Just introducing myself properly by way of this topic...

I have been thinking seriously about getting an Xbox 360 for a little while now, more so since the release of "Bioshock" and those rumours of "GTA: IV" being more "complete" on the 360, and I'm wondering if you all think it's a wise decision. This all has to be understood in the context of a couple of things: my love for gaming is diminishing as I get older (I'm on the cusp of 24), and in the context of my negative reaction to Sony's confusing marketing for the Playstation 3, its poor sales, its very limited software range, and my recent experience with the under-supported, but not incapable, PSP (I am no Sony fanboy, but I did import from Japan after the Irish/U.K. release was delayed by many many months, and have owned both the PS1 and PS2). The games on the PSP have been nothing short of a disaster - I use it now only for homebrew, and for playing the old PS1 games when gaming was paramount, not profit-making, and certainly not a market dominated by EA acquisitions.

What has worried me quite frankly has been the penetration of the PS3 here in Ireland (I live in N. Ireland, so really the U.K.), and Sony's lack of care for the European audience - although I've always admired the quality of their products, both hardware and software, and have continued to at least support their range in a non-fanboy way (despite my girlfriend's father working high in Microsoft, and the promise of discounts), they have seriously underestimated the casual gamer's willingness to move consoles, especially when this multi-tier business starts affecting primary features (no PS2 functionality in the new £299 model, and the terrible way it has not been communicated to consumers properly - many stores here do not say it does not feature backwards compatibility). I am starting to think they cannot handle their own console - at least with Microsoft I know where I am at: Core / Premium / Elite. It's pretty simple to me. Yet, as a PS2 owner at present, I think there is a 40gb version PS3, maybe a 60gb? What is the £299 one? 40gb with no PS2 functionality? I'm not being ignorant - I just don't know off-hand because it's more difficult for me to remember specifications instead of names I can begin to link with specifications. I have to base my knowledge partly on what I see in stores, and I have a decent knowledge of gaming, so goodness knows what the average consumer is thinking, especially coming up to Christmas. It's a silly system, and I'm not impressed. My local gaming store doesn't appear to be impressed either: the PS3 section is right at the back, the 360 section at the front. People keep speaking of Sony rallying...but the PS3 has been out here for quite a long time now. I realise it may need to hit a certain price point, but if that price point comes at the expense of features, you have to count me out.

Anyway, I'd really like to hear your comments.

Thanks, and nice to meet you all. Hopefully I can comment more and stop leeching.

^Jodi (Male!)

Personally, I prefer the 360 but whether you get it or not is your choice.

Well first of welcome and stick around. I posted a response similar to what I'm about to give you now the other day about the whole ps3 & 360 issue, except this post will be much longer and in depth.

First thing is this should be a personal choice, what does the system offer you that you like better. For me its the PS3 hands down with its multimedia features, blu-ray (bigger game & movie capacity), and the sheer processing power of the system. Now that might not be everyone's opinion but it sure as hell intrigues me.

Next thing you should know. The ps3 sales are not lackluster or poor in any regards, no matter what the media or stores tell you. Sure the wii has sold like crazy, but whoop dee doo, its aim is for a cheap mass market system for everyone, the 360 and ps3 are not aimed that way. If you look at the ps3 sales so far they are basically right on par with the 360 sales during its first year. No matter how much 360 fanboys will boast the number of consoles sold, the fact is the ps3 has sold just as well in its time released, this with the PS3 costing more at launch!

Here's the article about the 360 & PS3 sales comparision: Here

Here's the chart showing the sales of the two consoles are almost the same during the same time period after launch:


Next, its not Sony doing a poor job communicating its models, its the stores. It's not Sony's fault that the stores dont understand what features each system has. Look online, with the introduction of each model Sony has clearly stated what it has or does not have. Go on the official playstation site and its there plain as day too. With that being said, I'll make the explanation of each console easy.

Note all systems are fully ps1 compatible, ps2 compatibility varies.

20gb - Available at launch - Same backwards compatibility as the 60gb below. Difference with this model was it had no multi-media memory card slots, no wireless (wifi), and the system did not come with the chrome accents like the 60gb model. Has since been phased out.

60gb - Available at launch - Best ps2 compatibility so far. Originally launched with the emotion engine in Japan and US (allowed full backwards compatibility for ps2). Was phased out due to costs and the system now has emulated backwards compatibility (like the 360). 60gb model is being phased out for the new 80gb model.

80gb - More recently available - The 60gb models were dropped in price and this model took over the 60gb's initial price. Backwards compatibility is slightly less than 60gb, but still fares very well. Comes bundled with Motorstorm.

40gb - New model - This model does away with ps2 compatibility altogether. It has no multi-media card slots and only 2 usb slots instead of 4. It will be bundled with the Spiderman 3 blu-ray movie. This model was introduced to create a lower price point for people and is not meant to focus on backwards compatibility. Its the idea that you buy the ps3 to play ps3 games.

So to sum it up, the 20gb model is no longer available and the 60gb is only available until quantities run out. The whole phasing out thing might confuse some people with the price points, but when its said and done there will be 2 models: the 40gb and 80gb. The 40gb will be cheaper, but not as fully functioned (thing 360 core). As for your stores price, see what model it is and that will tell you, as I'm not sure as I live in the U.S. and some prices could vary.



If you look at the future lineup of games, especially beginning the end of this year and the beginning of next I think you will see the PS3 has a very strong lineup coming and I think is the better buy compared to the 360.

In the end its your decision and you have to look at the games and what games you like. For me most games I want are only on the ps3 or are on both, so that makes my decision easy. Now you have to make yours.


On another note, I disagree completely with your statement, "The games on the PSP have been nothing short of a disaster". There are plenty of good games for the psp. Just to name a few, Metal Gear Solid Portable ops, Syphon Filter (Both of them), Jeanne d'Arc, Burnout Dominator, Final Fantasy Tactics, LocoRoco, Grand Theft Autos, Killzone Liberation, Ratchet & Clank, Monster Hunter, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Winning Eleven Pro Evo, Daxter, & Tekken Dark Resurrection. I tried to give a variety of genres and this is quick list I came up with.

I am also from the uk. And although i did get pissed of that there was no pes 2008 demo, i think psn is getting better. So what if there are less demos than live, who cares. Demos are half finished games. I didnt read all ur post but id say stick with it. Ps3 will soon enough dominate. Strong and reliable sony are.

Probably late, but I wouldn't get the PS3. It's a lot of money, and there aren't many games for it, none of which are good enough to warrant the purchase of the console for. Rumor is that the next big thing for the PS3, Metal Gear 4, is going to be released on the 360 as well, due to the PS3's poor sales and because the game has spent so long in development. The 360 has a lot of games, and the XBox Live system works really well.

That's my two cents on the matter.

Okay I think it's time I stood up for Sony, [A] WHAT are you on?! XBOX 360 will not be getting MGS 4, MGS Online, FFXIII or FFXIII versus, all of this has been confirmed at TGS, as well as other places [B] I will say right now the PS3 has some decent titles enough to at least rival the XBOX 360, just to name a few Resistance, Motorstorm, Ratchet and Clank, Heavenly Sword, UNCHARTED, and some more coming up in recent months, as well as early too late next year [C] You say no titles enough to warrant the console, funny cause didn't the 360 suffer from a 79% failure rate for most of it's lifespan until just recently? Yet the PS3, doesn't seem to have any heating problems, in fact it seems twice as healthy and the launch 360. Finally which one you buy is up to you, my ambission is not to wow you with the PS3 or 360, because in the end it's simply and personal preferance.

Dude, did you even read my post right before yours. I'm not quoting it bc its too long but you obviously dont read or know what youre talking about. Try reading my post and then come back.

Oh and MGS will never be released on the 360, thats just 360 fanboy wishful thinking that will never happen as per the developer himself.

I would go with the 360 because of i believe it has better games but do research and see what works best for you! Thats what I did

Yeah I have that same problem with choosing which to buy. my friends all have xbox 360 and going ga-ga over Halo 3. I get pressured to get the Halo 3 box set thingie o.0. But I want the PS3 for its up coming games(FFXII aw yeah baby!)! But I also enjoy the Halo series, I got an used XBOX just for Halo.
That's my problem plus the part where you have to exchange money for the goods part.
So in the end like everyone said, it's personal preference. Or if you're a 'rich bitch,' buy both =]

I had a 360 first but i sold it and bought me a ps3, i never doubted one second if it was a good thing.Ps3 is way better in my opinion.

i would buy a 360 first then a wii. then finally a ps3.

Thats not a very enlightening opinion. You give absolutely no reasoning behind your opinion....

If u have a ps3 then all you need is a wii. The same with if u have a 360 all u need is a wii.
Check out the exclusives for ps3 and 360, which ever u like more buy that one.
Also buy a wii

I like the 360 better then the PS3

360 is better because it has gears of war, the best game ever

im leaning more towards a 360, mainly due to the games, and the 360 controller is more comfortable than the ps3. i am just wondering if the online service for the ps3 allows you to play with users on xbox live? im pretty sure it doesnt, but just wanted to ask. i really like c.o.d. 4 but all my friends have ps3's and i just wanted to know if i could play with them with xbox live?

You cant play with people on live. And hoenstly there isnt that many games that the 360 has that the ps3 doesnt. Basically Halo, Gears, and Bioshock. But then again the ps3 has a lot of good games that the 360 doesnt have either.

Actually on a random side note Nyght, Epic games has been talking about the exclusivity of Gears. So the PS3 may end up with a port, or it's predecessor GoW2. Plus GoW is on PC so you can play it via the compy :] that's what I do, same with BioShock.

Xbox 360 is better imo because of 2 things. 1.) It has some great exclusives like halo (if you're into multiplayer) and mass effect (if you're into rpg single player). and 2.) there are more xbox 360's than ps3 so online gaming is more fun/varied due to a larger population

There are more people on 360 sure, but its not an absurd amount more. Plus thats all the 360 has for exclusives. If you dont like Halo then whats the point....

im with the PS3, i've always been a sony fan, things are going a lot better for the PS3 now then when it was first released, the game line up looks great, psp to ps3 feature, and free online play. what more could you want? the only popular games 360 has is gears, bioshock, and halo (for some) without those games 360 would be nothing. in the end it really just depends on what you, like for what perpose are you going to use the system..just for gaming or do you want to do other things with it too?

Last warning!

Basically, the only thing besides gaming the PS3 can do that the 360 can't is play a few media formats and Blu-Ray. Wait, it can double as a computer if you run Linux on it I heard.

good

ps3 doesnt have a good line up and all game developers says it is a pain in A$$ to make game for ps3 as it is hard i like 360 alot really lot

I have both 360 and a Ps3 and i prefer the 360 i find games online tend to run better on the 360 release and the setup of Live if far better than the Psn ..The Ps3 is more reliable, has Bluray and is alot quiter

Its really your choice. I'd personally go with the PS3 with the Cell Processor but the online service of the Xbox 360 is amazing