PS3 FAQ: answers to your PlayStation 3 questions
By Ryan Block 
posted Nov 16th 2006 8:17PM
posted Nov 16th 2006 8:17PM
P.S. -Check out our other list of interesting PS3 facts!
- Can you connect and play media from a USB hard drive?
We know this is the number one question people are asking right now, and we'll tell you this: we connected a thumb drive, and it recognized it. But it wouldn't play any of our MP4 / H.264 video or MP3 audio, so something seemed awry. It wouldn't even find the files on the drive, our PlayStation said there were none. So we're going to have to get back to you on this until we can do some further testing.
Update: Ittousai's PlayStation does properly read media from USB. Maybe ours is a firmware issue, we're not sure yet. - Does the PS3 really upconvert DVDs?
Sorry, no, it actually doesn't. We popped in a regular DVD (The Matrix) and it dropped our 1080p display down to 720 x 480p. We pulled it out, and it went back to 1080p. So for right now, the PS3 does not upscale DVDs, but instead just leaves them at extended def. Bummer. - Can the PS3 stream videos, movies, pictures, etc., from a PC?
No, not currently. This is something we really wanted to see, but they're just not prepared to do yet. If you're Japanese, however, you can download video via P-TV on So-net. - Would the PS3 be good replacement for or complement my Media Center PC?
That's a pretty subjective question. You can't stream media to or from it; you can copy media to it. But of the consoles, currently Microsoft is closest to getting it right with the Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Connect client, outside Sony's "You only need the PS3, as it is the center for your digital life" angle.
- How are the load times without the game install? Does the game install actually speed up load times?
We tested the install feature with Genji, and here's what we found:
Initial boot without install: 00:09:11 (9.1 seconds)
Initial boot with install: (same)
Load level one without install: 00:15:16
Load level one with install: 00:10:48
Load level two without install: 00:16:19
Load level two with install: 00:10:16
Time required to go through install: 04:14:79
Space required by install: 2126MB
Amount of level loads required to amortize install time: roughly 50 - How about compatibility of PS3s sold in Japan / US? Will they run in Europe?
We know there are a lot of Europeans feeling slighted by Sony's slashed console quantities and delayed Euro launch. Unfortunately, Europe is Blu-ray region 2, whereas the US and Japan are region 1. Games, however, are supposedly region-free, so if you don't mind not being able to watch Blu-ray movies, and can speak the language, your European power shouldn't fry your US or Japanese PS3's power supply.
- Can you change the [Blu-ray] region on the PlayStation 3 menu?
Sorry, nope! Sony is trying to stop gray-market importing, remember? - How long are the standard composite AV cables?
Ours were 99-inches tip to tip, or about 95-inches of cable (that'd be 8-feet or so). - Can you do HD in a 4:3 ratio? My 62-inch Samsung projection HDTV is 4:3, but supports 1080i.
There isn't an aspect ratio setting in the display settings menu, only resolution. The supported resolutions over HDMI are 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p. - Can your PS3 fold (Folding@Home) out of the box, or is that coming in a later update?
That will be a piece of software you download on the PlayStation network. It will be free. - How easy is it for the PS3 to collect fingerprints/dust? Is it already a dust magnet?
Within a day our PS3 was covered in dust. Probably no more actual phsyical dust than any other gadget -- it's not attracting it -- but the gloss and finish make it extremely visible. Same with fingerprints. Luckily, unless you're moving your PS3 all the time, it's one of those devices you just don't really have to touch very often.
- Can you really install other OSs onto your PS3?
Yes, according to Sony you can install any PowerPC-capable Linux build. Yellow Dog Linux, however, is the most prominently supported distro announced to date. - Does it come with Yellow Dog Linux?
No, YDL 5.0, the version of Yellow Dog that supports the PS3, isn't due out until November 27th. Even then you'll probably have to get it from them or download it. - Do the PS3 can play all (or a big part of) PS2 games?
There have been scattered reports that many PS2 games aren't working properly with the PlayStation 3 in Japan, but firmware updates are being produced to alleviate these issues. Ultimately Sony's goal is 100% backwards compatibility, although we haven't yet seen a running compatibility list. - Can the PS3 video ouput be set to 16:10 instead of 16:9 so as to be connected to a 1920x1200 as apposed to a 1920x1080 display?
It only supports TV resolutions, so your monitor will probably have to upscale 720p. - Do Google web apps (Gmail, Maps, Calendar, etc.) play nice with the PS3 web browser?
We tried the lot of them, here's what we found: Gmail works in basic HTML mode, we didn't get it going in its full AJAXy form. Google maps worked well, draggable maps and all, but the format was messed up -- no search, no address entry. It was very weird. Calendar ran our browser out of memory the first time (huh?), but the second time it loaded -- awfully. So to answer your question, your mileage may vary with the fun AJAXy sites, but Google web apps didn't work too hot. - How does the PS3's browser do on the ACID2 test? Have you seen any problems with page rendering?
Ha. Horribly. Most pages render ok, but not the ACID2 test, m'friend. - Does the SIXAXXIS have a sync button? What happens if you try to associate the PS3 controller with a PC using Bluetooth?
It syncs via USB to the PS3, there isn't a sync button, like with the Xbox 360 and Wii. - How is the SIXAXIS controller's tilt sensor?
It works, but we honestly haven't played any games that implemented it very well yet. Wait and see, it's not a Wii-like scenario where motion-sensing is requisite for out-of-the-box play. Some games even allow you to turn it off (which is a bad sign in vouching for its necessity over, say, rumble). - What is the extent of the motion sensing for the PS3 controller? Will it be as dramatic as the Wii's?
It's a fundamentally different approach. The PlayStation 3 controller is a PlayStation controller first, a motion sensing device second. It probably won't ever be as dramatic as the Wii's motion sensing, but that doesn't mean it can't be immersive. - Can you turn the console on and off remotely with the controller like you can with the Xbox 360?
Yes. Just hold the PlayStation button and it'll give you a similar prompt to quit the game, shut off the controller, or shut off the console. - Does the PS3 network allow users to upload their own icons or avatars or whatever is used in the friends list?
We didn't see a method, no. Users are presented with a very long avatar list to choose from. We assume that list will grow with time. - Is there a hard switch to turn off the Wifi on PS3?
Not that we've seen -- it's software only. - Does the PS3 include an EyeToy?
No, but your PS2 EyeToy will work on your PS3. - What happens if you put a disc in upside down?
Nothing much, that's for sure. It tries to read it for a few minute, then stops trying. No error, and it doesn't spit it out. Of course, that may change with future updates. Oh, and our disc was in absolutely perfect condition when it came back out. - Could you hook the PS3 up to the Dell 2405/7 with a DVI-HDMI Cable and take pics?
Sorry Dell fans; if your monitor doesn't support HDCP, you're totally out of luck. No 1080p for you if you've got a 2404, but you'll be fine with a 2407. Gateway users, on the other hand, are good to go (after they snag that a DVI-HDMI adapter).
Hope that helps! Let us know if you've got another head-scratcher. And no, we don't know where you can get one, sorry.
I am getting a 720p flat screen tv and a playstation 3. All i want to do is play games that have good graphics. I am never going to watch television. If i play playstation 3 on this tv i get, do i have to buy anything to play high definition. Because you have to pay every month to watch tv on high definition. Or am i already going to get HD with the ps3 I hope you can answer this. Thank you
HOW DO YOU KICK SOMEONE OFF OF A GAME THAT YOU ARE PLAYING ON PLAYSTATION 3?
so can u play your playlist while playn your game
This might be a stupid question but what does insert storage media at the save destinatoin mean?????? it pops on on my ps3 and I dont know what it means!!
my iternet has stopped all of a sudden whys this and how can i fix this???? please answer this question
Does online play and updates chew through internet usage when using the PS3?
Does any one know how to down load music and pics from a thumbdrive to a PS3 40gig
Hi
My playstation 3 has stopped playing DVD'S, why is this?
It does however still play games, this problem has only occured over the last few days where it will not play DVD's.
Please advise.
Kind Regards
Dan
can any1 tell me what is the lowest download and upload speed you
can have be4 you get knocked out of online gaming, ineed to know be4
i buy some shitty internet for my son, he has a ps3 also NTL dont do my
area any help reply to (markmurphy007@hotmail.com)
I just bought a new PS3. I tried to turn it off by depressing the power button for longer than 2 seconds but the green light keeps flashing. Why? How do I turn it off?
hey i was having a problem with my PS3 the problem is that it wont update when i get a new game.
please answer my question send an email to toastergui12@aol.com
i am goin to replace my 40gb hard drive to a 250 gb hard drive..will i have any problems..over heating.....faulty in the system...will i have any problem...email me a.s.a.p my email:no1prince0007@hotmail.com
my playstation network wont let me sign online, i have good internet connection but when i go to internet connection test it times out what do i do?
I have a question about my system if anyone can help. It has been freezing up the past few days and now it won't recognize the games i'm inserting (any of them) I also tried the system restore with no results. I did get it to recognize a disk a few minutes ago but it froze again as soon as the preview started. If anyone could give me some advise I would really appreciate it. Thanks,
Jon
hi,could anyone help me,i've just bought a couple of blu ray movies for my 40 gb ps3 uk model,and all the colours are skew wiff,on the index,where you have 4 blocks of colour,blue says red,yellow is turquise, green is green and red says blue,does anyone no how to reconfiguer it as i'm at my wits end,many thanks,neil,happy gaming xmas
everytime i try to go online with grand theft auto 4 it says i have to update the game to a newer version... i start the update and it starts downloading then it says downloading error has occured...... can someone please tell me how to update it!!
i was playing my ps3 and when it said users when i clicked on mine my ps3 froze yesterday what should i do?
Hi all. Recently, a friend of mine borrowed me his PS3 along with an HDMI cable. My television is a Samsung LCD 42'' long and it has 3 HDMI iputs. When I turn it on, I can't see the cross media bar, but when I try to play GTA IV or PES 2009, it plays them just fine. What am I doing wrong?
do you have to download saves on your ps3 to use cheats
can you download ps3 downloads on to your psp then transfer it to the ps3
hello
when i download a playable demo from the play station store, i can successfully download it, but when i go to install it
an error comes up saying...(an error has ecured during installment...80029564)
thanks very much ;)
hello
when i download a playable demo from the play station store, i can
successfully download it, but when i go to install it
an error comes up saying...(an error has ecured during
installment...80029564)
thanks very much ;)
is it possible to play a game with somebody online if u dont have that game?
for example:
my friend has Halo and i dont
is it possible for us to play online even if i dont have the game and he does?
thanks
is it possible to play a game with somebody online if u dont have that game?
for example:
my friend has Halo and i dont
is it possible for us to play online even if i dont have the game and he does?
thanks
is it possible to play a game with somebody online if u dont have that game?
for example:
my friend has Halo and i dont
is it possible for us to play online even if i dont have the game and he does?
thanks
does the ps3 work as a set top box ie. record stuff
can i change the credit card settings (credit card number) for ps store since im getting a new card? and how?
i just have a question 3 ask,can u go online wjth your ps3 wirelessly?if you can please let me know
yea
"(which is a bad sign in vouching for its necessity over, say, rumble)"
You know you could turn rumble off, does that mean it was a bad sign too?
no, because sony didnt decide to put the rumble tech in their controllers and leave out something else. But they spent a ton of money and jumped up prices and left out the rumble pacck in place of the 6axis thing. and if they went to such efforts for it one would expect it to atleast be used to potential, the fact that you can turn it off means that is not worth it...duh
id rather have to option to turn rumble on and off then not having it at all.... plus the wii was able to fit rumble and motion sensor and a speaker??? why wasnt the ps3 able to do this as well? minus the speaker
because M$ and sony got sued by the company who claimed to have the rights behind the vibration feature, m$ bought 5% of the company so they get unlimited access. they wanted sony to play 96million to have the right to use it
Could someone give us the PS3 web browser's "user agent"? This way web developers can autodetect it. You can visit my page here with the PS3 browser to find out the exact user agent: www.osnews.com/ua.php and then report back here. Thanks.
The DVD upscaling issue; is it an issue of HDCP, which only allows DVD upscaling over HDMI and VGA?
The Dell 2407WFP supports HDCP, so it'd work.
How does the PS3's Blu-ray quality compare to other HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players?
How long for a SIXAXIS charge too?
It should be worth noting that as far as being a media center, some of the best media center software runs on linux, and won't have any trouble with the PS3 (excepting DRM infected files, of course). Sadly, it won't be able to handle files that require win32 codecs in mplayer, but that number is still dropping. AVIs, DIVX, mpeg of all sorts, even some wmvs will have no trouble.
If you really wanted, you could run bittorrent on the ps3 and save the files to the ps3, pc, or a network storage device. Only thing it can't do is act as a tuner (although if there's a usb tv tuner that has an open-source linux driver, you could probably even do that).
Reading the linux docs, about the only real restriction is no 3d acceleration through the nvidia chip, which really stinks. But it won't affect the media center abilities too much, and if you get desperate, the Cell can handle 3d duties too.
"We pulled it out, and it went back to 1080p. So for right now, the PS3 does not upscale DVDs, but instead just leaves them at extended def."
Can someone explain the logic of this upscaling hysteria?
If your TV does 1080 and it gets a 480 signal, and it displays it fullscreen, then the TV has already upscaled the signal by definition. Unless you mean it displays in a small square in the middle of the screen?
If you're getting a fullscreen display on the TV, it's upscaled. End of story.
The only question is the QUALITY of the upscaling. And there's no reason to expect that the PS3 will do a better job of this than the TV so I don't see what all the complaining is about. Enlighten me.
The difference (on my tv at least) is the difference between a letterboxed 480i signal and a native 16:9 1080i signal. The electron gun only updates the 16x9 section of the screen in 1080i mode, wheras in 480p mode it has to redraw the whole screen, including the black letter boxing.
I dont know how that stacks up against a native 16x9 lcd display. Upcoversion is a nice stopgap but will never look as good as a native HD image.
Can you connect and play media from a USB hard drive?
you need to have the media in proper folders for the ps3 to see them. just like the psp. hit triangle to browse all files on the disk anyway. they will play but wont show up in their respecive places on the xmb.
Can you change the language settings of the Japanese PS3 to english?
Yes you can change the language and the menus are totally in English, same as a US PS3.
Great point Yem. The hysteria that the upscaling issue created has been amazing. And even if this were an issue, wouldn't a firmware fix easily be in the immediate future?
How do the online features compare to Xbox Live?
Can you invite a friend to play a game with you and they receive an alert no matter what they are doing?
Can you play your own music files in the dashboard and then start a game and the music stay on consistently?
So I'll be stuck with 1080i on a non-HDCP monitor?
@yem
STFU, you suck. learn what the hell you're talking about before making us have to read your stupid comments. Upscaling is a process that digitally upconverts the signal into a higher signal offering better quality. Just because the tv displays the signal in full screen dosen't make it a 1080i/p signal.
chris: don't troll me, boy.
"a process that digitally upconverts the signal into a higher signal" riiiiight..
If you've got a 640x480 source and a TV with 1920×1080 pixels, it's either scaled in the player, or scaled in the machine. I fail to see what the difference is. In fact, the TV is probably going to do a better job since it is aware of the unique characteristics of the display.
Kindly point me to some serious info. I really want to know why it's better for the player to upscale a DVD to 1080 than to have the display do it.
lol - Chris you are so wrong. Yems is 100% correct in what he said. It doesn't matter whether the image is upscaled at the source machine (the PS3) or the display machine (the tv) it has to be upscaled at some point (or even down-scaled.) The important point is which machine has the better scaler. If a tv has a native resolution of 1080i then everything it displays has to be scaled (whether up or down) to that resolution. That's what makes the difference between good and bad plasmas - how they cope with input that isn't in their native resolution.
Muppet.
I saw the TV Commercial for the new "Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction" PS3 game. I liked the background music in the commercial, and was wondering if anyone can help me find out the name of the band or song [or both] of who performed that music.