Xbox360 vs PS3 - an "insider's" perspective

[uneedav8]

IMHO, the way the PS3 and Sony are going, blu-ray gonna fail. It's another proprietary format that they refused to let fly the way it could have (or took too much to launch to begin with).

 

It's tough to say who will come out on top of the format wars. It just happens to be that better technology doesn't always come out on top. VHS won over Beta.....but from what I have read, Beta was the better technology. Then you had all the DVD+ and - R stuff......now the solution is + and - drives. Now you got Blueray and HD-DVD.....now Bestbuy is stocking Blueray/HD-DVD players. Whether the PS3 game comes on a CD, DVD, Blueray or HD-DVD......I don't really care less except for the fact that I have to pay $60 to $70 for it. If it wasn't for the taladega nights disk that came with the PS3 and I bought Ultraviolet ( Because it was filmed in HD, not converted....not too good of a movie) I wouldn't be replacing my DVD collection with Blueray or HD-DVD anytime soon.

[watsonte]

IMHO, the way the PS3 and Sony are going, blu-ray gonna fail. It's another proprietary format that they refused to let fly the way it could have (or took too much to launch to begin with).

 

You do understand that Sony is not the only company that has money invested in Blu-Ray right? The "format war" involves are larger amount of companies than many people like to think....Everyone seems to be convinced that Sony is the sole creator and manufacture of Blu-Ray...they are not...Here is a small list of the figured heads behind it...

 

Apple Computer, Inc.

Dell Inc.

Hewlett Packard Company

Hitachi, Ltd.

LG Electronics Inc.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Pioneer Corporation

Royal Philips Electronics

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Sharp Corporation

Sony Corporation

Sun Microsystems, Inc.

TDK Corporation

Thomson Multimedia

Twentieth Century Fox

Walt Disney Pictures

Warner Bros. Entertainment

 

All of these companies are interested in making Blu-Ray the new standard...

[Guest oRiOn]

Blu-Ray selling 2-1 vs. HD-DVD. It was 5-1 HD-DVD a little while ago but now Blu-Ray is up due to more PS3's. I have the 360 and the PS3. I love both, I like the ps3 more though because I have all my backed up DVD's converted to MPEG2 and I put them on my ext hdd then I transfer them all to my ps3. They are both amazing systems. I think that not one is a clear winner, though PS3 will be triumphant when they redo the ps-store and add a music player in game, along with the raw power it has that will be harnessed in the future.

 

-Will

[ollietwinam]

Well not like anyone cares about my input but after being a die-hard PS3 fanatic, and proud PS2 owner, I played on an Xbox 360 the other day.

And.

 

WOW.

 

Amazing graphics! Rainbow 6:Vegas just looks fan-bloody-tastic, Gears of War is amazing, and PGR3 is silky smooth.

And this was on a regular TV, no widescreen, no HD goodness, just a 21" CRT TV.

 

It's on my Birthday list

[Angry_Games]

get Tony Hawk Project 8 also, its bloody fantastic (and we'll get some GoW going too and if want, grab the full version of Uno from XboxLive and we'll all play it one night also)

[THEnumber337]

I love Xbox Live. Halo 2 owned my life and a lot of my friends' lives for about half a year after it came out. Now I use the 360 and I'm impressed even though I don't have an HDTV. The controls have taken a little getting used to but GoW sure is fun.

 

However I still do enjoy gaming on my PC. I'm living in a dorm right now in college so me and some of my friends LAN games up occasionally. It's much easier to LAN over the school network than it is having to set up a LAN event.

 

I enjoy playing FPS on the 360 and the PC but I prefer to play RTS games like Age of Empires II and III and Rise of Nations on the PC. Any RTS games I've played on a console just haven't done it for me. Halo Wars is coming out sometime for the 360 and I can't wait to try. Even though they say it's going to be 360 exclusive I hope they reconsider and make a PC version.

[kimahri626]

Anything in the electronic world that is able to hold more storage capacity is usually the clear winner.

 

I will have to disagree there. That's like comparing a WD Raptor to an IDE. Pure storage capacity has nothing to do with it.

[Fogel]

For all the reasons Angry stated, I don't think PS3 will be taking the #1 Crown this time around. There are some games coming out for it that I will definitely be interested in once they come out and it will hurt because I can't justify paying $600 BASE PRICE ...but really you are looking more at $1000 when you count taxes, replacement plan (some ps3s have went up in flames apparently), couple games, and some cables.

 

WINNER: XBox360, Wii, then PS3

 

I think it is going to take awhile to de-throne good old fashioned DVDs. There are a lot of people like me who built up more extensive DVD libraries than they thought they would. Plus, look in any store and the movies available for either side are pretty darn slim. Right now the only people buying into either side are ones who have to have the latest tech. Right now I'm so much on the fence that I'm chalking both up to Mini Disc and Laser Disc. I think the industry (Movies AND Gaming) is ready for a change but I don't think the public is.

 

WINNER: Standard DVD format for now

 

Back when all I played was console games, I would have challenged anyone (A N Y O N E) who said "a mouse always wins against controller". I don't have much to brag about but when it comes to console games I'll speak up. I'm the reason people hate 1-shot = kill guns. It would typically take me 7 shots to get my 5 kills. I could round a corner and fire a shot at someone a good distance away while strafing and snag the kill shot. My trick ...playing the single player game. The computer is ALWAYS better than a person because they know exactly where you are and don't have to think when aiming. Once you match the computer's speed, then you play people and get the random factor into your gaming.

 

WINNER: Defined by the player but all things being equal KB & Mouse have the edge

 

The trick to PC vs Console FPS games... consoles are more of a time sink to get good at. The thing I hate about PC FPS games is that people have mastered the art of cheating ...and I don't mean quick macros. I mean the real deal cheating, map hacks, gun hacks, etc.. Problem is games are getting better at stopping cheating so the players are getting better at disguising their cheating. I love people better than me so i get better, but cheating is grounds for a beating and since with PCs your opponents are around the world ...thats not happening. Though reading mags, its becomming apparent even the XBox Live! isn't safe from cheaters.

 

I do LOVE the versatility with PC Online Gaming and the number of players. I'm looking forward to seeing what XBox Live can offer. And as much as I would love to see Nintendo take the reigns again, there is no way they or Sony could match MS in the online community ...and I haven't even seen XBox Live looks like yet. Its just plain simple logic. XBox has a developed community and has already had 1 console live through a real online community. It has the base and the experience that both Sony and the big N are missing.

 

I'm with Angry on RTS games should be PC only. The game that got me into PC Games is StarCraft, and I can't imagine playing that on console. Heck living without a keyboard for an RTS game... yeeesh, can't even imagine. Changing guns on a PC is definitely a whole lot faster than a console, but for some reason I goof myself up in PCs and have no problems on console. But when my coordination is on point, PC is unrivaled there and that CAN make a difference in key situations.

 

WINNER: Both Make your choice if you're close minded or enjoy both and have fun!

[Angry_Games]

I got to revise my statements earlier and say that Nintendo's Wii is going to be the #1 console this time around...it's less expensive, more family oriented, and it is "new" in terms of controls, as well as the Virtual Console (old NES, SNES, Sega games etc)

 

I'll get one when I have a real job and can afford one, but for right now, I'm still a huge Xbox360 guy (especially with Guitar Hero II coming for it in April!!!!)

[watsonte]

For all the reasons Angry stated, I don't think PS3 will be taking the #1 Crown this time around. There are some games coming out for it that I will definitely be interested in once they come out and it will hurt because I can't justify paying $600 BASE PRICE ...but really you are looking more at $1000 when you count taxes, replacement plan (some ps3s have went up in flames apparently), couple games, and some cables.

 

Just to clarify a few things...because I do feel I should atleast defend my purchase...(I own both the 360 and PS3)...The PS3 (with replacement plan)..Extra Controller..HDMI Cable...3 Games...and a new HDD (160GB) Ran the bill up to $1000 exactly...

 

 

I dont know of nor have I ever seen a PS3 burning up. I have 5 different friends that own a PS3 and my brother and I both own a PS3 as well 7 out of 7 no issues)...those are ugly rumors spread by most extreme fans convinced they need to prove one console is better than the other.

 

 

As far as the high price tag concerned...I feel the PS3 20GB version is a steal...its a Blu-Ray player and gaming system in one. The 360 is the same price when including a HD-DVD player...so really its not such a bad price...and Blu-Ray on an HDTV really does look and sound very good.

 

As far as the "Console War" goes...I dont think much into winners and loosers of the console race/war...I feel like so much is put into talking about and figuring out who is going to loose that every one is wasting their time and effort worrying about something that isnt all that important...

 

I am a gamer...I like games...no matter what platform they are on...so really in the end I want to be the winner...I want to be able to enjoy any and every game that strikes my interest...

[Fogel]

I dont know of nor have I ever seen a PS3 burning up. I have 5 different friends that own a PS3 and my brother and I both own a PS3 as well 7 out of 7 no issues)...those are ugly rumors spread by most extreme fans convinced they need to prove one console is better than the other.

 

As far as the "Console War" goes...I dont think much into winners and loosers of the console race/war...I feel like so much is put into talking about and figuring out who is going to loose that every one is wasting their time and effort worrying about something that isnt all that important...

 

I am a gamer...I like games...no matter what platform they are on...so really in the end I want to be the winner...I want to be able to enjoy any and every game that strikes my interest...

Well whether they burn up or not is not the real point. It is always best to buy the replacement plan with a new console. I love games too but lets face it, Sony (3 systems) and MS (2 so far) always have problems out the door with the first batch. Nintendo is by far the best with hardware (quality ...not speaking about power) and I would still buy the replacement plan with a Wii. Its just a smart thing to buy and should be factored into the price.

 

The same can't be said for a HD-DVD player. I have a PS2 and you know how many times I have used it to play movies? Zero. I'm sorry but I'll take a stand alone player any day. Some of my friends ONLY use a ps2 to play movies, but why should I have to pay for a player if I'm not going to use it? I don't plan on buying any Blu-Ray or HD-DVD discs for a looong time. Not till I see how well either actually take off. Laser Disc was better technology and it failed. Mini-Disc (backed by Sony) was better technology and it failed too. I'm just not feeling the vibe yet from Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. So I don't really see it as a selling point for the PS3. Trust me, I DO want a PS3 for some of the games that will be coming out for it. (Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Lair, Final Fantasy XIII, Devil May Cry 4, and a little bit of me wants Virtual Fighter 5) I'm not hatin on the PS3 because if I could afford it, GAME ON.

 

But weaknesses have to be pointed out and companies have to be open enough to hear them. People down Nintendo because they think they only do "kiddie games" and Nintendo does not have an Online Community. I used to think exactly like you... forget console wars I just wanna have fun. But you know what I think now? Console Wars ARE important. Nintendo got cocky and Sony stole the show. Sony got cocky and now its time for someone else to steal the show. This is important so companies recognize their weaknesses and fricken do something about it. They get lazy and complacement till someone kicks their butt. Thats why monopolies are bad and competition is good.

 

Sony and the gaming industry as a whole are getting cocky and thinking gamers will pay any price to play games. While that may be true for many people there are a whole lot that it isn't true for. Sony needs a wake up call.

 

I grew up with Nintendo so I would LOVE to see the Wii surprise everyone since most discussions don't even include it. Most people in our range just think its PS3 vs XBox360. But I still don't think Nintendo has woken up enough to deserve it. You would think the N64 and GC would have done it - I own both and while I love some of the games on them tremendously, they were still horrible consoles for lack of 3rd Party games. Right now the only games on the horizon for the Wii are Nintendo games ...which I love, but they NEED 3rd Party games to be in the running. Next I would like to see Sony come in 2nd and Microsoft so far behind they give up on the console business ...just because I'm tired of Microsoft trying to monopolize everything. But I hate to admit it... and I mean I REALLY hate to admit it, they actually added some value to the Console Wars.

 

Just like people debate Ford vs Chevy, people will always debate Nintendo vs Sony vs MS. At least with consoles there is a better chance to own them all ...but with consoles getting bigger price tags the number of people able to own them all will go down, so expect these debates to only increase. I think a big part of the debates is frustration. Everyone wants to own them all because there are some really good games on all systems ...but since they can't they want to feel good about the path they did choose.

[Fogel]

I got to revise my statements earlier and say that Nintendo's Wii is going to be the #1 console this time around...it's less expensive, more family oriented, and it is "new" in terms of controls, as well as the Virtual Console (old NES, SNES, Sega games etc)

 

I'll get one when I have a real job and can afford one, but for right now, I'm still a huge Xbox360 guy (especially with Guitar Hero II coming for it in April!!!!)

When I get the money my next console purchase will be a Wii too. It looks like a great party game system. Even though there are emulators, which I haven't gotten into yet, I'm looking forward to being able to download all those old games.

 

Girl at Best Buy told me she downloaded emulators onto her 360 and plays them off of it, which sounds very tempting to learn how to do. Depending on the Wii's pricing of those old games I may look into how to do that for my 360.