Sony Playstation 3 Slim review

This is my review of Sony's Playstation 3 Slim 250GB. I bought the console from a local HMV store a couple of weeks ago and it came bundled with the Dark Knight and X-Men Origins: Wolverine blu rays, Metal Gear Solid 4 game and a official Sony blu ray remote, all for £284.99.


The Playstation 3 (PS3) is the third generation console in Sony's gaming lineage and presented a challenge to the X-Box 360 and Nintendo Wii.


The PS3 boasts a immensely powerful 3.2 Ghz Cell Broadband Engine processor and an RSX graphics card. This enables high definition display, up to 1080p, to be displayed on a HD-ready television set. There is also a blu ray disc drive, a 250GB hard drive, wireless network and bluetooth connectivity.


Upon opening up the box, I was presented the blu ray discs, a Dual Shock controller, power cable, AV cables, printed manuals, and of course, the console itself.


The Slim version of the PS3 that I bought is lighter and smaller than its predecessor released earlier (a.k.a the Fat version), consumes up to 33% less power and is therefore quieter. It will also bitstream high definition sounds to your amplifier via a HDMI cable. If you don't have an amplifier that accepts HDMI connections, you can also output digital audio to your reciever via optical out at the rear of the console unit which allows legacy DTS and Dolby Digital to be played.





The first production batch PS3s came with 3 USB ports and backward compatibilty with PS2 games which were eventually watered down in latter versions whereby only 2 USB ports were provided with no backwards compatibility at all, as found on current versions.


Just after booting your PS3 up for the first time, you'd want to begin by customizing the video settings to suit your television set. If you have a 1080p tv, please do connect it to your PS3 using a HDMI 1.3a compliant cable and you will be rewarded with a rich and vibrant colors. When watching movies with dark scenes, you can clearly see the silhoutte of contrasting blacks, especially handy when watching Batman Begins and the Dark Knight.

Watching Star Wars Episode III on it was a wonderful experience. The CGI scenes have never looked more realistic and brings you closer to the action.

The load time for blu rays discs on the PS3 is also one of the best rated in the market, at a mere 5 secs. If you speak to owners of some standalone blu ray players, they will tell you that it takes an average of 20 seconds to a whole minute to load a single disc!



In addition to being a games console and blu ray player, the PS3 will also decode Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby HD and DTS-Master Audio on board. Obviously, you need an AV reciever that accepts both video and audio via HDMI to be able to output HD sounds. The result of this is a spectacular symphony of surround sound from your movies or games, bringing deep immersion into whatever that is happening on screen.

Whilst spinning the Dark Knight bundled disc, I can hear the drop of every spen bullet casing fired by the Joker in the opening scene. You can even hear Christian Bale breathing through his black rubber suit when the background ambient noise is sufficiently low.

When playing Metal Gear Solid 4, you hear bullets whizz past you as you trip the alarm, and you can tell when the enemy is about to stick a knife into your back.



From left to right, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Batman: The Dark Knight, Metal Gear Solid 4.




The PS3 comes with a single DualShock Six-Axis controller as standard. You can either connect the controller using a cable provided or you can use it wirelessly (using bluetooth). The joypad provides rumble and vibration feedback from appropriate games. The Six-Axis function detects movement in the joypad and allows you to control movement in the game by simply turning your joypad, a bit like Nintendo Wii.

The free official Sony blu ray remote.





The XMB menu

Once you've grown accustomed to the menu interface, I recommend signing up to Playstation Network (for free) where you can stay in contact with fellow PS3 owners, and also pay a visit to Sony's online store where you can download demos and trailers to games and movies.

Metal Gear Solid screen





Batman: Arkham Asylum demo screen

Blessed with a 250GB 3.5" hard drive and DIVx support, you can save and play your downloaded movies on the PS3 too! I saved a whole season of downloaded X-Files on the console and played it seamlessly with no problems at all.

There are two ways of importing your files: either via the network (if your PS3 is connected to your home network) or using a USB pen drive.



As mentioned earlier, this version of the PS3 consumes less power and quieter. Contrary to the 60GB version of the PS3, which could sound like a jet plane taking off, you really don't hear the console running at all. The fan noise is near inaudible unless you stick your ear right next to the unit.



To summarize, the PS3 is an extremely powerful gaming console and doubles as a reliable blu -ray player. If you are looking for a good blu ray player, I suggest you get the PS3 even though you don't play any games.

Review: Yonex Ti-10 Long SP Gen II badminton racquet

I bought this racquet as a replacement for the old Carbonex 8 SP which I have used for the past year, on loan from my wife. The Carbonex is not a bad racquet, but it is a very heavy bugger to manouvre.

During my holiday to Malaysia in May, I stopped by my wife, Michelle's hometown for a couple of weeks and eventually bought my Yonex Ti-10 racquet at a local badminton club there. The racquet that I bought was the last one available in the shop as Yonex was already superseding it with the newner, Gen III model.


I paid RM 450 (approx. £75) for this racquet and the shopkeeper threw in a Yonex bag, set of overgrips and BG-6 strings free. Pretty good bargain, I'd say.





I told the shopkeeper to string the racquet at 24lbs, which is the sort of tension I'm used to, but the Ti-10 can, apparently, take up to 30lbs! This strength can be attributed to the usage of titanium mesh in the frame and also the Muscle Power frame shape of the head.

Yonex says on their website that the rounded grommet holes in its Muscle Power frames eliminate stress-loading and fatigue of the string through contact friction, creating unity of frame and string through closer and tighter contact, and delivering more face stability packs power into hits.




Titanium mesh is the main ingredient in the frame. The technology's main benefit, according to Yonex, are a stronger and heavier fibre mesh, giving greater resistance to twisting forces generated on impact and mass-stablized frame. I think what this boils down to is a more stable racquet head.




Near high-end Yonex racquets like the Ti-10 are still produced in Japan. The shaft is made from high modulus graphite, which isn't a very dissimmiliar material found in modern racquets. High modulus, based on my engineering knowledge, means the material can absorb a high amount of bending forces before yielding.

This element is quite important in a racquet shaft to prevent buckling of the shaft due to the compression forces generated from lateral forces at the head.




Graduating from the Carbonex 8 to the Ti-10 isn't as scary a process as I had imagined.

It is a much lighter racquet and thus, very mobile and fast for defensive play, especially during a game of doubles. Probably why the Malaysian doubles team, Koo Keng Kiat and Tan Boon Heong chose the Ti-10 as their main racquet. Fu Haifeng of China is also another shuttler who uses this racquet.

Clearing is very near effortless, and drop shots can be executed very precisely. Being 'head-light balance', the racquet also takes less energy to manouvre around.

However, I found that my racquet's repulsion power is uncomfortably high for my liking. It could be the strings thats too tense but I have yet to find the real cause. When I do an offensive clear (low and fast clear to the baseline), the shuttle quite often goes out of the court. I guess, on the flip side of the coin, I can clear from baseline to baseline with less effort now. :D

At the net, the repulsion is also a problem for me occasionally. Shuttles tend to jump too high when I try to lob it over the net, even without much effort from my wrist. I just hope this is because I've used a heavy racquet in the past and easily overcome when I spend more court time with the racquet.

Now comes the interesting part: smashing power. Despite the high repulsion power, the smash power wasn't as great as I had imagined it to be. Yes, it definitely packs more punch than my old Carbonex 8 but comparatively, both the old Gen 1 Ti-10 and my wife's Ti-8 have greater smashing power than this racquet.

From top to bottom: Yonex Ti-8, Yonex Ti-10, Yonex Carbonex 8

The free Yonex bag that came with the racquet. :D

To conclude, I think this Yonex Ti-10 is a decent investment, considering the fact that I have not owned any racquets previously. If you are a smash maniac, then there are better racquets around but if you're looking a fast and nimble racquet for doubles play with decent killing power, then nothing else comes close (except maybe the Armortec 700 Technique).


Vital statistics

Price: RM 450 (discounted 2008 price)

Frame: HM Graphite + Titanium mesh

Shaft: HM Graphite

Stiffness: Extra stiff

Balance: Light head balance

Weight: 85 - 89 grams

Review: KSC Heckler & Koch USP Compact pistol

Popularised by Jack Bauer in the action-thriller TV series '24', the Heckler & Koch (HK) USP Compact has been a much sought after piece of hardware in the airsoft arena. The USP Compact stemmed from the success of its original and larger USP which is the acronym for Universale Selbstlade Pistole or Universal Self-loading Pistol. The USP is a double action semi-automatic pistol meant for law enforcement use. Currently the USP is chambered for three different calibers: 9mm, .45 ACP and .40 S&W.



Now, for the review of my airsoft version of this pistol.

The gun came packaged in a moulded styrofoam case. Along with it is a detailed User's Manual albeit written in Japanese (sealed inside a plastic bag). There is also a small bag of BBs, loading tools, hop-up tool, hammer-lock key (a safety feature) and barrel plug. According to the manual, the airsoft model weighs 710g, which is virtually the same as the real steel model (real USP Compact weighs about 730g). The magazine can accept 21 rounds, and has a firm and sturdy feel to it.

The grip is very comfortable to hold and has a rough stippled texture on each side. On the front and back there are square checkering for added secure grasp. I find the grip fits medium-sized hands very nicely, but larger hands may require the extended finger floorplate. External metal parts include the rear/front sights, hammer, trigger, slide release, safety and magazine release.

Engraved on the slide is the official HK logo along with the text 'USP Compact 9mm x 19'. Under the slide, on the front receiver, is the recessed rail which will accept tactical lights or laser sights.

The bobbed hammer ensures that the pistol will not snag onto your holster while being drawn. The safety lever has been cleverly positioned on the frame to allow quick and smooth manipulation during a firefight. The safety lever has the letters S (safe) and F (fire) engraved onto it, with S painted white and F painted red. Pushing the lever upwards places the gun on SAFE and lines up the S with the “white mark” painted on the frame (the mark is repeated on opposite side for left-handed levers).

When the hammer is cocked, pushing the safety lever downward decocks the hammer onto a “semi-cocked” position (slightly raised). The trigger has to be pulled along with the thumb on the hammer to return it to fully uncock it rest (flushed with the slide). The gun can be placed on SAFE with either the hammer rested or cocked (for “cocked and locked” carry, US Secret Service style).

Performance

Injecting gas into the magazine is no different than any other GBB made by KSC. You can either load the ammunution by hand feeding it one by one or by using the loading rod which has been included. The mag holds 21 rounds of ammunition in staggered formation.

For the chronograph test I used the standard HFC134a gas and 0.2g BBs. I fired the gun under normal room temperature after warming up the magazine. At 20 feet,which is the normal engagement range for CQBs (close quarter battle), the pistol achieved 15 out of 21 grouping within 30mm, which is pretty decent.

A maximum velocity of 242 fps (feet per second) was attained but I recorded an average of 230 fps after discharging five magazines. You could probably gain an extra 20% out of the velocity if you use the higher grade gases but this may require significant upgrades to the inner mechanisms and will reduce the lifespan of your pistol.

After the last round is fired, the slide locks back just like a real pistol. Use your thumb to flick the slide release lever located just above the trigger to return the slide forward.

To remove the magazine, simply press down on the ambidextreous magazine release lever which is positioned at the forward section of the grip, below the trigger guard. The magazine will the fall off the pistol under its own weight.

Disassembling the pistol is a simple affair. First remove the magazine and then push the slide back slightly so the slide catch lines up with the pivot point of the slide release lever. Now on the right side push the lever out and remove it. The whole slide will run forward and off the frame. The outer/inner barrel, guide rod and spring can then be removed from the slide as well.

The pistol can be stripped without any tools for clearing jammed ammunition or maintenance.

There are also a variety of after market products which you can use to enhance the USP Compact, either aesthetically or mechanically. My future plan is to buy a threaded barrel for the pistol so that a silencer than be attached to it.


Vital statistics

Price: £70 (2006 price)
Action: Gas blowback semi automatic pistol
Velocity: Average 230 fps; maximum 240 fps
Weight: 710 grams


To conclude, the KSC USP Compact is a very reliable sidearm to complement your main weapon in airsoft skirmishes. So far, I have never experience any stoppages and I can only credit this to the quality of this pistol.

If you have £70 to spare and want a good pistol, then look no further.