Although a large part of the gaming experience on the Playstation 3 comes from the games themselves, another part that should not be ignored is the variety of accessories that are available to improve the gaming experience. While this usually happens indirectly, such as making tasks like charging your controllers easier and more convenient, it does add to the overall experience and is part of what makes the Playstation 3 such an attractive gaming console option. A wide range of PS3 accessories are available online from Playstation store websites, and you will almost certainly find items that pique your interest when you look through them.
Charging Stations
Many gamers have more than one controller, and if they are wireless controllers, then they have to be charged individually before each gaming session. Having so many wireless controllers plugged into power outlets can be extremely messy, however, and charging stations provide the solution to that problem. There are dual and quad charging stations available for PS3 controllers that allow 2 or 4 controllers to be charged simultaneously, with all the controllers fitting neatly onto a charging station, removing the clutter of having multiple adapter cables plugged into wall sockets and also providing easy access to your fully-charged controllers when the time comes to play. All you have to do is pick the controller up off the charging station, instead of having to unplug it from the wall socket.
Joysticks
If you are a fan of flight simulators or other types of flying games, then you will most probably want to purchase a joystick. With flight simulators in particular, the key attraction is how the game replicates the experience of flying a plane as closely as possible. The experience is hardly an accurate reproduction if you are using a two-handed gamepad-style controller to fly the plane, however, and this is where having a joystick can really change the entire experience. With a joystick, you will be using the same type of control as a real pilot in a fighter plane would use, and this adds a whole new level of experience to the gameplay.
Keypad
One of the great things about the Playstation 3 is that you can play games online with people from around the world. In order to interact with other players, however, you need to either have a voice-enabled headset or a textpad so that you can chat. And when you are interacting with players who are not already your friends, the preferred method of communication is through text chat. Without a textpad, communication would be difficult and laborious, so it is definitely a good idea to invest in a textpad controller for your PS3.
Controller Skins
After having spent your hard-earned money on a top-of-the-line controller, you would hardly want to waste it all if you were to accidentally drop your controller. This is where silicone controller skins come in extremely handy. These elastic skins wrap around your controller, encasing it in shock-absorbing silicone, so that your controller will be able to survive drops from low to moderate heights without being damaged. Of the many PS3 accessories available from the Playstation store, this might be among the most useful.
