Benefits of Playstion 3

Playstation 3's features lend themselves to many great benefits.  As a PS3 owner, these potential benefits are what led me to purchase the system in the first place and for the most part, I have not been disappointed.


Blu-ray: There are many great things about Blu-ray.  Blu-ray discs offer a storage capacity that is five times greater than DVDs.  A dual-layer Blu-ray disc can hold up to 50 gigabytes (GB) of data whereas dual-layer DVDs can hold up to 8.5 GB.  Because of its storage capacity, Blu-ray discs can hold more detailed video.  This means that it offers high definition video up to 1080p.
  Besides the increased storage capacity, Blu-ray discs are made with a hard-coat resin that resists damage and includes a lubricant that aids in fingerprint removal (Hiyashida, Hirata, Komaki, Usami, Ushida, Itoh, Yoneyama & Utsunomiya, 2002, p.750-753).


Internal Hard Drive:  Sony offers several different PS3 models.  The model is determined by its internal hard drive.  The internal hard drive allows the user to store movies, music, photos, and even games directly on the system.  This means all your media can be stored in one place.  The currently available hard drive sizes range from 40GB to 320GB (Gamestop, 2011, p1-2).  For the average user, 40GB is more storage than is necessary.


Playstation Network:  Playstation Network, or PSN, is an online network offered through Sony.  It is free to use, but you have the option of purchasing a premium membership that offers discounts.  Through PSN, users can send messages and chat with other users, play games together online, watch movies, and shop through the Playstation Store.  The Playstation Store offers movies to rent, options for personalization, games, and movies to purchase.  There are many games that are only available through the Network.


The "Cell" Microchip:  The "Cell" is a microchip featuring a central processing unit and eight coprocessors, working in tandem.  In comparison, leading competitor Microsoft offers only a three core processor in its gaming system (Rose, 2006, p.2).  Sony's microchip offers a raw computing power that is limited only by software developer's ability to program for it.  For now though, developers are able to develop games in 1080p.  These games feature detailed environments and characters.