I plan on buying a PS3 shortly, but to be perfectly honest, I don't really keep up with it and I admit I'm too lazy to spend a couple hours researching this when a simple post here will only be a couple minutes of work.

I plan on using it primarily for Blu-Ray playback, since I have a 360 for gaming and I just don't have a lot of free time for games as it is. I probably will play a couple though (Uncharted and MGS4 come to mind).

I also want to use it with my Harmony Remote, so I know I need the IR dongle thingy (I won't go into how annoying I find that). So my questions are:


What PS3 should I get? I don't see where the MGS4 bundle is really worth another $100 given that (a)by the time I get around to playing MGS4, I'll be able to get it used for cheap, (b) I won't be playing many games so not sure the DS controller is worth it and (c) I don't think I need the 80GB drive over the 40GB. Am I correct in my thinking, or is there something I may not be considering?
What's the best and/or cheapest IR dongle solution, and is there anything I should be aware of when choosing one? I have the Harmony 680 if it matters.
Any deals I should know about? I've heard of the $100 card with the MGS4 bundle, but if I just buy the 40GB, is that $100 CC thing still going on?

toss a quarter in the air, let in land on the ground. heads - get the 40, tails - get the 80.

it gets no simpler than that...

I plan on buying a PS3 shortly, but to be perfectly honest, I don't really keep up with it and I admit I'm too lazy to spend a couple hours researching this when a simple post here will only be a couple minutes of work.

I plan on using it primarily for Blu-Ray playback, since I have a 360 for gaming and I just don't have a lot of free time for games as it is. I probably will play a couple though (Uncharted and MGS4 come to mind).

I also want to use it with my Harmony Remote, so I know I need the IR dongle thingy (I won't go into how annoying I find that). So my questions are:


What PS3 should I get? I don't see where the MGS4 bundle is really worth another $100 given that (a)by the time I get around to playing MGS4, I'll be able to get it used for cheap, (b) I won't be playing many games so not sure the DS controller is worth it and (c) I don't think I need the 80GB drive over the 40GB. Am I correct in my thinking, or is there something I may not be considering?
What's the best and/or cheapest IR dongle solution, and is there anything I should be aware of when choosing one? I have the Harmony 680 if it matters.
Any deals I should know about? I've heard of the $100 card with the MGS4 bundle, but if I just buy the 40GB, is that $100 CC thing still going on?


You are not wrong in your thinking of your own opinions. Everyone is different and consider different things.

The 40GB will also give you the $100 since it is a blu-ray player next week. Or you can get the 40GB now and get the $100.

Look: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10039674

1a. Makes sense
1b. I've got both the six-axis and the dual-shock 3 and coming from the 360 controller I'd recommend getting the DS3. The DS3 is heavier (in a good way) and just feels like the proper controller for the PS3. That might add some value back to the 80GB bundle just to not be stuck with an out of date six-axis.
1c. You probably won't need the extra 40GB of space especially if you delete old stuff. If not then you could upgrade the HDD for pretty cheap if needed.

2. The cheapest is the IR2BT which is what I use. It does everything that the Sony Bluetooth remote does and can power your system on and off with the Harmony. If you just want basic remote functions while watching a movie then you can just get the Nyko Bluewave USB dongle and use that with your Harmony.

3. It looks like the 40GB $100 WalMart gift card deal is going to be valid until June 14th and the 80GB MGS4 for only June 12th through the 14th (if you can actually find one). Also, it appears as if BestBuy is matching the gift card offer this week, but I'm not sure about next week or if it will apply to the 80GB bundle.


I've got the 40GB and when I bought mine after XMas I had the option of that or the 80GB Motorstorm bundle. I didn't think that backwards compatibility, SACD, 40GB extra, 2 more USB ports, card reader, and the game were worth $100 to me. However, I would get the MGS4 bundle since I believe that the combination of the game, backwards compatibility, and DualShock3 are worth the $100.

another option for a "free" system is if you have an american express card with 45,000 points... (although you could get a ps3 directly for about 90,000 points)

use 45,000 points to get 450$ in dell gift cards, go to dell.com, the game console areas, and order with the gift cards... (btw, this is how my wife and i got our zunes... man, that was a stupid purchase but at least they didn't cost any extra money)

Thanks. I do have a $50 giftcard for BB, so hopefully they're offering the card next week. Good feedback about the DS3 vs. the six-axis, so that's something I'll have to consider.

toss a quarter in the air, let in land on the ground....

it gets no simpler than that...

This method can be used for coming up with answers to many similarly difficult decisions in one’s life: When to change your underwear, 2-ply or 3-ply toilet paper, herpes or crabs when you just can’t choose between two hot hookers, or if Barak Obama will be the 1st black American president or the 44th white one. Now that I think about it, almost everything can be decided with a coin toss. Figuring out my life insurance policy and mortgage would have been so much easier.

Hi,

Does anyone know if Sony is making any hardware changes (additions, deletions, improvements, lower heat output, better cooling, quieter, 25 nanometer cell processor versus 45 nm, IR remote control, etc.) to the new 80GB Model they are coming out with? I know they are going to bundle MGS4 and the new vibrating dual shock 3, but is Sony also "refreshing" the hardware design of the PS3 itself?

Appreciate the help.

This method can be used for coming up with answers to many similarly difficult decisions in one’s life: When to change your underwear, 2-ply or 3-ply toilet paper, herpes or crabs when you just can’t choose between two hot hookers, or if Barak Obama will be the 1st black American president or the 44th white one. Now that I think about it, almost everything can be decided with a coin toss. Figuring out my life insurance policy and mortgage would have been so much easier.

I cannot believe you just wrote that on a public internet forum!!

I am completely disgusted!!!!!!










Disgusted that a man would ever dare choose between two hot hookers!! GET THEM BOTH!! What the hell is the world coming too?? If your payin to play anyways.. you might as well play twice. :0)

I plan on using it primarily for Blu-Ray playback, since I have a 360 for gaming and I just don't have a lot of free time for games as it is.

Considering this would primarily just be a BD player, I would just get the 40GB. WMT has the $100 GC with purchase this week and next week. If you shop at WMT anyway this is arguably an "effective price" of only $299 which is killer for a Blu-ray player IMO. I'd probably try to buy it sooner rather than later though, I'm sure this promotion is moving a ton of units.

I cannot believe you just wrote that on a public internet forum!!

I am completely disgusted!!!!!!

Disgusted that a man would ever dare choose between two hot hookers!! GET THEM BOTH!! What the hell is the world coming too?? If your payin to play anyways.. you might as well play twice. :0)

I'm not sure my wife's heath plan at work covers me for two STDs at a time. As a stay-at-home dad, I have to take these things into consideration.


:rolleyes:

I'm not sure my wife's heath plan at work covers me for two STDs at a time. As a stay-at-home dad, I have to take these things into consideration.


:rolleyes:

same here, juggling 3 kids is hard enough, but juggling 3 kids, 2 std's and 1 homicidal wife(after she learns of the hookers) takes a lot of mental preparation and prozac! :D

same here, juggling 3 kids is hard enough, but juggling 3 kids, 2 std's and 1 homicidal wife(after she learns of the hookers) takes a lot of mental preparation and prozac! :D

You guys are assuming that you can't find 2 hookers with identical infections (1 STD/STI) in the first place. That is just illogical.

You guys are assuming that you can't find 2 hookers with identical infections (1 STD/STI) in the first place. That is just illogical.

Well if you get the hookers from the same pimp driving a convertible pink cadillac, you can pretty much bet you'll be at the free clinic by the end of the week. This way you can hide your doctor's co-payment from the misses.

You guys are assuming that you can't find 2 hookers with identical infections (1 STD/STI) in the first place. That is just illogical.

Oh, way cool. I didn't realize we had a professional hooker snatch inspector on the forum!
This can only come in handy.

Who in the world derailed this thread to this, anyway!!! Oh, I think it was me. :o
Sorry.
Please carry on talking about Metal Gear Solid 8.

Disgusted that a man would ever dare choose between two hot hookers!!


Pick 1

Please carry on talking about Metal Gear Solid 8.

MGS8!?? I knew MGS4 wasn't going to be the last one...

2. The cheapest is the IR2BT which is what I use. It does everything that the Sony Bluetooth remote does and can power your system on and off with the Harmony. If you just want basic remote functions while watching a movie then you can just get the Nyko Bluewave USB dongle and use that with your Harmony.


Is the image below the Nyko dongle? It's all I could find on amazon.

If so, what kindof functions would I be losing by using this with my harmony instead of the IR2BT (I'm not familiar with the bluetooth remote)? Just curious since the Nyko is $10 and the IR2BT is around $50, although maybe I could find that cheaper. More than likely I just want to be able to power it on/off, navigate menus, and do the normal movie watching (FF, Rew, Pause, Play, Stop, Chapter+/-, maybe slo-mo, frame advance, etc).

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GNAmYnfsL._SS400_.jpg

If so, what kindof functions would I be losing by using this with my harmony instead of the IR2BT (I'm not familiar with the bluetooth remote)? Just curious since the Nyko is $10 and the IR2BT is around $50, although maybe I could find that cheaper. More than likely I just want to be able to power it on/off, navigate menus, and do the normal movie watching (FF, Rew, Pause, Play, Stop, Chapter+/-, maybe slo-mo, frame advance, etc).[/IMG]

Out of what you mention, you can't power on or off since that is controlled by the PS button. You also lose dedicated buttons for audio and subtitle (these are helpful for imports) and angle, the colored buttons, and a few others like the Top Menu (the Nyko has the pop-up menu despite what the remote says). Stop also involves an extra step, but that's a very minor issue.

However, all of these functions can be selected from the overlay menu (triangle).

Out of what you mention, you can't power on or off since that is controlled by the PS button. You also lose dedicated buttons for audio and subtitle (these are helpful for imports) and angle, the colored buttons, and a few others like the Top Menu (the Nyko has the pop-up menu despite what the remote says). Stop also involves an extra step, but that's a very minor issue.

However, all of these functions can be selected from the overlay menu (triangle).

Ok, power is not that big of a deal. The only other thing you mention is the subtitle thing, which I use quite often (lousy hearing). If I read this correctly, I would have to press the triangle (which I would map to the Harmony's screen) and then a popup menu comes up, and I would select subtitles from there? Since I'm not familiar with it, how many button presses would that be to turn subtitles on/off?

I'm thinking it's definitely not worth spending $40 more for a few less button presses.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1012878&highlight=ir2bt

Get the MGS4 80gb bundle.

Ok, power is not that big of a deal. The only other thing you mention is the subtitle thing, which I use quite often (lousy hearing). If I read this correctly, I would have to press the triangle (which I would map to the Harmony's screen) and then a popup menu comes up, and I would select subtitles from there? Since I'm not familiar with it, how many button presses would that be to turn subtitles on/off?

I'm thinking it's definitely not worth spending $40 more for a few less button presses.

I don't know how many presses it takes exactly. It looks like this:

http://www.playstation-disorder.com/uploads/blurayPS3.jpg

Please carry on talking about Metal Gear Solid 8.

i thought we were talking about games that can be compared to anything resident evil 0-4

Ok, power is not that big of a deal. The only other thing you mention is the subtitle thing, which I use quite often (lousy hearing). If I read this correctly, I would have to press the triangle (which I would map to the Harmony's screen) and then a popup menu comes up, and I would select subtitles from there? Since I'm not familiar with it, how many button presses would that be to turn subtitles on/off?

I'm thinking it's definitely not worth spending $40 more for a few less button presses.

The USB dongle basically mimics the PS3 controller buttons. The Sony Bluetooth controller (and IR2BT) adds the commands that you expect to have from a fully functional DVD remote including color buttons, PS Home, and ability to power the PS3 on and off. The IR2BT has 51 commands and the Nyko has about 12. With the Nyko you will be using Triangle quite often, with the IR2BT you will be using direct access buttons. Using a Harmony with the Nyko you will have to manually power the PS3 on and off with the controller or on the PS3 itself. Using the IR2BT with a Harmony will be just like using any DVD player in an activity, it will power on when you start an activity and power off when you shut down.

I have both the Nyko and IR2BT because the IR2BT wasn't released at the time. My suggestion is to just get the Nyko first because it is so cheap and then later upgrade to the IR2BT or equivalent if you feel the need.

As an update, I decided to pick up the 40GB, and did so yesterday at BB to get the $100 gift card. I figured I'd save the $100 and pick up MGS4 used in a few months when I have time to play it, and then just buy a DS controller so I'd have two controllers. I was surprised how light the SixAxis is, but also disappointed in how short the cable is (if I needed to play and the battery was dead). I think i have a longer cable for my GPS around here that's the same connections that I could use. The controller feels really small/awkward/flimsy/cheap compared to the 360's, or maybe I just have big hands. Probably just a matter of what you're used to though.

I hooked it up the PS3 this morning, which was easy (unhook HD-A3 HDMI and ethernet cables and plug them into the PS3). Also picked up the Nyko BluWave which works with my Harmony well enough for now. Not sure I'll get the IR2BT or not. I'll use it as-is for awhile and see what I think.

I have yet to watch a Blu-Ray movie on it, but switched my Netflix account over. I don't expect it to be any better/worse than HD DVD, so I'm not really in a big rush, as I pretty much know what to expect.

My initial impression of the store was disappointing. I was hoping to play some demos just to try out some of the exclusive games (even though I still plan on using the 360 for my primary game console), but it looked like there might only be a couple dozen available (give or take...a far cry from the couple hundred on the 360 Marketplace) and nothing I wanted to play. No demos for Ratchet and Clank, no Drake, no Resistance, no MGS4, no GT5....unless I'm missing them...I didn't really look that long. The only thing I thought I'd try out is Haze, and I already know from these forums that it sucks, but figured I'd check it out anyways. I did like the store layout better than marketplace, but didn't like that how it's all icons, and if you don't recognize the picture of the game, you have to scroll over to see what it is, rather than just having a list of names I could read at a glance. No biggie.

I'll look more later tonight and see if I can find something interesting to play. I'm curious what games are available in the arcade (or whatever PS3's equivalent of it is).

Yeah, the Sixaxis PS3 controller is lightweight and feels kind of cheap due to the lack of the motors adding to the weight. However, the Dual Shock 3 is a different story and I think you'll be pleased with it (although it is the same shape). I think you'll get used to it though. I never had a PS2, and from my limited experience with the original PSX, I wasn't that big of a fan of the controller compared to the others. This time around, I just have the PS3, and I'm getting to really like the controller. So I think a lot of it is what you're familiar with.

I know there are demos for Resistance, Gran Turismo, and Uncharted. Look again, and make sure you check under demos, or all downloads for a given game.

mproper, there are demos for Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, GT, and Resistance.

Ok, I found the demos I was looking for. Previously I was looking under "Demos*" which is only the newest ones. I found them when I looked under "All Demos"

Duh.

The demo for Gran Turismo isn't really a demo - it is Gran Turismo HD, which is like a HD version of GT4 in a new track. It's a lot of fun and worth checking out, but GT5P proper is much better (the demo of that only came out in Japan for a limited time last year).