PS 3 or XBox?

[dataskatt]

I have a PS2 now, and am looking to upgrade my system. I would welcome any opinions on which system folks like best and why: PS3 or XBox. :confused

[X]

I have 2 Xbox 360's and I'm planning on getting a third for my daughter. I love the feature. I enjoy the games and the movies. I also like the idea that they will be hosting live game shows soon that you can actually become the contestant and win things.

[Meds]

I'm a big xbox fan. I've got the elite and it really is a dream. I've not had any problems with it and at the moment enjoying gears of was 2. Love the call of duty games on The xbox. 

[billybob476]

xBox over here as well. Playing Fallout 3 right now. The only thing PS3 has on it is the Blu Ray. But I buy a gaming console to play games so no contest there.

[Rico]

For gaming and online content/streaming video, etc., I think the XBOX 360 is still the best.  There are a few good games for the PS3 and you get the Blu-Ray feature, but I'd wait for it to drop in price before I'd buy a PS3.

[alanp]

I've been afraid of the x-box 360 just because they rushed (like that company has a bad habit of doing) it out before it was ready and as a result, people are getting the red ring of death.  It's happened to 3 of my friends so I've just tried to stay away.

I did want a ps3 because it was backwards compatible and had a blu-ray player.  Sadly they took off the backwards capability to drop the price; or so I've been told by the sales guy at gamestop.  So I'm holding out for a deal one that really is backwards compatible to all the ps1 and ps2 games.  Or for them to be reissued.

[Rico]

We have had to send our XBOX back, but they get it back to you quickly and it's not a big deal.  I heard they solved this problem finally and the new ones should be fine.

The PS3 backwards compatibility issue has been kind of a mess.  It was in, it was out, it was in,...etc.  I think you can find some of those versions on eBay still.  Or just use a PS2.

[dataskatt]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

[Allen]

I too am looking to upgrade. We love our PS2. And our Wii, but that's a different animal...

We like the music games. Rock Band is our fav. I like the idea that the instruments we have now will work on the PS3, so we don't have to buy new, but the XBox seems to have a much better selection of other kinds of games.... Anyone else like the music games?

*sigh* decisions decisions... of course I can't get either until I figure out where to buy that winning lottery ticket....

[Jobydrone]

I have all three major consoles (Wii PS3 and Xbox360) and for the past two and a half years I rarely fired up anything but the 360.  That being said I've recently been playing the PS3 and Wii more since the release of Infamous, Punch Out and Wii Fit and I have been enjoying those systems more. There are very few benefits to either PS3 or 360 that the other system doesn't have as well.  Here's some exclusive benefits that I can think of off the top of my head:

Sony PS3:

Blue Ray capability (this is the big one if you want to own and collect a high definition movie library and don't want to shell out 200 bucks for a dedicated Blue Ray player.)

Free multiplayer on line gaming (Xbox costs around 50 bucks or more a year to be able to play games on line)

Enormous, robust library of backwards compatible PS and PS2 games if you can find an older model (they are still pretty easy to find)

Easily upgradeable, cheap memory if you want or need more hard drive storage (and you might sooner than you think considering the rise in popularity of downloading full games and storing them on the system with no physical media.  Xbox uses proprietary technology that is very expensive for their hard drives)

WIFI access out of the box (XBOX charges $100 for the wireless network adapter though there are some third party alternatives that are a little cheaper)

Motion sensitivity/accelerometer built into the controller, Xbox does not have this feature.

Free avatar based social networking system if you're into that kind of thing (Playstation Home)

Early access to free game demos as soon as they are released to the public.  Xbox makes it's users wait two weeks or more for many high profile new demos unless they pay for the Xbox Live "gold" service.

Xbox 360:

Huge, robust on line community through Xbox Live Gold if you don't mind paying a subscription fee for it

Very easy user interface and setup.  Many people find the Sony cross media bar unwieldy, and system configuration unnecessarily confusing.

Xbox games play right out of the box, Sony requires an installation process that takes five minutes or more for most games.  Devil May Cry 4 had a half hour install for PS3!  Xbox 360 now has an option to install games directly on the hard drive from the disc which supposedly optimizes gameplay and load times but I haven't noticed any appreciable difference running installed games.

Very few system updates, and when they do update, generally twice a year, it's not a painful process.  Sony has what seems like constant system updates that can sometimes take fifteen minutes or more.

Gigantic on line store with a large library of high definition movies available for rental, exclusive games via Xbox Live Arcade and some free content as well (the Guild being the best example of free exclusive content, thanks Kenny!)  Sony also has this feature but they are playing "catch-up" content wise.

Xbox has the ability to setup the functionality to stream music and video content from your PC/Laptop through the Xbox to your TV.  This is a fantastic feature that allows me to watch almost any video I have on my computer directly on the TV I have my console attached to.  I have no idea if this works with Macs or if it's just PCs.  PS3 supposedly has this feature as well but I have not been able to figure out how to set it up, and I have tried.

Conclusions:

As you can see it is really difficult to place a value judgement on which system is "better" than the other.  It is going to be different for every user, depending on their needs and what they plan to do with their consoles.  I believe that for most people the choice ultimately boils down to two things:

1.  Price

PS3 is more expensive but this is somewhat misleading.  With the Xbox 360 if you want full on line multiplayer gaming, wireless connectivity, and anything more than 20GB hard drive space, you are going to be paying as much as or more than what the PS3 costs with all those features included right out of the box.  You can get a core system Xbox 360 that plays all the games released in stores on disc without a hard drive for $199 dollars.  If you don't plan on going on line much or downloading games from the Microsoft store, this is a very appealing price.  If you decide later on to upgrade to a hard drive, wireless networking, etc, you can choose to but it will cost you an arm and a leg.  There has been a long rumored PS3 price drop, probably coming before this holiday season, but no one knows if this is actually happening, when, and how much it will be.  $299 would be a great price point that would move systems but I doubt they will go that low.

2.  Games

Each system has a pretty significant catalog of exclusive games.  Some examples are:

PS3:  Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, Grand Turismo Prologue/GT5 later this year, Infamous, Ratchet and Clank series, Uncharted Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2 later this year, Resistance and Resistance 2, White Knight Chronicles, Lair, Final Fantasy 14 (MMO) at some point in the distant future, DC Universe on line (MMO) sometime in the future.

360:  Halo 3 and upcoming sequels, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 later this year, Splinter Cell Conviction, Viva Pinata series, Forza, Gears of War series, Grand Theft Auto 4 addons and downloadable content.

See anything you like in those lists?  You should choose that system then because those games are unlikely to appear on the competing console ever.

Hope this post helps you decide.  Happy gaming!

[Geekyfanboy]

Thank you so much for that comprehensive review of both systems. I have been debating on getting a gaming system and this has brought up some very good points... but I'm torn between PS3 and Wii.. what are you thoughts on Wii?

[X]

Thank you so much for that comprehensive review of both systems. I have been debating on getting a gaming system and this has brought up some very good points... but I'm torn between PS3 and Wii.. what are you thoughts on Wii?

I was going to buy the wii at some point for my daughter, but she has made it very clear that she wants a 360 and everyone in the family is stoked about Project Natal.

I think that the Wii is pretty good for those people that are new to gaming. It's not much different from the game cube nintendo console, but has the addition of motion control controlers. The PS3 and the 360 are both coming out with their own takes on this as well.

From a tech standpoint, I think you would be better with a next gen system like one of the big boys. They still have room to grow. The Wii doesn't have that much growth potential as it's hardware is still around the PS2 and the original Xbox.

[SPOCKFAN]

I have had both, and I am much happier with the PS3.
360 runs much louder, gets to hot and has a much higher rate of technical difficulties. Plus the PS3 is a nice Blu-Ray player. and I prefer PS3's online stuff, over what the 360 offers.

[billybob476]

I have a wii and a 360, I rarely fire up the Wii. There just isn't enough there.

[Meds]

Thank you so much for that comprehensive review of both systems. I have been debating on getting a gaming system and this has brought up some very good points... but I'm torn between PS3 and Wii.. what are you thoughts on Wii?

Me and natalie have just had a nice 9 hole game of golf followed by a game of bowling. Yes we have a wii and its such a great laugh. The wii is a fun console and great for having guests round to all join. If you want a system for serious gaming the its got to be a 360 or ps3. I dont have a ps3 so wouldnt like to say but i have a 360 and i love it.