The Generation is Now Complete.

I am now generationally complete. Over the last week I've added the HDTV and Home Theater System as well as the final missing console, the PlayStation 3. The 60GB version, of course. I already have the Wii, X360, PSP, and the NDS. I am entirely wired up. I'm set. Bring on the games. I'm ready for you. I don't have to worry about anything until the Xbox 3 or the Wii Mark II, or the PS4 roughly four to six years from now when it begins anew. Just some quick initial impressions on the PS3. It's big, it's shiny, and it's very quiet. The Sixaxis controller is incredibly lightweight.  It almost feels like a replica and not a real controller. The PS3 uses the PSP's crossbar interface. Which is great for continuity and uniformity in the Sony line. It's not so hot in that the crossbar system is a bit ho-hum for me. The physical connection process is a breeze. The initial setup is a bit convoluted if you just want to plug it in and play. I spent some time ripping music for a future game mix. I introduced my PS3 to the BD Remote and I did the same thing with my PSP. Now my PSP is online enabled, which is cool. I set up virtual memory cards on the HDD for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. I signed up for the PlayStation Network. So now I can go shopping and play online. I wandered through the PSN Store and found it to be about what I expected. The PSN Store is essentially web pages. It's clunky to navigate with the controller. Xbox Live this isn't. Of course it's brand new and Sony's going to stumble getting it up to speed. We'll have to see how that turns out. I checked out backwards compatibility by popping in Strider 2 for the PSX and Final Fantasy 12 for the PS2. No complaints there. The initial impression is good regarding backwards compatibility.  I spent some time just cruising through the crossbar looking at all the options and just seeing what's what. The machine is complex. It can do a lot of things. The instruction manual is rather lacking. In fact all you'll get is the basics on the physical setup, the synching of the controller to the system, and some basic stuff on getting connected to the network. That's it. Nothing more. Not even a listing of what the system can do, much less the how of it all. There are online instructions however, assuming you can make it on. At $600 a pop it seems Sony is under the impression you can get online and find the help for yourself.  At $600 a pop, I expect a little more quality in the supplemental material.  I picked the system up with Resistance: Fall of Man and Virtua Fighter 5. I haven't tried them yet. I'm hungry. Besides, I have Gyruss to download from Xbox Live Arcade and some more Super Paper Mario to play. The game won't finish itself. I'm in no rush. What with it being hurry up and wait as far as software is concerned for two out of three of the current consoles. For a little while anyway I can be content in getting up to speed and I'll just sit back and wait for the games to roll in. Know what I mean?