Revisiting the Xbox 360 vs. PS3 debate

I've always been a PC/360 guy, but this black friday I'm actually buying a PS3 for $200. I want to catch up on the exclusives I've missed and get ready for The Last of Us and Ni no Kuni, Wrath of the White Witch

The older I get the less I care about multiplayer. It usually just pisses me off. (unless it's coop)

If you have an old PC with Windows Media Center, the xbox makes a great media extender. It's really nice to have all your music, pictures and videos available through your home theater, and a $50 external tuner makes the PC into an excellent DVR and can play live broadcast TV. My xbox gets used for gaming about 25% of the time it's on; it's otherwise streaming content via WMC, Netflix or Amazon. It doesn't take much PC horsepower to do any of it.

The PS3 can also stream content from your home network, but in my experience it's not on par with WMC. It is a fantastic blu-ray player, though. And it's Netflix interface doesn't suck like the one on the xbox.

I prefer the PS3 controller to the Xbox controller.

I believe the PS3 interface is a lot easier to use than the Xbox interface.

I think that PS Plus is a much, much better deal than Xbox Live.

In my opinion, the PS3 exclusives are better then the Xbox exclusives.

While the Kinect may be fun for a while, it has been shoved to the back of the TV in my household.

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I think I could cross-post some of these in the Gaming Confessions and Blasphemy thread.

I run PMS on my desktop and it shares media with my PS3 no problem.

Amazon Prime Streaming is pretty great too.

Ha!

Gumbie wrote:

I've always been a PC/360 guy, but this black friday I'm actually buying a PS3 for $200. I want to catch up on the exclusives I've missed and get ready for The Last of Us and Ni no Kuni, Wrath of the White Witch

The older I get the less I care about multiplayer. It usually just pisses me off. (unless it's coop)

I used to own a 360 several years back, then it was all PC gaming from that point until tonight when I caught the PS3 Uncharted deal. I could care less about multiplayer, tbh, because if I want that I'll play on PC (I can't play FPS on consoles for crap.) The reason I originally ditched 360 was because it didn't have much that interested me and Microsoft's one big selling point (Halo) had, as of then, already been recycled 3 or 4 times. I do prefer the 360s controller, but PS3 has Dark Souls and God of War.

Also, while the kinect might be a selling point for your wife, it's still a gimmick in my opinion. Same with Playstation Move. The only company that can pull off gimmicky products through the life of their devices is Nintendo, but that's because that's what the kids want. You're not going to get serious play time out of Dance Central, and though your wife may enjoy it, it really boils down on what you want, and either way you're spending $200 on a console. Plus, if she can be swayed by Dance Central, she can also be swayed by Katamari Forever and SingStar: Dance.

Just for the sake of clarity, Dark Souls is on 360. Demon's Souls it the PS3-only game.

Also, if I thought the Kinect was a decent value proposition, I'd totally buy all the Dance Central games. Dancing's not girl exclusive.

Sega Master System all the way. It has the cool Zillion inspired light gun!

Paleocon wrote:

Hmm. It sounds like the advantages for Xbox are mostly in the intangibles (e.g.: better controller feel, better multiplayer experience) and that PS3's advantages are mostly offset by the fact that most folks don't bother to watch movies on disc media anymore.

I think it will boil down to: what's the one game/feature you want that's exclusive to one system and not the other. I prefer the 360 for a number of reasons that don't need to be re-hashed and couldn't persuade you anyway since they're just my preferences. All my friends and brothers-in-law own PS3s and enjoy them well enough (all bought because of Blu-ray or 3D support), system updates not affecting their opinion to jump ship.

Regardless of my opinion, it's probably a wash. They both have great exclusives, comparable online services, robust home and online media streaming options, etc etc.

If it doesn't come down to which streams home media better for you (if that's even a consideration), or which controller feels better, or which UI you prefer, then it will be about the one game you want.

FWIW, my wife, who is completely not a gamer, will play Dance Central 2 on the Kinect, and loves watching our daughters play Fruit Ninja (Kinect) and various other kinect games appropriate for their age. Plus, the integration with NEtflix (requires, as mentioned above LIVE Gold plus Netflix account) makes it even more awesome as my daughters are no longer stealing our iPhones to watch Netflix.

Aristophan wrote:

I prefer the PS3 controller to the Xbox controller.

I believe the PS3 interface is a lot easier to use than the Xbox interface.

I think that PS Plus is a much, much better deal than Xbox Live.

In my opinion, the PS3 exclusives are better then the Xbox exclusives.

While the Kinect may be fun for a while, it has been shoved to the back of the TV in my household.

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I think I could cross-post some of these in the Gaming Confessions and Blasphemy thread.

I have no preferences with the controller, but I'm with you on the rest. I don't think the Xbox exclusives even come close to what's offered on the PS3 anymore, especially for someone that doesn't like shooters and/or has a gaming PC.

Dance Central is pretty great if you're into that, otherwise, Kinect is a waste of space without little ones to entertain. The best motion control game, Johan Sebastion Joust, is actually for Move anyways, or it will be soon

I would get a 360 over a PS3 largely because of the controller and then because the big cross-platform releases always seem to be slightly wonky on the PS3 (Skyrim and New Vegas) come to mind. I find the XBLA titles more interesting than what I find on PSN as well.

Additionally talk of a $600 PC playing modern games at 1080P is slightly ambitious...my back of the envelope math puts it closer to $800 if you care about next years games.

Since a huge chunk of PC games are console ports running on 6-year old hardware, a mid-range PC gets you much more performance than a current console. A high end PC to play next year's or 2 year's out games will be better than the next XBox or PS4. :p

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a forum poster asking about consoles, will get half his responses unhelpfully recommending PCs.

Gravey wrote:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a forum poster asking about consoles, will get half his responses unhelpfully recommending PCs.

On GWJ, yes.

Gumbie wrote:
Gravey wrote:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a forum poster asking about consoles, will get half his responses unhelpfully recommending PCs.

On GWJ, yes. :(

It's the old "does it have to be a chair, is space an issue?" thing. I'm pretty sure this thread has covered the console basics well enough, and some people are suggesting alternatives for consideration. If a PC really isn't suitable, then it's hardly a brain taxing task to filter out such posts.

Gravey wrote:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a forum poster asking about consoles, will get half his responses unhelpfully recommending PCs.

Unkind.

And not necessarily unhelpful; if the question is actually "What gaming system should I get?", PC is a valid option. This is only becoming more true with ports and controller support.

Scratched wrote:
Gumbie wrote:
Gravey wrote:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a forum poster asking about consoles, will get half his responses unhelpfully recommending PCs.

On GWJ, yes. :(

It's the old "does it have to be a chair, is space an issue?" thing. I'm pretty sure this thread has covered the console basics well enough, and some people are suggesting alternatives for consideration. If a PC really isn't suitable, then it's hardly a brain taxing task to filter out such posts.

Chumpy_McChump wrote:

And not necessarily unhelpful; if the question is actually "What gaming system should I get?", PC is a valid option. This is only becoming more true with ports and controller support.

The question is explicitly about two consoles, and the OP says PCs aren't under consideration. Is it so brain-taxing not to keep posting about them?

"Hey everyone, I'm looking at getting a fuel-efficient small car, do you recommend a Civic or a Yaris? A hybrid isn't an option."

"You could probably get a used Fusion hybrid for not much more than a new Civic."

A) Frequently the question typed isn't really the question being asked.
B) PCs were counted out in the OP because of a faulty assumption. If there are non-financial considerations eliminating PCs, that's another story.

So :P.

I think it's safe to say that if $200 is a stretch, $750 (rig+stuff) is out of the question.

I'm with Gravey. This reminds me a bit of the numerous times I've posted saying I didn't like a game, then have a bunch of people tell me I need to play more of it in a different way.

Chumpy_McChump wrote:

A) Frequently the question typed isn't really the question being asked.
B) PCs were counted out in the OP because of a faulty assumption. If there are non-financial considerations eliminating PCs, that's another story.

So :P.

I'm sorry suggesting an increase in budget from $250 to $800 plus $200 for a monitor isn't really a faulty assumption. Sometimes budget matters especially since the OP inferred it was to a degree.

It's something I've learned about forums, you can't control them, you can only guide them. As much as you'd like for something to go just as you planned, only discuss what you want, when a few dozen people descend upon what you wrote, it can and will go in many different ways. To try and constrain a discussion is to kill it, and those people that want to say something they're not allowed to will go elsewhere.

Stele wrote:

I run PMS on my desktop and it shares media with my PS3 no problem.

Amazon Prime Streaming is pretty great too.

I wasn't familiar with this software, but it looks pretty good..and I have an old PS3 that I quit using after the disc drive broke. I poked around a bit for information on it, but I haven't been able to figure out one important question: with a TV tuner and antenna, can it stream live TV? If so, I'm about to hook up a second media extender to my bedroom TV.

Do you have friends you want to play with? 360. Are you more interested in single player experience, the PS3 might be for you, but I would advise getting a year of Live/PSN+ whichever way you decide to go. The PS3 updates are not fun, though, and not fast. It makes no sense why their software is so slow for updates. Then again, it makes no sense to have an ad-filled dashboard on the 360.

I will say, though, that when I want to play a game on my PS3, it feels like it consistently interrupts my attempts to do so. "Hey, you've got a system update that's required." "Hey, there's a game update available", etc. At least the 360 starts up on the "play game disc" option, if nothing else. Sometimes I even forget where that is on the PS3...

Chumpy_McChump wrote:

A) Frequently the question typed isn't really the question being asked.

Huh? This sounds like something a politician would say.

Gumbie wrote:
Chumpy_McChump wrote:

A) Frequently the question typed isn't really the question being asked.

Huh? This sounds like something a politician would say. :P

I mean, sometimes someone will say, "Should I get a Civic or an Accord?" when what they really want is opinions on reliable fuel efficient cars.

(FWIW, I say 360, though that's without really knowing what Paleo wants to do with it.)

Blind_Evil wrote:

I think it's safe to say that if $200 is a stretch, $750 (rig+stuff) is out of the question.

I'm with Gravey. This reminds me a bit of the numerous times I've posted saying I didn't like a game, then have a bunch of people tell me I need to play more of it in a different way.

PC is my primary platform, and even I get annoyed when people keep suggesting PC in these threads. If it was an option, he would have listed it. It is not as cheap to get into as these forums always seem to suggest.

Let's stick to the console wars suggested by the OP. PS3 da best!

I have both and continue to prefer PS3. I'll just bullet-point the reasons below.

  • I am one who actually strongly prefers the PS3 controller. The 360 controller is ungainly to me and gives me hand cramps.
  • As someone who does like to engage in multiplayer, I continue to resent the Gold subscription fee. Factor in that you need a Gold subscription to watch Netflix, Hulu Plus, and other streaming video services, and it becomes especially egregious.
  • NFL Sunday Ticket is exclusive to PS3.
  • I prefer PS3 exclusives. I tried to get into Halo and Gears but they never clicked. Forza is a nice driving sim but PS3 has its share of cross platform and exclusives, like NSF: Shift and Gran Turismo (both polarizing games, though).
  • I prefer the PS3's XMB to the 360's dashboard interface. More elegant and intuitive, less cluttered, fewer ads. This is a subjective opinion and I am probably in the minority, though. But I just find it a lot easier to find exactly what I want in the PS3's interface.
  • I like having the Bluray player as a feature.
  • Although I'm not a subscriber, PS Plus is a fantastic value. Much moreso than Gold.

I still really like the 360 and play it often because some of my friends are there. There are some really great exclusive Arcade titles that you can't get on PS3 as well.

I don't think there's one clear winner, these are just my preferences.

I'm gonna have to side with the PS3's interface as well. I really liked the oldschool 360 interface before they switched to their dashboard view, but now I find it ungainly.

Schrensky wrote:

I'm gonna have to side with the PS3's interface as well. I really liked the oldschool 360 interface before they switched to their dashboard view, but now I find it ungainly.

I miss my launch "Blade" UI. Yes, I know we still have a mini-version when we hit the guide button, but oh boy - the original was oh so very snappy and lag free. It made a nice and crisp wooshing sound as you flicked it left and right. The Metro UI interface we have now has gotten faster with the last update, but it can't even come close to the original. And no matter how many times I see the commercial of the perfect family sitting on the couch saying "Xbox Bing: X-Men!", in reality that translates to "Xbox Bing: exManatee" nine times out of ten. Kinect and voice UI integration is BALLS at best.

I much prefer the PS3's UI and Store by a wide margin.