Despite Setbacks, PlayStation 3 Is Slick and Impressive

I did an interview on the PS3 for local TV in New York, and of course they took my one quote about how lousy it was that Sony claimed backward compatibility on all its older console games, only to admit later that not all PS2 or PS1 games would work on PS3 (particularly in light of Microsoft's full disclosure about the same issue with the Xbox 360 months before last year's launch). Sony has since announced some software updates to alleviate the problem.

What ended up on the cutting room floor were some nuances to this comment. It's quite possible Sony did not know which games would work and which games would not work—such is the temperamental nature of both Blu-ray players and HD-DVD drives I've played around with so far. (Why, for example, the King Kong HD-DVD works on my Xbox 360 but not on my Toshiba HD-DVD player remains a mystery to me.) But it's likely Sony was aware of potential bugs, which introduces the idea of not-quite-ready-for-prime-time PC software and hardware to the formerly plug-and-play PlayStation brand.

Secondly, though I recommend it as the next-gen console of choice, the Xbox 360 is no saint in the always-works-all-the-time department: So far, I've had two defective Xbox 360s in the brief year that that console has been out.

In slightly related, crazy news, a man was shot while waiting in a PS3 line in Putnam, Connecticut. The perps were trying to rob him of his $600. Other crazy outbreaks of PS3-launch-related violence took place around the country.

All that said, now that I've unboxed and connected the PS3 and had a chance to play the 720p Resistance: Fall of Man in the privacy of my own home (where I get the full effect of the phenomenal and fear-inducing 5.1 surround soundtrack), I can comfortably say I'm impressed—blasting the creepy Chimera through the streets of an old European town is a slick and immersive experience. This is a powerful and sophisticated machine. I haven't had a chance to check out and compare the Blu-ray disc experience but will report back as soon as I do.

Related links:

Yahoo! Games: PlayStation 3 San Francisco Launch

Hands-on with the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Drive

Xbox 360's HD-DVD Versus PlayStation 3's Blu-ray