Which Console

[MatiasZ]

Hi everybody,

I've always been a PC gamer, but currently I don't have a powerfull setup at home (only my Macbook Pro) and I do have a 37" HD ready LCD. So, I've been wondering on the possibility of buying a console, to have some gaming available with little hassle.

However, I don't know which should I get: Xbox, PS3 or Wii? I would like to have the possibility to play the following genres:

- racing
- action (FPS or the like)
- general enjoyment (music, karaoke, trivia, etc)

I like the fact that the PS3 has a BD bay, but this is not very important. Can someone point me out on the dis/advantages of each model?

Thanks in advance!
Matias

 

[Gradthrawn]

Hi everybody,

I've always been a PC gamer, but currently I don't have a powerfull setup at home (only my Macbook Pro) and I do have a 37" HD ready LCD. So, I've been wondering on the possibility of buying a console, to have some gaming available with little hassle.

However, I don't know which should I get: Xbox, PS3 or Wii? I would like to have the possibility to play the following genres:

- racing
- action (FPS or the like)
- general enjoyment (music, karaoke, trivia, etc)

I like the fact that the PS3 has a BD bay, but this is not very important. Can someone point me out on the dis/advantages of each model?

Thanks in advance!
Matias

For group/party enjoyment I would say go for the Wii. Not to say the others don't have their share of party games, but the Wii has them in spades.

Otherwise, get the 360. I suspect that as a current PC gamer, you'll enjoy its selection more. I say that simply because there are several 360/PC titles that simply don't have PS3 ports at all or the ports are sub par in some way, shape or form.

Truthfully, for the genres you've listed, you really can't go wrong with either the PS3 or 360.

If you can spring it, get them both!

 

[MatiasZ]

For group/party enjoyment I would say go for the Wii. Not to say the others don't have their share of party games, but the Wii has them in spades.

Otherwise, get the 360. I suspect that as a current PC gamer, you'll enjoy its selection more. I say that simply because there are several 360/PC titles that simply don't have PS3 ports at all or the ports are sub par in some way, shape or form.

Truthfully, for the genres you've listed, you really can't go wrong with either the PS3 or 360.

If you can spring it, get them both!

I'm not very party-like, so I won't be enjoying it all that much, but I want something that I can play with my girlfriend too. Is there any obvious reason why the PS3 is so much more expensive than the Xbox 360 other than the BD? What kind of bay does the X360 currently have (no more HD-DVD I assume)?

 

[Arwin]

Hi everybody,

I've always been a PC gamer, but currently I don't have a powerfull setup at home (only my Macbook Pro) and I do have a 37" HD ready LCD. So, I've been wondering on the possibility of buying a console, to have some gaming available with little hassle.

However, I don't know which should I get: Xbox, PS3 or Wii? I would like to have the possibility to play the following genres:

- racing
- action (FPS or the like)
- general enjoyment (music, karaoke, trivia, etc)

I like the fact that the PS3 has a BD bay, but this is not very important. Can someone point me out on the dis/advantages of each model?

Thanks in advance!
Matias

This is a risky question because it can easily degenerate into console wars. I'm going to try to answer it anyway as objectively as I can, and then ask additional questions.

Racing and action sort of exludes the Wii. From there on:

Racing: it depends on what kind of racing you like, what kind of hardware you may already own, if you want to use a wheel, etc. There are tonnes of racing titles, so I'm going to focus on the best titles this year are Grid (Arcade street racing), Burnout (Arcade "Open World" racing), Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (realistic handling), Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (Arcade Off-Road racing), Pure (Arcade Off-Road Racing), and WipeOut HD (Arcade Futuristic Racing).

When it comes to using peripherals (like Racing Wheels), the PS3 supports more hardware and supports it better, and that hardware is better shareable with the PC, should you return to PC gaming at home (with your current preferences, you might eventually).

Action: a wider genre hardly exists. Even if we limit ourselves to FPS, there's a tonne of great games coming to and already out on both systems. Most slightly prefer the 360 controller for FPS gaming. Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3 supports mouse and keyboard, but no other games do that yet, so it's probably going to count for some. There's the FragFX for both I think, which helps if you're serious about FPS gaming and really can't get into controllers, but it's generally just better to get used to the controller. Right now, consensus is that the 360 is generally still a bit better for FPS games, but the difference imho is small and it slightly depends also on your preferences. More information about what kind of FPS games you like is needed, I think.

General Enjoyment: generally good on both systems. Multiplatform games are mostly slightly better on 360 (the Rock Star and Guitar Heroes of this world), but the bigger PS3's exclusives are significantly better imho (reviews tend to agree about SingStar, Buzz vs Lips and Scene It, for instance). PS Eye support is much better than Vision camera support. And I personally think motion controls count heavily in the general enjoyment factor, in that it makes for a lot of 'casual' experiences easy to get into for non-gamers that most people seem to associate exclusively with the Wii. Among this for instance are games like Fl0w, but also Motorstorm PR which just really clicks with casuals (think Mario Kart, but with cool graphics, sound, physics, tracks, etc).

Finally there's the online. PSN is free, which accounts for something if you plan to play online, and the service has caught up to the 360 considerably these days. However, there are differences depending on your location. In the U.S., there are more advantages to Live than in Europe. Also, currently Live has some advantages in terms of cross game chatting and such, but I don't know how social a gamer you are. Home is no slouch either though, as I recently discovered, but it's still early days for the service.

I'll state up-front that it's no secret on this forum that I prefer the PS3 for various reasons (having both the PS3 and the 360). But I do adjust my recommendations generally to what I think is better suited for someone else and I'm not autistic, nor do I work for either company.

Do you have any more information for us that we can use?

 

[obonicus]

To be fair, if we're talking about racing games, the 360 has Forza and Project Gotham Racing, they're just not from this year.

 

[Zassk]

Aside from BD, the main reason the PS3 is more expensive is because the console has had 1 year less time to cut down its manufacturing costs. Some of the comparative cost of the 360 has been hidden in optional accessories prices, by design. For example, if it were possible to offer the PS3 without a hard drive, we might imagine it being closer in price to the 360 Arcade; but the PS3 wasn't designed that way, so there's no low-cost PS3 model. There is also the issue that Sony is financially struggling, and is actually raising its prices on other products due to the strong yen; we might speculate that this is why the PS3 did not have an annual price cut in 2008.

 

[Arwin]

Ah, there's a girlfriend.

The 360 is stuck with DVD, and can only store 6.8GB on it. This makes for one big difference in price. There have been various arguments on this board about whether or not that's significant, which I will not repeat here. It is noisy though, still, and you'll have to go for HDD installs on the 360 to prevent that noise. The BD on the PS3 is quiet, but then multi-platform games are more likely to require some sort of install.

Another one is the cooling system, which is quieter in the PS3 and rather nifty (huge side-fan). HDMI 1.3 vs 1.2 is a smaller difference, as is the 1GB Ethernet on PS3 (vs 100Mbit on 360) and the PS3 has the built-in WiFi adapter (buy extra on 360). Other advantage of the PS3 is upgrading the harddrive - you can and are even allowed without voiding the warranty to upgrade it. It has a default laptop drive and you can buy anything up to 500GB, and even that one is cheaper than a standalone 360 upgrade to a much lower capacity).

I also have a much easier time convincing women to play with me on the PS3. This depends very much on your girlfriend though so more information needed again. I have to go to dinner, so I'll leave others to expound on the virtues of the 360.

 

[DrJay24]

I'm not very party-like, so I won't be enjoying it all that much, but I want something that I can play with my girlfriend too. Is there any obvious reason why the PS3 is so much more expensive than the Xbox 360 other than the BD? What kind of bay does the X360 currently have (no more HD-DVD I assume)?

Unless you are planning on buying a $199 Arcade for pure game play, the cost differences are not so drastic.

If you want the full 360 experience; demos, movies, NXE game installs, you will want at least a 60GB for $299. Add in a wi-fi adaptor ($99) and XBL ($40-$50), then you see the 80GB PS3 with BD playback is value.

You can also use the Sony Rewards card deal for a $150 rebate (remember CC risks bla bla bla).

 

[Zassk]

It is true that the cost difference is only about 33% - if you want the console models that provide more functionality than just games. The $200 Arcade is a pure gaming machine, in the same sense as the PS2 before it. If you care strictly about games, then it is an attractive consideration.

As for the value of the secondary features mentioned by Arwin, I wasn't going to go into those minor differences, because to me they are a wash overall, and none of them factor significantly into the cost of console. On the 360 side, I have personally benefited from the built-in IR remote compatibility and media center extender, which are extra costs on the PS3. But I think it is better to look at the games and make your decision based on those.

I always dispute the inclusion of wifi as a required cost. Most computers sold these days are wireless, so there is no reason why the router should not be located beside the game console and connected directly to it. (Most broadband services are provided through the TV outlet anyway, which is located beside the game console.) I would sooner include the cost of cables in the equation, which are in fact needed by all customers.

 

[tirminyl]

As mentioned, when it comes to the cost of the consoles you have to look at whats included. The 360 costs are hidden within the accessories you may need to play certain games or to benefit from additional services. The cost can range widely as well. As Zassk stated, he disputes the inclusion of wifi. I would too as well BUT it all varies on your needs. Originally I chose a 360 over a PS3 due to cost but found what I needed to get me up and running cost me more than what the PS3 would cost. Wifi adapter was big in the price. My router was located in another room and I didn't want to split out a single port to lower the signal for my tv. My room was also located downstairs so wireless was pretty much the only route. Still the same scenario in my current residence. The point is, every situation is different.

Games are really the deciding factor. Which slew of exclusives do you prefer? Arwin covered some good disc based titles but are there additional download-able titles that can provide good general entertainment? PJMonsters? PJEden? HVBowling? Various PSEye titles?

 

[BadTB25]

Can't go wrong either with the PS3 or 360. I'd rule out the Wii though...

I personally prefer the 360, especially with the new NXE and Netflix streaming. Additionally, Community games has a lot of "girlfriend friendly puzzle type games as well.

Most muliplat games are slightly better on 360, which may change as developers get better at coding for the PS3. Also, it seems that MS is securing more exclusive content for these titles ala GTA IV and Tomb Raider underworld.

The 360 also seems to be getting a lot of 3rd party exclusives either first or for the foreseeable future like Valve with Left 4 Dead and Gears of War 2. Additionally, MS has some good first party titles like Fable 2, Halo Wars, Halo: ODST and Banjo Kazooie.

The PS3 has some great 1st or 2nd party titles that I can't wait to try like Little Big Planet, Motorstorm 2 and Kill Zone 2. Resistance 2 doesn't really appeal to me for some reason. The only big 3rd party exclusive that the PS3 has that comes to mind is MGS4, but there may be others that I can not recall. In addition, it has free on-line although I think Xbox Live Gold is much more matured and worth the cost. Also Live Silver is free, but has no on-line play. The PS3 is quieter and plays Blu Rays whcih may or may not be a factor.

Both a great platforms. I'd say get both if you can afford it, but if it came down to only 1, i'd choose the 360.

 

[rekator]

Racing? What type of racing?
If you're a sim lover =>360. Why? Forza 2 and Race Pro a game by Simbin who come in Q1 2009.
Arcade=> 360. Why? You have all the third party games and PGR.

FPS/TPS… The 360 got the nickname of the "Shooter Box", but now is you analyse the PS3 try to be this "Shooter Box" but got two bad point the pad and "quality" of the online. So 360 with Halo, COD, Left 4 Dead and Gears.

General enjoyment… the both are equivalent. But 360 would be offer more "party" games with the arrival of the NXE, like one vs 100 etc…

The advantage of Blu-ray… If you don't have DVDs it's a avantage, if you got many DVDs not a great advantage, the both are equivalent in the upscale of the DVD.
Both offer VOD, but 360 actually got a better offer.

Noise in game… actually with the install of the game on HDD the 360 is in the same level than the PS3.
Noise in DVD equivalent.

Accessories sell with the console
360: headset, HD component cable.
PS3: wifi
Wifi will a advantage if you're in the location where you have no interference.

Both have advantages and both are great…

But they're game console so look at their libraries, and compare to your tastes.

 

[LordNerevar]

I was in the same doubt, since i was a PC gamer for years, and my favorite genres were FPS, RPG and racing.
I got the PS3.
Why?
FPS --> Killzone 2.
RPG --> White Knight Chronicle/FF XIII (at the time, it was still exclusive).
Racing --> GT5 (no questions asked, beats everything else by a mile). Arcade? Motorstorm is uber awesome (ESPECIALLY Pacific Rift).

You can play GT5: Prologue right now. Killzone 2 is coming in a few months, until then, you can play Resistance 2 (awesome mixture of FPS and MMO-like raiding multiplayer).
Regarding general enjoyment, LBP is really, really awesome game.

And you have BluRay.

 

[PARANOiA]

The correct answer is... get them all. It's not actually that expensive if you can justify it to the other half.

Having said that, I'm a 360-only owner (plus a gaming PC of course), and I've said for about 18 months that I'll buy a second console once I run out of great games to play. I haven't hit that point on the 360 yet, since there's such a massive library of top notch games to play. My backlog is about six games deep right now, too, so hopefully I can catch up on some great gaming over the first few months of next year. The other big advantage of the 360 is that because it's been out for longer, you'll find a lot more AAA games for dirt cheap - check Crackdown, Dead Rising, Forza, etc, which you should be able to pick up for next to nothing. 360 also has in nearly all cases superior versions of multiplatform games.

I would steer clear of the Wii at this stage, since there's not a whole heap out there for a "gamer's gamer", and there's not a hell of a lot on the horizon.

For an attempt at an "objective" view, check Metacritic for library choices. 360 has 18 games with 90+ scores, while the PS3 has only 10, and the Wii has only 8. For games with 80+ scores, the count is 129 for 360, 89 for 360, and 39 for Wii.

 

[MatiasZ]

This is a risky question because it can easily degenerate into console wars. I'm going to try to answer it anyway as objectively as I can, and then ask additional questions.

I hope no war is created from my post I think is clear that the decision is between X360 and PS3. From there on...

Racing: it depends on what kind of racing you like, what kind of hardware you may already own, if you want to use a wheel, etc. There are tonnes of racing titles, so I'm going to focus on the best titles this year are Grid (Arcade street racing), Burnout (Arcade "Open World" racing), Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (realistic handling), Motorstorm: Pacific Rift (Arcade Off-Road racing), Pure (Arcade Off-Road Racing), and WipeOut HD (Arcade Futuristic Racing).

I have no racing wheel or anything of the like. Are these games available under both platforms? If so, is there any image quality difference between the two?

Action: a wider genre hardly exists. [...]. More information about what kind of FPS games you like is needed, I think.

I've been a serious Q3 player for a long time, and I enjoy Crysis and the like on the PC, but have no time to play at the office where my powerfull setup is. From your post it seemed the X360 might be a better choice for FPS. Are any of the good games (from what I've heard) like Gears of War or Call of Duty available for the PS3?

Finally there's the online.[...]

I only plan on using online if the service is really good, but perhaps more oriented to the extra content rather than multiplayer, as I know that requires time to get into it, and I don't have much.

Do you have any more information for us that we can use?

I will not be able to use it a lot (work+university really doesn't leave that much time left), so I want it to be simple to use, and a long-term inversion.

I have a very good 5.1 sound system, I would like to get the most of it with the console through a digital out to my A/V receiver

I personally prefer the 360, especially with the new NXE and Netflix streaming

Could someone expand a little bit on this? I'm not too familiar with these services.

As mentioned, when it comes to the cost of the consoles you have to look at whats included. The 360 costs are hidden within the accessories you may need to play certain games or to benefit from additional services.

Which accesories should I consider as "important"? On the same topic, is the HD so important if games are the main concern of the console (not that I'm not interested in the other features)?

I also have a much easier time convincing women to play with me on the PS3. This depends very much on your girlfriend though so more information needed again

What type of information would you need? To me is very important that my girlfriend gets into the console, as it is much easier to justify 400€ well spent than 200€ in an useless box.

Thank you all for the great answers.
Best regards,
Matias

 

[obonicus]

I have no racing wheel or anything of the like. Are these games available under both platforms? If so, is there any image quality difference between the two?

Grid, Burnout and Pure are multiplatform.
Motorstorm, Wipeout, GT5 are PS3.
Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing are 360.

I've been a serious Q3 player for a long time, and I enjoy Crysis and the like on the PC, but have no time to play at the office where my powerfull setup is. From your post it seemed the X360 might be a better choice for FPS. Are any of the good games (from what I've heard) like Gears of War or Call of Duty available for the PS3?

Both 360 and PS3 have UT3, but I think that's moot since no one's playing those. No one makes or plays Q3-style FPS on consoles (or on PC for that matter). Call of Duty is multiplat. SOCOM, Resistance(2) is PS3-only. I'm not going to mention upcoming games, since you're looking for a console now. 360 has Gears of War and Halo. Some people prefer the 360 controller, others don't. I personally think they both have problems. The strength of most of these games lies in their multiplayer, though.

I only plan on using online if the service is really good, but perhaps more oriented to the extra content rather than multiplayer, as I know that requires time to get into it, and I don't have much.

With that usage pattern, PSN being free might be a better fit, since otherwise you shouldn't subscribe to Live! at all.

Could someone expand a little bit on this? I'm not too familiar with these services.

NXE is the new xbox experience. It doesn't really mean anything to you, it's just an improved user interface. But, as far as you're concerned, it'd be the only user interface you'd know. Netflix is on-demand HD video streaming, but only available if you're in the US.

Which accesories should I consider as "important"? On the same topic, is the HD so important if games are the main concern of the console (not that I'm not interested in the other features)?

If you're not doing multiplayer not many. If you're interested in Singstar (which is probably the leading karaoke game) you can get the PSEye (PS-branded camera/mic) and create videos of yourself singing, if that's your sort of thing. There's also a handful of other games that use the camera in this way or the other. The 360 also has a camera, and they use it for a few games, most notably 'You're in the Movies', which as far as I can tell is a silly little 'splice together your own movie trailer, starring you!'-type game.

 

[MatiasZ]

Both 360 and PS3 have UT3, but I think that's moot since no one's playing those. No one makes or plays Q3-style FPS on consoles (or on PC for that matter).

Is OK, I'm not expecting a Q3-like experience, since as you point out that's not even available on PC anymore

If you're not doing multiplayer not many. If you're interested in Singstar (which is probably the leading karaoke game) you can get the PSEye (PS-branded camera/mic) and create videos of yourself singing, if that's your sort of thing.

I'm very interested in Singstar as my girlfriend asked specially for it. Is the PSEye the onlye alternative for this game? isn't there a micro alone for it?

 

[DrJay24]

The PSEye is the camera, the game comes with two mics.

 

[obonicus]

Singstar is Sony-exclusive. PSEye is just if you want to record your own videos and share them (can you use other usb cameras as well?), because, yeah, the game comes with microphones. Does Singstar work with just any USB mic?

 

[BadTB25]

Obonicus covered most of the questions you are asking.

I would add that the 360 has Community games which are developed by the user base. They tend to be amateur develops that seem to trend to simple puzzle or shooting games. Some of them are really good and are made by former developers striking out solo. Most are lower priced usually between $2.50-$10.00. All have demos to try before you buy for free.

The 360 also has a karaoke-type game called "Lips". Supposedly this game allows you to use music from your portable Mp3 player but without lyrics on screen it also has downloadable songs that can be purchased via Xbox Live. This is a new product, so it remains to be seen how successful it will be. Songs included in the package will be region specific and the game comes with 2 wireless mics.

Also most posters here from my experience can put aside blind bias. I admittedly lean 360, but enjoy my PS3 as well.

If you can afford both--that'll be the way to go.