Nice but overpriced and HOT

Santa came packing at our house, dropping off a gleaming Sony PlayStation 3 under the tree.

Amazingly (or maybe not), the old elf's generosity led to additional expenditures at my house, because owning a PS3 out of the box doesn't give you much ability to use it.

For one thing, the console doesn't come with a second controller, so you're facing another $59 for a wireless controller. (The PS3 can handle up to seven.)

For another, the console boasts high-definition graphics ability (up to 1080i) and a Blu-Ray DVD player, but it doesn't come with a cable capable of displaying them.

So, it was off to the retailer again; this time for a $65 component video cable. (If your TV has HDMI inputs, which are the best way to connect a PS3, that cable will set you back more than $100 at retail.)

The unit also has only one USB cable to charge the controllers, so you may need another one of those.

Then you finally can power up the new gleaming device, which is a pretty cool event.

One surprising discovery for me was how hot the unit got in normal use. If you were put it in an enclosed space, I think it would burn up in less than an hour. The PS3 runs very, very hot compared with my Xbox or PlayStation 2. The gaming forums are split on this issue; some run hot; some, apparently, do not. Either way, the PS3 takes 380 watts of power to run.

But don't put it in a closed cabinet... it gets too hot to touch.

What are the results? My son and I are dueling regularly on "NBA 07," a cool title from Sony. The graphics are spectacular, and you can have loads of fun having one person select the San Antonio Spurs and the other select an All-Star team and then see Tony Parker guard Tony Parker (he's good at it.)

Another winner is the venerable "Madden '07," the latest in the long line of NFL titles for the PlayStation and Xbox. The graphics here again are incredible, and the artificial intelligence is getting better. Both sports titles are rated "E" for everyone.

On the "mature" side, "Resistance: Fall of Man" is a solid foot soldier simulation in the spirit of "Call of Duty" and "Medal of Honor."

This is a good sim for adults who like a little shoot-'em-up action.

PS3 titles retail for a hefty $59 each, so rent one before you buy.