Hulu Plus on PS3, hands-on (update: video)

Sure, we already told you what Hulu Plus looked like on iPhone, iPad and a Samsung TV, and not much has changed since that juncture, but we expect a number of you care quite a bit about how it will operate on PlayStation 3, especially considering you'll (presently) have to cough up an additional $50 annually for the privilege. The good news is it's absolutely nothing like the PS3's disc-based Netflix solution -- here, you're looking at a responsive experience through and through, and the interface is about as simple and full-featured as we'd hoped.

After a 28MB download, we were invited to either log in with an email/password combination or link our console at Hulu's website, both of which launched the program nigh instantly from the hard drive. The interface afterwards is a dead-ringer for the Samsung TV version, except optimized for console control, with the analog stick and shoulder buttons smartly seeking through programs at high speed, or tapped to jump ahead in fifteen-second increments. You can similarly adjust video quality (and thus, bandwidth usage) with a press of the R1 button, watch picture-in-picture programs while you browse, and the search function admirably narrows down Hulu's content as quickly as you can type the letters in. It does have its bugs, like when we tried to watch High Fidelity and were asked if we wanted to subscribe to the show, and there was the time we got caught in an unending advertising loop for body wash, but that time we think the app was just trying to tell us something. Yeah, we'd better run out to the store, but don't go away -- hit the gallery below for a brief tour.

Update: Our friends at Joystiq have a video walkthrough; check it after the break!

Hulu Plus on PS3

[statickeith Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:26PM]

PS3 + HULU = FTW!

[NuklearPanda Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:29PM]

@statickeith $10 Subscription Fee FTL...

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:29PM]

@statickeith

$60 for old episodes of hulu on my ps3? no way!

[Lord Vader Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:29PM]

FORCE + CHOKE = Force FTW

[robindahoods Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:30PM]

@statickeith
I always liked ps3s user interface over the 360s

[statickeith Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:34PM]

@NuklearPanda Its still worth it

[statickeith Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:36PM]

@pufflye YOU + YOUR COMMENTS = WASTE OF TIME!

[Ithacus Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:44PM]

@MicrosoftOwns

Because I keep seeing many people thinking the wrong thing... I just want to clarify:

For the next 3 months the price for Hulu+ on the PS3 is effectively $50. This is because it is included as a free trial with PS+.

After this period, every PS3 owner can get Hulu+ for $10 a month. BUT you do NOT have to have PS+ for this feature.

SO after this 3 month period, Hulu+ only costs $10 per month with no other requirements for PS3 owners.

[iPaul Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:08PM]

@Ithacus but you still have to watch the 20/30 second adz!

[HotFuzz Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:27PM]

Cool, but when do we finally get our disc-free Netflix on PS3?

[Nomi Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:58PM]

@iPaul Compared to 8 mins per 30 mins on regular TV? Or $1.99 per episode on iTunes?

[sollord Posted Jul 14th 2010 10:01PM]

@HotFuzz If I'm not mistaken Netflix has stated Q4 2010 for disk free netflix on ps3 so holiday season 2010

[phinn Posted Jul 15th 2010 12:53AM]

@statickeith Don't you mean PS3 + Hulu + Netflix + Blu-ray + free online gaming = FTW? :-P

[DroidYou Posted Jul 15th 2010 1:24AM]

@NuklearPanda why are there still adverts with a $10 monthly subscription fee? Sure, they are short but isn't that the point of paying? To avoid these?

[DeFlanko Posted Jul 15th 2010 10:14AM]

@statickeith

MrBig14? LOL.

[Kangal Posted Jul 15th 2010 10:51AM]

@Lord Vader

Vader tried force choking Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked a bucket and forever it remains fuzed to Vader's head.

[r34p3r Posted Jul 15th 2010 5:44PM]

@Lord Vader

lol!

[TheSunman89 Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:26PM]

Awesome!!

[Bskballa92 Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:26PM]

Now 2010 be over so we can get it on a better online experience

[Sly Cooper Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:27PM]

Still not worth the 50 dollar subscription.

[statickeith Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:35PM]

@Sly Cooper No, you DONOT need Playstation Plus for that. Just the $9.99 Hulu Plus subscription.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/06/hulu-plus-on-ps3-only-requires-playstation-plus-during-preview-p/

[That guy 2 Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:02PM]

@statickeith Wow, the article you pointed to disproved your comment, even just the name of the article says that you need ps+ beta for hulk plus, but in 3 months you won't need ps+ but will need hulu plus subscription

[statickeith Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:05PM]

@That guy 2 Thats just 3 months! And I'm ready to pay that for Hulu! Im pretty sure there are MANY other like me who are ready to pay that coz Hulu rocks and so does PS3

[lfeuln Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:29PM]

I want my freaking invite Hulu. I applied about 2pm the day it was announced!!! I'm waiting to watch just about the whole second half of Glee...

[ClarkyAC Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:32PM]

@lfeuln

Glee... The bane of my life..

[Apple Fan Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:30PM]

$10 bucks a month with ads! lolz

No.

[TheOsiris Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:59PM]

@Apple Fan
Hello no. I almost, and I mean ALMOST, thought about replacing my Netflix subscription with Hulu Plus until I saw that ad.

[cdf74dc9 Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:20PM]

@TheOsiris

Netflick has more movie than Hulu could ever wish. Hulu on the other side, has more up-to-date TV show that Netflick could ever wish. Yes, the ads just kill the subscription idea for Hulu.

[tlogank Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:33PM]

@Apple Fan your argument is dumb...cable/satellite costs WAY more and has WAY more ads. You get 1 minute of ads for every 30 mins of content on Hulu, you get 7 minutes of ads for every 30 mins on cable/satellite....and Hulu has all the back catalogs and HD, so stop whining about 30 second ads.

[ResidentEVO Posted Jul 15th 2010 12:56AM]

@Apple Fan
Just don't look at it.

[glamajamma Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:30PM]

I may subscribe to this just so I can watch all the Inception trailers over and over again on the HD projector.

[uwish2804 Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:31PM]

just downloaded it on ps3, requested for hulu plus day it came out n just did it again twice today with the refferal code from ps3 n i still dont have it you'd think they'd want a lot of ppl to have it...

[Eugenia Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:32PM]

Sean, could you tell us if there are closed captions/subtitles on Hulu Plus for the PS3? Sometimes I watch TV late at night while everyone's sleeping, so I prefer to put volume down, and just read subtitles. Not to mention that this is a feature that would be needed by people with hearing problems. So I wonder if the feature exists. Netflix doesn't support subtitles on the PS3, and this has been a problem for me.

[Ithacus Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:40PM]

@Eugenia
Don't quote me on this, but I believe that the service does have subtitles BUT they are not guaranteed for all of the shows.

[Eugenia Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:43PM]

@Ithacus Yes, Hulu doesn't have subtitles for everything, but it does have it for recent shows. So the reviewer can check a random recent TV episode on the desktop to check if closed captioning is available, and then try the same episode on his PS3.

[Eugenia Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:53PM]

@Eugenia I just watched the updated video presentation, it doesn't seem to be any subtitle support. :-(

[That guy 2 Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:04PM]

@Eugenia Haha people with hearing problems (old people) don't have ps3's haha jk

[Eugenia Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:09PM]

@That guy 2 That's the most ignorant reply I ever read.

[Eugenia Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:13PM]

@Eugenia Ok, sorry, I just saw you were joking. However, this is not exactly joke material. ;)

[Hackjob Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:19PM]

@Eugenia
Welcome to the Internet... first time here?

[Ben64 Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:35PM]

not a horrible proposition if they have more content.

[SolidSnake Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:36PM]

They must have some rank B.O. if their PS3 can smell them...

[Ithacus Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:37PM]

The interface looks sleek. But I still feel its better to just get an HDMI cable and hook up your TV and laptop for a free solution (assuming your laptop has an HDMI out).

[Cainhunpi Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:39PM]

Netflix= better and cheaper

[Ithacus Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:48PM]

@Cainhunpi

Personally, I am sticking with Netflix alone also.

But still, its not better in all aspects. Although Netflix has some current TV shows on instant play, Hulu delivers a much larger range of shows with more episodes and *usually* they are available at a quicker pace.

[Dafrety Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:49PM]

@Cainhunpi
Hulu has more recent content, while Netflix has a huge backlog. Honestly, if you can get them both they definitely complement each other.

[Ithacus Posted Jul 14th 2010 8:41PM]

@Dafrety
Indeed, but those subscriptions add up unfortunately.
Its a great solution for people without cable though.

[Bio Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:39PM]

Paid with commercials, wait a day for an episode....
EPIC FAIL... never will get hulu.

[NLy10nd1 Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:47PM]

Someone has a message that needs to be checked! Keep that inbox on the PS3 read, Engadget! lol

[REkAB Posted Jul 14th 2010 7:52PM]

Work in the uk too?