Christmas 2010 Buying Guide - PS3

We now turn our attention to the final home video game console, the PlayStation 3.

Hardware wise, you've got two main options, the console with a 160GB hard drive and the console with a 320GB hard drive.  The 160GB version is $299.99 and the 320GB is $349.99.

Much like Microsoft and the Kinect, Sony introduced a motion control system this year called PlayStation Move.  They've got a bundle for it that includes the 320GB console and the hardware for one Move setup.  It runs $399.00

If you already own a PS3, you can purchase the Move controllers in a couple of different ways.  The best place to start is the PlayStation Move Starter Bundle.  It costs $99 and includes the video camera, one Move controller and a game, "Sports Champions".  To go along with the bundle, you'll want to get a PlayStation Move Navigation Controller ($29.96).  This is the Sony equivalent of the Wii's Nunchuk and is required for some games.  You can also get individual PlayStation Move Controllers ($64.99) that will be needed if you want to have more than one player.

So, for Move, I would recommend purchasing the Starter Bundle, a second controller and two Navigation controllers.

So what about the games?  Sony has gone back and added Move compatibility to some games that were already released.  Tiger Woods 11, NBA 2K11, The Sly Collection and Time Crisis: Razing Storm are all good games that can use either the Move or the traditional controller.  There are several Move specific games that are worth checking out too.  Much like the Kinect's Kinectimals, Sony has "EyePet".  "Sports Champions" that was mentioned above is also a must have if you don't opt for the Starter Bundle.  Finally, "The Shoot" is a gun-based game that is pretty highly reviewed.

Outside of the Move, there's a pile of good games for the PlayStation 3.  There's some cross-over with the Xbox with titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Fallout: New Vegas appearing on each.  You'll also find PlayStation 3 versions of the annual sports titles like Madden NFL 11 and NCAA Football 11.  Then there are games like Uncharted and Uncharted 2, LittleBigPlanet and Gran Turismo 5 that are exclusive to the PlayStation 3.

Finally, you might also want to pick up a second standard controller (DualShock 3 - $44.80) and if you intend to use the PlayStation as your Blu-Ray player, you'll want to pick up a PlayStation Blu-Ray Remote ($19.30).

So that's about it for the PlayStation 3.  If it seems like it was less informative than the Xbox or Wii, I apologize.  I don't actually own a PS3, so I'm going mainly by things I've seen from friends and what I've read on the internet.

--Paul