Sheer Horsepower. The money involved in buying a Playstation 3 does not even cover the cost of manufacturing the system. Some estimate Sony’s cost of producing the Playstation 3 at £400 and all of that money has to go somewhere. The system’s processor takes on parallel processing techniques to enable multiple processes handled through a single processor. Software developers can make use of this trait to take on a wide variety of in-game processing tasks in an efficient manner. That kind of process is common in the high-end computing industry and Sony has built it into a consumer-oriented device, the Playstation 3. At launch, the console will have an immense amount of processing power, equal to that of some of the very high-end gaming rigs available in the PC gaming world, a significant accomplishment for a console years in the making. That is not typically the case in a world where computing power advances at such a rapid rate that mass-produced devices like video game consoles are often quickly surpassed. The fact that the Playstation 3 will launch with such a bleeding-edge processing profile is a testament to Sony’s foresight and development efforts.

Blu-ray. Right now, Blu-ray titles are three times as numerous as that of its rival in the format war, HD-DVD. Both pale in comparison to DVD sales, but with the rising amount of HDTV’s in homes, the FCC’s mandatory upgrading of the television resolution standard to HD (starting this year, supposedly…you’ve gotta love beauracracy), DVD’s will soon be a thing of the past. With several large movie studios (Fox, Disney, Sony, etc.) backing Blu-ray and only Universal backing HD-DVD, the competition seems moot. Forgetting about the convenience level (never having to switch discs because Blu-ray can hold up to 50Gb), the PS3 comes with a Blu-ray player free with the console. There really isn’t a sweeter deal out there, especially if you planned on buying the 1K drive itself.

Longevity. The typical lifespan for a game console (that doesn’t bomb) is 4-5 years, and the same is expected from the Wii and 360. Sony doesn’t believe this to be so for the PS3, and Kaz Hirai has stated that the PS3 will have the amazing lifespan of ten years. Based on how powerful the system is and the rate of growth in technology, ten years is a stretch, but seven or eight years is not out of the question. Watching the PS2 being the most popular game console on the market this holiday season, even with all the buzz of next-gen gaming and that it’s six years senior to its successor proved that it’s still kicking serious ass. Whether it will last another year is in question, but the PS3 was a much bolder step in comparison. In fact, if it does live past the five year mark and is still going strong, Sony can hold off on its next console and let Nintendo and Microsoft worry about their own. Then Sony will only have to release two consoles for every three their competitors make. Realistic or not, it is a possibility, and with the high learning curve on new hardware and lower overall prices for buying less consoles, Sony may be doing developers and consumers a favor.

Linux. Sure, who uses Linux? Developers? Programmers? The most stable and (generally) free operating system out, anyone can get some form of it and boot it on their PS3 with little effort. The only version currently optimized for PS3 use is Yellow Dog Linux (which was supposed to be free with the console), and it can be downloaded at multiple sites or can be purchased from their website. It may take some getting used to, but having a computer for free with the console and a few hours for installation is something that doesn’t come around very often. And with a little effort, you may even find the version of Linux that works for you. Because hell, if there’s a quality trait you have, there’s a Linux with your name on it.

Free online play. Xbox Live has had a firm grip on the online play for console gaming over the last four years and Sony is finally answering back with a free service. Promises have been made to make an online marketplace that makes XBL’s look like crap, but it hasn’t happened yet and may take some time to join existence. But playing games online, which is what the XBL payments are for, are free on the PS3 (with the exception of select future MMORPG’s, as expected). And with so many games coming to both the PS3 and 360 for the same price, some gamers may opt to buy for the PS3 instead. Though actually dropping XBL is questionable and the achievements and rankings are still very far ahead of what Sony is offering, money goes a long way. Just the fact that it’s free is enough to make some people switch over.

Exclusive titles. Every console comes with exclusive titles. Thus is the life of all game platforms. The PS3 has an advantage over its opposition though because of its controls. More precisely, the capabilities of its SIXAXIS controller. With everything the other two consoles can do (except for the IR pointer, a possible future add-on?), Sony can dominate the market if they take advantage of the developers. This also means that both 360 games and Wii games have the potential to be on the PS3, which furthers not exclusive titles, but titles nonetheless. But with the lineup of Gran Turismo 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, Lair, Devil May Cry 4, episodic content for Resistance: Fall of Man and more, the PS3 has a good chance of fighting off the Halo 3’s and other sequels of the 7th generation of gaming. Metal Gear Solid. Final Fantasy. Two of the most beloved franchises in gaming history that (for now at least) will only be available on the PS3. Metal Gear Solid has a chance of showing up on multiple platforms but as of this writing only a PS3 version of the game has been announced. Sony also has exclusivity to the God of War name which is another series that looks to have a bright future. The PS3 may have started out slow with ’system selling’ titles but those are sure to start showing up very soon.

The system itself is dead sexy. There’s no denying it, whether you’re a PS3 hater or not, the machine is drop dead gorgeous. It’s sleek, shiny, everything a £400 piece of hardware should look like. The Xbox really has nothing on it in this department and putting the two side by side is like comparing a Volkswagon Bus and a Ferrari (in respect to looks at least).