"Five reasons why PS3 is the must-own console this holiday season..."

The Playstation 3 was a victim of critic, bashing and hate when it first launched. Who can't remember those incredibly famous phrase that looked like a joke the first time we heard it : "$599 U.S. dollars". Two years later, Sony has gone a long way to improve the image of the PS3.

Here are five reasons why the PS3 is the console to own this holiday season:

1.- Home


Home has always been an interesting approach to a community. Although it borrows many of its ideas from games like Second Life or Hobbo Hotel, nothing similar has ever been done on consoles, and, truth is, the possibilities are endless. After spending quite some time with the Beta I can only say one thing: it's going to be HUGE. There's nothing as intuitive as traveling to the movies to watch previews, or moving towards a person and talking to them using your headset. Of course it will be full of men disguised as chicks, but which social community isn't?


2.- HDTV sales are through the roof

HDTV sets are selling great... and if you own one you'll probably want to extract as much juice from it as you can... and guess what? The PS3 is the perfect device for doing so. It can play most video and music files, it upscales DVDs and plays BluRays. It lets you download true HD movie and game trailers. State of the art, baby.

A point can be made that BluRays won't penetrate the market because Internet movie downloads are rapidly replacing physical rentals, but the truth is that unless Internet speed connections TRIPLE over the next two years, there is no way movie downloads will look as good as BluRays yet.


3.- Little Big Planet & Resistance 2

Resistance 2 comes as no revolution... but it sets to push the online FPS standard in the PS3. Two campaigns? Eight player co-op? Sixty-four players team deathmatch? Wow... maybe it has been done before... but that doesn't mean it isn't impressive. Hope you guys made it to the beta!

There's been nothing but possitive press for LBP since it was announced back at the GDC '06 (or was it '07)?. Truth is, this game is set to revolutionize the platforming genre, with so many tools to create and share your own levels. Warcraft 3 and Starcraft have both included very powerful campaign editing software, and they're still being played religiously. I expect the same from LBP. Plus, who doesn't love Sackboy?



4.- Sony has been addressing most complains about the PS3

Sony has heard most of the complains about the PS3 and addressed them:

• People don't like our PS3 controller concept? Well, let's give them the Sixaxis.
  
• People wanted rumble? Cool, let's give them rumble.
• People wanted XMB? Fine, let's work on a XMB.
• People want Betas? SOCOM, Resistance 2, LBP have or will have them.
• People want to play online for free? Got it.
  

Sony dropped it's arrogant pants and began listening to customers, and consumers win =).


5.- Ps3 games look as good if not better than their 360 counterparts

Developers have already found their way around the tricky PS3 hardware. Multiplats such as Burnout: Paradise, CoD4, SC IV have already proved the PS3 can make games that look as good as their 360 counterparts. And some games have surpassed everything on the 360 and actually managed to make an impression. If games can look this good on the second year of development... how will games look two or three years from now?

"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is the most technically stunning video game ever made" (Gamespot, 2008)

Here's my top five reasons to own a PS3 this year list. What do you guys think?