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

It has been years since I had a gaming console. I think the last
console I owned was a Sega. I never wanted to bother with
gaming ever since then because I'm just too busy with my day
job and this forum. My biggest fear is that if I get into gaming
I'll become so addicted that I will be irresponsible with everything
else.

What has changed my attitude? Last week on Opie and Anthony
their guest was a person that helped design the upcoming Grand
Theft Auto 4 due for release on April 29th. At first I could care
less about the radio conversation, but slowly, I was drawn into this
world of New York City where one could drive, explore, shoot people, etc.

I asked my staff which system I should consider for gaming, the
xBox 360 or PS3. I really wanted top-notch
games, graphics, sound and online play with other people.

The advice I got was that both systems were identical in graphics
and sound. Though the PS3 had a BR player (I own one
already), it was lacking in really good online play. In fact, from what
I understand, the xBox exceeds in the online category.

So, unless someone really hits it out of the ballpark with a reason
to go PS3, I think I am going xBox

Of course, I am looking for good arguments for both.

Now, let's just say I am going xBox. Which one do I go
with?

Do I go with the BASIC CORE PACKAGE for $349?

Do I go with the ARCADE BUNDLE for $279?

Do I go with the ELITE BUNDLE for $449?

Do these all come with cable to hook up to the TV?

It was also suggested I pick up an extra wireless controller and
battery recharger pack. Anything else I need?

Now, the best part, what games do you recommend?

I'm sort of into shooter stuff as well as Fantasy type stuff where
you meet characters, have to find objects to get farther in the game, etc.
Kind of in the spirit of Final Fantasy, Lara Croft and Kings Quest.

Perhaps there are other cool games you could recommend.

Yes, Call of Duty 4 will probably be on that list, too.

I'll throw in a vote for the 360. Fantastic online experience. Yeah, it's about $50 a year, but worth every penny. I'd say 95% of my gaming on the 360 is online multiplayer. Once you get a taste of it, it's tough to go back to single-player.

As for Call of Duty 4... don't even hesitate on that one. By far the best FPS out there. What I like about it is that even though they went modern warefare on this one (instead of WWII), it's still very realistic. No computerized HUD type stuff to pull you out of the game. I don't care for games like Ghost Recon that have all HUD graphics oulining enemies and such-- drawing attention to the fact you're playing a video game. I want it to feel real. On a big HD screen you will lose yourself in CoD4.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a nice game if you remember the original. I loved the first couple installments of TR and this is a great updated-throwback to the original.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the ELITE version is the only version which has HDMI out. So if that is the case, definately go that route.

The extra controller is a good idea if you have friends over. The battery packs are invaluable. If you don't have the rechargeable battery packs you'll be eating through AA batteries like mad. Pick up the charging kit that plugs into the wall (it comes with one battery pack) and then pick up a second battery pack.

Walmart.com : Microsoft Quick Charge Kit Xbox 360 : Accessories

Definitely 360 and go with the Elite for the 120G hard drive.

Great choice of games, great gamer groups to play with(hence my sig), you wont be disappointed.

BTW you keep your ear to the ground and you can find Live memberships for 20 to 25 bucks a year, I have only paid full price for one year membership and my wife is on her first, me on my third(plus I'm paid up for 3 years) and both my kids on their second

I hadn't seen any deals like that Joey, for Live. But I didn't look too hard as I picked up a couple memberships from Dell as part of a promotion when buying my son's computer a few months ago. So I'm good through the end of 2010.

You and your wife have separate Live memberships? My son and I share one. Any advantage to ponying up for two separate memberships. So far it's not been an issue (we only have one 360).

If you get a 360, don't get the Arcade bundle, it doesn't come with a HDD. I'd get the elite if you can find one, it has the largest HDD, and is the only system that comes with an HDMI cord. I think the value is there. I think all of the Xboxs come with HDMI out now though, they didn't used to.

The only real reason why you might not want an Xbox is because of the high failure rates, which are, well they're very high. Just know that when you buy it, you're not much more than a coin toss or two away from it bricking, and having to send it away to Microsoft for a few weeks.

I love my PS3, but it's also my Blu-ray player. Just on the gaming side, I also love it but I'm a very casual gamer. I find the online perfect for me, it's free and does anything I could want. You can't download movies or TV shows like on Xbox live, and the community isn't the same (live is more "youth centric"), but online gaming with Playstation Network works perfectly, and that's all I really ask.

for games, If you get an Xbox buy these

Halo 3 (shooter, duh )
Mass Effect (action RPG)
Bioshock (shooter)
Gears of War (shooter)

If you get a PS3 get these;

Uncharted (adventure game, like a modern Indiana Jones)
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (racing simulator)
Ratchet & Clank (a cartoony action platformer)
Resistance (shooter)

If you're into oldschool RPG's like Final Fantasy, you can get Folklore. I can't stand the game type but those who like it love Folklore.

And these are multiplatform titles, so get them for either one

Burnout Paradise
Call of Duty 4
Oblivion
The Orange Box
Guitar Hero or Rockband, good party games
Devil May Cry 4
uh.. sports games? I don't play sports games.

I'm not sure what the reliability of the new Xbox 360s are like, but the old ones were pretty dire. My UPS delivery person commented that she had delivered quite a lot of return boxes to people in the neighborhood. The fact that she even knew what they were was telling. Quality wise, the PS3 is a much nicer piece of gear.

That said, the online interface and game selection definitely favor the Xbox.

Me, my wife, and both my children have gold memberships(of course my kids are 12 and 14) and actually my wife's live membership is sitting on the counter, I just havent put it in yet.

We have a group of about 100 of us on Daddyplace that play together, well the guy that runs Daddyplace, his wife also has a site. My wife is a member there too. There are a few women there(most of the members are wives of our membrs) are supposed to start playing rock band together. I may be anal retentive but I dont like other people playing on my account LOL

Also my Xbox is coming back in this week, it was a launch console but the dvd drive started going out. I had bought a 120G drive when they came out so I bought an Arcade console(for the HDMI) put the 120G on it and I'm good to go. The new one will have the 20G put back on it and I'll put it in my oldest son's room.


For deals check out Cheap Ass Gamer - Cheap Video Game Shopping, Video Game Sales and Video Game Deals: CAG., its a gaming deals forum.

Also right now Toys R Us is clearing out the live vision kits that have a 12 month subscription, the vision camera, a headset, a couple hundred microsoft points and one or two arcade games for 40 bucks.

I disagree with the youth centric part of live, yeah theres a big group of kids, but there are alot of older gamer/gamer parents groups out there. Also a few of our members that own PS3's seem that the older gaming community is not as active there(as in groups to join or play with), now I know for whatever reason the Wii is having a big surge in popularity amongst some of the other gamer dads, somewhat because of the WAF.

WoW! Very disturbing to hear of the failure rates on the xBox.

What is a LIVE membership? I am guessing that is access for
online playing? I'll check that deals site for bargains.

BTW, the ELITE comes with a SILVER LIVE membership, whatever that means.

It doesn't really mean anything. I purchased an elite system, but you still need the gold to do anything useful. Go with the elite if you can, its worth the large hd, the hdmi cable, and it's black! I play with Joey and the daddy place guys on COD4. The graphics on my projector are amazing.

I take it all the new xBox consoles come with the Falcon chip?

Been doing a lot of reading on Amazon and it seems that this
is the biggest criteria.

Also amazed and shocked at just how many xBox consoles are
going bad these days. Can't MS fix the problem?

Finally, do I need one of those exterior Intercoolers to keep the
console from overheating?

Anecdotally, the only guy I know who owned an Xbox that hasn't been repaired yet uses an external cooling fan. Whether that was the reason, or he's just lucky, I have no idea. It is pretty loud, though.

Wrong. There's two benefits to a gold membership - playing online, and getting free content immediately (silver members have to wait a week to download new demos etc). That's it. Silver members still get to download demos, buy DLC, download free DLC, play XBLA titles etc.

For purely gaming use, the XBox has a lot more good titles available today than the PS3 does. However, to play Devil's Advocate, that situation may be different in a couple of years. The XBox had a year head start and (probably thanks to the format war) isn't outselling the PS3 anymore. If you're the type who buys a new console once every 10 or 15 years, you might take that into consideration. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the PS3 had a superior software library 3 years from now.

I have no idea how useful the XBox is as a media center and for surfing the web and stuff, but the PS3 is excellent for that. I use mine to read the NY Times on Sunday mornings.

Also, if you plan on gaming just casually, the fact that the PS network is free and XBox Live costs $50/ year may be a factor. Another thing I would do is check out the console exclusives for each platform. If you're only planning on buying a few games, then you should definitely take into consideration exactly which games interest you the most.

Besides, you need a bedroom BD deck!

BTW, I can't believe nobody mentioned Oblivion yet! Regardless of which console you get, Oblivion is a MUST-BUY. (Just ask RAF. ) Unless you already played through it on the PC, of course.

I really enjoyed John Woo's Stranglehold as well (also available on both consoles).

Well, since you mentioned it, I have Oblivion for both Xbox and PS3 (I needed my fix while the Xbox was in the shop). It seems to play a bit more smoothly on the PS3, but it seems as though there are more add-ons available for download on the Xbox (This could have changed though). The only add ons I'm aware of for the PS3 are the Knights of the Nine (which comes with the basic package on the PS3) and the Shivering Isles, which is available separately. In either format, this is an amazing RPG, probably the best I've ever played.

Ron, you're doomed

Though not a hardcore gamer, I've been playing video games since there were video games. I don't play consistently, but I'm continually fascinated by games, and love the experience provided by the best of them. A good game is, for me, a better and more satisfying experience than a good movie.

With my Mac, I've returned to gaming a bit, picking up on some older titles I missed. And with that, I urge you to play Half Life 2 : The Orange Box. And if you really want to go back in time further, the original Half Life still stands as a remarkable experience in gaming.

Half-Life is for about the ultimate in gaming. It is combines the best features of first-person shoots, with a rich and detailed environment and a compelling storyline. And to my surprise, the third installment, Episode 2, is among the best games I've ever played. If you enjoy sci-fi settings and first-person shoot gaming, this is a must-have.

Ok, I'm done gushing over my favorite game.

If you like racing at all, the Burnout series is too much fun.

For a light-hearted experience, Lego Star Wars II is a joy -- playable with people who don't play games.

I may get a new system this year so my wife can play Lego Indiana Jones, so I'm curious what system you go with and why.

Someone mentioned in another thread that some PS3 games have lossless multichannel audio and that the other consoles are not capable of that. Anyone know the tru fax?

I'm gonna say PS3 for two reasons--1)it's the best BD player around as long as you don't need analog 5.1 output and it's fully upgradeable to Profile 2.0 and 2) GT5 Prologue--the best racing sim game in existence. My 13 month old 60gb model's been chugging away flawlessly despite very heavy use.

It's performance as an upconverting dvd player is excellent and it's user interface as a dvd player is great. Relatively frequent firmware upgrades just keep making it better and better.

my roomate got an elite with his tax refund. First week he had it on his 32" tube in his room, then that weekend we stuck it on my 42" 1080 lcd in the living room and its not moved since.

Like many have said, i believe they all come with hdmi out now, but you really need one with a hard drive. Some games wont even install without the drive present. (we ran into that with a old xbox game, ninja gaiden black witha friend who has no hard drive)

Im not a huge console gamer anymore myself, last one i bought was a super nintendo (which i still play, tetris and street fighter 2) but i have enjoyed a little bit of bioshock and i play forza motorsports 2 daily.

The coolest thing i like, and this goes back to having the hard drive, is the movie/tv show part on live. You can download trailers to movies, some in HD, and rent movies, most that are available in HD. The 360 has built in sharing that will allow you to stream music/movies from a windows machine, and us mac users can get a little system panel called connect 360 that will let you share iphoto and itunes and even finds your movies folder to share compatible movies in there. The streaming works very well coming from my 1.2ghz g4 tower.

Personally i'd probably get ps3, because i have no blueray player, but taking blueray out of the equation, i think the xbox wins hands down because the online portion is a lot more robust then what sony has right now, only thing missing is a browser for the internet.

Regarding oblivion, everyone says the pc is the way to go just for UI mods and bag mods. The consoles are just stock and wear you out pretty quick.

ars technica has tons of posts regarding both systems in thier gamer thread
Gaming, Extra Strength Caplets - Forum Powered by eve community

I'm having real problems here.

I was leaning towards the xBox and now a friend is twisting
my arm to go with the PS3.

The Blu-ray player is not a big selling point as I already have
a player. Yes, I know it loads faster and that the firmware updates
will give me the new profile, but...

I want great online play. From what I understand, the PS3 just
doesn't do it as good.

Now, if someone tells me that is going to improve then fine, I
may consider it.

I really could use some good reasons to go with either unit.

It depends on what you mean by "do it as good." Xbox live has more features than Playstation Network (for now) like downloadable movies and more robust chatting abilities. But as far as Online Gameplay in concerned, then there isn't much difference between the two. I just don't want you to think that by the PSN being "not as good" as Live, and really it's not, that it doesn't somehow work. It does everything it's intended to do flawlessly.

Is PSN going to improve? Yes, they've got a lot of big things coming this year. Sony is introducing "Playstation Home" sometime this summer, a virtual world where you'll access online content with a little Mini Ron (like World of Warcraft). It's suppose to be a big deal but I don't know too much about it really, here's what Wikipedia says;
PlayStation Home - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They're also introducing Movie and TV downloads, and I've read they might have a deal with netflix that will allow netflix members to stream movies. And the next firmware update is introducing at least some in game XMB (the systems control panel), which will make its chatting functions and usability as robust as lives'.