I am bored and the local TV sucks.
I see all three game platforms are available here. Has a general consensus developed about which of these is “best?” (Which is cheapest? By a significant amount?)
The PS3 is probably the most advance and has a built in Blu Ray player
The XBox probably has the best games
The Wii is the most fun (and is the cheapest).
I don’t think a consensus has really developed. It seems like whatever system a person buys they consider the best. So, just look at how much you have to spend and what you want to get.
xBox360 has the most games and the bigger userbase. So you will have a much easier time getting used games. 300 bucks
PS3 has (Of course in my opinion) the most options in the box. wifi, bluray, bluetooth, free online gaming (Probably not as good as for pay xbox live), easy (comparitively) to replace hard drive, wireless controllers. 400 bucks
Wii is the very best for little kids. It’s the least powerful, but has the most innovation. Right ouf of the box you get wii sports which is really fun. 250 bucks
It really depends what you’re going to be using it for and what type of games you like.
If you like first person shooters, racing games, shiny graphics, and complex action/adventure games in general, run, don’t walk, and get yourself an XBox 360. Fantastic and robust library of games across “traditional” genres.
If you’re looking for a more casual or party game experience, go for the Wii. Tons of great social games and other things that can be picked up and put down without much time commitment.
Of course, there are great part games on the 360 and great traditional games on the Wii.
I wouldn’t recommend a PS3 unless you really want to watch Bu-Ray movies. Other than that, the 360 does almost everything the PS3 does but better and cheaper.
Also, get a DS.
DS?
Well I like first person shooters, sso the XBox is the way to go?
Can I play my old DVDs on a Blu-ray player? I also need a DVD player. Many birds, few stones.
#1: Not the PS3. The few exclusives aren’t worth the pain in the neck.
#2: You want to get intense, or are you kind of a light gamer? You want to do the heavy hardcore multiplayer with everyone, or you want to just push a button, play a game for a while, maybe multiplayer later?
#3: How’s your liquid cash flow?
If you see the gaming system as a serious investment in your gaming future, X-Box. If you just want to have fun screwing around, Wii. Are there a lot of people you can physically play with? Wii. Great for creating social activities.
Actually, the Wii is really good for first person shooters. Sadly, there’s only one really out right now, Metroid, but the second one is coming out real soon. Made by a Doper, too. Conduit.
DS: Nintendo DS. Now, the Nintendo DSi. Portable gaming system. GameBoy. With a touch screen, wifi.
Note: Playing movies on your game system is a pain cause you have to take the movie out to play games with. Sure, you can, but DVD players are, you know, cheap.
What kind of TV do you have? Fancy flat panel?
Yeah, and the Xbox 360 also plays DVDs.
Another plus of the XBox 360 is that, if you have Netflix, you can watch any movies that are Instant Plays if you have Xbox Live Gold. I have used that feature a lot and it’s very nice.
ETA: Our brand new XBox 360 cost $200, not $300.
I like first person shooters better on the Wii than on any other console, because they don’t call a clumsy person “all thumbs” for nothing. The Wii Remote & nunchuck works way better than a game pad, and is the best option going if you can’t use a keyboard/mouse combo.
I don’t know what you mean about there being only one first person shooter, though. There are about twenty. Call of Duty 3, COD World at War, and Medal of Honour: Airborne are pretty damned kick-ass, for console shooters.
Although to be honest, watching DVDs on the xbox is a pretty painful experience, sounding like a landing 747 as it does. I wouldn’t recommend it; given the choice between watching a DVD on our 40" telly from the Xbox, and watching it on my 19" computer monitor, I usually opt for the latter just so I can hear the dialogue.
There’s a Friends of Friends Gamertag associated with the 360. If you get that and create your Gamertag, you can be added to that list so you can play with/against Dopers.
Another vote for Xbox 360, with your needs. And the new 360s supposedly have quieter drives, so that’s a plus for DVD playback.
Also, it you love retro-type games, the Xbox Live Arcade has a ton of great stuff to download. Not as much as the Wii’s Virtual Console, but as a service in addition to the first person shooters, it rocks.
Only one I noticed. I havn’t been playing the FPS on the Wii much.
I’d strongly make sure, if you go for the 360, to get one with a decent hard drive.
What pain in the neck is associated with the PS3? Other than online gaming (which may be a complete non-issue for Paul), my PS3 does everything much better than my 360 ever could. I’ve never had a RROD, but that would be the biggest pain in the neck any gamer could deal with.
Paul - there are plusses and minuses to all three consoles. You need to look at a few things:
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Look at the game selections. The 360 has a much bigger library. The PS3 has quite a bit smaller one. The Wii has virtually no FPS games. But you will be the ultimate decider on what games YOU want to play.
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Decide whether you want a bluray player, now or in the future. PS3s are $100 more expensive than a 360 (assuming you get a harddrive), and $150 more than a Wii because of this. If you don’t want it - don’t pay for it. It is, however, one of the best players on the market, and at a $100 up-cost, one of the cheapest (if you figure you’re paying $200 for the system). DVDs will play on a 360 as well - but as said, it’s noisy, and you may not want to subject yourself to the drive noise (it is LOUD).
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Do you play online? If so, the 360 has a fantastic experience - but it costs you $40-50/year. The PS3 is reliable and stable, but it’s free. The Wii is a giant pain in the ass, for the few games you might be interested in it.
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Other. Do you absolutely need wifi, or is the internet router nearby to connect to? Do you stream media from your computer to the TV? Do you think you’d download smaller arcade games? Have you gone to Best Buy to hold the controllers and play with them to compare?
honeslty I wouldn’t even consider a Wii unless you’re a pretty light gamer as there really aren’t that many good games for the system. My wii more or less collects dust in the corner and makes my x360 feel better about itself.
An important factor, imo, that I’d take into account would be RPGs. If you’re an RPG fan than definitely go for the xbox 360. Ps3 has a Valkyria Chronicles which is supposedly quite excellent (I say “supposedly” cause I’ve not had a chance to play it) but the x360 has the best selection of RPGs this gen, which is odd considering it’s an american system but even Squeenix (whose games I generally hate these days, or since everyone from Square Soft left) are favoring microsoft’s console over the ps3
Just a note, the cheapest way to get a 360 or PS3 right now is by watching the online deal sites for a deal from Dell. All these people keep saying 400 for a PS3 but I got mine for 310 with no extra effort other than waiting a couple weeks for a Dell deal to pop up. Similarly you can get the 360 with a hard drive (which is the bare minimum I would accept) for low to mid 200s instead of the 300 price point. I don’t know whether or not Dell ships to Qatar, though. 
As for the choice of systems, there are many people for whom the Wii is the appropriate choice, but it doesn’t sound like you are one of those people, especially since you also need a DVD player. Take a look at what games are on the 360 and the PS3 that you might want, decide whether or not Blu-Ray has value to you, and go from there. They’re both very good systems at this point; the 360 has supposedly finally gotten over its hardware trouble, and the PS3 has gotten to the point where it definitely has enough excellent games to make it worth having. The 360 retains an edge in game selection and the PS3 retains an edge as a media player, but they both work well enough for both purposes at this point.
Great game, but only an RPG in the loosest sense of the word.
PS3 does have some other RPG exclusives that are worth noting, though. White Knight Chronicles is supposed to be excellent, and though Sony lost the FFXIII exclusive (outside of Japan), FF Versus XIII is still PS3-only. I’ve seen other RPGs on the shelves here but I don’t know if there are any plans to release them in the US.
Paul, are the systems sold there localized or imported from the US? That’s something important to investigate since I believe that the XBox 360 has region codes on its software.
I own a PS3 and a Wii (living in Japan the Xbox360 did not seem a realistic option). The only time I really seem to use the Wii is when I have people over; otherwise it just collects dust.
Did they fix whatever was causing the RROD with the 360? Or would one manufactured this year have a chance of getting it? I occasionally think about buying one but not if it can just die for no reason.
That’s been fixed. There is a chance it still may happen due to a issolated fault, improper use etc. but the built-in fault that was causing a very high percentage of units to fail has been sorted.