With great power comes great responsibility, but somehow the Playstation 3 will do nothing but cause players to delay responsibility when staring in awe of the power of one of this holiday’s hottest buys.

The Playstation 3, or PS3 as its widely known, is one of two new consoles to arrive on American shores just in time for Christmas. The only problem is the limited number of units available to the general public. Systems are selling for around $900 on eBay at the moment and are hotly contested due to the small amount of PS3s shipped to the United States.

The Playstation 3 is a behemoth of graphical power. It easily matches up with the Xbox 360 while blowing away the Wii. All gamers need to know is their eyes will widen when they see the mind-blowing graphics the machine can crank out. Add in high definition compatibility, which has some issues at the moment with older televisions, and Blu-ray technology, and you have a machine that can bring pristine images to your television screen.

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The launch titles with the Playstation 3 have been less than satisfactory. A majority of titles are either ports from other systems or games that do not fully utilize the power of the Playstation 3. The Wii may have Zelda, but Playstation 3 has the monster “Resistance: Fall of Man.” Resistance is one of the few launch titles that truly lives up to the power of the PS3, and it also includes a 40-player online mode. It is easily the gem in the rough of the launch and a must-own game for any fans of first person shooters. The lackluster launch seems to follow a trend though, as other consoles launches have been lacking, primarily because game developers are just learning the ins and outs of the systems.

So if the launch titles aren’t as spectacular as they could be on the new console, Sony will save some face with the backwards compatibility. The system can play both Playstation 1 and 2 games. However, not all games are fully compatible with the system, and Sony has set up a Web site that allows gamers to enter PS1 or PS2 titles to check for compatibility issues. Thankfully, new games like Final Fantasy XII and Guitar Hero 2 have no issues thus far. Gamers can also buy an adapter for $14.99 that will allow the transfer of memory to the PS3 from older generation systems.

PS3 also has the ball in their court when it comes to the regular titles fans have come to know. In the future, players will enjoy franchises such as Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid series, which has looked impressive in recent showings. Sadly, that is in the future and not in the present, so gamers will have to continue to salivate at the idea of seeing their heroes and heroines of the video game in a new generation of gaming.

The controller has also been upgraded and revamped. While maintaining the same shape as the PS2 controller, it is now wireless and has motion-sensing capability, much like the Wii’s controllers. The wireless controllers do not have a rumble feature, which may or may not be a problem to players. The back shoulder buttons (L2 and R2) have more of a trigger effect now.

The controller is a step up because it uses a lithium ion battery with a life of 30 hours instead of regular batteries like the Wii or Xbox 360. Players can plug their controllers in through a USB port and charge them. The PS3 can support up to seven controllers wirelessly.

In regards to online compatibility, the 60-gigabyte PS3 comes with Wi-Fi compatibility built in so players don’t have to worry about extra wires jutting out from their systems. The online feature is free and offers players downloadable content such as movie trailers, game demos and more.

The Playstation 3 might be the most expensive console on the market this year, but the system itself is more than worth the buck after all the bonuses add up. The only true problems are a lack of excellent launch titles and a few other small detractions. Still, gamers that have patience will enjoy discovering what their console is capable of doing in the near future.

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