(Thanks this time to Pete Cullen - PSN username: D0ct0rK)

So, after what seems like an eternity, the PS3 is finally here! Parcel Force delivered my console at lunchtime, along with copies of MotorStorm, Resistance and Genji, as well as an HDMI cable and Click on Blu-Ray (courtesy of Play.com). I’ll cut straight to the chase, leaving the waffle to my personal blog. Here are my impressions on my first day of PS3 ownership.

The Console
As many have noted, it’s big. Very big, and heavy. But surprisingly silent, and fits in nicely into my entertainment unit. It’s certainly a very striking piece of kit. Initial setup was a piece of cake - connect up the HDMI and optical cables and got cracking. I had a slight glitch with the wi-fi, but that was soon sorted before grabbing the 1.6 firmware and then it was straight onto the PSN to get my machine connected, and hopefully to snag my free copy of Casino Royale on Blu-Ray (thanks Sony, very smart move). My PSN username is D0ct0rK, just in case any Three Speechers want to add me to their buddy list.

While I’ve never been a fan of the XMB on the PSP, on a 42” screen its nice and clear and simple to navigate. Of course, it will be even better when there is a Home icon on there too. I’m looking forward to checking out the media functionality over the next few days, but for now it’s time to pop in the Blu-Ray discs and get gaming!

The Games
Motorstorm
Remember when the PS2 launched - the stand out “must have” title was (for me) SSX. Ridge Racer V and Tekken Tag looked good, but SSX really gave a glimpse of what next gen was back then. Fast forward back to 2007, and Motorstorm is that game. It looks, well, stunning. Plays pretty well too!

The game feels and plays a whole lot better than when I first played it at the first 3Rooms event back in December last year. Back then we were playing either the US demo or a Japanese build which were great, but in need of polish in a few areas. The polish has been liberally applied and has produced a fantastic title, a pure straightforward racer that provides a great showcase for the new machine. This one is going to be getting some serious playtime over the weekend. I set up a private Buddy online game so a mate and I could get used to the tracks and had an absolute blast.

Resistance

Grumbles about rumble aside, this is one of the games I’ve wanted to play the most, and have actually played the least. A mere five minutes at 3Rooms where initial impressions were very good. The game looks great, and runs very smoothly. I jumped straight into an online game, no lag, no problems. 40 person multiplayer, fantastic. Reminds me that I must get a headset on order this weekend.

Insomniac have created a very nice title here, and it’s incredibly fast moving. Having spent many hours playing Gears of War over the last few months, it’s a shock to the system getting back into frenetic action. When the single player is done I don’t think I’ll go back to it, but the online multiplayer will keep me playing for a long time to come (much like Halo 2), and even better that it’s free!

Genji
Massive damage and giant enemy crabs aside, I wasn’t really expecting much from Genji. I was hoping Play were going to make F1 the third game in their bundle, but I approached it without prejudice and it’s actually a very solid, fun title. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a particularly long game, and after completing it I’m sure it’ll get traded in for VF5 or F1. But in the hour I played it I enjoyed myself, and that’s all that matters in the end isn’t it?

Blu-Ray
I haven’t had any hands on experience with the Samsung player so haven’t got any point of reference, but the Blu-Ray playback in the PS3 seems very competent. Click may not be the best movie to show off the format, but having just got the HD-DVD drive for the 360 last week I was keen to see if there are any key differences between the formats. The answer? No, they both look fantastic and justify my HDTV purchase. Control via the Sixaxis and the familiar PSP interface for movie playback is a little but clunky but perfectly functional. I’ve ordered the Blu-Ray remote to enhance the experience. Casino Royale is going to look great on it.

PlayStation Store
Free is always the best price and having GTHD available gratis is a nice gesture, along with all the other free content. The store is nice and easy to navigate, and paying for things with proper money instead of points is something I’m very happy about. I grabbed the F1 and Ridge Racer 7 demos which came down pretty speedily considering it’s launch day and everyone is hitting the service.

So all in all, I’m very satisfied with my purchase! I’m looking forward to delving into the multimedia functionality of the console next week, and hopefully checking out some more Blu-Ray movies as well. I’m sure all the new PS3 owners will agree with me - it was a very good launch day. (Pete’s images to follow)