PS3: First Impressions

This is kind of a supplemental post to the buying the PS3 story.

I've had an XBox 360 since April 2006, so I'm pretty used to it and how it works. During that time, the XBox 360 controller has also become my all-time favorite video game controller, a spot that was previously held by the DualShock controller. Actually, the WaveBird is probably the best controller ever, hampered only by the screwy button placement Nintendo decided on for the GameCube and the lack of rumble. But I digress.

The Good:

• I liked the fact that I was able to use my old PS2 component cables with the PS3. I've got an HDTV, but it is old enough to only have a DVI input, no HDMI.
• Going back to the SIXAXIS is like riding a bike. I haven't actually turned my PS2 on in over a year, but picking up the SIXAXIS was like I never stopped playing it.
• I like the opening music when you turn on the PS3. A minor thing, but I enjoy it.
• Folding @ Home. Its for a good cause and it looks pretty.
• The wireless internet was simple to set up and offered no problems at all.
• I heart the Emotion Engine chip. No software emulation backwards compatibility for me!
• The PS3 is certainly an impressive looking piece of electronics.

The Bad:

• It is impressive looking because it is HUGE. Like it dwarves all my other systems. It is currently sitting where my original XBox sat and is way bigger.
• I really like the XBox 360's UI better. I like the blades and the way things are organized, it makes sense to me. The PS3's interface, on the other hand, is functional but ugly.
• When I first turned it on, I had to download a rather large update. It took forever. I've been told that it is faster to use my PC to download the update, then apply it using a flash drive or memory card.
• The PlayStation Store. I understand why they made it like they did. Having it be a webpage means they can quickly and easily change it whenever they want. I mean, a total conversion kind of change, too. But it looks ugly. The icons are ugly. And I hate using the controller to move my "mouse" cursor around. It is slow and very easy to overshoot your target. This was especially annoying when I was trying to buy something on the store and kept missing the scroll down bar for the credit card expiration date.
• To go along with the previous two complaints, when I bought a couple items from the store (flOw and Super Stardust HD), they took forever to download. Same thing with the demos I got. I actually started downloading the Heavenly Sword demo, put in 300 and watched it, and when I was done, the HS demo was only 83% done. There's no excuse for that. I've got 10mbs cable internet, so it isn't a speed issue on my end.

The Unknown:

• I haven't tried out the unit to play non-DVD movies yet, so I'm looking forward to that.
• Same thing for music and pictures.
• I'm also looking forward to trying some multiplayer in Resistance. I've got a couple friends coming over tonight so I'll try that. I'll also try some online play soon.
• Warbirds. That game looks so awesome and I really want to get both it and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, but I know with Halo 3, I won't actually play either of them for a while.

So that's my intial review of the PS3. I know it looked pretty heavy on the critical side, but I'm really pretty happy with my purchase. I'm anxious to get a game that can really show what it can do, though.