X-Box 360 vs. PS3
 

So I'm looking into getting one of these and am having troubles decided. Does anyone have both and can list the pros/cons of each? I' looked at some articles online, but they're all old from when teh PS3 was coming out or just came out.

this is gonna get ugly fast....

I'd say 360... cheaper, better online, better games, better support, better controller, better graphics (so far). I own both, but my PS3 only plays Blu-Ray.

They are both good consoles, though many people would agree that the 360 has a much better gaming library. The PS3 is still coming into its own though. There's nothing that really stands out so far on the PS3 besides Uncharted and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4. But the PS3 does have Blu-Ray capabilities, built in Wi-Fi, backwards compatibility, and free online gaming, so those are all huge positives. As for games that are on both systems, generally the 360 has run them better except for Burnout Paradise.

this will end badly.

Its all about preference. I got a Wii and PS3 but not the 360 as it does not really have any games that interests me.
Most exclusive games on 360 will end up ported to the PC(Halo and Gears of War).But the 360s live arcade looks good though.
So go look at what games you like better on the system and decide from there.

360:
Bigger library (both retail disc-based games and XBox Live Arcade)
Better online/multiplayer
Achievements

PlayStation3:
BluRay
Better graphics and processing (though most developers don't take too much advantage because they want to release their games for the 360, too)

I've got a a 360 but not a PS3 and I'm perfectly happy that way. Not that the PS3 seems like a bad system, but the things it offers above and beyond what the 360 offers don't do much for me, and the things the 360 offers (primarily the bigger library and the better online support) are important to me.

360 is the better current system, PS3 is slightly more future-proof due to Blu.

I have both, get a good amount of use out of both. Prefer online play with the 360, but enjoy the free play on the PS3. I have better luck with my xvid/divx/wmvhd on the 360 as compared to the PS3, so it ends up being used a tad more. The PS3s graphical "potential" is there in theory, but it has yet to prove itself as being superior to the 360 on a technical level (some minor slowdown in GTA4, for instance, could easily be attributed to loading off disc instead of the HDD.)

IMO: If you can find a refurbished PS3 60gb for around $350 or less, go that route, otherwise stick with the 360 Pro. And to be perfectly honest, you can't go wrong with either. However, if you do need a wireless adapter for your 360, don't forget to add an extra $50 - $100 to the final price (my 360 plugs straight into my wireless router).

I have them both (like it seems most people here).

I prefer to game on the 360 (better library, I far prefer the 360 controller), but I think the PS3 is a much better media machine (Blu-Ray). I like the integration of the PS3 with my PSP.

For gaming alone, the 360 would be my choice. But if you also care about the media end of things, it gets a lot more complicated and I'd lean toward the PS3.

Ps3!!!! Blue Ray Beat Out Hd Dvd Haha Suckers1!!!!!!!!!!!!

:lol:

:lol:

I don't own a 360, but I have a PS3. I'm not a 360 or PS3 fanboy so you won't get any "360 suxs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" or "ps3 suxs!!!!!!!!!!!!!" comments from me. I got the PS3 (as a gift) because I watch a lot of films and I wanted it for Blu-ray playback. I do play games sometimes (NHL 08 and GTA IV eat up a good chunk of my time), but the PS3 is for BD and DVD playback first and foremost. I got a 40GB, BTW.

If you watch a lot of films and want Blu-ray playback, get a PS3. If you're a gamer, it's all about what you prefer.

PS3.

Easily my favorite gaming controller ever. Love Blu-Ray capabilities. MLB 08 The Show.

I chose the PS3.

The free online and built-in wireless is nice, since I refuse to pay for online play.

It's still the best Blu-Ray player on the market, at least compared to anything even remotely close to it's price range.

There are plenty of good games already out and there are some excellent titles coming this year: MGS4, Little Big Planet, Resistance 2, and Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, to name a few.

Home will be pretty cool even if it doesn't live up to the hype, which would be pretty much impossible anyway.

It's a more open platform. You can install Linux. You can use just about any bluetooth headset and the hard drive is easily replaced with any 2.5" SATA HDD.

I'm not saying the 360 doesn't have it's advantages too, the PS3 just was the better choice for me.

I don't see why this has to end badly. They are both great consoles.

These console decisions are easy. Look at the current lineup of games and the games announced for the rest of the year and pick the one that has the most titles you will play.

Xbox360 has the bigger US install base and, though you pay for it, the best online service. Must people I know seem to love the 360 mainly because of Live and because of that gamer score they get through achievements. It also has great exclusives like Halo 3, Gears of War and so on.

The PS3 doesn't have as many quality shooters as the 360, but may have a more rounded library depending on your tastes. Also, its online is free though not as advanced as Live and it does have that nice built in Blu-ray ability if it is something you would use.

If you are buying it for games by all means pick the one that better fits your gaming tastes.

When I made my personal decision to buy a PS3 I went with it because of Blu-ray, the media card slots for easy A/V transfer and I just prefer the kind of games that come out on the PS3 to the 360. Exclusives like Halo 3, Gears of War and Mass Effect have zero appeal to me. The PS2 compatibility was also important when I bought mine though that and the media card slots are gone from the 40GB version.

I know people think that the Playstation having a free online service is great but I'd rather enjoy my XBOX Live account than fuck around with the PSN service. The free service is great but mainly because of the fact that is is free. I doubt anyone would easily pony up money for the service Sony offers now if they had to start charging for it. The updated PSN store did prompt me to get a PSP because of the ability to download demos and games for it right from the online store. I had been tempted to get a DS but grew tired waiting for a DS demo download channel.

The Blu-ray drive they kept claiming would come out for the 360 wasn't appealing to me. I figured if I was going to get something to play Blu-ray movies I would just get a PS3. I didn't really use it much for gaming and other than rentals here and there I don't play many games on it. Thankfully there are a number of games on the horizon that I will be getting to make it more of a gaming machine. Little Big Planet is going to be an outstanding game and Metal Gear Solid 4 will sell a ton of systems.

As someone else said you are better off letting the games you want dictate the system you get. Browse a gaming site and see what games interest you. Then tally up the games from each system and enjoy the system that wins out.

That is one other complaint I have against the PS3, I'm not a fan of the controller. The L2 and R2 triggers are just awkwardly placed/don't feel right and the analog sticks aren't particularly good for FPS games. I'm able to make due with both but do think the 360 has the system beat in this field.

Basically though, the other comments are right, look at the game slate and go after the one you like better.

I really think it hinges on whether you will be playing Blu-ray discs or not.

The 360 would be better at the moment based on gaming alone. There's a bigger library, and the third-party developers are still getting the hang of programming for the PS3. At least for now, many multiplatform games aren't as good on the PS3 because of this. However, there are still some great games on the PS3, and as developers get more familiar with the system, we should see better cross-platform games and of course exclusive games that take better advantage of the hardware. So, I would (and did) choose based on the BD feature.

The controller is completely a personal preference. I think the 360 controller is a little better shaped, but many people are used to the Dual Shock after all these years and swear by it. I didn't like the DS all that much, as I was never big into PlayStation consoles (I never had a PS2), but I've gotten to like it this generation (I don't have a 360).

I'd really like to get a PS3 due mainly to Blu support but, rumors of a 360 Blu add-on have kept me from taking the plunge. The 80gb MGS bundle is very tempting though.

I was convinced I was going to go with the 360 until I starting actually researching. It became a toss-up and the PS3 won out for me based on my current preferences. It really is an AMAZING device, and I do not have time to worry about on-line play.

I don't get the 360 is cheaper thing though. It's basically a la carte.

Let's say you get the Arcade version. $279 right?

You want wireless? $100. You want hard drive space? $80 for the 20GB or $180 for the 120GB.

The 360 winds up being more expensive than the PS3 when you add wireless and comparable hard drive space, and the 360 still doesn't have built-in HD video like the PS3 does (Blu-Ray).

Now there's no denying the 360 is vastly superior in online multiplayer support and downloadable content. But for someone who might not own any of the big cross-platform games and isn't gaga about online play or achievements, the PS3 is just fine.

I won't even go into the details of the RROD thing, which is just unforgivable.

I finally took a chance and bought a 360 in February which I confirmed was built in January '08. It's been fine so far, but then again, I've only used it about 30-40 hours so far. My PS3 gets about 3x that usage, and that's all gaming. I watch my Blu-Ray's on a standalone. GTA IV, COD4, Rainbow Six, EA sports games - all of these are on the PS3, and those are the versions I own.

It is about priority and preference.

Do you want a game system that can play multimedia, or a multimedia system that can play games? Answer that question, and the choice is pretty easy.

If you want primarily a game system, then get a 360. If you want primarily a multimedia system, get a PS3.

I don't believe in for-pay digital downloads, so XBLA and video marketplace are non-factors for me.

Given that, the PS3 is light years ahead of the 360 as a personal multimedia hub. I originally thought that the 360 had a limited variety of games (all games seemed to fit into 5 basic categories) but it is light years ahead of the PS3 for games.

Having owned both, I can easily say that the PS3 is built better. Considering all of the features that are built-in (especially with the 80GB model) the PS3 is a better value...IF... you would want those features in the first place. Paying for unwanted features is wasteful.

If the game situation improves for the PS3, then it will have a distinct advantage.

Again, it is about preference and priority so I'm sure that someone could make a convincing argument for the 360.

Alright, I will try to summarize my pros and cons for each.

Games
Edge: 360. While the PS3 has interesting games coming down the pike, the 360 has a ton of great titles that are not only exclusive to it but also (now) cheap. With $120 you can buy 4 or 5 awesome 360 games and, at best 2 or 3 PS3 games (not counting downloadable games). And as much as I like PixelJunk Monsters, I think the 360 Live Arcade service is loads better.

Multimedia
Edge: PS3. This edge isn't as big as it could be. The PS3 can play Blu-ray, the 360 can't. But the 360 lets you download and rent movies and TV shows, which the PS3 doesn't let you do (yet). Since the latter is going to be a tie by the end of this year, the PS3 has the edge.

Online
Edge: 360. Yes, the service costs money but everything about it is great. It's much easier to talk to friends, communicate in game, join matches, etc. And to boot, anything you download will be quicker through the 360. If I want to play a demo on the 360, I hit download, make myself a drink, and it will be ready to play or close to ready to play pretty quickly. With the PS3, I have to start the night before.

Reliability
Edge: PS3. And this is a big edge. More than likely, your 360 will break. Realize that this is largely an issue because when it breaks, you really want to play it. If my Wii or PS3 broke, I could survive for a few weeks (months for the Wii) without it. When the 360 breaks, it really sucks.

I think sracer hit it on the nose. If you want a BD player that plays games, get the PS3. That's basically what it is for me right now. If you want a game machine with multimedia capabilities, get the 360.

I dunno, the 360 is surprisingly stronger in certain genres. For example Lost Odd., Blue Dragon, and Eternal Sonata really rounded out the 360s JRPG library. Also, there is a new Tales game coming soon (which may end up multiplatform but for now is 360). In the pipe is Infinite Undiscovery (which is a 360 exclusive still), and another RPG, The Last Remnant from SquareEnix is planned for PS3/360. There is also a Star Ocean game in the works which seems like it will be another PS3/360 release.

Until the PS3 finally gets Final Fantasy XIII (probably 2009) and 1-2 other good titles it's JRPG library won't be much to speak of. You do have White Knight Story which should be pretty awesome. Otherwise, some series have even jumped ship, Monster Hunter to Wii, and Dragonquest to DS.

The PS3 does have a couple of nice SJRPGs in the pipe, Disgaea 3 (dated looking but same old addictive gameplay I guess), and Valkria Chronicles looks awesome.

Anyway, my main point would be that certain genres are no where near as clear cut as last generation. If you're only a casual shooter player for example, games such as Resistance, Warhawk and COD4 will more than keep you happy on PS3.

I have a PS3 that I use more for a BD player than games, but I do game on it. I had thought of buying a 360. My dad got one after Christmas (I told him with the warranty it was a fairly safe bet) and got about 2 months of playing in on it until it started taking chips out of his game disks (sitting flat, not upright). Since then, he has sent it back 3 times ... the first two replacements he got back were defective out of the box (one wouldn't sync with the controller and the other froze immediately each time it was turned on), and the third didn't have a power cable (which he's waiting for now). I'd chalk it up to horrible luck if it didn't seem par for the course with this piece of equipment.