Looking at getting a PS3; few simple questions

manic111

manic111

manic111

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As above, I'm thinking of buying a PS3 and have a couple of questions.

1/ What cables do they come with? I know that you need an HDMI cable seperately, but do you get the HD cables in the box or the SD red yellow and white cables?

2/ Does the included controller come with the cable required for charging it up? Do controllers that are bought seperately come with these, or do they need to be bought seperately? Are they just USB2 cables?

3/ Is online play free (ie no Xbox Live like subs)?

4/ I'm looking at connecting it to my 19' 1400x900 DVI monitor. Is the HDMI port in the back of the console a standard or proprietary port? If it is standard, is the best way of connecting to a monitor to simply buy a DVI-HDMI cable?

5/ Is there any/much difference in quality between the official and unofficial PS3 HDMI cables? I always try to buy official peripherals where possible, but if there is not much difference the extra tenner doesn't look worth it!

EDIT: 6/ Would it be possible to connect my amp and speakers to it? If so, how?
 
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1/ Just comes with standard composite cable - SD red, yellow, white.

2/ Controller comes with charging cable but I'm failry certain that new ones dont. They are just standards USB cables though like you get with most external 2.5" HD's, digital cameras and phones these days - I have bloody loads of em!

3/ Yes completely free.

4/ You need to make sure your monitor is HDCP complient - if it is then yes HDMI to DVI should work fine. If it isn't you will need something like a HDFury.

5/ No. I wouldn't go for the really cheap HDMI cables but I certainly wouldn't spend over a tenner.
 
manic111 said:
EDIT: 6/ Would it be possible to connect my amp and speakers to it? If so, how?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can set it to output video through the hdmi -> dvi cable and audio through the supplied coax cables. Plug the coax into the aux-in sockets on your amp and bobs yer uncle.
 
http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/l194wt.jhtml

Cool cool, it's this monitor, so it would, hopefully, work fine! Is it just a standard HDMI port out the back of the PS3 then? If I plugged it in like that, how would I get sound? I assume that sound simply comes through the HDMI cable with the image, but if this is the case how can I split it off from my monitor to my speakers?
EDIT: Ah, cheers Streeteh! Is that all just set up in the PS3's menus then?
 
manic111 said:
http://www.lge.com/products/model/detail/l194wt.jhtml

Cool cool, it's this monitor, so it would, hopefully, work fine! Is it just a standard HDMI port out the back of the PS3 then? If I plugged it in like that, how would I get sound? I assume that sound simply comes through the HDMI cable with the image, but if this is the case how can I split it off from my monitor to my speakers?
Click to expand...

Yep, that's HDCP so it'll work perfect and yeah, it lets you set the audio output cable in the options when you first set up the PS3.

Joebob said:
Bob's actually my Grandad :confused:
Click to expand...

Bobs my daughter.
 
Lovely stuff, thanks for the help guys- looks like it's time to try and flog my Wii :)

EDIT: Last thing, game recommendations? I'm mainly getting it so I can play Pro Evo online against my mates who all have PS3s, and Little Big Planet also looks awesome. I've seen Resistance really cheaply, and heard a fair bit about that before the PS3 launched-did it live up to its billing? I've played the majority of the games that have been out on the PC already, so I'm not after any of them.
 
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Wipeout HD can be bought for £12 on the playstation network, that's currently my favorite game and for that price its an utter bargain.

Resistance is good, but not great, i bought it for a tenner and i'm thoroughly enjoying it. Also a sequel is coming out soon so if you end up liking it that'll lead you to the next game.

Little big planet will be epic if the beta is anything to go by.

Other recommendations roughly in order of awesomeness would be:

Uncharted: Drakes Fortune
Super Stardust HD (Another PSN title, i think it's £5)
Metal Gear Solid 4
Burnout Paradise
Devil May Cry 4
Warhawk
Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction (another £10 second hand title)
Pixel Junk Monsters (PSN Title, £4 iirc)

Those should keep you entertained for now.
 
Yep, looks like it! Already played DMC4 on the PC, and considering I'll be buying MGS4, Pro and all sorts of PC games which suddenly seem to be coming out I think I'll be set. Is Uncharted really worthwhile? I've heard very mixed reviews.
 
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/uncharteddrakesfortune

Uncharted on the whole got fantastic reviews, it's short but sweet. I would describe it as Tomb raider platforming spliced with gears of war shooting and a touch of indiana jones for the storyline.

Great characters, great voice acting, brilliant graphics (though you being a pc gamer might be underwhelmed :p) and a fun but short storyline. It can be had for £20 or less first hand these days and will take 10-15 hours to complete on your first go, though its good enough to play several times (i've completed it 4 times in total).
 
The only three games I'd get for the PS3 are Uncharted, Resistance and Oblivion. Everything else is mediocre! The PSN games are better than the main Blu-ray ones. :(
 
I really wouldn't class ratchet + clank, wipeout HD, warhawk, burnout paradise, grid, colin mcrae dirt, metal gear solid 4 and many others as mediocre but there you go.

Can we keep this thread to giving the best advice possible to manic111 and leave negative comments out of it.
 
Hehe, cheers guys-to be honest I'm slightly torn between the PS3 and the 360 but have a number of gripes with the 360 which I don't want to go into here due to the risk of being flamed :)

However, a major reason for me getting the PS3 is the Blu-Ray player (I know that I would only be using it on a monitor for now and therefore could get a cheap Blu-Ray player for my PC, but I'm going to buy a TV soon) and the ability to play my mates online who all have PS3s as well-peer pressure at its best!

Plus I've never owned a Sony console; I've had all of Nintendo's consoles since the Snes, a Megadrive, an Xbox and my brother has a 360.

Anyway, back to the games, there are a number that I would like to play on the PS3 such as MGS4 and Resistance, so I think that it is high time that I bought a Sony console! Uncharted sounds well worth a play too. Anything else?
 
Plenty of PSN games which are worth a punt too. SSHD, The Last Guy, PixelJunk Monsters, Pixeljunk Eden just to name a few ;)
 
ojste said:
via digital cable would be the easiest if you have it on your amp, thats how i connect mine up
Click to expand...

Easiest is just to use the standard composite cable which comes with the PS3, that's what I do - saves you having to buy another cable, although if your amp has optical in then this would be the best option sound quality wise (if you have a decent amp/speaker setup that is, wouldn't bother if it's a run of the mill setup).
 
Nah, my amp is about 20 years old! I think that a new one is just another thing that I need to find the money for :) Are the PSN games really worth it? Sorry to sound sceptical, but having had to put up with the distinctly average WiiWare I do have to wonder...
 
The PSN games are really good and most are great value for money too. There are some crap ones though so be sure to check in on here before clicking 'confirm purchase' ;)
 
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