PS3 or XBox 360

OK. I need a little help with which direction to go. I had a 360 Pro for about 2 and a half years and it quit on my about 3 weeks ago. I considered getting another and went online and read lots and lots of reviews. All I seemed to see was "3 red rings" , complaints about the chipsets and on and on. So, I thought I'd look at the PS3. Initially it looked very favorable. Then today I ran across what looks to be an ongoing problem. The bluray drive going belly up(convieniently after the 1 year warranty expired) and Sony wanting $150 to repair the problem. This was not a small handfull of people complaining about this. So, I'm right back where I started. I really don't want to get the Arcade model of the 360 just to get the Jasper chipset and then have to turn around to buy a bigger hard drive. I would really like to get an Elite if I could be sure it had the new chipset. Any suggestions would be appreciated. What would you do in this situation?

Re: PS3 or XBox 360

I didn't realize the PS3 had these problems. I hope mine does not go belly up as I have the original 60GB and really enjoy it (as a Blu Ray player).

As a gaming machine, I stillprefer the 360. Mine did get the 3OD and after it got repaired by MS, runs better than ever.

I suspect I will be in your shoes as I do want an Xbox with the latest chipset and HDMI so I would look for an Elite with the latest chipset. I don't think the Jasper will be the latest. I thought I read that another will follow.

Re: PS3 or XBox 360

A lot of those bluray drive problems ended up being dirty lenses (which you can clean yourself). IMO, the Xbox is a game system. The PS3 is an entertainment hub (which plays movies, games, etc.). If you want all the latest great games then stick with the Xbox platform (despite it's ring-of-death issues). If you are an occasional gamer who wants a Bluray player then get the PS3.

Re: PS3 or XBox 360

I think both have had their share of problems, but the coverage is overblown. I've had a 360 for a year and a half, use it in a very hot/dusty location and have had no problems. (Well, my son lost a disk when he tried to move it while it was running.) I've also heard that both companies are good with fixing them when they break. I'd choose first by the games you want to play. And then secondly by the media extras. The PS3 gives you a good bluray player, the 360 a good Netflix player.

Re: PS3 or XBox 360

Thanks for the input guys! I think I'll stick with the 360, but I'll get it at Best Buy and get the 2 yr. extended warranty just in case something would go wrong after the first year.

Re: PS3 or XBox 360

Gary:

Did you know that Microsoft includes three-year coverage for RRoD? That makes the BB extended warranty a little less valuable.

Re: PS3 or XBox 360

Yes I did. However, I did not have the RROD or the error code(which is what the 3 year extended Microsoft warranty covers). The 3 year warranty if fine if you get either of those problems, But I did not have that particular problem and my warranty had expired and it would cost me $100 to buy a 1 year extended warranty to repair a machine that was 2.5 years old.

Re: PS3 or XBox 360

I only have a PS3, but that comes down to the fact that the XBox 360 exclusives aren't really interesting to me, whereas the PS3 exclusives are what I really want. If you already have games for the 360 then you might as well get another one.

In terms of media playback, the 360 is obviously limited compared to the PS3. As for Netflix, you should be able to stream in-browser with the PS3 as well as access websites like Hulu that you can't get on the 360. And you don't have to pay for it.

MS is going to lower the price of the Elite this fall and abandon the other models (Arcade and Pro) and the PS3 is going to get the PS3 Slim at a reduced price this fall, also.

Re: PS3 or XBox 360

Thanks for your input Morgan. Yes, I do already have 360 games, so more than likely I'll stick with the 360. I already have a Sony S550 bluray player for movies so I don't need the PS3 for that. I have no desire to stream movies or go through Netflix to rent. Guess I'm old school but I prefer to have a disc that I can pick up an hold in my hand and own. So, I pretty much have decided to pick up another 360 in the near future.

The BD drive failure issue is such a minimal problem in comparison to the red ring failures on the Xbox 360 that they aren't even worth comparing. Sony has delivered an exceptional piece of hardware with the PS3. With any consumer electronics products there will be a certain failure rate, but the PS3 is built like an tank and if you do end up buying the machine, I think you'll be extremely happy with build quality.

The red ring problems, on the other hand, have been a nightmare for Microsoft and it's cost them dearly both financially and in reputation for delivering such shoddy hardware. The good news is that the current 360's on store shelves have made great improvements in correcting the problem and offering stable, solid hardware. It's not going to wipe away the issues of the past, but you're much more secure in buying a 360 today than you were two years ago.
Outside of the lack of a Blu-Ray drive, the 360 is every bit as much an "entertainment hub" as the PS3. Both consoles offer playback of movies, games etc. Though I will agree that the PS3 offers a more elegant interface.
Outside of the lack of a Blu-Ray drive, in what way exactly is it limited? The 360 is fully capable of streaming both audio and video via a wide range of codecs including H.264, DIVX, WMV, MP3, WMA and more. The media streaming capabilities of both consoles are utterly comparable and I would say the 360 is the better of the two in tems of handling DIVX files along with its ability to integrate into a Media Center PC.

If Blu-Ray were the only consideration, I would agree with you completely. However, it's a bit specious to say the 360 is limited in its media playback. I say that as someone that has grown extremely fond of the Cross Media Bar for searching through my media library on the PS3 too.
Nope. 

kotaku.com/5303207/that-hulu-that-your-ps3-wont-do

...via an extraordinarily bothersome browser interface and I think that's definitely worth mentioning. The Netflix integration on the 360 is excellent and will be getting an update soon to provide full content browsing and 1080p support.

Link please? Some confirmation of such a rumor would be nice as Microsoft has not announced the discontinuation of the Arcade SKU at all.

Once again, an absolute rumor that as of today holds no truth outside of some fun pictures running around the web. Could it happen? Absolutely and likely but we've no confirmation from Sony proper on the PS3 Slim or a price drop (which *IS* likely to happen before the holiday season).

..and that's what it comes down to. What games are you going to be playing? If the PS3 exclusives are of more interest, then the decision should be pretty clear. If the 360 has the games you want, go for it. I personally have, play and enjoy both!

Edited by Romier S - 7/1/2009 at 05:25 pm GMT
Edited by Romier S - 7/1/2009 at 05:26 pm GMT

In regards to the PS3 and Xbox being media centers, one think I left out is the 360 will support your IPod as a docking station so you can play it through the entertainment system if your 360 is hooked up that way.... PS3 does not.

I suggest waiting, word on the street is the new Xbox 360 suppose to be coming out soon.  Supposedly it's going to be a regular Xbox 360 but with upgrades.  Along with the upgrades, project natal looks very promising too.  I'm guessing the new Xbox 360 will have a blu-ray drive in it. 

By the way, I really wouldn't worry about Xbox 360s failing because they have a three year warranty on them.   Just set it right back if you get a three ring of death.

I think Xbox 360 will soon be on top after project natal is passed, this will blow the stupid Wii out of the water.  Wii doesn't have the power to outdue the Xbox 360, unless they come out with a new system. 

The other systems just don't have the games Xbox 360 has.  Wii just has kids games and the Sony PS3 just doesn't have the game selection.

I'm a big Xbox fan, but I can't agree with what Erik wrote.  Yes, especially since you have a blu-ray player and some 360 games already, I think it is the system to go with.  Yes, I prefer gaming on the 360 as opposed to the PS3 (I only own one PS3 game and I have not even played it; my next will be God of War 3).  But to think the 360 will ever catch up to or pass the Wii is...mistaken.  I do think it could definitely outsell the PS3 unless they do put out a new console (total rumor and not one I believe at this point) and Sony stays committed to the PS3 for as long as they have said.  And just to add - I'm looking forward to Natal!

Good old HTF, the look may change, but the arguments are the same ones from the past 8 years.

My comments about the PS3 vs. the 360 in regards to media was more about blu-ray than anything else.  Everything the 360 does, the PS3 can do.  It might not have Windows Media Center, but TVersity does the trick just fine as well.  Also, I'm pretty sure you can connect an iPod to a PS3 using the USB cable, but even if you can't then you can still use a USB thumb drive, an external HDD, or software like TVersity to achieve the same effect.  You might not be able to watch everything on Hulu, but you still have access to the internet for free with the PS3 and can watch most things on Hulu for free, versus the $50/year XBL subscription cost and the $10/month minimum Netflix membership.  There's also a rumor that Netflix will be coming to the PS3 and Wii in the next year, but I'm not really going to take much stake in that.

Regarding the PS3/360 rumors, it's pretty well known that only Nintendo can keep a secret.  Pictures of Natal and info about the PSP Go! were both leaked months before the official announcements (I'm not talking about the Qore episode with the Go! either).  If there was a rumor about Nintendo releasing the Wii HD in the fall then I would consider that to be suspect, but I think the rumors about Sony/MS are probably true.

Natal looks promising, but Nintendo said they looked at that tech while developing the Wii and went with the current design instead because it worked better.  As Sony pointed out during their E3 presentation, people need to hold something and get feedback in order to enjoy a gaming experience.  If people think the Wii is a gimmick, then Natal is no better.  Also, Natal won't be out for more than a year (which is several years into the 360's lifecycle).  While all Wii games use the Wii remote/nunchuck, only a handful of 360 games will probably use Natal in a serious (read: non-gimmick) way until the next X-Box is released and has Natal as part of it's core system.  There's also no reason that you can't connect a webcam to the Wii and use WiiSpeak to get the same effect, it's mostly the software that's behind the tech than anything else.

And in the end, I still suggested that Gary get another 360.

Eric,

I just happened to come across this post while browsing the forum.  While you are entitled to your opinions, I really don't think that it's necessary for you to use words such as "stupid" and similar when describing a particular product.  There are other ways to get your thoughts across without resorting to using such wording.  You might think that the Wii is "stupid" but I'm sure that a lot of people don't share your opinion.  It is counterproductive to use inflammatory language because no good can come out of it.  On the HTF we pride ourselves on trying to maintain civil discussions about our various passions.  Perhaps because you are new here you might not have realized this, even though we have specific rules to maintain decorum.  There are plenty of gaming sites that use this type of "baiting" language in their posting areas and the results are usually ugly.  You are welcome to discuss whatever you like (within forum guidelines, of course) but please avoid language that might be insulting to some.  This is what we expect from all our members so I'm not just singling you out.

Thank you.

Stick to what you like, I've got all 3 systems (counting the "cute" wii). PS3 shines as a blu-ray player, however I'm still waiting for the killer titles - I've got an original 60gb and most of the game playing on it is PS2 games (upconverted!). Xbox looks pretty but reliability is iffy and it's noisy (at least mine sounds like a jet fighter :))

 I like the PS3 but never had a 360. I have an original 80 gig model which is backward compatible memory card capable and 4 usb ports. My son is not a game Cleaner and it has performed flawlessly for 3 years and counting and we use the Blu Ray player a lot. My friend likes the 360 and I like the PS3. My friend has had 3 X Boxes fail so far with Rings of Death.