Digital Home Thoughts: PCMag Previews PS3 Media Features

"Calling it "future proof" and the only true "next-generation" game console, Sony today took the wraps off of its new PlayStation 3. Although there was lots of game play and many demos, the focus of the launch was more on the Internet-based capabilities and what else you could do with the console, like playing movies, music, and photos... The PlayStation 3's music capabilities, by contrast, were more basic. The system supports MP3, WAV, AAC, and ATRAC files, either purchased online or ripped via the optical drive, or copied over via the USB/multi-card reader. It will play regular and SACD audio via the Blu-Ray drive. The system displays al-bum art, and lets you easily scroll through your files, and also includes an HD music visualizer. But the initial interface was fairly low-end. On the video side, the PlayStation 3 supports downloadable HD trailers and full-on HD movies, along with MPEG1, MPEG2, and the same MPEG4 video format as the PSP. Video content can be copied to the machine via the aforementioned ports, purchased at the Sony store, or copied from a Web site. The Play-Station 3 also includes a Blu-Ray high-definition DVD drive, and can playback video that way as well. In fact, Blu-Ray took a leading role in the executive presentations, as Sony took pains to differentiate itself from the Xbox."



Well, I'm gonna file this under ho-hum. I might have been excited about these specs if they were announced this time last year, but at the moment, there's just nothing the PS3 offers that I find compelling, especially considering its price. However, I know I'm probably in the minority here, so you're going to have to tell me whether this is exciting news or not. :wink:

You can find other news on the PS3 here, here, and here. Interested in Linux on the PS3? Check out that last link...