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Christmas Buying Guide: PlayStation 3

Over the coming weeks as the Christmas shopping period enters full swing, we'll be looking at each of the major platforms in turn to see what they offer right now. If you're looking to make your first console purchase, or branch out to another format, this is everything you need to know. First up: Sony's PlayStation 3.

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Christmas Buying Guide: PlayStation 3

With most people having to tighten their belts in recent months, this Christmas is likely to be a more modest affair than usual. It's good news then that price of consoles is going down and most are available as part of attractive bundle deals - Playstation 3 is no different, finally dropping down to the £200 bracket after years on the market.

System Benefits

Sony's machine offers gamers all of the things you would expect of this generation of console: high-definition output with HDMI (cable sold separately), online access for multiplayer games and the ability to play and burn your music collection onto the console.

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Sony repeated the same trick with its PS2 with PS3, making sure the system came with an in-built Blu-ray and DVD player, making it an attractive proposition if you only want to splash on one unit for under your living room TV, and lets you consolidate all your movie watching from one box.

As long as you have broadband connection PlayStation 3 offers Wi-fi straight out of the box - no extra accessories needed - and the PSN Store offers PSOne classics, indie hits and game add-ons for PS3 titles.

The PSN Store also allows you to rent and buy movies, and everything can be purchased through credit card transactions or redeemable cards - and everything is only in real-world money, which is a major advantage over Microsoft's pre-pay Microsoft Points system.

PS3 also has an internet browser. While less of an advantage in today's market were we can quickly access online through mobiles and tablets, its another nock on its bow as an all-in-one multi-media machine.

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Sony has also struck deals with Love Film, the market's biggest movie rental chain, letting you stream movies instantly from the company's custom-made PS3 App as well as order films or games to be delivered in the post. There's also custom Apps for 4oD and BBC iPlayer, letting you watch the most recent programmes from both TV channels.

The console's controllers are wireless, though need to be recharged with the supplied USB cable. However, an in-built battery in the controller's body keeps things simple: no looking for more AA batteries or having to spend extra for a recharge unit.

For noise, PS3's one of the quietest machines on the market, silent during multi-media use, and only emitting a barely noticeable hum when spinning games discs.

Pros

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The PS3 is served by some stunning exclusives: (from left to right) Uncharted, Killzone, Resistance.

The PS3 has been with us for the best part of five years now, which means the diversity and size of its release catalogue is huge, and along with Sony exclusives such as Uncharted, Killzone and Resistance, the console is guaranteed to have every major third-party title released on it for a good few years to come.

While other consoles are starting to show their age, the PS3 is still delivering some of the best-looking entertainment out there as developers are only recently starting to get to grips with the system's architecture.

Thanks to the advantage of the larger space capacity afforded by Blu-ray, games ship on a single, rather than multiple, discs, which can be all important in needing you to swop halfway through a game's campaign to get the whole story.

While there is a paid-for Plus service that offers downloads at discount prices and exclusive demos, you can use PS3's online store and its Apps for absolutely free. That there's no yearly contract to use online is of a huge bonus for the console.

Read on for the cons of the console, must-play titles and the best deals for picking a PlayStation 3 up this winter.

Cons

However, the PS3 is not without its faults. If you want to play with a friend then you'll soon find out that the control pads are extortionately priced (at anywhere between £40 and £50).

Some retail titles require a data download before you can play them: while it installs information onto the console's HDD for smoother gameplay, these mandatory installations can last up to an hour.

The company's reputation for security was tarnished somewhat when hackers breached their security protocols and gained access to customers information earlier this year, a mistake that's damaged its reputation and brought into question the safety of online payment methods on the console. However the company has made assurances since that the problem has been corrected.

Even though its price has dropped significantly from the launch days asking you for half a grand, its still the most expensive kit in the market, though the difference is in double, rather than triple figures these days.

Deciding the better between Sony's online setup for Friends's Lists, chat options against Microsoft's Xbox Live is personal preference, but for our money we'd say Sony's is the poorer of the two, lacking the ease and clear accessibility that Microsoft has tinkered with and gotten right over the Xbox 360's lifespan.

And obviously while PS3 has its exclusives, there are some titles and franchises that are exclusive to other platforms. You'll never see a Mario or Master Chief on PlayStation.

It's nearly only reserved to DLC or map packs now, but third-party stuff can find its way exclusively to other platforms. However this is usually is part of a timed-deal and the add-ons will appear eventually on PS3.

Must-Play Titles

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No matter what your interest, you're covered by this year's biggest releases...
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....as well as some incredible classics still worth experiencing.

If you're picking up a PS3 this winter, your tastes will be catered for. The two biggest console exclusives just released their third titles - Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3 needing little in the way of knowledge of their predecessors for you to enjoy.

Uncharted 3 is arguably the most cinematic title in the current market, but crucially always keeps you in control of the action, while Resistance 3's rendition of humanity rising against alien oppressors balances gritty sci-fi storytelling against frantic FPS action.

PS3 is well served by third-party releases as well. Batman: Arkham City, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 are the heavy-hitters of the holiday season. If you're soloing in your first Sony Christmas, Skyrim's fantasy world has enough depth and discoveries to keep you playing until this time next year, while either EA or Activision's modern shooters will keep you occupied if online multiplayer is more your thing.

Sony offers a range of cheaper titles on its Platinum range, older classics rebranded as the essential plays from the console's half-decade history. Drop Uncharted 2, LittleBigPlanet 2, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots or God of War 3 in with your bigger retail purchase for experiences that definitely won't short change you.

Peripherals

Christmas Buying Guide: PlayStation 3

If you're feeling energetic, there is always the Playstation Move, which is Sony's attempt at getting into the motion gaming arena. The range of tie-in titles mightn't be excessive, but retail games are marked with a Move icon if they offer support: try out Sega's Virtua Tennis 4 to see some of the best use of the controller.

If you want to play online multiplayer games and chat to your friends then you'll need a headset, which isn't cheap at around the £25 mark. If your TV supports HDMI then you'll want new cables, though it's worth shopping around for these; high street shops will have you paying up to £20 per cable, but if you go on ebay then you can usually find something for a fraction of that price.

Buying a PS3: the deals

We'd recommend you getting hold of the 320GB model; it's got that extra bit of space that makes it perfect for downloading films as well as playing games. We've made it easy for you to get the best deals, so just click on any of the following links and get shopping.

If you're after a 160GB console then Asda do a cheap deal. Visit their official site to see what they have to offer.

If you want a 320GB model it is much better value for money to get it with a game. If you like the look of Uncharted 3 you can look at Overstock's official site or alternatively you can go to Amazon..

If you prefer to do your shopping in person then head down to your local Game store. They have similar deals to those above but they can be a bit more flexible about which game gets bundled in with the console. Happy shopping.

Conclusion

Whichever way you decide to buy, it's highly unlikely that you'll be disappointed with your purchase. Sony's machine is solid and reliable and the games catalogue extensive and populated with modern classics. Where the console falls down is on accessories; the Move controller isn't the most responsive way of motion gaming and the control pads are ridiculously overpriced. Overall though, it's a solid games console and deserves your very serious consideration if you're looking to invest this winter.



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