War 3, and Infamous all look like great exclusives.  Are they worth a $400-$500 investment in a new console when I already have a comparable game machine?  Nope.  I can't be alone in this.  Sony is just flat out boned for this generation.

[Mrbloodworth]

Ok, I'm making the final push in talks with the wife to let me buy a PS3.  What do I need to buy with it?

I'm fairly certain I need an extra HDMI cable and a second controller, but what else?  How does the wireless hold up?  I can't run a network cable for it. 

HDMI cable, and wireless works great.

[rattran]

Mine came with a hdmi cable, but I got a 20 gig. Are the newer ones not?
Monoprice is good for cheap cables, having color coordinated hdmi makes figuring out which goes where much easier, blue/ps3 red/hd-dvd green/360

[Hawkbit]

Yea, you'll need it, since you're buying a PS3 a mere few weeks before the slim is probably going to be announced.

Yep, I'm waiting at least a week or two post-E3 till I buy.  I have that exact luck:  as soon as I buy it the PS4 will be announced.  heh. 

[Quinton]

Oh, snap. Right, I use handbrake for my ipod touch. Not my PS3. Hurf durf. Though, really, we're just derailing this. Anyway, yes, I use MKV2VOB.

Derail is fine -- I'm interested in using my PS3 to play transcoded DVD content.  Is MKV2VOB a single step thing or do I need to rip the DVDs with something else first?  I'd love to get all my DVDs on the NAS in some format that doesn't lose (much) quality, suitable for playback on the PS3.

I also vote for buying a PS3 remote -- the thing makes a great bluray player.  Also I love the fact that the DVD player will do a straight 2x scale rather than just stretch-to-fit 1920x1080... much cleaner scaling that way.

[schild]

Not sure. Will check tomorrow.

[Azazel]

I can't see it happening with the way Sony is bleeding right now (the whole company, not just the games division).  Plus, does't it still cost them like $40 for every PS3 sold?

Honestly, I'd probably have already bought a PS3 if I didn't have a 360 already.  Drake's Fortune, God of War 3, and Infamous all look like great exclusives.  Are they worth a $400-$500 investment in a new console when I already have a comparable game machine?  Nope.  I can't be alone in this.  Sony is just flat out boned for this generation.

To my mind, that would be the smartest thing they could do. The 360's proice drops have put the MS machine in many many homes that would not have had them in. Which is where your second paragraph comes in..

[Rendakor]

Honestly, I'd probably have already bought a PS3 if I didn't have a 360 already.  Drake's Fortune, God of War 3, and Infamous all look like great exclusives.  Are they worth a $400-$500 investment in a new console when I already have a comparable game machine?  Nope.  I can't be alone in this.  Sony is just flat out boned for this generation.

I'm with you Big Gulp. I bought a 360 before the PS3 released, and with the system priced so high I can't justify it for anything out (or on the horizon). Losing the one exclusive I really cared about (FFXIII) was the nail in the coffin. Unless PS3 turns into JRPG heaven like the PS2 did, I'll probably wait til PS4/Xbox9001.

[stray]

I don't think they're comparable. Maybe at first glance, I guess.. But there are subtle things about the system that when stacked up, makes it priced accordingly. I'd say that it was harder to stomach when released, but the 360 wasn't exactly cheap either. Not to mention that the PS3's price is relative to the 360, just for being released after it. Hell, relative pricing even lets Nintendo get away with the Wii's pricetag too. Which, technically, is far more ridiculous.

[apocrypha]

Derail is fine -- I'm interested in using my PS3 to play transcoded DVD content.  Is MKV2VOB a single step thing or do I need to rip the DVDs with something else first?  I'd love to get all my DVDs on the NAS in some format that doesn't lose (much) quality, suitable for playback on the PS3.

Handbrake will rip DVDs, mkv2vob will convert to MP4 that the PS3 will play. It's pretty much lossless to my eyes, in fact some US import DVDs I ripped look better than playing from the DVD directly.

And PS3 Media Server running somewhere is a lot better for navigating etc.

[Trippy]

Oh, snap. Right, I use handbrake for my ipod touch. Not my PS3. Hurf durf. Though, really, we're just derailing this. Anyway, yes, I use MKV2VOB.

Derail is fine -- I'm interested in using my PS3 to play transcoded DVD content.  Is MKV2VOB a single step thing or do I need to rip the DVDs with something else first?  I'd love to get all my DVDs on the NAS in some format that doesn't lose (much) quality, suitable for playback on the PS3.

If you rip your DVD into a single VOB file (a normal DVD has the movie split across multiple VOB files) the PS3 will play that fine without any conversion necessary.

mkv2vob is used to convert the latest high-quality Torrent movie standard of H.264 video and AC-3 audio in an MKV container file (superseding the older Xvid and MP3 in an AVI standard) to a VOB container that can play on a PS3. The PS3 can't read MKVs directly but it does support this funky H.264 in VOB format (H.264 in a VOB container is not part of the VOB spec, it's something Sony hacked support into).

[Quinton]

If you rip your DVD into a single VOB file (a normal DVD has the movie split across multiple VOB files) the PS3 will play that fine without any conversion necessary.

Oh, awesome.  Disk is pretty cheap -- I'd love to just keep it in the original encoding.  Are there any decent tools for ripping into a single vob?  I forget what I used last time, but it did a filesystem level copy of the DVDs, giving me the multiple vob files and other gunk.

mkv2vob is used to convert the latest high-quality Torrent movie standard of H.264 video and AC-3 audio in an MKV container file (superseding the older Xvid and MP3 in an AVI standard) to a VOB container that can play on a PS3. The PS3 can't read MKVs directly but it does support this funky H.264 in VOB format (H.264 in a VOB container is not part of the VOB spec, it's something Sony hacked support into).

Also very cool.  I'm way behind the state of the art on this stuff.  Yeah, all the TV I've been grabbing lately has been h264 in mkv containers.  If I can easily convert this for playing with the ps3, I could ditch the little PC by the TV entirely.

[Trippy]

If you rip your DVD into a single VOB file (a normal DVD has the movie split across multiple VOB files) the PS3 will play that fine without any conversion necessary.

Oh, awesome.  Disk is pretty cheap -- I'd love to just keep it in the original encoding.  Are there any decent tools for ripping into a single vob?  I forget what I used last time, but it did a filesystem level copy of the DVDs, giving me the multiple vob files and other gunk.

DVD Decrypter will do it easily.

If you go to Mode -> IFO it'll automatically select what it thinks is the main movie title (as in DVD title, not the name of the movie) and all of the chapters will be selected*.

Under Tools -> Settings -> IFO Mode make sure "File Splitting" is set to "None".

Then you just pick a place to put it and it'll put it all in a single VOB.

You'll keep all the audio tracks and subtitles, if they are there, but you lose all the chapter markers, which can make navigation cumbersome depending on the player software.

* If for some reason you only want some chapters (like you have a favorite scene you want to make into a separate movie) you can right click in that chapter selection box, "Select None", and then manually select the chapters you want to put into a VOB file.

[Big Gulp]

I don't think they're comparable. Maybe at first glance, I guess..

Honestly, how are they not comparable?  They're direct competitors for Christ's sake!  I can see the whole, "But it plays Bluray!" argument, but frankly I just don't give a shit about that, particularly when I'm a filthy pirate who rips all his movies and blank Bluray media is too expensive.  Beyond that?  Yeah, they're comparable.  They both play the same games more or less, at the same level of competency.  This isn't like the Wii where a ported game has to take a massive drop in quality.  We're still talking apples to apples here.

[stray]

I wasn't saying any of that to particularly sell you on Blu-Ray or anything. To each his own. You're not right nor wrong. I was more interested in your general statement: "Sony is flat out boned this generation". And I think it's because the things that made it expensive, while justified, weren't obvious benefits from a gaming standpoint - like, say, much better graphics would be. You're an example of many people who don't give a shit about Blu-Ray, and therefore you put no value in it. So in turn, you just call the systems comparable. And if they are comparable in your mind, then sure, I see no reason to not pay less for a 360. It's exactly what you want.

Unfortunately, Sony is boned because quite a lot of you just wanted that too. But maybe boned is strong word. Definitely fail of some sort, but it's not like it's going anywhere, nor are the titles lacking or going to be lacking. It's still cool to have around, for sure. Not like some 3DO or some shit.