PlayStation 3 is the latest attempt by Sony, to offer a game console that is different from all others. To be precise this is Sony’s seventh attempt. The question is, have they succeeded in offering something unique? The answer is invariably yes.

Priced at around $600, PlayStation 3 is far ahead of its competition. It offers features that are not found in any game console in the market today. PS3 has set the standards that others would need to follow, if they want to be in the race.

Backward Compatible
PlayStation 3, like its predecessors, is backward compatible. In fact, the compatibility issue has no problems whatsoever. Therefore, if you own PlayStation 1 and 2 games, you can play them on your PS3, without making any modifications. The Central Processing Unit is the star attraction. The CPU is capable of running at a speed of 3.2 GHz, which means that it offers performance at par with top-of-the-line computers.

PlayStation 3 is designed to give complete entertainment to its owner. That is why; it is also equipped with a Blu-ray disc drive, which is also backward compatible. This means that you can also play your DVDs, CDs, and SACDs on your PS3. Is this not a unique combination? - Blu-Ray plus a game console. Therefore, when you are not playing games, you can use your PS3 to watch the latest movies.

SixAxis
PlayStation 3 controllers are almost similar to PS2. The big difference is in the fact that PS3 controllers are wirelessly connected. A wireless controller is cool, as it does away with tangled wires. PS3 is compatible with Bluetooth technologies. The Bluetooth for PS3 is capable of supporting upto seven wireless controllers, at a given time. The wireless controller, the SixAxis, can also be switched from wireless to being wired. Plus the SixAxis is capable of offering 30 hours of play time between charges.

PlayStation 3 comes with a Cross Media Bar (XMB) dashboard. It is horizontally divided into 8 icons: Settings, Users, Photo, Music, Game, Video, Friends, and Network. It is easy to navigate and very user friendly.

Games
The games offered by PlayStation 3 are definitely rated on the high scale. For example, Resistance: Fall Of Man has excellent graphics and audio quality. In addition, it has a good game play and a decent storyline. If you look at the games offered by Xbox 360, which had a year head start over PS3, only Gears of War comes close to Resistance: Fall Of Man. So you can see that PS3 is ahead of its competition in this field also.

Buying a game console and getting a complete media center, is unique in the world of game console. Moreover, this is where PlayStation 3 has beaten the competition. However, the end result as always would be decided by the consumers.