bryce0lynch

I'm trying to talk myself in to purchasing a PS3 or a 360. You can help.

I own a Wii, a PS2, a gaming computer and two other PC's. I have 2 kids (8&9) who play a lot of Popcap & a decent amount of Wii. I have owned a 360 TWICE, both times so I could play Dead Rising, and both times I sold it.

I have two things driving a purchase: Little Big Planet & media streaming.

I want to play LBP. I think my kids would like it also.

I am very interested in a streaming media server, to which I can connect multiple terrabyte drives to stream music & music to the Tv. I understand the 360 can now do this via SMB. The Netflix integration is kind of nice also.

I'm not sure about Blue-Ray/HD via the PS3; I don't think it's a major pus or minus. It would be a nice bonus, but is not a major factor. I've seen HD and I know what makes it tick and I know the diff isn't that large.


Can someone justify me purchasing either a PS3, another 360, or both? I may end up going with a standalone media server to get the Netflix/streaming that the 360 provides, and it seems hard to justify the PS3 for just 1 game. (Your FPS/shooter arguments are lost on me. I'm a bigot: those game genres are infinitely better on the PC; which immediately removes from consideration major portions of the PS3 & 360 game libraries.)

Raul3

You are not mentioning any game you want to play in the Xbox 360, besides Dead Rising I guess
So I would say go with the PS3, LBP it's a lot of fun and your kids will love it. You can play coop and have a lot of fun with them.
Media streaming works the same with the PS3 and the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 accepts more codecs, PS3 is more limited so may have to consider that too.

Canis Firebrand

It depends on the type of games you are looking for.

Now is a really good time to get into the 360 market. Not only has the console come down in price, there are a ton of games out there at really cheap prices.

The 360 can stream netflix offerings if you have a gold live account and a netflix account that allows streaming. The 360 can also connect to your computer if you have media center xp or vista installed.

The PS3 has LBP, so if that is your must play game, then you will need to purchase a PS3. The blu-ray movie function is really nice, but you stated that it isn't really an issue in your decision.

If you are just interested in games, I would look at the libraries of both systems and decide on those. Both systems have a fair amount of titles on both systems, so you really only have to focus on exclusives. And then decide on which system has more exclusive games you want to play.

Really, you can't go wrong with either system. And of course, the best option would be to get both. But, money often does not allow that course of action.

Michael Corvin

What Vryce said. You can't go wrong with either. Even though you can't stream Netflix on the PS3, it is very convenient for renting Blu-rays. So Netflix works in favor of both systems. Also XBLA tends to have more of the Pop-cap like games you mentioned.

bryce0lynch

The problem may be that I don't find the content on either system that compelling, especially when compared to the PC. LBP is the only thing on the PS3 that's interesting and Dead Rising was the only thing on 360. Blue-Ray is not a compelling reason (for me) and I suspect that I'd be more happy with streaming support from a third-party box.

I'm trying to find a good reason to justify purchasing a PS3, beyond LBP, and I think I'm tossing the 360 in to the ring to seem fair.

Back to Purgatory for me, I think ...

Chew

I understand you mean "natively", but PlayOn works perfectly fine for PS3 Netflix streaming.

Michael Corvin

Sounds like you just have money to burn then. Put it towards something more useful then. New laptop? TV? etc.

Canis Firebrand

That sounds like a better use of money if software is not luring you to one console or the other.

If you are only interested in one game on each system, it sounds like you are wanting to buy a console just to have one rather then buying it based on games to play.

C-Mart

How much is a 3rd party box for streaming? If the PS3 isn't that much more I would go that route. There are tons of good non-FPS games (in my opinion), and Little Big Planet is awesome!

redbill

Ps3 can stream most media formats.

JohnSlider

Netflix will probably be available for streaming on the PS3 sometime in 2009.

The Bus

The PS3 and the 360 can stream equally well. I have a slight preference for the PS3 since I can seek down to the minute in a large file, but honestly, there's not much of a difference.

What third party box are you thinking of? The Popcorn Hour is more expensive than a 360.

If you don't see the difference between SD and HD and there's no compelling games on either system, I honestly don't know what to tell you.

Spiderbite

Definitely don't buy a PS3 just for LBP. You will be disappointed. It is an okay game but it seems highly overrated and is not a "system seller."

The Bus

I've yet to meet a person disappointed by it.

chuckd21

I'd say go with the 360 because of price, features and library. Plus there are plenty of casual games in the arcade, which seem like they would appeal to your family. You really can't go wrong right now getting the Arcade model for some casual gaming.

SoSpacey

PS3.

You can use PlayOn to stream Netflix and stream music, pictures and movies with something like TVersity.

You may not see th ebenefit of the Blu-ray player but in reality, you will use it and probably make the HD switch soon anyway.

PS3 has built in wireless and no annual on-line costs.

fumanstan

What kind of games do you play on your PC? I would have thought the 360 would be a good parallel to the type of big release games on the PC.

FatTony

I just got my PS3 a little over a month ago and it's easily one of the better console purchases I've ever made. It beat the 360 for me, but from what I understand, that's all a matter of preference. However, from the sound of it, you only want to get a PS3 to try out LittleBigPlanet, so I'd say maybe you'd want to look into renting the console and game first before dropping $460+ to try it out. Then again, you bought and sold two 360s for the same game, so money sounds like it's not an issue for you.

Right here. I loved the look of it, but the levels on the disc got really hard really fast, largely because the controls leave a lot to be desired which is simply unforgivable in a platformer. Luckily, I only rented it instead of going out and buying it.

Canis Firebrand

Take with a grain of salt... Sure, it has no annual on-line costs, yet. But as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. The on-line experience on the PS3 is sub-par, at best.

Wireless built in is really a non-issue when I picked up the PS3 and I hardwired mine in. I really didn't want to rely on my wireless signal which can run into issues when playing a game or streaming media. I much prefer a wired connect. I honestly scratch my head a lot when people tout that "feature" as a reason to buy a PS3 over a 360.

JohnSlider

That is simply ridiculous. Sure the online experience may not come with as many bells and whistles on the PlayStation 3 as the X-Box 360 does, but if you are buying a game with online capabilities the PlayStation 3 will work just as flawlessly with presenting great online gameplay. I honestly don't see the validity or merits of arguments that say the X-Box Live is worth the monthly fee vs. the PlayStation 3's free online service.

fumanstan

I understand wireless not being an issue and the preference of a wired connection for stability, but I can't see how it would be a head scratcher for anyone when it's painfully obvious why it's important for those who don't have an easy way to connect their system online near their console.

Canis Firebrand

I've played many games online and had nothing but troubles in getting connected. Finding a game is a chore. half the time my voice or the voice of othre people doesn't come through. There is no easy way to see who is in a given game nor invite them into my game.

The online experience just seems tacked on and clunky.

To call it ridiculous is a bit of a stretch.

Canis Firebrand

If factored in with other criteria, sure. I guess I should have qualified my statement you posted to reflect picking solely on wireless vs non-wireless.

But I have heard more then one person online and in stores state how they would never choose a 360 because it doesn't have wireless and that the PS3 must clearly be superior because it does.

The Bus

I haven't met you, technically. I played this with seven other people, which ranged from video game veterans to those who rarely play, and they all liked it.

That said, it's not worth $400.

cruzness

Most people who have played LBP that I have met love it - (all kinds of gamers) the user created levels are lots of fun and my six year old daughter loves it. Would I buy a console for 1 game - hell no!. While the PS3 is a solid piece of hardware and the 360 has a great installed fanbase, there has to be more reasoning to buy a console for 1 game.

And this comes from a Sony guy.