So, I’m kind of torn at this point. OOH, Blu-ray beat out HD-DVD in the format war. OTOH, I could see Blu-ray getting sent to an early grave, if Microsoft plays their cards right.
What would you suggest? How do the games stack up? What about online capabilities (e.g., Xbox Live)?
Not too sure. I haven’t really been scoping out the game landscape for either system lately (was mostly sticking to my Wii). If I were to get a 360, I’m sure I’d buy Halo (it’s not my killer app for the 360, but if I had a 360…). But outside of that, I don’t have any ideas off the top of my head.
I prefer playing RPGs, with an occasional FPS thrown into the mix (depending on my mood). I remember reading about Fable (which sounded cool) before it came out, but I haven’t been keeping up with any new developments.
I’m a PS3 fan, so I would obviously try to steer you in that direction. I have to admit I was surprised that FF13 is coming out on Xbox too. Everything I had read until yesterday was that was to be a PS3 exclusive along with Metal Gear Solid. I’m not sure why Sony seems to have less and less exclusives.
One thing I would note is that XBox Live costs $50 bucks a year, while Playstation Network is free.
Keep a tab of the events at E3 (going on this week). Both Microsoft and Sony will be announcing future plans and coming games and events for their platforms. Maybe any “new” news will play into your decision.
FWIW, I have a PS3. Love the Blu-Ray…don’t think the format will be as ubiquitous as DVD is, but I believe despite digital downloads an HD optical format should have some life in it. Sony is also rumored to be preparing a video on demand service for the PS3.
What I like:
–integration with my PSP
–Blu-Ray
–Eye-Toy
–Free online
–backward compatibility for most PS2 games (360 has limited compatibility with previous generation titles)
–No hardware issues (early 360s had a very high defect rate, this has since been fixed…make sure if you get a 360 to buy a newer SKU that has not been stuck on a shelf somewhere)
What I don’t
–360 seems to have a lot more games this time around that I would like to play (althought there are a few Sony exclusives that I have enjoyed)
–IMHO XBox Live Arcade has much better casual titles than Sony is offering for download
Overall I’m glad I purchased the PS3 at the time I did…I would have been pissed if I was an early 360 owner as Microsoft has since released so many product revisions and add-ons that the original models, while cheaper than the PS3 at the time, seem to be lacking (no hard drive on some models, no HDMI out, etc). However, the current iterations of either console are competitive…take a look at the games you want to play and the services that are most important to you. What I find interesting is that last gen the PS3 had many more RPGs and fewer FPS than the 360, and now the situation is reversed.
Final Fantasy XIII is going to be on the X-Box, Final Fantasy XIII Versus will not be if that makes any difference whatsoever to you. I have a 360 and I adore it. If you’re an RPG fan, then right now 360 is truly the way to go. I’ve honestly been looking for a reason to buy a PS3 but I have yet to find one (FF XIII was going to be that reason). Oh and Microsoft is cutting the price on the 360 (not sure if it happened yet) and Sony has no intentions of doing so in the near future.
There might be other business reasons behind Squeenix branching out to the other consoles, but as far as I can tell it’s a losing proposition for Squeenix to remain exclusive with Sony. The PS3 came out later than the 360, so there’s already a huge install base on the latter, and the Wii which was released at the same time has been blowing the PS3 away in sales. Plus Square’s been loving the DS, which is a great platform for their rereleases and less epic games. When the PS2 was at the top, exclusive deals made sense, but the console competition this generation is very strong.
Personally I’d go with the 360. Better library, cheaper system, and if you really want Blu-Ray I believe I saw a peripheral for the 360 available.
I have been a big fan of Sony over the last two generation of consoles. I’d even started saving my spare change in a jar labeled PS3 FUND in a jar a few years back. When it came time to buy, I looked at both systems and decided on the Xbox 360. It’s been over a year now and I’ve not regretted it at all.
I’d anticipated that when Final Fantasy XIII came out, I’d finally break down and buy a PS3. Not now though.
I was in the same boat a few months ago. I ended up going for the PS3. Here was my justification:
I was wanting to get something with a HDMI port and that seemed to limit me to the upper-end models for 360s. (I think only the Elite has a HDMI port, but I may be mistaken.) Also, the PS3 has wireless connectivity built-in, where you have to shell out money for an adapter for the 360. Also, there’s the comparisons between the two on-line services. The PS3’s is free, where the 360’s is not. (Granted, it is relatively cheap.)
I shopped around eBay and was able to find a new 40G PS3 for $60 off of the retail price. (Although, it did take three weeks for it to arrive, and I’m still waiting for additional “compensation” for all of the trouble, but that’s another story altogether.)
I think a lot of it would depend on your current set-up and interests: Are you wanting to go on-line via cable or wireless, what kind of connection would you use for your tv, what games do you prefer, etc. I have found myself a little frustrated with the PS3, when I compare its library with the 360’s, but I currently have a fairly decent stock of games: Rock Band*, Call of Duty IV, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Devil May Cry IV, GTA IV, Oblivion, The Orange Box, MGS IV and Ratchet and Clank.
If I had to do it all over again, I think I’d probably still go for the PS3, but I’d be a little more hesitant.
The PS3 shows a lot of promise, but Sony sure seems to be dragging its heels…
And don’t get me started on Rock Band 2 coming out for the 360 before the PS3.
Then your decision is made. Get the 360, get Oblivion, get XBox Live, get the various expansions for Oblivion that are available on XBox Live, and kiss your friends and family goodbye.
On the other hand, I have a 360 and when this one dies, if its not still under warranty, I may not replace it. I’ve had the red ring of death (I think) 4 times. The last time it died, I actually let it sit for MONTHS just because I didn’t want to go through the hassle of convincing some dude in India that I did indeed have three flashing red lights, and would he please just send me the coffin and stop asking questions. But now I understand that you can simply request the coffin on-line and they will send you one. I guess the MS goons come and rough you up if you send one back that doesn’t have the RRofD.
The original 20GB and 60GB did it with hardware emulation. The 80GB did it via software emulation. The 40GB does not support PS2 games and there are no plans to make it do so. I do believe you can play PS1 games on it though.
Not only that, but we have a Doper Gamertag so you have a convenient place to have all our names in one spot T SQUARE: They both look good, though. Much better than any Wii game. At a certain point, it gets to be a silly argument.
Almost universaly, every review I’ve seen where the game comes out for both platforms either the reviewer will say that there is little to no difference, or that the XBOX 360 is actually better.
I haven’t checked out a review from an XBOX 360/PS3 game in a few months though, so things might have changed now.
