Roughly 1 year on... and I still don't know

[Queeaqueg]

Which is better, PS3 or Xbox 360. I have choice of one or the other but I don't know which one is better. Xbox 360 has better online play and better games(at the moment) but the PS3 has better multimedia set-up, power and has the potential to have really good games(MGS4, Haze, etc). But the PS3 is meant to be a complex system while the Xbox 360 keeps breaking(though Microsoft said they mended it, many say it is just a matter of time before the new consoles die).

What do any of you think? Which one you say is best.

p.s. no one mention Wii... I will never get a Wii.

[balon!]

I'm torn as well. I'll await opinions.

[Nav]

I'm very happy with the 360, Xbox Live is easily the best online system and looks set to get better with IPTV on the way. It's also a useful multimedia hub, as I can plug my Zune into it and listen to music or watch the video on it (never had an iPod video, but I could play music from my old iPod no problem) and stream music, video and images from my PC. I have the 360 hooked into my hifi separates system, so its a handy way to hear my mp3s on really good speakers.

Reliability wise, the disc drive on mine did break after a couple of weeks, I think because I had it standing upright on a not quite level surface. Microsoft had it fixed and back with me inside a week for no charge, which I was quite impressed by. As for the Red Ring of Death, the 360 has cooling issues and gets very hot, so you need to be careful where you keep it so it has a good supply of cool air and, more importantly, any exhaust heat can get away from the console. If you keep one inside an enclosed TV cabinet, it'll be lucky to survive a month. The new Falcon cores are built on 90nm archtecture instead of the 120nm of the eariler consoles (those built in the first two years), this will improve cooling considerably but it's still important to be careful where you put it. There have also been incidents of one or more cooling fans failing, resulting in the console cooking itself quite quickly. Not much you can do about that, but MS has extended the warranty for red rings to three years on all consoles and the replacement process is quite painless so I wouldn't worry about it.

The PS3 is quite simply a better piece of hardware, both in terms of capability and reliability. So far though, the software side of the platform is so so. Playstation Home is not as mature a system as Xbox Live at this point, and the Second Life-style interface seems gimmicky and kiddy to me. It is free though, whereas there is what I would call a 'nominal charge' for Xbox Live of £40 per year (about 1/3 of the price of playing an MMO like World of Warcraft). The biggest problem though, is that the killer titles just aren't there for the PS3 at the moment: there just isn't a game that people see and think "I'm going to buy a PS3 so I can play that". That may change a bit with the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 and whatever the next Final Fantasy game is, but some of the better games currently out there (and I'm looking at Call of Duty 4 and GTA IV here) aren't platform exclusives. Even old standbys like Gran Turismo can't be relied upon anymore, as Microsoft has responded with Forza 2 and Project Gotham 4, both excellent competitors which mean you no longer need a Playstation for the Gran Turismo experience (which was why I got a PS2).

The PS3's blu ray player is probably a plus (depends on your view of the format war, tbh I think they're both going to fail and everyone will move straight to direct download), especially given the apparent death knell of HD-DVD a few weeks back. However, Microsoft have now ruled out making a 360 with HD-DVD built in and suggested an external blu ray drive may be in the offing. That sure will add to the viper's nest behind the television though: the 360's power supply is both external and the size of a housebrick and a half.

Ultimately the PS3's fate lies both in the hands of Sony themselves and the games developers. Right now the 360's 5-6 year lifespan will end while the PS3 has approximately 3-4 years left to run (taking into account how far ahead it is technologically). If Sony stick to their guns and see out that lifespan, then the PS3 is likely to see some stunning games and will prove good value in the long run for gamers. However, Sony may be unwilling to give MS the jump on them in the next round of console wars and could cut the PS3's lifespan short. I'm hoping they'll press on, as it will bring an end to the console wars as we know them and I think that's a good thing, and pulling the plug on the PS3 in its prime would really screw over the people who'd bought one.

Another unknown is how much of the PS3's prodigious power will actually be used by developers. The platform could face the exact opposite problem that the Wii has, in that the Wii receives a lot of shoddy ports from the 360 that it doesn't have the processing and graphical power to run in their native state, so they get pared down considerably. By definition, any game developed for the 360 isn't going to tax the PS3 in the slightest and that's not going to help the PS3 showcase its superiority. There are indications that more games are being developed first for the PS3 and then scaled back for the 360 and then again for the Wii. Other games, like Assassin's Creed, are developed in parallel with mixed results (they had a hard time cramming it onto one disc for the 360, but I don't think they really went to town with the PS3 version).

There are a lot of uncertainties at the moment, the PS3 has the potential to be the better purchase but there's no guarantee how it will work out. The 360 has succeeded thus far, with a hatful of stunning realeases in late 2007, but I'm not sure if the platform hasn't just reached its zenith. There are a few nice titles scheduled for this year (GTA IV, Fallout 3, Fable 2) and some promising sequels in the works (Mass Effect, Portal) but I don't imagine they'll come as thick and fast again.

If I was buying again now, I'd go for the 360 because the library of games is there, it's a known quantity and it's cheaper. The PS3 has the potential to be better though and it's still the cheapest blu ray player around, which will be a plus if blu ray does succeed. Of course I'm not entirely impartial though, as I have a 360, am happy with it and it was free so it didn't cost me as much to find that out.

[Queeaqueg]

That is what I was thinking, the Xbox 360 games do look good though some of fav titles are coming for PS3(MSG4, FF13, GT, GTA4, Devil May Cry 4, new game Haze, Half-Life 2:orangebox(sometime) and others), though Xbox 360 has good games but many of them I have on PCI(such as Bioshock, HL2, etc) and many games coming out for Xbox come to PC.

Xbox 360 is good... now. PS3 has potential to be good.

[DukkhaWaynhim]

Is Bioshock good? I had it on my Xmas list, but didn't get it.... am wondering if I shouldn't just go and buy it? How much game play do you get out of it?

[Nav]

It's a really great game. The Steampunk setting is amazing, you just drink it in, and some of the plasmids make for nicely original gameplay. I've not finished it yet so I don't really know how much gameplay there is in total. It's not like an RPG with tons of side quests but I gather from reviews that it should take about 20 hours to play through if you don't rush it.

I got my copy pre-owned from gamestation at about half its retail price and it was in the collectors tin which I think might be the coolest game box ever!

[Worm of Despite]

I'd go with Xbox 360, simply because it has several AAA games and the PS3's library still needs a masterpiece/killer app. Xbox has Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Gears of War, Halo 3, Mass Effect, and the PS3 is still waiting for games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII.

Of course, Super Mario Galaxy is six times better than all of those games combined.

Really though: the PS3 is hurting because it's simply not affordable. No one wants to pay mega bucks with only the reassurance that there will be good games. They want affordable price and quality software NOW, and only the 360 (and Wii) provides that.

[Queeaqueg]

I'd go with Xbox 360, simply because it has several AAA games and the PS3's library still needs a masterpiece/killer app. Xbox has Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Gears of War, Halo 3, Mass Effect, and the PS3 is still waiting for games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII.

I can get Call Of Duty 4, Bioshock and Gears of War for PC(where shooters are best) but but taht is the main point I think about is what games are out... PS3 has many of my fav titles but they are not here.

Really though: the PS3 is hurting because it's simply not affordable. No one wants to pay mega bucks with only the reassurance that there will be good games. They want affordable price and quality software NOW, and only the 360 (and Wii) provides that.

Not fussed about price, in England the Xbox and Ps3 are about £300, Wii slightly less.

[Worm of Despite]

I'd go with Xbox 360, simply because it has several AAA games and the PS3's library still needs a masterpiece/killer app. Xbox has Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Gears of War, Halo 3, Mass Effect, and the PS3 is still waiting for games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII.

I can get Call Of Duty 4, Bioshock and Gears of War for PC(where shooters are best) but but taht is the main point I think about is what games are out... PS3 has many of my fav titles but they are not here.

It seems you're leaning toward PS3. I suggest just waiting until it comes out with MGS4, FFXIII, etc. And though you don't care about the price, it might just lower while you wait, which never hurts.

To be honest, the only reason I'd buy a 360 is because my PC's too old to run games like Bioshock or CoD 4. But then again, I'm just not interested in those games.

[Nav]

I now take the same view as LF: that given the choice I'll buy a console game over a PC game, because it's too damn expensive to keep upgrading a gaming PC. I could buy a 360 or PS3 for what it would cost me to perform a major upgrade on my PC and I wouldn't have to deal with the usual PC compatability and security issues.

It's interesting you mention the prices, I hadn't realised how far the PS3 had fallen. You can now get a 360 Premium for £250, an Elite for £280 (I wouldn't bother with a core or arcade unless you're saving at least the cost of the 20GB HDD, because believe me you want that drive) and the 40GB PS3 now starts off at £290 to £300.

What really pricked my attention was an article I read earlier which states that Sony have actually halved the production cost of the PS3. I suspect that by this point Microsoft has gotten the production cost of the 360 down as low as it's ever going to go, so I can see Sony dropping the price next Christmas and forcing Microsoft to take a bite out of their profits in response. There's still a big deficit though; Microsoft's gaming division made $150 million profit in the last quarter of 2007 and Sony's made a $850 million loss, even with the PS2 still selling strongly.

[Queeaqueg]

I now take the same view as LF: that given the choice I'll buy a console game over a PC game, because it's too damn expensive to keep upgrading a gaming PC. I could buy a 360 or PS3 for what it would cost me to perform a major upgrade on my PC and I wouldn't have to deal with the usual PC compatability and security issues.

Upgrading the PC is really annoying because games are more powerful but I find that certain games are better on PC. Half-Life 2 and C&C:3 are loads better on PC than on a console... it is just simply keeping you PC up with the technology.

What really pricked my attention was an article I read earlier which states that Sony have actually halved the production cost of the PS3. I suspect that by this point Microsoft has gotten the production cost of the 360 down as low as it's ever going to go, so I can see Sony dropping the price next Christmas and forcing Microsoft to take a bite out of their profits in response. There's still a big deficit though; Microsoft's gaming division made $150 million profit in the last quarter of 2007 and Sony's made a $850 million loss, even with the PS2 still selling strongly.

PS3 removed the PS2 game function so PS3 can't play PS2 games. To stop conflict with PS2 sales but also to lower price.

[Nav]

I've actually started to prefer shooters on console, mostly because modern joypads feel much more natural (and hurt a lot less) than they used to. Keyboard and mouse have started to feel a bit awkward and I don't like hunting around for the right keys if I need to do something other than moving or strafing.

It's commonly believed that you have more control in a FPS environment with keyboard and mouse but I thought it was very interesting that in the alpha testing for Shadowrun, when they first put Xbox and PC players together in the same environment, the Xbox players won every game confortably. Unfortuntely Mitch Gitelman never elaborated on why, apart from to say that they figured it out and fixed it. You can aim far more easily and precisely with the mouse, so I can only assume the joypad gave some kind of movement advantage.

[Queeaqueg]

I prefer using keyboard for shooters because it is easier to aim and shoot with mouse and more buttons on keyboard for each command but I agree that movemnet on a control is slightly easier.

[matrixman]

That's an interesting issue you two bring up. I too have held to the belief that one has more control in a FPS using mouse & keyboard, ever since my days of playing Quake. (Trying to play Quake on the N64 was a disaster for me - even though loved the N64 controller! ).

However, I haven't played any FPs on modern consoles. I briefly tried with the original Xbox at my friend's place, but I wasn't impressed with the controls. But if today's gamepads have indeed become much better optimized for FPS gaming, then that could be a big factor in swaying me to buy an Xbox 360 or PS3.

Quee, I know you want no mention of the Wii , but that's something I want to consider too, especially in light of its motion-sensitive controller. I don't know how well the Wii's accessory pistol works, but I certainly like the idea of it, since it would seem the most natural way of all to play a FPS. I've heard that Microsoft may come out with its own motion controller for Xbox, but I haven't looked into it. That could sway me too.

[kevinswatch]

Wii.-jay

[DukkhaWaynhim]

heh- dw


and MEH!

dw

[Nav]

As far as I know, one of Microsoft's big wigs mentioned the Wii thing in an interview about Scene It. He said that they were looking into that area of gaming and deciding "what, if anything, we should be doing there". It would be unlike MS to spot an opportunity and not pour millions and millions of dollars into gaining a toe hold.

I think the Wii zapper is literally just a gun-shaped holder that the Wiimote and nunchuck slot into. You probably move around by manipulating the nunchuck stick with your thumb. It would be a more natural way to play a shooter, but if my experiences with lightgun games have taught me anything it's that my arm gets tired quite quickly!

[Queeaqueg]

Quee, I know you want no mention of the Wii , but that's something I want to consider too, especially in light of its motion-sensitive controller. I don't know how well the Wii's accessory pistol works, but I certainly like the idea of it, since it would seem the most natural way of all to play a FPS. I've heard that Microsoft may come out with its own motion controller for Xbox, but I haven't looked into it. That could sway me too.

I hate the Wii, it is boring and the games do not look appealing(apart from Mario Galaxy and Mario-Cart(whether that comes out)). The idea of motion controllers I dislike and Wii Sport is pointless because I play a lot of sport and exercise anyway, playing it on a game would be boring.
Xbox 360 and PS3 I want for good games and powerful console(plus other side things such as multimedia and online)

[Cagliostro]

I'd say the games have to win out. I'm probably going eventually with a PS3 when I can afford it because I love me some Final Fantasy. And RPGs in general, and Playstation typically is the name that goes along with that. And I like weird accessories and they tend to have that too, although Wii has that from the moment you plug it in, so I don't know.

Nintendo typically has more kid friendly games, so I don't go for that, and Mario games I find to be very frustrating to me. But I love the Mario RPGs. Love 'em, I say...probably my favorite kind of RPGs.

It seems like most of the big titles on XBoxs have been shooters, and I'm not much of a fan, so I don't really need one.

One more winner for me to want a PS3 is that the next from the Ico/Shadows of the Colossus team will be out on PS3. So yes...I will want.

[Usivius]

I was a big 360 guy, until I played Wii. Now I'm all about Wii.
Basically anyone who loves playing games on a PC will be less likely to go Wii.

Of course it really depends on the person. I don't play video games 20 hours a week. So the Wii system hase games that I really like, will play and not get bored and the system is just so interative, that once you have played, man, it's like nothing before --- and so damn fun!

now i Wii!