Why the Playstation 3 has ruled me for 2 weeks...

I have long been a fan of Microsoft's Xbox 360. And yes, I have had one console die on me. It has always been something about the layout of the software. I always felt it was so easy to use. Looking back, this is what I call the Windows Mindset. But this isn't about Microsoft, the 360, or Windows.

I bought a PS3 with backwards compatibility. Not sure why they did away with it in later models, it is a wonderful feature. But wow, talk about an open platform. My wife and I played a few games when we first got it, but mostly I was dying to push the hardware and software to see how far the package would take me. This processor is supposed to be the future, right?

So I installed Linux. I installed Yellow Dog Linux. Don't be fooled, it isn't easy to do. The cell processor runs on a Power PC architecture and is complicated by having 9 (or 8, depending on if you count the system-reserved one) cores upon which to process data. Sadly, Linux dragged, the PS3 only has 256MB of RAM. I don't really understand why they skimped on that, as it seems important. Of course, some would see that as the Windows Mindset speaking (need at least 3 GB of RAM to run Vista).

So the Linux operating system failed. Yet the PS3 still shone for me, like a beacon as I came out of the Xbox 360 fog. Throughout the installation, the PS3 operating system never fought me and waited patiently as I tried to replace him. I backed up the hard drive several times that day, and never had a problem with my (luckily only one) save game. Never any corruption issues, or strange back-end permissions that keep you from doing what you feel you are entitled to do. Why shouldn't I be able to take my songs, save games, or profiles with me to use on a friend's console? I say that because I once removed the hard drive with all my Rock Band 2 songs, and took them to a friend's house. We couldn't access any of the songs. No explanation, just no. I was able to sign into my profile and everything, but could not play the songs. It was maddening.

Here, in the Playstation 3, lies an open and complete platform. Have an emergency? Backup your data. Want to watch a movie? Which genre? Would you like to buy or rent the movie?

Oh, and lastly, I'm glad I waited this long. When the PS3 first came out, I was disgusted by the original Sixaxis feather-weight controller. I'd forget I was even holding the thing. The Dualshock 2, if you didn't know, is the optimal weight.

My one, and last criticism of the PS3 controller is that the x button doesn't seem as pressure sensitive. I say that because Gran Turismo 4 on PS2 had a nice feel to the x button. It was difficult, but I could feather the throttle around turns a little. In the PS3, its all or nothing. Of course, that could just be because I was emulating. I doubt the controller's sensitivity is tuned exactly the same as the PS2 controllers. Some would say, "Declining to step forward is really a step backward."