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A tasty can of worms: PS3 vs Xbox
Tralfamadorian
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I know this may be a bad idea but I need some advise. I have come into some birthday money that I feel needs to be spent on a new gaming system. The systems I have right now are a Wii, DS, and PSP. I was wondering if the collective hive mind of Penny Arcade's forum could help me sort out the pros and cons to the PS3 and the Xbox. So let me have it.
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Xbox most certainly has better online, with far more people. Everyone I know has an Xbox, which means if I wanted online I'd have to go here.
While the strongest thing I see in Playstation is getting an awesome Blu-ray players as well.
If these don't matter to you, I'd say make a list of games you want now and a look at what's coming out soon.
Uncharted 1, Resistance, and Ratchet and Clank beat Halo 3 and Crackdown, but it may be different to you. Except for about 5 games each, they have a lot of crossplatform games that are about the same
Yes, if you doubled how old it is, that would indeed be correct.
Both consoles have pretty good collections now. Look at what games you really want to play, and see if they are exclusives. If not exclusive, read up and see if they have any problems between the two consoles.
Pick which ever fits you better.
Well maybe he wants to play some good Xbox games, because the 360 certainly doesn't play any of them.
360 has a much larger online user base, and PSN is much smaller. If you're into multiplayer stuff this is going to be the selling point. PSN is free though and 360 you have to pay for. Also 360 usually gets the better version of a game that gets ported, so if you buy a lot of third party games that love to get ported, such as shooters or sports games, you should stick with 360. However if you're into single player games, the exclusives sound good, and you really want a blu-ray player you should get a PS3.
Err...thats a matter of opinion.
Edit: beat'n. I'm sure with games that hit PS3 360 and PC as well have a bit to do with it. 360 is closer to to your typical PC (well, it is one pretty much) then the PS3 and it's crazy cell business. So games get made with them in mind, more so then the PS3.
Pretty much this.
And when people ask me about which is preferable, I tend to ask them the same thing: Are you primarily a single-player gamer or a multiplayer gamer? Which is more important to you?
360 has some great multiplayer focused stuff (Halo, Gears of War, great Live implementation in everything) and even some of the non-exclusive stuff is geared more towards the 360 if it focuses on multiplayer (Call of Duty, Rock Band). Fantastic games to be sure, though the single-player definitely lacks in comparison to their multi game.
PS3 has some REALLY great exclusives that I feel outshine 360 exclusives...but the thing is, they are primarily single-player and that's typically how I play games. (Uncharted 1 and 2, Infamous, Heavy Rain, God of War III)
360 does typically get the better ports, though there is the odd occasion where the PS3 gets the better version (Burnout Paradise, Darksiders, Just Cause 2, Final Fantasy XIII)
Blu-Ray movies
Free online
More exclusives that I give a shit about (I have a PC and most 360 games eventually make their way there)
If more voice-enabled online and community features are important to you and you don't mind paying a subscription fee, I guess the 360 is better? I don't know, I really appreciate having the ability to play Blu-Ray movies now (fuckin' Blade Runner looks so good) and there's plenty of online functionality for free on the PS3
Also the PSN store does lack Shadow Complex, which is unfortunate, but it does have Pixeljunk Shooter and some other cool stuff
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
But Live Arcade? Those games are the only reason I've turned on my 360 in recent months. Shadow Complex, Pac-Man CE, Trials HD, Rez HD, Sam and Max and Monkey Island (if those are your thing...though these are coming to PS3 eventually).
EDIT: Rent, it's because we know what the dude is inferring despite what he actually says, don't be that guy that points out this when someone mentions PSX
Personally, I spend more time using games and DLC from the 360 Marketplace than I do retail games.
Edit: Kinda beat on this point in the posts above.
Basically Live Arcade is a goldmine, there are literally dozens of decent and cheap games available, IMHO worth owning a 360 for alone.
Literally the only titles I can think of that actually ran/looked quantifiably better on PS3 are Oblivion (full 720p on PS3 vs. I think 600p on 360) Colin Mcrae DiRT (better textures, shadows and car handling as I recall) The Saboteur (some kind of superior AA system was implemented on PS3) Prototype (apparently had better shadows and lighting on PS3) and FFXIII (this is the major one, it really is sub-par on 360 in my opinion). You could say Batman: AA is superior on PS3 thanks to the Joker content (which is awesome) but technically the two versions were almost identical with most comparisons giving it to the 360 by the slimmest of margins.
In basically every other case a multiplatform game either looks slightly better on 360 or the two versions are completely identical.
One thing I will say is that the PS3 is really pulling ahead in terms of exclusives. Uncharted 2 is a technical masterpiece. God of War 3 had my jaw hitting the floor on regular occasions (and is a blast to play). Heavy Rain is one of the most interesting and engaging games of this generation, for my money. The ratchet and clank games are phenomenal. I've had a blast with MAG and inFamous is one of the most underrated gems of this generation IMO.
If blu-ray and exclusives sound good to you then i'm almost inclined to give the nod to PS3, frankly.
Because some of us are not pedantic little geese, Rent
EDIT: another consideration in the PS3's favor: I have not heard nearly as many reports of tragic hardware failures as I have for the 360. Red rings all over the place, far as the eye can see, and I have no idea what happens to the stuff on your hard drive when you send it in to get replaced
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Plus for me is the I have the game library set for the 360. I also know Live, it's all so familiar. Downside is that I'm buying another console I'm going extremely carefully use. I can't stand the thought of thinking its going to fuck up at any time.
PS3 big down is the price. Holy shit is it expensive or what?! Seriously, a joke compared to the arcade 360 I'd be getting. But, failure rate is not even close to the 360. It''s also free online and and has upgradeable storage which just rocks. Also, many of the newer games seem to be on par with, or better than the 360 counterpart. Another notch is the prices of games, they seem to be lower for PS3 titles, or maybe I'm just getting confused?
Basically, 360 breaks and the PS3 costs alot.
Of course I have no idea how much an arcade 360 goes for these days
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Sorry, this specific point raises my ire a lot (it reminds me of when I worked retail right after the 360 had come out)
You pop off the 360 harddrive (as it comes in it's own little enclosure that designed to pop on and off) and send in your 360 without it. All your date is 100% preserved on that drive and will work on any 360. If they send you back a different 360 for whatever reason, the an easy to use online application allows you to reassign your DLC to that new machine. (Otherwise you'd just need to be logged into your account to use it.)
Also, the current crop of 360's seem to have these issues worked out. They fail about as often as any other piece of consumer electronics now.
Which system has the games you want to play?
And I've heard more stories about Sony refusing to honor their warranty. Also, you do not send your hard drive in so nothing happens to all the stuff on it.
U.K fella here. The PS3, 40GB goes for 200+ pound sterling. Arcade 360 can be bought for 120.
Europe always gets the shaft, I guess
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
PS3 Exclusives worth noting: Valkyria Chronicles, Heavy Rain, God of War 3, God of War Collection (if you haven't done any god of war yet), Uncharted 1 & 2, Infamous, Little Big Planet, Fat Princess, Wipeout HD
360 Exclusives worth nothing: Mass Effect 1 & 2, Loads of Great Arcade Titles, Fable 2, Forza 2 & 3, Halo, Left 4 Dead 1 & 2
It's worth noting that I generally prefer the 360's achievement system (score versus levels) and I have more confidence in the Sony Hardware given the number of red rings.
But you should really be playing those games on the PC. Same with BioWare games
Uncharted 2, though. Jesus Christ that game is good
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Not to get into a specs contest but the Arcade isn't exactly comparable to the base PS3. You NEED a HDD now, too much shit to play, too much DLC to finish off games that were left incomplete to be completed later by pay DLC.
The difference between an Elite and a PS3 is very small if I remember correctly.
People say that Live is only £40 a year but thats £40 that could be in your back pocket or paying for the net you're using to play the game in the first place and for someone like me who may use it once or twice ayear, its definitely not worth it but if you ever get a game and you fancy trying online, you can just hop on with PS3. 360 means either finding a trial code or shelling out.
Very little accessories to buy for PS3, basic computer HDDs will work if you need more storage which isn't likely unless you plan to use it as a media server, and as a media server it is exceptional. Built in wireless so you can stream from your PC/Laptop to without buying an addon.
Pads cost more than 360 ones but no rechargable batteries or cables to buy.
Since the OP's even asking this question I doubt he has a lot of friends with one over the other, so I don't think you can really argue for the 360s online over the PS3s (as many usually seem to). Both have enough people playing the bigger games at any given time to make it really not a big deal. I've never had a problem finding a game online on my PS3.
Also, having the ability to buy Blu-Rays is pretty nice.]
But, either way you can't really go wrong.
I honestly generally prefer trophies (mostly because I got that first). I really like that if I get all the trophies for the regular game I have a platinum. That means no matter how many other trophies are put into the game people can tell that I got all the trophies for the regular retail game, unlike the 360 where if you had, say 1000 out of 1250 or something you may not necessarily have all the original ones. But, hey, it's a pretty silly preference, I know.
I don't often have a problem with them but there is no reason for them to be so short
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
My take on it:
Pros:
360: Cheaper, Better Controller, Better Multiplatform, Better Online.
PS3: Free Online, Blu-Ray, Better First Party, USB rechargable controllers.
Cons:
360: RROD, Disc Read Error, Expensive Peripherals.
PS3: More expensive, Shitty Three Gen Old Controller Design.
The winner is: $300 worth of PC upgrades. Most of the games looking even better, BC with a few million titles, the best online, best multimedia capability.
They're generic USB cables, you can probably get longer ones off ebay or monoprice for like a buck.
Yeah, they really should be longer. Most of the time it isn't a bother for me since I'm close to my TV, but it is kind of weird. It's especially funny compared to the wired 360 controller which has a cord at least 3 miles long.
True, but I was going by my own personal situation. I already have the 360 pads and HDD. Really, all I need is the damn console. Hence the reason it's cheaper, for me atleast, to go 360 as opposed PS3.
Like, my new computer on the way was only $650 for a pre-built fully loaded rig better than my previous computer in every way that's well in advance of all recommended requirements on pretty much every game I own, and I could run most games on high before
And you could probably get a way better price on that sort of thing if you cared to assemble it yourself
PSN ID : DetectiveOlivaw | TWITTER | STEAM ID | NEVER FORGET
Of course, this is just me, so ask yourself which one has the exclusives you want. Me, I would have been very, very sad to miss the Xbox 360 exclusives (the Halo games, DOA4, Tales of Vesperia, a few other ones). In fact, I recently sold the PS3 exclusive I owned (lost interest in it), and the other two PS3 games I own are, well, ports. Hopefully, your situation will be different.
Which brings me to a second point. Multi-platform titles in the past (between the Xbox 360 and PS3) have been better on the Xbox 360 in terms of exclusive DLC or, interesting enough, loading times. Not always the case, but at least in the past, it's been predominant.
-Blu-ray
-Better DVD upscaling
-Region Free
-Free online
-Better d-pad on 1st party controller
360
-Better online
-Ports of PC games
-Slightly better versions of multi-platform games
-Better analogs on 1st party controller
PS3 exclusive games that are worth it:
-Valkyria Chronicles
-Wipeout HD
360 exclusive games that are worth it:
-Rez HD
That probably wasn't very helpful, but eh... You're asking a question you should be able to answer yourself. Look at the exclusives (even upcoming ones) and see which matters to you.
Unless you really care about the exclusives or have a ton of friends who use one system or the other, you just pick which one is going to cost you less money and then go.
And looking over my own collection, personally, my PS3 has been more than worth it in exclusives alone. The thing is, though, that a lot of the 360 exclusives are just commercially "bigger," and you kind of have to take a "chance" on the PS3 ones. But I think if you do take that chance you get a lot of bang for your buck, and there's a lot of fun to be had, especially since some of the ones that may not have been worth 60 bucks are just really great at the 20 or so you can find them for now (like Heavenly Sword or inFamous or something), and some were really worth what they first debuted at, its just they didn't get as much recognition here (Warhawk)