xBox or PS3? Plus...what to buy?.....etc! (1 Viewer)

[Michael_Waters]

I'm in the minority here, but I think PS3 is going to have a much stronger year this year and next with great games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Gran Turismo 5, God of War 3, and many others that X-Box won't get.

PS3 started off rough, and yes....the online play isn't as good as the X-Box yet. But with everything else, Sony keeps making the system better with upgrades, and the exclusive games are getting better.

I also think the Blu-Ray drive is going to play a major part in the future. I know you said that you've got a stand alone player, but developers are starting to use the space on games that would never work with the X-Box. MS is stuck using 9GB DVDs while PS3 will can use up to 50GB BDs. Eventually developers are going to start taking advantage of that difference. I read in an interview that they had to make cuts to MGS4 to fit it onto a 50GB BD. That would be what......6 DVDs?

Anyways, they're both great systems, but I think PS3 is the way to go. It's the best Blu-Ray player on the market, Sony shows it a lot of love with constant updates, and the future is looking bright with more and more exclusive games. Hope this helps.

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Most PS3 exclusive titles have uncompressed sound, it's not that the other systems aren't technically capable, but that there's not enough room on the DVD discs for the content.

 

[joshEH]

Agreed that the Xbox 360 version is superior to the PS3 build for one reason, and that reason is sheer quantity of downloadable content available for the 360 version. Everything from the aforementioned Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles (both awesome), but also for additional missions, expansions, and world-content -- the cool castle you can obtain and rule over; the Thieves' Den and the Vile Lair for evil characters; the Orrery; the Wizard's Tower; the huge-ass "Mehrune's Razor" quest, et al.

Thing is, none of these are going to see the light of day on the PS3 if Sony has its way...there's a big fight going on right now between Bethesda and Sony over the fate of the downloadable Oblivion content for that particular console.

The real issue isn't Sony or the PSN, the issue is the PS3 itself. The Bethesda Oblivion team has stated multiple times that -- due to memory issues with the PS3 -- Oblivion receives huge performance-drops when they use the add-ons with it. The PS3 just doesn't have the power; though, as of the last thing I've read, they're trying to work around it, and despite it all, there are petitions all over the web for Sony to put the DLC out, but it's still very much up in the air at this point.

But, yeah...go with the Xbox 360 if you're a big RPG'er. You're looking at Oblivion, Mass Effect, Lost Odyssey, Fable 2 in November, and possibly Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic III down the road.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Interesting YouTube video HERE that clearly shows
the PS3 as the better choice....

...not that I expect everyone to agree, and certainly, who am I to say?
I have seen many online comparisons of graphics and the XBox seems to
have better shadow and detail. PS3 looked a bit washed out.

Really banging my head against the wall which way to go.

 

[DaveF]

Ron,

I don't there is a "right" choice. There are three quality game systems now. One is forging its own (radical) path; the other two, the 360 and PS3, are taking the normal more-is-better path. And by all (sensible) accounts they're about even in performance & features. So here are some tie-breaking thoughts:

* What do your friends have? Buy the same system and you can share games and play multi-player with them.

* Borrow both and give them a whirl. Do you prefer one over the other? Better controllers? Less noisy? Looks better?

* Does one system have that exclusive game that you must play?

* All else being equal, do you have a particular loathing of Sony or MS and would rather not give them your money?

 

[DaveF]

My immediate reaction is that it's a worthless comparison. You can't choose a winner by which has more CPU chips. They're completely different architectures and such a simple-minded analysis is just wrong.

If you want a simple spec-by-spec comparison, this looks good.

 

[Steve Y]

Ron, this may be a controversial opinion.

I work closely with the Xbox 360 as part of my job. I can tell you that in my experience, the hardware failure rate is close to 25% (some have said 30%, though I think that may be high, taking into account the newer models). On older models it's If there's any margin of error, it's certainly not _under_ 30%. Almost every person I know who owns this console, regardless of purchase date, has had their console fail. Even people who bought one just last year. Among my friends that's probably about 6/7 failures. Sometimes multiple failures (after receiving older/refurbished models back for their brand new models - this is common practice with MS). Most of them (if not all) treat their consoles very well.

Some people still have working launch-date machines. That bothers me because it seems there's no way to predict a failure. While the GPU should be running cooler on newer models, that's not the only cause of some of these issues. In some cases the board is warping and the CPU itself is coming partially loose from the board - some people resorted to wrapping their 360s in towels and manually "overheating" the CPU to fuse it back into the motherboard. This is _NOT_ recommended!

It is well documented that Microsoft rushed the 360 to market to gain a foot up, and their hardware was not properly tested. These are slightly older articles but lay out the situation:

Why Microsoft Must Come Clean About Xbox 360 Flaws - Seeking Alpha
Xbox 360 technical problems - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Microsoft's online experience is currently unparalleled in the console universe (particularly for shooter fans), but in two years, I predict that Microsoft's next console (beyond the 360) will be competing against the PS3, which is currently only in its infancy, and still having struggles of its own with PSN.

There's no denying the 360 has an incredible library, and (for the most part) a very clean online experience. If you choose to purchase one, make sure you get an extended warranty. And do not go for the Core or Arcade system. Buy the version with the HDMI ports - games look far better this way if you have a supported display.

Happy gaming, whatever you choose!

 

[JoeyR]

Ron, if your big thing is online gaming go with the 360, you wont be disappointed

 

[Bryan X]

I wouldn't give much credence to that YouTube comparison, Ron. Comparing a bunch of specs on two completely different systems is specious at best.

Some of the comparisons the poster used were laughable, too. The PS3 controller with a 75 foot range versus only a 30 foot range for the 360 controller. My goodness, unless you're playing on a Drive-In Theater screen you'll never want to be more than 10-12 feet back.

The fact is, when it comes to graphics and capability, BOTH systems are fantastic and will blow you away.

The things you really need to consider are:

1) Games-- which one has more of what you like
2) Check out the controllers-- which feels better in your hand. Me, personally, I like the bigger Xbox controller. I prefer the layout of the sticks better on it too. I think the PS3 is finally getting the vibration function, right? Unbelievable that they left that out. Playing games without the vibration feedback is just about like playing games with the sound off.
3) Consider how much it would bother you if the system did crap out on you and you had to send it in-- however from what I've read, turnaround time is pretty good. Of course a PS3 could crap out too.
4) How important is a good, comprehensive online experience to you?


I don't think so. I've had my system since shortly after launch and haven't had a problem at all. I don't use any special cooler. But I also don't have my system enclosed in a cabinet. It sits below the TV in an open-type stand.

I used to be a HUGE Sony Playstation fan. Loved the PS and PS2. Then bought an Xbox when those were relatively cheap and was surprisingly impressed with the system. Got the 360 when it came out and don't regret dumping the PS platform.

 

[Patrick_S]

Actually the 360 did outsell the the PS3 in March.

Ron, since you mentioned that you want this as a gaming system and that on-line playing is something you are interested in I would go with the 360. Everyone I know who has played both on-line offerings thinks the xBox Live offering is far better. This is truly a case of "you get what you pay for" and in this case free is not better. Certainly Sony may improve their on-line system but they have had years to do so and have moved at a snail’s pace.

In the end regardless of what system you purchase I'm certain you'll have lots of fun.

Enjoy

 

[Brandon_T]

I was actually leaning toward the PS3, but I have about 7 friends that play online, only one had a ps3, the rest were 360 players, so that is what finally did it for me, although I really love God of War.

 

[Shane D]

heres the question that matters. what games do you wanna play? and what system is it on?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

All the games I am looking at are available on both platforms.

Call of Duty 4 and Grand Theft Auto 4 are the
top two.

I hear great things about Lego Star Wars Saga and I might
buy that as well (available only on the xBox).

At this point I am just about sold on the XBox Elite Bundle.
The only thing that concerns me at this point is the very high
percentage of units that are getting the 3-rings of death. I am
very surprised that there are still so many reports today of
unit failures.

 

[KurtEP]

From your original quote.


Of course, getting both (like I have ) is the true way. It will solve all your problems.

 

[Kreisler]

PS3. It comes with Blu Ray.
XBOX HD DVD is dead

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I don't want another Blu-ray player. That aspect of the gaming
system means nothing to me.

Steve,

Incredible post above concerning the failure rates and I apologize
for being so late in acknowledging it.

I will certainly purchase the extended warranty with my xBox.
Is that usually available through sites like Amazon at the time
of purchase or is there a card inside the box that I need to send in?

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Well because of the large failure rates it has cost Microsoft a reported 3 billion dollars to extend the warranty of every 360 to 3 years. So ultimately you're covered when you buy the system, but if it RROD's you have to send it in for a few weeks to get it fixed.

Getting the extended warranty (The store specific "protection plans" that places like Best Buy are so well known for) will allow you to just get a new system from the store if yours bricks. There's a real downside here though, because you'll lose anything on your hard drive like all your saved game data, or if you've purchased any games from Xbox Live (and there are a lot of nice little games on there).

 

[Patrick_S]

What a well thought out and insightful post, it so obvious that you actually took the time to read the thread before gracing us with your wisdom.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Moving right along....

Tell me a little about downloading. What kind of games do
they have? Are these the same full $50-$60 games that you
can buy in stores or are they smaller games?

 

[Gary Seven]

I have both. The Xbox I have was bought 6 months after launch and still works. The online experience is unmatched. The library of the Xbox is currently unmatched by the PS3. When buying games that are supported by both consoles, the Xbox takes the lead for better online play and generally more download content.

Since you are interested in GTA IV, the Xbox version will have addtional levels the PS3 won't.

As a gaming experience, the Xbox is far more polished.

As a piece of quality hardware, the PS3 is more solid as it supports BluRay and is a quieter machine. I use it strictly for BlueRay.

As a media center, the Xbox again takes the lead. While both will support streaming of music and videos from a PC, the Xbox seems to support more video codecs.

As a docking station for your Ipod, the Xbox again takes the lead. I could not get the PS3 to work with my Ipod but with the Xbox, I can feed pictures from my Ipod in random at the same time as feeding music. A very convenient feature that allowed me to enjoy my Ipod through my high end sound system along with nice visuals.