I’ve been considering buying a game console, but outside of playing Wii Sports a bit, I’m completely unfamiliar with this generation of systems.
It was also confusing that some reviewers on Amazon mentioned that a certain Xbox 360 memory card was obsolete and wouldn’t work with the newer 360s. My original plan was to go to eBay or Amazon and buy one of the used systems and some accessories but it seems that it won’t be that easy.
Years ago, I liked the Grand Theft Auto series, Metal Gear Solid, and FFVII. There were others, but it’s been a long time. Are there any great games that are only available on one system?
Do any of your friends have one of those systems? If so, get that one.
If not, do a quick wikipedia search on each console’s exclusives, and see which strikes your fancy. Ultimately, there are great games for both systems, many of which compare favorably to exclusives on the other console (Halo v. Killzone, the racing exclusives, etc.).
Do you see multiplayer being a BIG part of your gaming? You have to pay for 360’s online service, but it’s MUCH better. If you’re just going to be a casual gamer, the PS3 may be better.
Any need for a bluray player? The PS3 is excellent.
Don’t care at all for online play, but want Netflix access? You’ll have to pay $50/year on the 360.
To add to Munch’s excellent points (especially Number 1. I think being able to share games with friends is the most important point) another thing to consider is the controller. A lot of stores (like Target) have the consoles set up so you can try out some games. Play around with both systems and see what you think of the controller. How it fits your hand, how it feels. I am sure you can get used to whichever one you choose, but some people just prefer one over the other.
Yeah, I actually meant to put a bunch of spaces after #1. There is very little reason to get the console your friends don’t have. The only possible consideration would be have a “need” for a bluray player without having an extra piece of electronics.
Blah blah blah, “My subjective experience is…” And MY subjective experience is that I haven’t even been arsed to bother to buy a Ps3 because there’s nothing it provides that I need, but…
Seriously, just ignore this subjective nonsense. Listen to Munch. He has it absolutely right.
RE Memory cards, Xbox 360 doesn’t need a proprietary memory card anymore - a few years ago in a dashboard update they allowed any USB flash drive, up to 16GB. If you get the one with a hard drive you don’t even need that. But the cheapest option with the Xbox 360 is to get an Arcade + a 16GB flash drive off Amazon.
If you do get an Xbox360 get Xbox Live via 1 year cards on Amazon.com or another site, don’t give them your credit card (the cards are cheapear).
I personally have 3 xbox 360s, but as far as Xbox 360 vs PS3, both are pretty similar for games that are on both system. The controllers are a little different (I prefer Xbox 360 myself, and I have a PS2 so I have used Dualshocks). Online play is generally considered better on the Xbox 360 (“you get what you pay for”), but that only matters if you are going to be hardcore - casual play once or twice is going to be better on the PS3 since it is free.
Exclusives probably matter more than anything else - I personally love Halo games and if you like First person shooters then the Xbox generally has better exclusives - notably Halo and Gears of War. If you get really hardcore things like the map packs generally come out first on the Xbox, too, even for multi-platform games like Call of Duty.
Ultimately though you probably won’t be disappointed with either one - both have way more horsepower than a wii and can drive games with decent graphics in HD. There should be plenty of games you will like that came out/come out on both platforms. Plus both platforms are mature and there are lots of used games cheap that you will want to play. (Although I believe the xbox 360 has an advantage in the number of games total in the library).
Rule #1 doesn’t apply for me. Everyone I know well who has a system chose the Wii, which is why I’m out of the loop about what this generation of systems has to offer. Based on the rest of the thread, it sounds like the PS3 would be the best choice.
A possible consideration that probably won’t apply is that the PS3, unlike the Xbox 360 or Wii for that matter, doesn’t have any region lockouts for games, which means that if you’re interested in something that is not available in your region you can easily play an import.
If you anticipate upgrading the hard drive, it’s much cheaper to do so on the PS3. PS3 will use off-the-shelf hard drives, the 360 has to use a Microsoft-brand hard drive, and of course they gouge you.
Both consoles have some good exclusives. I think the cost of ownership will generally be lower with the PS3 though.
While it is more complicated than on a PS3 you can upgrade your hard drive without paying microsoft a million bucks to do it: https://www.pcworld.com/article/150970/upgrade_your_xbox_360s_hard_drive_on_the_cheap.html
Honestly though if you go the Xbox 360 route an Arcade with a 16gb flash drive is more than enough space - the only way I ever use even close to that amount is if I install to hard drive a whole bunch of games - and even when you do that the disk has to be in anyway.
Edit to add, if you go the PS3 route, definitely get uncharted - that is the only game I really miss having only 360s.
If by “imminently” you mean “sometime in 2012” then yes. Otherwise, not really.
Also, the Wii-U doesn’t really show any signs of being meaningfully more powerful than the PS3/360, so I’m a little uncertain what reason there would be to wait for it.