http://ps3.ign.com/articles/933/933464p1.html
On November 17, 2006, just a little more than two years ago, the PlayStation 3 finally hit North American. If you picked up a system on or around launch day, or even just followed its progress since then, you'll no doubt know that the PlayStation 3 today is not the same one that hit shelves that November. Physical iterations aside, firmware updates have transformed the system into something much bigger and better than what we picked up just a couple years ago.
It will be interesting to see how Sony continues to change and alter the system over the next few years prior to the PlayStation 4's premiere. While we don't know yet what's coming, looking back to the system's past and comparing what was to what is should give us a good idea as to how much more change we have to look forward to.
And that's what we're going to do right here. Everything from the hardware to the PlayStation Network to the way the Cross Media Bar functions have undergone massive changes since the end of 2006, so we're going to look at these components one by one and see what Sony has done to support its latest console.
Then: Mimicking the 360's dual-SKU launch, the PlayStation 3 hit stores in two different flavors, a 60GB model and an "entry-level" 20GB version. The 60GB version was certainly the more robust of the two, featuring more than just extra bytes to store data. It also included built-in WiFi for wireless networking (practically a must in this day and age), flash card readers for things like Memory Sticks and SD cards, a chrome finish around the Blu-ray drive slot, and, perhaps most importantly, an HDMI port. The 20GB model featured none of these extra options, though of course the internals were identical so gameplay was the same across both systems. Both launch systems were also fully backwards-compatible with both PSone and PS2 titles.
Now: We've seen a mix of different hardware configurations over the past two years, including a 40GB system that saw the USB port count cut down from four to two and "introduced" the lack of PS2 backwards compatibility. While a number of the previously-manufactured machines are still available for purchase if you look in the right places, the two currently-produced SKUs include 80GB and 160GB systems, with the latter featuring Uncharted: Drake's Fortune as a pack-in bonus. Both systems feature only two USB ports, lack memory card readers and neither are backwards-compatible with PS2 titles, though WiFi and HDMI are both now standard features.
Then: Perhaps the PlayStation 3's biggest fault at launch was its pricing. With the entry-level 20GB system running for $499 and the 60GB selling for a staggering $599, they were both significantly more expensive than the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. The inclusion of Blu-ray technology and built-in WiFi actually made the system a good value, but in the eyes of consumers who were just interested in what games the systems could play, Sony was definitely at the disadvantage.
Now: Things on the pricing front are better these days, though the PlayStation 3 is still the most expensive console on the market. The 80GB system currently sells for $399, while the 160GB system (with the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune pack-in) sells for $499.
Then: The PlayStation 3 features the same Cross Media Bar user interface that was introduced with the PSP. From a strictly navigational standpoint, it hasn't changed at all since launch - main menu topics are scrolled through horizontally from left to right, while sub-items appear in a vertical list. While the launch systems came with firmware 1.00 installed, connecting to the Internet required an update to 1.10, which was ready to go on launch day. The main XMB headings were the same at launch as they are now, with the exception that the PlayStation Network heading wasn't added until later.
At launch (and for a good while thereafter), the Cross Media Bar was only accessible while not playing a game or watching a video.
Now: The PlayStation 3 is currently at firmware version 2.52. By and large, the Cross Media Bar is the same as it was when launched, with a few notable additions tossed in here or there. As mentioned, the PlayStation Network heading has now broken out some things that were once contained in the basic Network heading, including Account Management and the PlayStation Store (and PlayStation Home, for those in the beta). The Network section now has an Information Board icon, which correlates to an RSS news feed relating to all things PlayStation that now resides in the top-right corner of the screen. Life with PlayStation, which includes things like real-time weather reports (in case you're too lazy to look outside), has been added to the Network section along with a quick Internet Search option. A handful of other options have been added to the Settings bar, and Media Server search options have been added to the Photo, Music and Video sections for streaming content from your computer. Also, custom Themes are now available, with users capable of making their own UI skin for the system.
The biggest change with regards to the Cross Media Bar, however, has been the added ability to bring it up while playing a game. Pressing the PlayStation button on your controller will overlay the XMB on top of any PS3 game you're playing (though not movies, PSone or PS2 titles), and allows to you manage your Friends list and things like that. Options that are not available while playing a game will still be selectable, but will prompt you to quit before bringing them up (like changing certain settings or opening the PlayStation Store, for instance).
Then: The PlayStation 3 of course supported online play from day one, though voice support was optional, and with no in-game Cross Media Bar support, Friends lists were largely kept on a game-by-game basis. Because of these issues, online functionality support was variable between every title. USB and Bluetooth headsets were supported in the games that did utilize voice support, though Bluetooth compatibility could be a little spotty.
Now: Voice support is still only an option (sadly), though as the Cross Media Bar is now accessible in-game, hooking up with your friends is now leaps and bounds easier than it was at launch. Sony has released a couple Bluetooth headsets, the first packaged with Warhawk, and the latest, a first-party effort, shipped with SOCOM: Confrontation and Tom Clancy's EndWar.
Then: The original version of the PlayStation Store was functional, but very slow and rather ugly. It was mostly utilitarian in design and was actually just a web page that ran from the system. As such, it was also somewhat awkward to navigate. During the launch timeframe, game demos, trailers for games and movies and even a couple downloadable titles were available.
Now: The PlayStation Store underwent a massive design change a little while back and now runs natively on the system. It looks better, is significantly faster most of the time, is far easier to navigate and simply works much better on the whole. At this year's E3, Sony launched a movie and TV section on the PlayStation Store, allowing users to purchase or rent the content in either standard or high-definition. The content can be copied or moved to the PSP as well, allowing for on-the-road viewing, though content cannot be moved back to the PlayStation 3 due to licensing management issues.
Then: Forgoing rumble in favor of motion control, the PlayStation 3's launch controller was the oft-maligned SixAxis. Its form factor was largely identical to the extremely successful DualShock 2, though the L2 and R2 buttons were analog triggers instead of simple buttons. A PlayStation button in the middle of the controller let users bring up a menu to shut down the system, quit whatever game they were playing and more.
The SixAxis was extremely light and generally felt good while used, but the lack of rumble was a big mistake in many gamers' eyes. The SixAxis motion control only worked so-so as well, best used in cases where the control was used sparingly and in situations that made sense (shaking off enemies, for instance), while using it as the sole or main control input was met with tepid response (read: Lair).
Now: Sony made things right (mostly) by replacing the SixAxis with the DualShock 3, a controller that looks and works identically to the SixAxis, but also features rumble support. It is heavier than the SixAxis, making for a more solid feel, and has been largely welcomed with very open arms by PlayStation fans worldwide.
Then: Where are our Achievements?
Now: Yay, Trophies! In an effort to cash in on the success of the Xbox 360's Achievement system, Sony introduced Trophies to the PlayStation 3 with firmware 2.40 earlier this year. Instead of points, Trophies are available as Gold, Silver and Bronze variants, while a coveted Platinum Trophy is awarded for earning all of the other Trophies in retail games (smaller downloadable titles do not feature Platinum Trophies). Each gamer also has a level now, with each earned Trophy adding to their "experience" and helping to take them to the next level. None of these things have any tangible value as of now.
Then: At launch, the PlayStation 3 allowed you to play games, watch DVDs, Blu-ray discs and video files, view photos and listen to music. Video support was limited to certain file types, like MP4s and AVCs.
Now: Support for each of the media types has been enhanced. You now have different viewing options for photos, video playback supports codecs like DiVX and WMV, there are more DVD options (like scaling, for example) and more. Blu-ray support has been updated to the 2.0 spec, which made the PlayStation 3 the first BD-Live-enabled player on the market. And as mentioned, support for media servers is now present, allowing you to stream content from a networked computer to your PS3 for viewing on your television.
The coolest additions have come to things outside of the basic media functionality, however. Folding@Home was brought to the PlayStation 3 a while back and the system quickly helped set a Guinness record for distributed computing. Folding@Home has recently been rolled into Life with PlayStation, which while right now is basically only good for seeing what the weather is like outside, it could prove to actually be useful in the future. The PlayStation Home beta is in full effect, and though we don't have a release date yet, Sony promises that it will finally be out before the end of the year.
So there we have it. Clearly, the PlayStation 3 is a much more robust and fully-featured device than it was at launch. Sony has done a pretty good job updating the system both in terms of features new to gaming devices in general, as well as playing a decent bit of catch-up with its competitors. Now that things are mostly on par with the 360 (though still not perfect), it will be interesting to see where things go from here. Only time will tell, but we're looking forward to the future.
My Thoughts: I love how the system keeps changing and growing. I really can't wait to see how it will be in another 2 years! [DAMNIT SONY!!! Where the F**K is my .MKV SUPPORT!!!!!!]
4 ≈ One
