We’ll only run ‘deals of the day’ that we personally find of value. So it should come as no surprise that I got in on Amazon’s $100 credit with a PS3 purchase. I’d expected to receive the console on Monday while stuck home all day with the HVAC crew, but it arrived Tuesday evening (insufficiently packaged/protected).
I’ve said it a number of times, but it still stuns me that the computer software company (Microsoft) does a much better job than the consumer electronics company (Sony) at implementing a 10′ interface. PS3 fonts are too small, updates are too time consuming, too much scrolling in dual axises, video apps like Hulu and Vudu aren’t actually found in the “Video” area of the Playstation Store. On the other hand, the PS3 experience isn’t nearly as cutesy as the Xbox 360 has become. And that’s a good thing. Not to mention our living room won’t miss the 360’s massive power brick with fan. Also, the more computer-like experience allowed me to utilize my wireless Lenovo thumboard to expedite various console and application logins. Although, the results were often unpredictable depending on app and field.
My original plan to move the 360 to the basement didn’t last long. Even in a new (old) 5 bedroom home, my gypsy minimalism tendencies persist… Over the weekend, I trucked the majority of my Xbox gear to Gamestop for a ~$120 credit which I used to pick up Uncharted 2 and Sony’s Bluetooth Blu-ray remote. I’ll probably save the remainder of the credit for a Xbox Slim when college football resumes (ESPN3!) – unless MS tempts me sooner with new functionality.
I agree that the fonts could be a little larger on most places within the PS3 UI. However, overall I like the UI (the graphics, responsiveness, choice of themes, etc.) and playback from the Hulu Plus, Netflix, Vudu (great new UI within this app) and NHL apps is stellar.
I noticed Hulu Plus is clipped for me again as it is on the Roku. Don’t think there are any overscan settings. I think the PS3 is outputting 1080i – need to see if I can flip that to 720p for my plasma to see if it helps.
There is definitely an issue with Hulu’s overscan. I am also seeing it on my Roku players and the PS3. It is slightly more pronounced on the Roku player. Changing the aspect ratio/picture size on my Samsung LCDs from 16:9 to ‘Just Size’ works pretty well. I recently discovered the Overscan setting in the Vudu app on the PS3, which is a nice feature.