The retail PS3 unit comes with the console itself, a Blu-Ray version of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, a power cable, one wireless SIXAXIS PS3 controller, a short USB cable for charging up the controller, and an AV connector for the TV. Not in the retail box but included in our review unit was an HDMI cable. Folks who want the full 1080p experience for the supported PS3 games and the Blu-Ray movies will have to pay extra for the cable.

Setting up the PS3 is pretty simple. You put the power cord in the back of the console, then plug it into the socket (yeah, that's pretty elementary but guess how many people don't do this). We used the HDMI cable to hook it up to our 42 inch plasma TV from Toshiba. The PS3, like the PS2, has a switch in the back that needs to be pushed that powers up the console. A red light then starts glowing on the front. Then comes the cool part. The actual PS3 on/off button isn't really a button at all, It's a slightly raised symbol on the flat surface just below the Blu-Ray slot loading drive that you just push ever so slightly. When that happens the PS3 starts to come on.