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Sony's new console lets you do it all, from surfing the Web to watching movies to playing games—but the early titles are decidedly last-gen


As you unwrap Sony's new PlayStation 3, be prepared. The consumer-electronics giant hasn't done much to make opening the package much of an experience for consumers who will shell out close to $800 for the console and a few games to play on it.
Other electronics companies are bundling products in black boxes with neat stenciling to remind you, indeed, that you've purchased a (product name goes here). All I got when I opened the PS3 box was a view of dull brown cardboard and the standard white shipping wrapper enveloping the shiny black unit.
You can't blame a guy for getting his hopes up. I waited for weeks to get my mitts on a final working unit. I had been fortunate enough to put versions of the PS3 through its paces several times in the past month, and even enjoyed a week with a unit that was used to test game software. But I had yet to sample many of the other features—such as Web browsing and playing movies on Sony's (SNE) new Blu-ray format.
Picture Perfect

Was it worth the wait? Yes—and no. I spent several days watching movies, surfing the Web, and, yes, playing games, with the more expensive 60GB hard-drive version, which sells for about $600 and includes multiple storage card readers. I liked the PS3, but walked away more impressed with what it could do than with what it curently does.
Setup was fairly easy, though you will have to purchase a separate HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) cable to get the best possible picture. I first hooked up the PS3 to a Samsung plasma that had an effective resolution of 720 progressive, excellent for viewing motion. The console also worked perfectly on a higher-resolution 1080p Sharp LCD TV.
Fans of the PlayStation Portable handheld console will be familiar with the cross-media bar that uses icons and pictures to guide you through all the functions, which include a very nice Web browser that loaded every site I selected on-screen without forcing me to fiddle with settings. After the official Nov. 17 U.S. launch, you also can connect to the online PlayStation Network for multiplayer gaming, but the feature wasn't enabled when I tried it.
Been There Before

Even so, I got the sense right away that this is one seriously cool device, capable of doing just about everything, from watching home videos and photos to streaming media over the Web. It does all of that while remaining incredibly quiet during operation and throwing off far less heat than Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox 360, which warms up a room fast.
But two of the biggest PS3 draws—Blu-ray and games—weren't an immediate knockout.
Don't get me wrong. The games look great. Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man had me ducking and wincing in all the right places. Electronic Arts' (ERTS) Need for Speed: Carbon had me cursing with frustration as I plunged to my death off canyon-side roads, and Madden NFL 07 looked pretty realistic as my players raced down the field.
Still, such games designed for this latest generation of consoles felt a little ho-hum. In Resistance, for example, you get more realism, with more characters on-screen that can act independently of each other. Physics are also greatly improved, with glass shattering and bullets flying realistically. But in the end, it still felt like a classic shooter.
Limited Backward Compatibility

My disappointment may stem partly from the fact that I've played most of the new games already on Xbox 360, which also sports incredibly good graphics. But it's also apparent that developers haven't fully plumbed the depths of the PS3's capabilities.
Sure, developers should be applauded for delivering titles to a new platform that look at least as good as those for the Xbox 360, which has been out for a year.