PS3 or 360?

If you don't like the PS3 controller and have a friend on the 360, i'm not entirely sure why this is a tough choice?

I figure if I was to get back into games. I'd go with a 360.

BTW Spook how was the Peruvian booth I told ya about?

Understandable. No great rush or anything.

PS3 all the way. I personally don't believe a viable INSTANT alternative to physical media will be available for sometime for mass-consumption.... ESPECIALLY for HD content.

You can't beat having a blu-ray movie at your disposal at anytime

Besides, the PS3 doubles as a fantastic home theater hub!

In fairness, I owned the original Xbox and found the PS3 controller a bit unimpressive looking and adapted fairly quickly.

Blu-ray is nice, and we won't be seeing downloadable 1080p content as mainstream this generation - so there's that aspect of it too I guess.

Isn't most of the store stuff 720? Not downloaded anything from it so wouldn't want to jump to conclusions.

I have a 360 and I got it in the first place mostly for the games I knew I loved. Basically I would say look at each systems games and decide who has the most exclusive games that you don't think you can live without.

I would love to have Blu Ray but if I couldn't play Fable II right now I'd be pissed.

I highly prefer the 360 controller over the PS3 controller. So when something is on both consoles, and multiplayer doesn't come into play, I go 360 just for the comfort of that controller.

If you want to use it for a blu-ray play, obviously the PS3 is a great choice. 360 though will be offering movie downloads direct to it if you have a Netflix subscription starting in November.

I would not buy any 360 except for the Elite. Don't buy your cables from anywhere but monoprice.com. They are a great company, with fast shipping, and ridiculously cheap prices. I think I spent about $6 on my HDMI cables.

If you are serious about wanting to play multiplayer, and getting premier DLC, then Xbox Live is by far the way to go.

I will side with the 360 as a whole every time, unless you are looking to invest heavily in Blu-Ray, because the PS3 is a great blu-ray player. In every other category, it just isn't up to par IMO. It seems like you've made up your mind anyways, 360 is the way to go for you. And you don't want to miss out on this generation. I think this generation of consoles is going to last longer than any of us expect, 360's dashboard update going a long way to solidify my opinion on that. Just now are we really getting to the awe-inspiring games we expected. NBA2K9 and Madden 09 finally gave us a legitimate leap in sports, Fable 2 and Fallout are going to be THE RPG's to play for a long time, and Microsoft paying for exclusive or timed DLC goes to show that they plan on being in this generation for the long haul.

I've used my 360 three times total since I purchased the PS3 in June, and one of those times was to watch and HD-DVD.

The way I figure it, if you're as busy as I am (which it sounds like you are), number of titles isn't going to be your main determinant, because when will you have the time to play them all? Most of the AAA titles are on both systems, and most of the PS3 versions, to my biased eyes at least, have better graphics with the same gameplay. The Blu-Ray player is not only the icing but a good portion of the actual cake. The entertainment hub factor has pretty much permanently altered how I consume media--meaning, if I consume it, chances are I do it with the PS3: web browsing, hulu, photos, listening to music, etc.

But as a longtime 360 advocate, the choice is not black-and-white. Both systems offer a lot. Is multiplayer incredibly important to you? If so, go with the 360. But since it barely even registers on my radar, the PS3 has wildly exceeded my expectations for it.

I was under the impression the Elite still has some technical issues, whilst the newer 20GB SKU(can't remember exactly which) apparently has less faults.

With standalone Blu-Ray players getting cheaper every day, the old "Blu Ray player that plays games" reasoning for the PS3 really doesn't hold water anymore.

Also, going with Spook's tastes: The 360 is console FPS nirvana. This is indisputable FACT. Anyone who loves the genre, the PS3's way behind the curve in that respect.

I bought my Elite the week it came out, and only had one issue since (game froze). I've been through 4 regular 360's since launch.

There are always going to be exceptions to the rule. I imagine some people still have their launch 360s. The Elite's still high on the offenders list due to that shady processor/cooling combo, non?

I've never heard that. Link? You've got me paranoid now. I can't recollect seeing any big complaints about Elites going down. My roommate's launch 360 actually died on him this weekend.

It's general knowledge, not something I bookmark to put in people's faces - it was quite widely publicised that some were RRODing and scratching discs quite soon after their launch.

As a 360 owner, you should always be slightly wary of failure. At least you get a 3 year warranty. I'm pretty sure the PS3 only has 1.

If you think the future is downloadable content, you'll use 120GB.

Personally, i'm streaming most of my media from my PC and rarely go above 30GB (with the PS3 installs for games) The only thing I store are demos. You might use more up if you're downloading movies from Live.

If you're planning on downloading movies, then yeah, you probably want the Elite. I watched a friend delete crap off his system a while back, and the chunks that came back after he deleted movies and TV shows was kinda frightening.

That said, I've got a standard 20GB, have been downloading demos and DLC for a year, and still have about 7 gigs to play with.

Most important function (to you) of console: movie-watching. Go with a PS3.

Most important function (to you) of console: video gaming. Go with a 360.

Most important function (to you) of console: on-line services. Go with a 360.

Most important function (to you): never breaks, regardless of whether or not you're out of pocket. Go with a PS3.

You must have the PS3 exclusives (MGS4, Drakes, God of War 3), get a PS3. There's no need to "weigh" exclusives. If you don't immediately know that you can't live without the Sony titles, then you should go with a 360.

The 360's online service is certainly more extensive. It's got a bigger community, which it charges users for premium content, which in turn funds more content.

The PS3's network is free - and allows you to game and download whatever you like without charging you, however without the overhead charge, this usually means we're treated to nothing more than a handful of demos once a week, some trailers - although the US has a movie download service which i've been told is pretty good?

Elite's have exactly the same architecture as launch 360s, so they'll red ring of death just as much as their non-elite counterparts. XBox Arcade Consoles are the way to go for reliability, just get a large add on HDD and you're ready to go.

360 has that deal with Netflix starting soon, and that's going to trump anything either company has going at this minute.

The only real difference between the two is that movies on PSN are a wee bit cheaper, not to mention they allow you to rent titles (i dunno how it works, but I saw the option), downloads are a bit faster, and, of course, they have exclusivity on Columbia/Tri-Star movies. So, yeah, technically, the PSN's better.

That all flies right out the window once the 360's Netflix service goes live.

It's almost as if the two are competing with each other!

I don't own a PS3, so I can't be counted on for an unbiased opinion. I can tell you however that my 360 has given me only one moment of frustration (and it was a big one... an RRoD) in the 2 years or so I've had it. Aside from that it's been smooth sailing. My TV doesn't do 1080p, and DVD's are 5 -10 bucks cheaper anyways, so I don't feel the loss of Blu ray all that keenly. My main focus of online gaming is co-op and it has not disappointed me in that regard.

If you are going to buy a 360 eventually, a word of advice... Wait til the new year. Early in October MS began manufacturing 360's with the new Jasper revision motherboards. The old models are going to take some time to work their way through the retail channels though, so most people aren't expecting them to be seen in the wild til 2009.

From the research i did when i had my RRoD, anything with an HDMI port (eiltes included) has a sub-10% failure rate. Not great, but certainly a step up from the near 100% rate for first revision 360's. The Jasper boards boast CPU's and graphics chips that have even better heat dissipation and are, at least in theory at this point, the magic bullet solution for the RRoD issues.

The 360s have official HDDs, sorry for the confusion.

As long as it stays on that machine, you shouldn't have problems.

Thing about DRM is that when it goes wrong, you're kinda up shit creek without a paddle. External drive or not.

At the end of the day, i've said this before - it's who you'll play the console against that is most important. If that's not a deciding factor - let the controller design do it for you.

The PS3's dominant in the UK. Nobody I know owns a 360, so obviously it was the choice for me. I assume you're from across the pond, where the 360 reigns supreme, more of your friends are likely on Live than the PSN.

Whatever you choose, you'll be picking a perfectly adequate games console with decent video support - and as a casual gamer, I think both would suit you fine.

Maybe it's a southern thing, but most people I know in the North are 360ers. I have about twenty people on my friends list who come from Yorkshire and the North East.

To be fair Spike, it came as a shock to me to find out you northerners even had electricity

UK PS3 saturation is insane compared to the 360. We're considered to be cutting edge when it comes to adopting new formats, it's nothing to do with the game sales, which aren't lighting up the charts - even if GAME have finally put PS3 stuff near the front of the shop at last...

To be honest that's why I was quibbling with the idea of the UK being PS3-centric. Most stores still seem to give dominant floorspace to the 360.

It's a fair quibble. We're a PS3 country, but those PS3s are filled with Blu-rays.

I've found the PS3 directly opposite the 360 stuff in most GAME stores now. I think a lack of titles was why it was put at the back to start with. They've got something to put out there now.

Plus, the addition of second-hand PS3 games was legendary for me before I found Lovefilm.

PS3: Blu-ray, a few good exclusives over the next few months, a few more in the future.

360: More exclusives now, better online service at a price, exclusive Netflix deal.

Personally I'd look at the exclusives, since so much is going multi-platform. MGS4, GoW3, LBP, Killzone... get PS3. GoW2, Fable 2, Left 4 Dead, Alan Wake, Ninja Gaiden 2, get 360.

I'm rejecting my earlier, balanced analysis. Get a 360.

If gaming, especially FPS gaming is your primary focus I'd go with a 360.

Also at the moment the 360's game library is so much bigger and more diverse that unless you HAVE to have a game like God of War 3 as mentioned earlier the 360 is the platform I'd say.

I was a Playstation Whore for the first two consoles and this time I went 360 and haven't had a second thought about it, especially since I played my buddies PS3 and saw only a mimimal improvement graphics in comparison to games I had (GTA 4 for one) and realized just how much better the 360 controller is than Sony's and the ease of general system interface.

My two cents.

It was my understanding that any Xbox system built after sept. 06 (might be off a month or two) is okay no matter what.

Sept 06 and later have the Falcon chipset, which is where the <10% failure rate comes from. Bought mine brand new October 06. Not a hitch. Thing doesn't even overheat, really, and I've put this thing through its paces with Rock Band 2 marathons. I'm assuming the 60 GBs are just as reliable.

The PS3 will be getting the Netflix service sooner or later.

I have both systems. I bought my 360 about 3 years ago, and ended up finally shelling out the dough for a PS3 about 5 months ago. The main reason I bought a PS3 was for the Blu-Ray capabilities. However, since then I've found myself using the system more for gaming.

I really appreciate the fact that the PS3 comes prepared with a wireless adapter already installed, and their online service is free. I think it's kind of ridiculous to have to buy an $100 adapter for the 360, and then pay $60 a year on top of what I'm already paying for the internet to play online.

Since getting a PS3, I only use my 360 when friends come over or when I want to watch a HD-DVD. Every game I've bought that is a cross-platformer I've purchased on the PS3 (in case any need to be updated or require patches).

I'll admit that the 360 has a larger library of games, demos, and has some exclusives that I'll eventually pick up (Gears of War 2), but otherwise, I don't expect to use it too much anymore.

Also, for anyone that's excited about Netflix being available on the 360, its only for the movies you can watch instantly (that you can already watch on your computers). Anyone that is familiar with this service knows there's a decent selection of older movies available with this option, but most new releases from the last couple of years are not included. Also - the same Netflix deal is coming out for Samsung Blu-Ray players, and I'm sure it will be available on the PS3 in the near future too.

I'd say, if you want reliability, the option to watch movies in 1080p, and not having to buy additional items for online access, go with the PS3. If you have a lot of friends with 360's, and don't mind taking a chance with the RROD, you can save a little bit of money on the console alone by purchasing a 360.

Ain't that the truth.

I've gone through 4 360 consoles; your licenses for purchased content are assigned to the console, not the hard drive. This means that if your console craps out, you are allowed to transfer the licenses once per 12 months. If you have two machines go down in a relatively short period of time (like I did), you can kiss your content goodbye unless you are always signed into Live.

If I had to do it over again, I would go for the PS3 for the reliability alone.

360's will always have RRoD issues. It's the diagnostic code for a bunch of different problems. Buy one tonight, you'll likely get a Falcon chipset and that will run about a 10% chance of dying on you in normal use. Wait til next year, and the odds should be lower, if what people on the xbox.com forums say is accurate.

As an owner of a first generation and a Falcon 360, the difference is noticeable. The new ones are a lot quieter and I've had far fewer disk read errors in long play sessions. The old one used to start up with a sound that I can only liken to the morning cough of a 2 pack a day man. Did that since the moment I got it. With the new one I actually had to double check to make sure it was powered on.

Long story short... there are no guarantees, but credit where credit is due... MS has done a lot to address their build quality issues from a customer service standpoint and fix the hardware probloems that cause them. If that's the only thing holding you back I'd say you should still be aware of the issue, but don't let it be the determining factor. .

nerds!

buy a book

So if you don't plan on downloading movies and tv and maybe some old games. How much space does one need for an XBox?

20GB is plenty. If I didn't have Rock Band DLC, I'd still be hovering around the half full mark in terms of space.