PS3 250GB The Last of Us Bundle

UPDATE: 5/13/14 I just received and email from Xbox Live stating that the Gold membership will no longer be needed to get access to entertainment apps such as Netflix and Youtube beginning this June. With the PS4 and Xbox One coming out I decided to get a PS3 to play (bargain priced) games exclusive to it and have a blu ray player rather than take the plunge on a new console with limited titles available. The Console: The PS3 (super slim) is a pretty good console. I think the blu ray drive is a little louder than my friends' older model and the older slim. It loads on the top which I don't love. I have lots of room for it in my entertainment center but those with more restrictive shelving options may have trouble loading disks without a pop out tray. Also you have to close the cover manually (not a huge deal but it is kind of lame). The lack of a drive tray and weirdness and limitations of top loading are my only concerns with the console at the moment. This version of the PS3 will not play older PS2 games. They have/are coming out with a lot of remastered games for the PS2 games I wanted like God of War and Splinter Cell and things like that so the lack of backwards compatibility isn't an issue anymore. I'd rather play the remastered versions in HD anyway. The Last of US: the game is really, really good. It's very cinematic and emotionally engaging. I really didn't care about this game when I bought the console it was just the cheapest one but I have not played a game this good in a long time. PROS: Graphics: The games all look great. Surprisingly, though a lot of popular titles are actually not in 1080p. This may be why they look so good. When I played PC games I used to commonly use a lower display resolution (with the same aspect ratio) than my display's default in order to up the quality. Controller: The PS3 controllers connect much faster to the console than Xbox 360's and they are numbered with actual numbers so everyone knows exactly what player they are. Stereoscopic 3d: This console will tell my tv to go into 3D mode, my xbox 360 doesn't (with the games I've played for both) so I don't need to look for my remote. Netflix 3D access also, more on this below... Slim: It really is quite slim... Media: Netflix and stuff does not require a paid Playstation Plus account compared to Xbox Live Gold being required for Netflix on the Xbox 360. Also, if you have a 3D TV the PS3 gives you access to Netflix's elusive (though limited) 3D movie library which is not available on the 360. Library: Has most of the same games as the 360. I would argue that it has more exclusive shooters (Killzone, Resistance, etc) than the Xbox 360 (Halo <3, Gears of War). Light Gun & Move Shooters: Those who enjoy light gun games are just out of luck on the 360. With the PS3 there are some Guncon and Playstation move games that work like light gun games. If you enjoy this type of game this is pretty much the only way to play them since flat HDTVs have killed of cathode ray tube tvs. Cost: Relatively cheap, not requiring a paid account for media options like Netflix gives it a much lower cost of ownership for casual gamers who want blu-ray and Streaming videos. Blu Ray: It has a blu ray player. CONS: Controller: I prefer the 360's controller with it long play-and-charge cable and thinner trigger buttons. I find it to be much more ergonomic and realistic feeling. Top Loading: I don't like the way it top loads. Makes loading blu-rays and games cumbersome. Those with small shelves on their entertainment center just won't be able to load a disk without pulling out the console. No PS2: Does not play PSone/PS2 game disks. Limited PSone and PS2 "classics" are available for download in the Playstation Store but you'll have to pay for them again. User Interface: The user interface is kind of a lackluster experience. Its mostly text with some icons unless you are looking at your games library. The Xbox 360 has a much nicer interface that is much more interesting and makes use of the controller better to get around (like on the Xbox they let you page down and over with bumpers/triggers). Move: Playstation move is NOT included. I am not interested in move but similar priced Xbox 360 bundles come with Kinect (granted they have smaller hard drives). Kinect is much more compelling experience than Playstation Move. Dust: This is kind of nit-picking but it has ridges on the top and they collect some dust so it's more difficult to wipe clean than previous versions and other consoles. Overall I think it's a great console. You may want to look for an older version if you have a small or cluttered entertainment center due to the drive tray. You'll get all the games and all the media streaming without any extra costs and you'll have a blu ray player. I'm not going to tell anyone to choose this over a 360 as I think they both can live under one roof. If you must choose only one console you'll have to look at the games exclusive to each and decide what you would rather play. If you already have a 360 the PS3 doesn't require a paid online subscription so you just have to pay for the console and go raid the bargain bin for it's ample selection of exclusives packed in trilogy and collection boxes.

I am a huge xbox fan and currently have a 360, I mainly play mulitplayer games and the xbox is hands down the better console for that. However the playstation destroys the xbox when it comes to single player games. I decided to get an ps3 now that they are cheap, and I must say the size of the console is very nice, it looks beautiful in my entertainment center. Additionally the ps3 has some of the best single player games out there. The game that comes with this system "the last of us" has an amazing storyline, i am only about 3 hours in and already flipping out on how good the story is, the cut scenes especially make the game awesome, its like playing an interactive movie. Also the graphics are ridiculously good. I haven't seen any game on the xbox 360 look half as good as this game. Now when the the new generation systems start to get more games, i will be getting an xbox one, but in the mean time, the ps3 is going to keep me good company. I would recommend this to anyone that loves games, especially single player games. So many games I will need to get! (update) So I have been playing this ps3 for about a week now, and as for the drive making a lot of noise that other people have complained about, I have heard it some. With the game "last of us" I rarely hear it, but on the game "beyond two souls", I hear it making that loading sound all the time and is quiet annoying. Now I have the ps3 in my room and is only about 5 feet away from me when I play, so that could be the reason I hear it. Also the manual sliding drawer for the disk drive is kind of cheesy looking/feeling. For these two reasons I dropped the rating one star, but it is still an awesome system and a great deal for the hard drive size and game that is included.

Everything arrived on time, and everything works. I'm impressed, as until I got this, I've just been using a PS2 and an XBox (original). I specifically chose a PS3 over an xbox 360 as my new console for the price, the free online PSN (including Netflix; although you obviously still need a paid Netflix account), and games like 'The Last of Us', 'Ni No Kuni', 'Final Fantasy 13', and 'Little Big Planet'. Another thing to consider is that although the PS3 (unlike the Xbox360) supports full 1080i HD, few games actually run at that resolution. As of now, the only game I own that will run above 720p is Final Fantasy 13. Oh, this bundle also includes a free month of Playstation Plus...But the code expires 3/31/14. I haven't used it yet, but I will give it a try. I just hope that when I cancel it after my month is up I can still use any fun freebies I download with it. I don't want the new consoles yet, as they have nothing to play other than sports and FPS games ATM. Really sad for me that both the new gen consoles aren't releasing any RPGs until near the end of 2014. Also...for ~500 bucks I could almost buy a new PC, lol. Some brick and mortar retailers (Gamestop, etc.) want ~250 just for a used system, no game, and smaller hard drives. Amazon has a good price for what you get. The only drawback is I had to also get an HTMI cable, and 2nd controller. It'd be nice if they at least included an HDMI cable...No one includes 2 controllers anymore...So I can't really be mad about that. So, I got the PS3 new owners kit too. It raised the total to 300 bucks, but, now I have everything I need. I love the fact that I can get game demos from the PSN, and I don't have to buy those plastic 'minutes' cards like Xbox 360/One makes you. It was a shock for me to see a console act more like a PC, lol...But it's easy to use/navigate, and I like it. Typing in passwords and such is a pain with a controller, but, the PS3 accepts a USB keyboard. If you don't have one, I'd recommend it. The games are stunning, affordable (if you buy older games, and used games) and there's tons of them out there. Also, there's new PS3 releases coming for at least the rest of 2014. It's not a 'dead' system yet.