PS3 QnAs

Holiday's coming up and I hope to be able to write more then. It's 2.13am and I spent the past few hours asleep. I fell asleep around 8, I think. That's how tired I am because of work.

On a side note, waking up, checking my email and messages after got me inspired to write this blog. A fellow friend wrote asking about a PS3 from a Bruneian perspective and I thought I'd share it with you guys here. This isn't the first message I received from someone. I've received a number of questions from people asking me about Sony's machine but they were mostly one or two questions. And since a lot of people have been asking it, I thought I'd post the answers here so people won't have to go through the trouble of dropping me messages and emails.

First of, and I get this a lot, I am not a PS3 Fanboy. But I am a Sony man. I love Sony product but after having my share of experience with all consoles, I have my pick on PS3. Granted, not everything is great on it. There are a lot of things I like with 360, mostly because of how good microsoft is with software. I love having to access the dashboard in-game. I love the dashboard skins. I love xbox live. I love Halo. I love Gears of War. And I hate the fact that I can't play BioShock on the PS3 coz it's xbox only. But for BND700+ I would rather get another PS3 which can give me more than a 360 can. Even over software-wise. I just find the PS3 more reliable. Especially when it comes to investing on a console. Heck, I can even find some good points about the Wii even for someone who hates motion sensing (although I love its use on Folklore). I carry my Wii everywhere coz it's - yeah that, small and light enough to be portable. The battery problem sucks though.

But again, I only say bad things about other consoles for which I think they are true. Heck, I bash the PS3 myself. In the end, it all depends on what kind of a gamer you are. I find what I need on the PS3 because it gives me all the things that I do everyday in one box. Including games.

Also, mind you that I read all news on gaming - not just the PS3. But with the recent going ons in gaming, I find a lot of interesting tid-bits mostly with the PS3. Both good and bad. I don't like posting everthing since you'll find everything out there anyway. I post those that I think I should share. That's all. If you would like to contribute, please, feel free and let me know.

Looks like this is going to be a long post.

Right, on with the answers about Sony's mammoth.

Which PS3 version do you have?
American.

Can you connect a mobile phone or bluetooth decive easily to the PS3?
Yes, I've tried this. But not all phones connect easily. Most bluetooth devices need to be registered to the PS3 first in order for you to access the contents in it. Once you've registered, you can access almost all the contents just like accessing a memory card.

Have you tried connecting a bluetooth printer on it?
Nope but I read that it supports Epson printers. So if you've got one, give it to me and I'll try it =)

Are there games that support mouse and keyboard controls?
Not currently. But they do work on the XMB... which has nothing to do with the question. Although, you should try using a mouse on the XMB. It's fun.

Have you ever played PS1/PS2/Copy games on the PS3?
Nope. Never tried them. I've been meaning to but never got to do so. Although, I have tried "copy games" and as expected, no they do not work. But remember though, if you would like to try it, PS1 and PS2 games are region specific. Only US PS1 and PS2 games work with the US version of the PS3. So if you have a japanese console, you won't be able to play your US PS1 and PS2 discs.

Can it connect to external hard drives?
Yes it can. But, like Apple Mac, it can only detect FAT32 formatted discs. Not NTFS. So, if your hard disc is formatted in NTFS, back up your files and reformat.

Can it stream videos through its web browser?
Yes it can. I use it to view videos on YouTube and Multiply all the time.

Does it support Java?
Yes.

Shocwave? Flash?
Yes. Yes. Not Yellow Dog Linux though. The PS3 browser, yes.

Does PSN restrict you to connect to your own region?
Yes and no. One account can only be connected to one PS-Store. If you registered a Singapore account, you will be connected only to an Asia PS-Store. If you registered a Jap-account, you are only connected to the Jap PS-Store. But you can create multiple accounts if you want to get access to all PS-Stores. I have four users each connected to different regions but I only use one to play online since you can practically share all your download games on all the accounts in that one PS3. My main account is my Korean PSN. I create a US PSN to download games off American Stores (my usual stop). I have a Jap account to download Jap demos and movies. And I have an EU account to download videos that you don't find on the US PS-Store. All free. Except when you buy stuff online ofcourse. And i only buy off the US PS-Store.

What games have you played with your friends online?
A lot. Although, I've never tried Resistance since I've had problems with that but other than that one game, I've been on a lot of online scoreboards. Not impressive on most of them but not too bad. Speed-wise, it's surprisingly great. I've never got disconnected when I play motorstorm online. Calling All Cars is smooth. I find it surprising since we've got over 5 computers connected to the Internet at home with some downloading huge files at the same time. Heck, I play online while I download megs and gigs of files off the PS-Store. Although, I experienced a bit of lag when I was playing Super Puzzle Fighter against someone online a few days ago. But that's the only one I've had so far.

Do you get disconnected from your controller?
So far, has never happened to me. I've read some people complaining about this but my gaming has been smooth so far.

What other bluetooth devices have you used on your PS3?
Can't quite remember. I know I've tried a number of them when I first got it and most worked perfectly. Oh, also, tried it on a Sony Vaio. It streams photos and videos greatly. Also, the PS3 supports DLNA which is this streaming technology that a lot of devices today come with. Look at your laptop or devices. If you find a DLNA logo, chances are, you'll be able to stream your files easily.

Have you ever downloaded a PSP game off the PS-Store?
Yes, I have. You need to register your PSP with your PS3 first in order for this to work. It's easy.

How easy is it to navigate through the PS-Store?
Personally, I don't like it. Things there need to be organised for the better. List of things on one page is too little. It's easier if you keep up with it weekly but if you've never been there, you might get frustrated.

How big is your HDD?
I bought the 60gb version when the PS3 first came out.

Have you ever taken out the HDD and changed it?
I've taken out the hard disk once to see the HDD which you can view here (or here if you'd rather watch the YouTube version). I tried looking for a hard disk last year but I couldn't find a 120gig 2.5" Sata HDD since only a Sata HDD works with the PS3. I found 3.5" Satas but that wouldn't fit the PS3 HDD slot. So I've given up since. Today though, I've seen a lot of 120gig 2.5" Sata but I've got too many files on my PS3 HDD now and I can't be arsed to back them up at the moment. Especially my games.

Can you back up or copy your downloaded games?
No you can't. Only photos, videos and saved games. But not downloaded games. So if you've lost them or need to change hard disks, you'll need to redownload them. But don't worry, if you've paid for them, you can download them again for free. Plus, you have a download list you can look at to keep track of your downloads.

Can you copy the videos and images you download from the PS-Store onto your pendrive?
Yes. I've done this with my brother. Took some videos off his PS3 to copy to my PS3.

Do you have Linux installed?
Yes, Yellow Dog Linux.

Is it hard to install Linux?
Not really. Although, you need an HDTV for it. You can view the installation on an SDTV. Believe me, I've tried.

How does it effect your PS3?
Well, it turns the PS3 into a fully functioning PC. When you install Linux, you don't use the PS3 as a console. You basically get the option to boot either on the PS3 OS or Linux. And having Linux is fun. And it runs smoothly on the PS3.

Is the PS3 really quiet?
Hell yeah. My external hard disk make more noise than the PS3.

Have you ever left the PS3 switched on for more then 24hours?
Yes. 4 days running the longest. I was downloading two weeks worth of PSN updates and playing games on and off. Heck, I play long hours of Oblivion. And it still works fine.

Do you have any Blu-Ray movies? Have you tried them?
Yes. I've got MI3 a friend of mine got for me in Singapore and my brother bought Casino Royale from Dhubai. Both of our PS3s are American. Remember, Blu-Ray movies are region specific. Region 1 includes US and Jap. Region 2 Europe. Region 3 the rest of the world (I think). You might be able to play games with no region-lock but not with movies. So, be careful with the movies you buy.

Can you have a background wallpaper?
With the latest update, yes.

Is Home out yet?
No. Not for the public.

There, hope these helps.