Okay, first I want to say that I don't want this to turn into a negative thread about either console.
That said, here's my situation.
I'm turning 25 years old at the end of the month. My parents always ask me what I want for my birthday and I usually just tell them that anything is fine, never really giving them an answer. I usually end up with some money. So this year I was thinking of things I want, but am not willing to spend my own money on, and a PS3 pretty much topped that list. Of course I would never ask my parents for a $600 present, but I thought I'd be a little greedy this year and suggest that they go "halvesies" on a PS3 with my for my birthday (aka: 300 bucks). They agreed!
So here's my predicament. Once I got thinking about it, I said to myself "Well, if I am getting $300 then I could, in theory, buy a 360 and save a bunch of money/get another game or two". So I decided to give my cousins 360 a couple of hours the other day, since he had left it at my house.
I messed around with the Marketplace, downloaded/played a bunch of demos. Spent a bunch of time just messing with the dashboard, etc. I came to the conclusion that I REALLY liked the way the dashboard/marketplace/friends list was integrated. How you could bring it up during a game and whatnot. Pretty neat.
The problem is, there really aren't any "must have" games for me, on the 360. I own a decent gaming PC and most of the games I would want a 360 for, I can already play/have played on my PC. There were a few that I thought I'd like a lot (Dead Rising, Viva Pinata) that I tried and they didn't really capture me as much as I had hoped.
The other reason I'm apprehensive about getting a 360 is I'm worried it will break. I know I could get a warranty, but I really don't like dealing with that sort of thing, or worrying whether it's going to break right after my warranty is up, etc. It seems the PS3 hardware is more stable at this point. It could be all blown out of proportion, but my cousin IS on his second 360 since January of this year.
As for the PS3, the reasons I want it, well... reason, is one game. Little Big Planet. The game is exactly the type of game I've always wanted. It simply looks amazing to me.
Home looks very promising, but I just can't put much faith in Sony, as far as something like that goes. If it lived up to what I've seen of it, and developers support it with their games, then I think it could be really cool (I actually loved Second Life for a long time).
I'm also really interested in Motorstorm, and it would be the first game I buy if I were to get a PS3.
I'm simply not willing to spend $600 of my own money on a console. If I were to not buy a PS3 for my birthday, I probably wouldn't get one for at least a couple years (price drop).
I kind of expect a price drop for the 360 by the end of the year, so buying a 360 for $350 six months to a year from now would be a possibility.
So it goes like this. Buy a PS3 now, with birthday money, and get a 360 within the next year... or buy a 360 now, and get a PS3 two to three years from now.
I know it's all about the games. Right now I have 1 "must have" for PS3, and several "might likes" on the 360.
I've searched and searched online for list/info on upcoming PS3 and 360 games, and I just can't seem to find any good sources.
Does any one have any links that could help me make a decision? Perhaps a list of games coming out for both consoles.
Any info I should know about either console, that might sway my decision either way?
Right now, I'm having a really hard time making my mind up. I have a few weeks until my birthday. Once I have the money in hand, I'm just not sure how long I'll be able to hold out until I purchase one or the other.
I know the SMART thing to do would be to wait until Little Big Planet/Home is out, or wait until games I really want are out for the 360... but come on... I'm a gamer, I don't have that kind of willpower!!
Some things that might make a different:
I already own a Wii.
I don't own an HDTV (or plan to for a while)
I have an extra 19" monitor that I could hook one of the consoles up to, if I chose.
I generally don't enjoy FPS's on console.
I will eventually own both consoles, I'm sure of it.
Please, help me! Which first?
Posts
I'd go for the 360. Plenty of quality titles coming soon, and so many already released.
Plus it's cheaper than the PS3.
Also, about the "breaking" issue of the 360, make sure you get an extended warranty.
Right *NOW*, the 360 has games. Lots of good, fun games. For every one fun game for the PS3, there's at least 3 for the 360. My personal favorite exclusives:
Dead Rising
Saint's Row
Crackdown
Guitar Hero 2
Burnout Revenge
Gears of War
Forza 2 (in a couple weeks)
Lost Planet
And the list goes on, not to mention lots of fun in the live arcade.
I totally respect the PS3 and the potential it has, but at this very moment, the games library is just too minimal.
It is great, a patch is like a dice roll to see if your system will still work or not, and there is no way to roll it back like PC drivers. One better, if it is out off warrenty, they treat it as a hardware problem and charge you.
Oh microsoft.
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Cykstfc
There is a lot of really decent stuff for the system, both on discs, and on the arcade. Plus, I am finding new games constantly to consider picking up, because of the free demos I download.
Also, there is a trend of late for PS3 games to be suddenly ported to the 360, due to the lackluster PS3 sales. I'm not saying that every single game will be ported, or course, but enough of them, I think, to say that a 360 makes sense for now, and when the PS3 is finally doing well enough that it can support its own exclusives, who knows, maybe it'll have had a price drop, or soemthing.
And, for the record, I'm also a Wii owner. I find the two systems to compliment each other; not take away.
The 360 has some issues with it's hardware stability and also lacks free online play.
Heads or tails really, I enjoy my PS3 tons though so it is really up to you.
The PS3 will have a price drop at christmas, guaranteed. So will the 360, and it will have the new 65nm chip, meaning all the "problems" will be gone, and they'll stop overheating.
So if you can stand it? Wait till the holiday season. Then buy one. Either one you want, buy it then. You'll be in such a better situation.
I'M A TWITTER SHITTER
PS3 list
PS3 is a wait and see still I think, too expensive and the library certainly isn't there yet. I do think I'll pick one up eventually, but I just don't think it'll be worth it this year.
I definitely agree that it would be best to wait... but it would be fun to splurge. (Until the possible buyers remorse kicks in).
Also, Jbird, that's exactly the type of list I've been looking for. Thanks a lot for the link!
Does any one know of a similar list for the 360?
XBL: UnderHero5
Steam/PSN: UnderHero5
I owned a 360 and a Wii, but I sold them both because I was swamped with school. So my choice between the three consoles kind of hinges on:
PS3 -- Haven't played any of the exclusives, never had a PS2.
360 -- Played most of the "must-haves," interested in Guitar Hero and Forza 2
Wii -- Wife enjoys the system, I got bored with Wii Sports, played through Zelda.
So right now I'm leaning toward purchasing the PS3 because it offers the most new experience. Are there amazing games coming down the pipe for either of the other two systems I should know about (I haven't been keeping up on gaming news since I sold my systems). Or are there other reasons I should consider not getting the PS3? Is the hardware holding up better than the 360's, and what's the warranty like?
That'll still be in time to get swamped by the juicy love that will be Mass Effect, Halo 3, etc. Microsoft is lining up a month-by-month game release schedule to try and decimate the potential of the PS3 come holiday season. It sounds like "no duh" kind of stuff, but I am really excited as a PC gamer for the kind of shit that's happening with this strategy they've got going. Nothing on the PS3 appeals to me at the moment, and I can only see the lineup for the 360 getting better and better based on the released launch schedule for their next 6-8 months.
I'd go with PS3 and catch up on 360 stuff later. I only see myself buying one more 360 game (Lost Odyssey) in the near future. I'm also not really into shooters although I did give Gears and Lost Planet a go, Gears is very satisfying even though I'm not really a fan of the genre, Lost Planet not so much. I also don't get why everyone flips out over Dead Rising or Forza.
Many games can be bought at budget prices now.
And the Arcade is pure awesome.
Plus, Mass Effect, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Halo 3 will be pretty damned fine games.
Also, a list of games, since you asked;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Xbox_360_games
I would get the 360 for sure though. The PS3 just scares me right now with how horrible it is selling. Even though I don't think it will happy I get flash backs of all the other expensive systems that went down the tube. So I'm going to wait and see what happens when the really good exclusives do come out.
On PS3, you have Ratchet and Clank Future, Uncharted (which looks like the best of the bunch), Heavenly Sword, Lair, Little Big Planet, and Eye of Judgement. Some solid picks, with a couple of titles that are slowly starting to burn off their hype (Heavenly Sword, Lair).
On the 360 side, you'll be looking at Forza 2, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Ace Combat 6, Eternal Sonata, Shadowrun, Overlord, Blue Dragon, Bioshock, Call of Juarez, Too Human, and Splinter Cell Conviction. I feel it's a stronger list, especially if you look at Mass Effect, Bioshock, and Blue Dragon.
In the end, you really can't buy on the suggestion of others... you have to look at what's available, and choose based on your tastes. If you like what's available on the PS3, don't let me (or anyone else here) talk you out of it. Likewise with the 360.
But with SD only, then yes its kind of a bad deal to get a x360 or PS3 since you wont be seeing much of the pretty graphics they have to offer.
My advice: cheap ps2 + cheap ps2 games (durrrr) until christmas comes around with package deals.
Does the PS3 have VGA support? I know you could hook up the 360 to just about any monitor, but can you do the same with the PS3?
The PS3 has the potential of a lot of repeat titles in the form of sequels from the PS2 era, but most of those are third party, and thus, susceptible to being ported to the 360.
Honestly, it's hard to tell right now. All you can do is judge based on what's announced and try to project what the software landscape will looking like in 2008/2009.
Both will be worth owning, eventually, even if the PS3 comes in last (Dreamcast, anybody?), but right now the 360 just has more content.
Also, if you're looking at the cost of online, once you break down the $49.99 price for 12 months of Live ($4.17 per month), is it really that big of a deal, especially when you consider the superiority of Live over PSN?
The hardware issues are a concern. My 360 does freeze during graphically intensive games like Oblivion, but it's only after long stints of playing or having the system on. I bought a CC replacement plan, which I will be using later this year/early next year, so it's not a big issue for me.
So why do I want to go buy one so bad?
The games are also dirt cheap. You can get a ton of games for a few bucks each.