PS3 101: New user's guide to the PS3 (ask questions here -- TMK is on duty)

Question: Just swapped hard drives on my ps3. Problem: None of my rockband stuff transfered over. The RockBand1 library I have ripped didn't transfer. Is this cause of the copyrights??? If so, damn!!! Also, my game save from RockBand2 didn't transfer....this I don't understand. Thanx guys
 
So when i first popped in Midnight Club: LA, it asked me to update. When I selected "ok" it paused, beeped 3 times, and the PS3 restarted itself.
Is that something I should be worried about?
 
I don't know if this question was posted before (came up empty after doing various post and thread searches): does anyone know where I can find PS3 clear replacement game cases online? I bought a couple of GH titles recently, but I want to replace the red cases with clear ones. I've tried the Blockbuster near me, but no luck. I've checked Sleeve City, but they have only Blu-ray cases. TIA
 
I see that the PS3 seems to support time servers for keeping your clock current. However, I can never seem to get one to work.

Anyone have a suggestion on one for me to try? What exactly do I put in the field?

Thanks!

EDIT: OOops. Forget this one. Either they changed the functionality or I missed it before. Sony picks the server for us. Make its easy now.
 
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I'm sorry but I can't seem the find the answer to this and not sure where else to ask but what's the deal with those sweet portable ids? are we (NA) getting them eventually or am I gonna have to create an account over at the UK site like everyone else? cause this:

just ain't doing it for me
 
it sayz TMK is on duty. who is TMK? anyway, i hope TMK is nice enough to answer me this one question.

i heard from my best friend that the sony 3 can play these new things called "blue ray dvds" is this true? my friend told me that my tv isnt good enough to play the blue ray definition but he said it is worth getting a sony 3 neway cuz the "blue ray dvd" menus look cooler than the the ones on regular dvd and vhs tapez. TMK, do u think i should get a sony 3?
 
[quote name='GodlyOne']So when i first popped in Midnight Club: LA, it asked me to update. When I selected "ok" it paused, beeped 3 times, and the PS3 restarted itself.
Is that something I should be worried about?[/quote]

the answer is no, this is not something you need to worry about... most likely a bug in the game.

were you ever able to download the update?

this same thing happened to me with condemned 2 only i was never even able to get into the game cuz every time i started the game it tried to auto-update and the ps3 would just beep 3 times and restart. in my case, i was able to fix it by unplugging my ethernet cable from my ps3, starting the game, then plugging it back in 10 seconds or so after the game loaded. the update was then downloaded successfully and ive been enjoying condemnded 2 ever since.

fortunately, the ps3 has this nice auto-reboot feature when something isnt working properly.... unlike something else which skips the BS and goes straight to the red rin... nevermind, i wont say it.
 
[quote name='lolwaut']it sayz TMK is on duty. who is TMK? anyway, i hope TMK is nice enough to answer me this one question.

i heard from my best friend that the sony 3 can play these new things called "blue ray dvds" is this true? my friend told me that my tv isnt good enough to play the blue ray definition but he said it is worth getting a sony 3 neway cuz the "blue ray dvd" menus look cooler than the the ones on regular dvd and vhs tapez. TMK, do u think i should get a sony 3?[/quote]

For the love of god TMK, please don't be dumb enough to respond. :pray:
 
[quote name='Warner1281']For the love of god TMK, please don't be dumb enough to respond. :pray:[/quote]


Especially since lolwaut has a trophy card in his sig.
 
[quote name='lolwaut']it sayz TMK is on duty. who is TMK? anyway, i hope TMK is nice enough to answer me this one question.

i heard from my best friend that the sony 3 can play these new things called "blue ray dvds" is this true? my friend told me that my tv isnt good enough to play the blue ray definition but he said it is worth getting a sony 3 neway cuz the "blue ray dvd" menus look cooler than the the ones on regular dvd and vhs tapez. TMK, do u think i should get a sony 3?[/QUOTE]Does that person live in a particular area of the world, because they call the PS3 the Sony3?
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']Does that person live in a particular area of the world, because they call the PS3 the Sony3?[/quote]

yes, that person does, in fact, live in a particular area of the world.
 
no that doesn't make sense. why would someone who lives in a particular area of the world and speak the broken English of nomadic people. Besides last i checked only the Nomads were able to get VHS menus.
 
OK guys, an age old question here. How do you play your PS2 games in the high def age? I'm having a terrible time with it. For instance, my Sony CRT HDTV has a screen mode you can choose called "Normal" that makes the image 4:3, instead of stretching it. The problem is that it then squishes it TOO much. It then looks just as ridiculous as the stretched out image - in the opposite direction. I remember playing Xbox games on Xbox360 and it actually knew when a game did not support widescreen and would just put its own left and right vertical black bars to make the image look normal. What I am wondering is, does the backwards compatible PS3's do this, or not? (Hopefully that makes sense)
 
[quote name='optimusprime8062']OK guys, an age old question here. How do you play your PS2 games in the high def age? I'm having a terrible time with it. For instance, my Sony CRT HDTV has a screen mode you can choose called "Normal" that makes the image 4:3, instead of stretching it. The problem is that it then squishes it TOO much. It then looks just as ridiculous as the stretched out image - in the opposite direction. I remember playing Xbox games on Xbox360 and it actually knew when a game did not support widescreen and would just put its own left and right vertical black bars to make the image look normal. What I am wondering is, does the backwards compatible PS3's do this, or not? (Hopefully that makes sense)[/quote]

Setting "Normal" on your TV is right. You need to check the PS2 upscaling option in the XMB and make sure its "Normal" and not "Full" or something like that.
 
Oh sorry, my message is confusing. I'm playing my PS2 games on a PS2 and setting my TV settings to "normal." On my TV, even if I'm watching television or anything, and I choose "Normal" for the screen size, it squishes it too much. And I'm wondering if its worth getting a 60GB PS3 to fix this problem, and make my games not stretched? As in, will the PS3 not stretch my games and put the black left and right bars in on its own?
 
New to the PS3 scene and I just played it for the 1st time today. My problem is that sometimes I'm losing the signal output to my TV and the system. All other systems work fine and I've also tried switching HDMI cables but I still get the same problem. It doesn't happen a lot but once in awhile it will still happen. Any ideas? Oh, and the system was used and it's a 40gb version.
 
Is it updated to the newest firmware? Other than that or a bad cable, the only thing I can think is either the TV doesn't support HDMI right, or the PS3 is defective.
 
[quote name='Wolfpup']Is it updated to the newest firmware? Other than that or a bad cable, the only thing I can think is either the TV doesn't support HDMI right, or the PS3 is defective.[/QUOTE]

Well I resest the system to factory defaults and formatted it also. Something that it might be is possibly the auto adjustment feature that the system offers. However, I was having this issue a lot when I was setting up a psn id. So I'm not sure it was the auto adjustment but when I played Street Fighter the game would run fine right until I went back to the ps menu. BTW, having played both versions of SF IV I've gotta say so far that the 360 version is faster and on the PS3 the matches available seem to be below 3 bars a lot more than the 360. At least so far.
 
Just picked up my PS3 over the weekend, bundled with Resistance & Motostorm. I already own a 360 & Wii and would not have gotten the system if it weren't for my wife's insane addiction to the Twilight movie. Once I put the bug in her ear about Blu Ray being the best way to watch the movie, it was just a matter of time. :)

Now on to my questions:

• Is there anything I can do to get a faster connection from the wireless connection, outside of going wired? My signal strength is all over the place (anywhere between 40-80%). I tried to download a demo and it took hours just to get to 40% before I gave up on it. Really want to try out some demos as well as PSN stuff.

• Any exclusive game recommendations? I bought The Show, so figure between that & the two games that came with it, I'd be good for a while. If I get the online figured out, what PSN games should I look into?
 
[quote name='Birbo']Just picked up my PS3 over the weekend, bundled with Resistance & Motostorm. I already own a 360 & Wii and would not have gotten the system if it weren't for my wife's insane addiction to the Twilight movie. Once I put the bug in her ear about Blu Ray being the best way to watch the movie, it was just a matter of time. :)

Now on to my questions:

• Is there anything I can do to get a faster connection from the wireless connection, outside of going wired? My signal strength is all over the place (anywhere between 40-80%). I tried to download a demo and it took hours just to get to 40% before I gave up on it. Really want to try out some demos as well as PSN stuff.

• Any exclusive game recommendations? I bought The Show, so figure between that & the two games that came with it, I'd be good for a while. If I get the online figured out, what PSN games should I look into?[/QUOTE]

As far as the connection goes, make sure you have a NAT 2 connection. It will make playing online games a lot better and it does improve your connection a bit. Google NAT 2 for the PS3 and you'll find a bunch of guides that will walk you through with that. I would also recommend leaving demos to download overnight or just let them download in the background while you play something else.

As far as games go, I would pick up Uncharted, MGS4, Killzone and Valkyria Chronicles. I'm not sure what type of games you like, but those three are definitely some of the best. Best of all, most of them have demos you can try.

On PSN, pick up the demos for the Pixel Junk games. I liked Stardust HD, but it's a lot like Geometry Wars. Rag Doll Kung Fu is free right now, and I might even go as far as suggesting PAIN. It's as simple as a browser game, but it kept me up late some nights. That has to count for something, though I got it for free as well.
 
I have a question. I turned on Parental Controls last weekend to prevent my nephews from playing some demos way above their age group but it locks the name of the games. Is there a way to stop that. I wouldn't mind leaving the PC on but there's no way to tell what demo I'm selecting without launching it. Since the last update there's the web search option but that's almost as much trouble.
 
I just bought the 160gb uncharted bundle off newegg. I figured I didnt exactly like the slim version, but i also though the 160gb had BC but it didnt :(. Oh well I already have a ps2. Should be fun :D wanting demons souls
 
[quote name='Wez455']why is it when you download something on ps3, it has to install?[/QUOTE]Doesn't most things do that....?
 
which is the EXACT screwdriver that is needed to remove the screws to upgrade the hard drive. A link would be GREATLY appreciated?!!!
 
[quote name='ohboy10451']which is the EXACT screwdriver that is needed to remove the screws to upgrade the hard drive. A link would be GREATLY appreciated?!!![/QUOTE]

  1. Precision Phillips Screwdriver - No. 0 x 2-1/2" - Required
    (This screwdriver will be used to loosen and tighten the screws that secure the hard drive to the hard drive tray, and to do the same for the screw that secures the hard drive tray to the PS3 unit.


Source: http://vgstrategies.about.com/od/ps3...DDriveSwap.htm
 
[quote name='LordKefka06']Doesn't most things do that....?[/QUOTE]
No, on 360 after you download it (game, demo, video, whatever), you can just play it. The PS3 seems very much like a PC. I suspect the next big flood of questions with all these new PS3 owners is why does it take so long to install a system update. Also why does it take forever to get anything from PSN (to download). I don't know if it is because it is free and Sony is cheaping out on the bandwidth/servers or what the deal is, but is is annoying. Thankfully game installs are no longer required.
 
[quote name='runciter']No, on 360 after you download it (game, demo, video, whatever), you can just play it. The PS3 seems very much like a PC. I suspect the next big flood of questions with all these new PS3 owners is why does it take so long to install a system update. Also why does it take forever to get anything from PSN (to download). I don't know if it is because it is free and Sony is cheaping out on the bandwidth/servers or what the deal is, but is is annoying. Thankfully game installs are no longer required.[/QUOTE]Either way, I prefer a console that doesn't break every damn 2 weeks...
 
[quote name='runciter']No, on 360 after you download it (game, demo, video, whatever), you can just play it. The PS3 seems very much like a PC. I suspect the next big flood of questions with all these new PS3 owners is why does it take so long to install a system update. Also why does it take forever to get anything from PSN (to download). I don't know if it is because it is free and Sony is cheaping out on the bandwidth/servers or what the deal is, but is is annoying. Thankfully game installs are no longer required.[/QUOTE]

Game installs were never required per se-it's always been a game by game basis. And I think he's saying most everything does require you to install demos or the like. The 360 is more the exception, not the rule.

Also, I haven't noticed any difference in system updates or demo download speeds on either system. It takes forever either way. I just booted up my Xbox for the first time in a while and had to wait over 20 minutes to play it, which is similar to when I get a Playstation update. Not the end of the world to me either way.
 
quite frankly for the most part I couldn't care less how long it takes to download stuff. My only issue is when it can be background downloaded and that's a rare enough occurance that aside from MAG I can't remember the last time I had to sit and wait for something rather than let it go in the bkgd.

Sure being able to download from the web would be cool (even if I had to install manually when i get home) but I'm perfectly ok without it. Let's put it this way I wouldn't pay an annual fee for it.
 
I just got my PS3 the other day and I have a question about themes - does anybody know of a good PS3 theme site? I've googled it and got a whole bunch of sites and while some of the themes are quite good, the others are... not to my taste. It'd make things a lot easier if they had a 'most downloaded' category or something, but I've only found one site that does that.

For that matter, what's the best guide on making themes for the PS3?
 
[quote name='Wyndia']For that matter, what's the best guide on making themes for the PS3?[/QUOTE]
The official PlayStation Blog went over this very topic, actually. Here's the link:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/06/how-to-make-your-own-ps3-themes/

[quote name='willardhaven']If I plug the controller in via USB port does the controller still emit Bluetooth microwaves?[/QUOTE]
From my own (very limited) experience, no - all the control inputs/outputs are sent through USB rather than Bluetooth. I can only guess as much because I tried plugging in a SIXAXIS into a laptop's USB port for charging and then tried syncing it up via Bluetooth to use with the PS3, but it wouldn't work.
 
Cool, I think I'm going to jump ship soon. I'm worried about my 360 breaking and leaving me with worthless games plus I am not renewing my Gold subscription. I figure I'll just keep the 360 for offline exclusives.
 
Once I get my tax rebate I am going to buy myself a backwards compatible ps3 so I can replace my ps2. Plus my Xbox 360 could die at anytime.
 
Does anyone know if the PS2 power cord will work OK with the PS3 Slim?
It looks the same, but I don't want to have a nasty surprise when I actually try it ;)
 
[quote name='MICHAE2414']

From my own (very limited) experience, no - all the control inputs/outputs are sent through USB rather than Bluetooth. I can only guess as much because I tried plugging in a SIXAXIS into a laptop's USB port for charging and then tried syncing it up via Bluetooth to use with the PS3, but it wouldn't work.[/QUOTE]

In my experience, I'm actually able to play via Bluetooth while charging via USB on my laptop. Maybe you have to sync first before plugging in the USB?
 
[quote name='willardhaven']If I plug the controller in via USB port does the controller still emit Bluetooth microwaves?[/QUOTE]
yes. when my controller gets a low battery signal i sometimes just plug it into my laptop since my charge cable is like 5 inches long. You just have to make sure you don't let the controller go to sleep. Because it won't resynch while it's plugged in.
 
[quote name='MICHAE2414']From my own (very limited) experience, no - all the control inputs/outputs are sent through USB rather than Bluetooth. I can only guess as much because I tried plugging in a SIXAXIS into a laptop's USB port for charging and then tried syncing it up via Bluetooth to use with the PS3, but it wouldn't work.[/QUOTE]
Turn on your controller before plugging it in with a USB to charge it and it'll work just fine.
 
[quote name='porieux']Does anyone know if the PS2 power cord will work OK with the PS3 Slim?
It looks the same, but I don't want to have a nasty surprise when I actually try it ;)[/QUOTE]
I'm not quite sure but I know it works with the 80 gig MGS4 bundle I got. The power cord in my box didn't work so I had to use my ps2 slim cord while I waited for monoprice to ship my hdmi cable.
 
I have a question about hookup: is there a noticable difference between using component cables and an HDMI cable? I will be using an optical cable for the sound output directly to my receiver in either case, so I'm not sure if there's any reason to bother getting an HDMI cable for just the video for my TV (the HDMI "handshake" does seem to have a noticable second or three for my cablebox/dvr, so I'd like to avoid that also with my new PS3 if the video quality is about the same). My TV is a 52" 1080p Samsung.
 
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