[OT] Xbox or Playstation??

[Doc Holliday]

i have a 360. its pretty cool but the games i play nymph you dont want the little guy playin. xbox live is pretty smooth. a good mate of mine in australia and me play cod4 regularly ( and i get rinsed even more regularly ) which i like plus a few of the guys at work have 360s so we play alot of coop shooters for fun.

ps3 is an awesome piece of kit (a friend has one and it is sick) and my opinion is really that you get what you pay for.

as for the red ring of death it was a reported fault that shipped a while ago with the console which has "allegedly" been fixed. i have mine now for about 2-3 months and its fine so far so good. my mate had his go die on him from overheating. he sent it away due to warranty and it was returned inside 2 weeks (over xmas to boot) with half of the insides brand new and a free month of xbox live to cover it. i think that aint bad personally.

of course some people will hate the fact its microsoft and hate on it for that reason the same way its popular to bash EA. cut through the shit and you will make a decision.

(if you get a ps3 i cant play with you tho )

[Obsidian X]

An objective listing might help:

XBox 360
Pros:

• Cheaper
• No Hard Drive installs required
• Wider selection of games
• Exclusives: Gears of War, Mass Effect, GTA IV Lost and Damned, Halo to name but a few
• Generally better Downloadable Content (GTA and Fallout for example aren't producing DLC for PS3
• Achievements more comprehensive than PS3 Trophies and supported by every game.
• Controllers cheaper, and considered more ergonomic (subjective of course) by many
• Multi-platform releases tend to be better on the 360 to date
• Certain level of backwards compatability with Xbox games

Cons:

• Prone to hardware failiures and overheating(this is true in my experience as well as everyone I know with an Xbox although I don't have any figures to support this claim)
• Noisy as hell
• XBox Live requires subscription fee
• No wireless support without purchasing MS Wireless Adapter (also little support for non-MS hardware such as Webcams)
• Limited hard drive space (again, only MS Drives can be used, and come in 20GB and 120GB varieties)
• Controllers require batteries or purchase of a battery charge pack
• Dashboard confusing compared to PS3s XMB

PS3:
Pros:

• Reliable hardware, slight technological edge
• Wi-Fi support built in
• PSN requires no subscription as opposed to Xbox Live
• Exclusives: Metal Gear Solid 4, God of War 3, Killzone, Uncharted
• Blu-Ray player
• Support for third party peripherals (webcam, bluetooth etc)
• XMB easy to use and organise multimedia
• Wireless pads have built in battery
• Can play most PS2 games (60GB model only, these are out of production now and thus hard to come by)
• Quiet
• PSP compatability
• (Generally)Faster load times due to hard drive install, though not always the case

Cons:

• Expensive in comparison to 360
• Controllers are expensive, and considered to be less ergonomic than 360 (subjective)
• Poorer selection of games than 360 with less premium exclusive brands
• Limited DLC in comparison to 360
• Multi-platform releases tend to suffer in PS3 ports
• PSN Voice support not as commonplace as 360 as seperate bluetooth is required. This could of course be considered a pro if you've ever spent a day on Xbox live voice comms
• Large Hard Drive installs required for most games (usually between 2 and 5GB)
• Trophies not as comprehensive as Gamer Points and not fully supported on the PS3 game library.
• Only out of production 60GB models are backwards compatible and can be expensive and hard to find.
  

I own both consoles and so have tried to be as objective as possible. I think in the end it comes down to what games you like, and which games are upcoming for which system. Whether you plan on using the system online should play a part in the decision too. Hope this helps!

[IceStorm]

People that say 'There's not much difference graphically'; I'd recommend that you tried both consoles on the same TV. You'll notice a huge difference. It's like putting a GeForce 7600 GS with it's graphics turned to medium against an 8800 GT with graphics on high. It doesn't take a keen eye to spot the clear differences in quailty of picture.

I have both, I use both on the same TV. I have even tried multiplatform releases on both. The 360 wins out every time for me.

There are differences in how the PS3 and 360 render the same game (GTA IV, for one). They are differences. It's not an issue of one being "better" than the other. Typically, devs turn down features on the PS3 for ports. TimeShift had lower resolution textures. GTA IV is missing a filter effect.

There have been numerous reports published about the 360's failure rate, and one thing that cannot be denied, is that it's FAR too high. The reports indicate it's between 16-40% of ALL consoles die. In contract, less than 0.2% of PS3 consoles break. 0.2% - wow.

360 reliability issues have been going down as the console is revised. We're now up to the Jasper version, which integrates 256MB of flash onto the motherboard and has 65nm versions of both the GPU and CPU. If you buy an Arcade unit over here and it doesn't come with a memory card, it's a Jasper.

My final point would be... If you really are in doubt, find a way of playing Motorstorm: Pacific Rift on the PS3: Watch as its graphics not only startle you, but immerse beyond all immersion, then say the 360 is on a par.

And if you're not into driving games?

(Nymph - the PS3 now has it's own 3D version of Live)

No, not really. Sony has the PlayStation Network. If you're looking for a fully integrated multiplayer environment, XBOX Live Gold is superior. All online games for the 360 integrate into Live. You have one friends list and you can cross-invite player from whatever they're doing (Netflix, movie, other games) into your current game. On PSN, things are disconnected. There is a store, but there's no tight, required integration with Sony's online system.

If you're not playing online, it's not a huge deal. If you are, it's a deal-breaker unless all your friends are already on the PS3 platform.

Someone take this vile piece of shit off me, and leave me with a console that will last for years to come.

Ironically, it's one of my PS3 units that was RMAed first. The 20GB/60GB units have an Achilles's heel - their Bluetooth antennas aren't very powerful. There is a known issue with original SIXAXIS controllers dropping out at random intervals in high noise environments. I live in such an environment. The problem got so bad that I stopped playing the PS3 for about a year (not an issue - there wasn't anything to play for a year anyway). Sony is fully aware of the problem, but provide no support for the issue. The only "fix" is to throw out the SIXAXIS and buy a DualShock 3. Sony won't provide one in exchange.

Both consoles have issues. Neither is perfect.

Oh, Obsidian X, you don't need a sub to use Live. Live Silver is free. You miss out on demos for a week or two on some games, can't play games over Live, and can't use Netflix, but that's all Silver is missing. Gold gives you access to some demos earlier, Live gaming, and Netflix.
12+1 month sub cards have been going for $30 USD over here, so Live works out to less than $3/mo if you use sub cards.

[|R@zor|]

I've currently got a 360 which is my 2nd in 2 years, first one had a DVD drive failure 1 month out of warranty (which is always the way).

The newer revisions dont suffer as much with overheating as the old ones did, although it can still happen.

There is also a 60gb version of the 360 but i'd recommend the 120gb version if you decide to buy one, you can install games onto the hard disk now, which cuts down on noise from the dvd drive (although you still need the disk in to play them.) The disks are external, and slot onto the side so if you get a smaller one you can upgrade it if you run out of space.

Like someone said before about the PS3, only certain models have backward compatibility with ps2 games, so watch out for that if you still have old ps2 games you'd like to play.

[Lexxuk]

I remember Nintendo, Sega, Sony Playstation 1 & 2 days and I don't recall any freezes or hardware failures AT ALL.

Sega screwed up badly with their console. They went from a semi-dominant position to being thrown out of the market. 32X followed by the Sega-CD, both flops that Sega didn't support properly so their fans jumped ship straight to the PS when it first game out. The PS was a revolution in the gaming market, although the 3DO had a better copy of Need for Speed.

Currently the 360 has some fantastic titles, Halo 3, Fable 2 to name two, the PS3 is suffering a little, even more now that SE decided the next FF will be on the 360 and not just the PS3 (except in Japan where its not on the 360).

The PS *needs* some locked in titles, losing Final Fantasy is a major blow to them and would have guaranteed a gazillion PS3 sales. But the PS is the Japanese console, so all the best JRP's should appear on that, its just slightly very hard to programme the Cell, so we're not seeing anywhere near the full power that the PS3 can handle at the moment, and we may not for a long time to come.

The 360 is basically a PC running on the .NET framework, if you are so inclined you can make Xbox games on your PC, but its technology is about up to its maximum, and until the PS3 programmers can start to programme the Cell CPU betterer then we'll see only a fraction of what the PS3 can provide in terms of power.

Although if you wanna go for power, some geeky fella linked up a few PS3's together to use to crack passwords, the Cell really is a wonderful chip and Apple are probably crying over dropping IBM for Intel when Mac's woulda been using the Cell by now rather than Intels

[nobby]

Those that say the PS3 is better, i REALLY cannot see why!

Sure the hardware is better in the PS3 and has a bluray, but look at the choice of games available.

It's been out for over 2 years now and the "unique" choice of games are just plain crap. I've not found ONE PS3 game that "amazed" me in any way.

I got a Japanese console early and was HEAVILY dissapointed. There's only three games i've ever played on the console in the time i've had it.

Them being:
Metal Gear Solid 4
Gran Tourismo HD
and Tekken 5 online.

That's it.

The online part of the playstation 3 is not rubbish, but not great either.

You still face the "slight lag" like you do with a 360 due to games being hosted off machines.

Hardly any games have leaderboards/ voice support like their exact xbox360 counterpart.

I'm just a pure online player really, and playing games where NOONE talks is very... lonely ? and can be boring quickly.

Consider these facts before shelling out the extra money for a playstation 3.


Not Worth It At All !

[Lexxuk]

I kinda think you answered your own question there nobby, better hardware and blu-ray. Sure the games scene is a bit bleak on the PS3 and it really needs some blow you away titles, and the price could do with a drop.

But if you want to buy HD, you have to buy Blu-Ray, and they still cost around £200 for a "basic" model, for a little bit more you get one of the best players on the market, with a games console thrown in just for fun.

Resident Evil 5, Gran Turismo 5 are both due out this year on the PS3.

The problem is that MS will happily throw money down the drain for the 360 and buy exclusive titles left right and centre, they still get beat by the Wii mind you, but Sony isn't throwing the money away, they have their in-house developers making games, and Psygnosis which makes Wipeout, but if MS offers companies a lot of cash to make their title 360 only, the companies listen, if they offer SE a ton of cash to get the FF title onto the 360, SE will listen, and they did.

We also have the issue that the PS3 is a Japanese console, the 360 is a US console, what does that mean for us mere mortals? It means the Japanese get the best of the games, some of which never get released outside of Japan, and when they are released it can be up to a year later whilst the 360 will be more prone to making English games so do not have the translation barrier that the PS3 has.

Then we have the divergence of consoles, we have maybe one or two generations of consoles left before they will no longer be made, the home entertainment of the future will be a cross between a PC and a console, along with a media player and probably a fusion reactor. But at the moment we have the Wii, DS, PS3, PS2, PSP, 360 and even mobile phones trying to get in on the act. The lines are beginning to blur a little as to what a console really is, it is still a games platform, but when your MP3 player can start playing games, its the end of the world!

The PS3 was a first brave step in that direction, its not *just* a games console like the PS2, it plays Divx, Blu-Ray, all manner of films and music, browses the internet (soon to have iPlayer) it even has a frikken virtual world (Home), you can do your online banking on your PS3, so it isn't just a console, its so much more than that, its a complete home entertainment system, and with firmware updates more and more is being added.

Sony took a huge gamble with the 3, and that is why it had such a huge price when it came out, they could have taken the easy route and made a much cheaper system with less bells and whistles, but they didn't, they made a very expensive, very powerful system, and it still has 5 or 6 years left before its replaced with the PS4, which may be the last generation of Sony consoles as we know them.

[Archtemplar]

What it boiled down to for me was everyone has an xbox, and I really enjoy playing with people. Achievements and gamerpoints makes playing singleplayer games that much more interesting, and I fell in love with the selection of DLC. I spend like $10 to get Duke Nukem 3D, 8 player Dukematch anyone?

The live subscription fee for me was minimal, $50 for a year is something I can swing. Also, where so many people own an xbox, its so very easy to come across used copies of games - I obtained 8 games since christmas, and only the 4 included in the box set were new.

The whole thing about hardware failure is what initially turned me off to the Xbox, but after a couple years I figured most were stable enough for a casual gamer. My friend must be one of a lucky few though, as his Xbox is from launch and it still works, albeit a little loudly.

I work in a place that allows people to sit down and play the xbox, so I've had much exposure to it, and what kids want. I believe that there is a large selection of games for kids, especially popular titles are the Lego series, which even I find are a blast to play.

But again, what it really boils down to is sociability - a lot of Xbox titles are geared towards online play with people, while (as I heard) PS3 had a large selection of great single player games.

[IceStorm]

But if you want to buy HD, you have to buy Blu-Ray, and they still cost around £200 for a "basic" model, for a little bit more you get one of the best players on the market, with a games console thrown in just for fun.

This must be a regional pricing issue. In the USA, a basic Blu-ray player is $150 USD. Even in the current economy, that's, what, 100 GBP? A Profile 2.0 player that's upgradable goes for around $260 USD (180 GBP). The PS3 is $400 USD (277 GBP).

A year ago, players were still north of $300 USD without 2.0 capabilities, so it made sense. This past holiday season? Not so much.

Resident Evil 5, Gran Turismo 5 are both due out this year on the PS3.

Of those two, RE5 is coming to 360 at the same time. GT5, well... believe it when you see it. After all, these are the same people who were supposed to relase GT4 Mobile for the PSP...

The PS3 was a first brave step in that direction, its not *just* a games console like the PS2,

The PS2 was never "just" a games console. It played DVD movies out of the box at launch. It had a Linux kit about a year later (I have one) that came complete with a keyboard (which I use daily), a mouse, and a VGA cable.

Hell, even the original PSX had a home developer kit, Net Yaroze. Sony's consoles doing more than just play games is nothing new.

[flib]

Well, the PS3 is pretty boring and very expensive. The Xbox 360 is great, but might not be the best option for a younger player.
TBH, go old-school and get PS2.

[naimex]

I didn't bother reading this thread.

But you should be very aware that Sony sent out a press note a month or two ago, where they said they would most likely stop all production of playstation 3, and that caused a lot of games developers to hold or cancel all further playstation 3 game projects.

Sony's reason was:

'It's just too expensive to build the playstation 3, which means it can't compete with the other console stations on price'

Not exactly what they said, but it's the same meaning.

[rob444]

I didn't bother reading this thread.

But you should be very aware that Sony sent out a press note a month or two ago, where they said they would most likely stop all production of playstation 3, and that caused a lot of games developers to hold or cancel all further playstation 3 game projects.

Sony's reason was:

'It's just too expensive to build the playstation 3, which means it can't compete with the other console stations on price'

Not exactly what they said, but it's the same meaning.

Google returns nothing about Sony canceling the PS3. However, google returns an article that was written in November 2008 that they have halved the production costs of the PS3.

[Obsidian X]

I didn't bother reading this thread.

But you should be very aware that Sony sent out a press note a month or two ago, where they said they would most likely stop all production of playstation 3, and that caused a lot of games developers to hold or cancel all further playstation 3 game projects.

Sony's reason was:

'It's just too expensive to build the playstation 3, which means it can't compete with the other console stations on price'

Not exactly what they said, but it's the same meaning.

I love it how spurious facts like this get posted with any attempt whatsoever to verify such an audacious claim. As I said earlier in the thread, its impossible to keep this debate objective, as everyone ends up chipping in with their own "my console > your console" agenda. Therefore my advice is to look at the games...both those released, and those upcoming, and see which console is best suited to your needs.

[Doc Holliday]

the head guy for the project at sony got canned after launch of the ps3. that is a fact. i dont know the full details but he did get fired due to the massive overbudgeting on the project.

beyond that i dont know of anything like what naimex is reffering too. he might have spent too much time with is mannequin and she told him it was happening.

now. as for the rest of it i think there are some good views and points but guys honestly 2 things.

wheres the lag/loading times on the xbox? i cant find any.

i have found 2 issues with it. fable 2 and gta 4. both of them crashed randomly on me during games. i dont know if this is the game or the xbox. i have installed both to the HDD and it was fine. they run like a charm. i will just uninstall when im done. if anyone else has ever had this issue tell me what you found out tho pls

and the noise of the console? please. who really plays with the sound on the tv lower than the sound of the console. its not a jet fan cooling system its a console. i think some people are being picky for the sake of it. (personal op only)

Nobby. Lonliness > Racist american assholes.

Im sorry for a generalisation and if you do feel it needs editing please feel free mods i dont mean to be causing issues but i play cod4 online and constantly listen to a barrage of racist flames back and forth when playing late at night UK time. never found this in pc games due to the fact you can join specific voice servers with friends whereas you have to put up with it on xbox live. yes there are ways around it to mute it etc i know and i do regularly but it is a shame you have to suffer it

that said party chat on voice is wicked when you can play with friends.

[Lodar]

Lonliness > Racist american assholes.

Im sorry for a generalisation and if you do feel it needs editing please feel free mods i dont mean to be causing issues but i play cod4 online and constantly listen to a barrage of racist flames back and forth when playing late at night UK time.

I'll uphold that based on the fact you're making a generalisation of the user base within that particular time slot rather than a slur against Americans in general. I can tell you however that if you play earlier in the day (3 to 4pm GMT) I guarantee you'll get at least as many racist idiots on your average game of CoD from our side of the pond.