Review of the Playstation 3 and The Orange Box

Playstation 3 Overview

• Original PS3 “fat” model
  • Has the Yellow Light of Death (similar to Xbox 360’s Red Ring of Death)
  • Notorious for breaking down (usually due to GPU issues)
  • Model without PS2 backwards compatibility
  • Considered not worth fixing
• PS3 Slim model
  • More reliable than the “fat” models
  • Features a better design
  • Plan to use for homebrew and replay old games

Introduction to The Orange Box

• The Orange Box includes games from Valve
• First experience playing Valve’s games
• Released for PS3 despite early challenges with the console

Early Challenges of PS3

• Rough early release; embarrassing E3 press conference
• Difficult Cell architecture for developers
  • Gabe Newell’s negative views on PS3 development
  • Resulted in EA handling the PS3 port of The Orange Box

The Orange Box for PS3

• Initially barely playable but released two months after Xbox and PC versions
• Issues noted:
  • Long load times
  • Audio pitch inconsistencies
  • Graphics locked to lower settings (720p, 30 FPS, low FOV)
  • Performance dips especially in Half Life 2: Episode 2
  • Occasional audio glitches and crinkly sounds

Half-Life 2 Series

• Load times and audio issues
• Notably different sound pitches
• Developer commentary available for Episodes 1 and 2

Portal

• Frame dips especially looking into portals
• Lacks updates from Portal 2 ARG
• Some cheat codes don't work on PS3
• Developer commentary available

Team Fortress 2

• Early TF2 experience with basic, unbalanced gameplay
• No major updates; similar to its initial release
• Weaker PS3 player base compared to Xbox and PC
• Lacks features like private matches
• Fewer maps and some notable layout differences
• Still has a small dedicated community

PS3 TF2 Community

• Small but dedicated group of players and YouTubers
• Server outages in 2019 reduced player base
• Community partially migrated to PC and Xbox versions
  • Xbox gained player boost from backwards compatibility
• Modding scene existed but less robust than Xbox 360’s
• Some players hosted custom games using save game exploits

Future of PS3 TF2

• EA announced server shutdown on March 28th, 2023
• PS3 TF2 considered “dead” but outlived many competitors
• Recommendations for trying while servers are still live

Personal Anecdote

• Purchased PS3 Slim, strange encounter with a man claiming his minivan is faster
• Adds a personal touch to the review of the PS3

Conclusion

• The Orange Box on PS3 has many issues but is how many first experienced Valve’s games
• Unusual appeal due to its isolation from mainstream updates