Xbox 360 or PS3

[happygeek]

OK, here is the dilemma I am facing: which to buy, an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3?

Currently we are a PS2 household, also have a PSP, with a library of 75 or so games I guess. Mainly used by myself and my 8 year old son/6 year old daughter and their friends.

I'm looking to upgrade for all the usual reasons, not least 'just because' but also specifically to take advantage of hooking the console up to an HD LCD TV.

Despite the existing archive of PS2 games, I am veering towards the Xbox 360, like the fact that it's available now (PS3 doesn't launch until March in the UK) has easy connectivity for iPod/PSP, makes it easy to stream media from the laptop, has good HDTV connectivity, etc. Also, it is much cheaper than the PS3 will be, and I am not too concerned about the Blu-Ray aspe ct of the PS3 over HD-DVD.

But is there anything else I should take into account? And in my position, what would you do?

The Nintendo Wii isn't really on the radar here as far as our next console is concerned, so no point trying to convince me I should be looking in that direction. :)

[jbennet]

The streaming is only available if you have Windows Media Centre Edition 2005 by the way

Im personally veering towards the 360 tho as my frinds have them.

DONT GET THE BASIC/CORE PACKAGE ON PAIN OF DEATH - IT IS USELESS!

[Dani]

I have an Xbox 360 and am excited about getting a Wii very soon. I am not planning on getting a PS3 because I am not a first person shooter / RPG type of gal, and all of the games that are available for the PS3 that I do play, are also available for the Xbox 360.

[happygeek]

DONT GET THE BASIC/CORE PACKAGE ON PAIN OF DEATH - IT IS USELESS!

Basic packages are not my style :)

[happygeek]

I have an Xbox 360 and am excited about getting a Wii very soon. I am not planning on getting a PS3 because I am not a first person shooter / RPG type of gal, and all of the games that are available for the PS3 that I do play, are also available for the Xbox 360.

The Nintendo stock game types have never really held much appeal here, the whole cartoony/platformer type emphasis doesn't do it for me. That said, I like the controller but understand something very similar is heading for the 360 soon.

[jbennet]

a friend of mine FROM COLLEGE has a wii. there good but sold out here in the uK, also there recalling loads as the wrist straps are too thin so the wiimote flies straight into your 42" hdtv :)

[Dani]

The whole cartoony feel is more up my alley, actually. I am looking forward to being able to reminisce about my old SNES days.

[John A]

Here's my take on the whole situation with the PS3 and the Xbox 360:

The Xbox 360's timing is perfect. With the exception of the "basic" package, which is most likely going to be bought for little Tom whose parents don't understand why they should get the full package, I think that the Xbox 360 has got the sweet spot in gaming. It's got enough features to make it a "next-gen" console, while it doesn't go all out to keep the price attractive.

The Playstation 3 on the other hand, is totally future-proofed. Almost too much. They have Blu-ray. Incredible processor and graphics. Even a controller with Wii-like features to it. Sony won't have to be worrying about upgrading this console for a while. However, all these features come at a price.

If I were buying a console right now, I would probably buy the Xbox 360. I've played on one before, and it's really fun. However, if I were buying later, I'd probably wait for the PS3's price to come down, as it will probably win in the future.

[happygeek]

I must admit to having fond memories of Mario on my N64, but then again I also liked playing a game of tennis on one of my Magnavox Odyssey consoles as well. I have three complete consoles, all boxed and with original documents, in perfect working order.

OK, I admit it, I am something of an old video gamer geek. I have an attic housing in excess of 1000 examples from those first home video game Odyssey units onwards, including far too many Nintendo Watch and Game units for my own good :)

[happygeek]

If I were buying a console right now, I would probably buy the Xbox 360. I've played on one before, and it's really fun. However, if I were buying later, I'd probably wait for the PS3's price to come down, as it will probably win in the future.

Ideally I would buy both, in fact in an ideal world I'd have the Wii as well. Unfortunately, my wife has put her foot down (understandably enough) and says only one console in the lounge. Now, I like playing with my kids, in the one room and don't much fancy the idea of different consoles in different rooms - as the chances are the others would get little real play. So I have to make a choice.

Oh, I hate being a geek sometimes :)

[cpickering]

I have a Wii and its amazing.. I only wanted it for the sports package so I never have to leave the house to get fit. Sad I know, but hell it works..

Personally, I'd go with a x360. The PS3 is buggy as hell. Theres a shop in Stoke on Trent, that has one and I played it. Graphics were good but it kept crashing. According to reports on Digg, a lot are doing this, like the first gen x360.
Whilst the PS3 looks good, I feel it'll be the whole Betamax vs VHS battle again, as sony have chosen to use custom dvd hardware/software to power the device. The Blueray HDvD, which I might add, Comet are selling the players for £999.

x360 will have more people online for you to play with. x360 all the way! If your going to get a PS3, id wait till this time next year where a lot of the bugs will be worked out and it'll be mainstream.

[Dani]

What I love about the Wii is that it offers the option to buy legacy games such as all of the NES and SNES and even Sega Genesis games. I cannot wait to play Super Mario World again! My SNES unfortunately stopped working quite a number of years ago.

[jbennet]

dani, did you say you had the 360?

Am i right in believeing the "full system." has xbox live silver which means you can get the marketplace but not play online?

how much is it to play online?

[cpickering]

dani, did you say you had the 360?

Am i right in believeing the "full system." has xbox live silver which means you can get the marketplace but not play online?

how much is it to play online?

£34.99, same as standard Xbox:Live.

Play.com has it: here

[jbennet]

34 quid a year is qite good, i might get it if i get a 360

Does that £34 get you just into ms games or can you play e.g EA games too

[cpickering]

Any game that is Live; can be played using this subscription. If you have a standard Xbox:Live sub, on a normal Xbox, you can have it moved too

[happygeek]

What are the non-live, offline, multiplayer options like with Xbox games? My 8 year old loves playing collaborative mode multiplayer games with his mates or me, offline, on the sofa :)

There are plenty of PS2 games that provide him this kind of option, but looking at reviews of 360 games multiplayer always seems to be written about as if Live is the only option. Surely this cannot be the case?

[jbennet]

i know halo has a co-op mode which is excellent

[cpickering]

The x360 has native support for 4 players at once using the Wireless controllers. Therefore; theoretically any multiplayer game could support that number of players when using offline mode.

If Microshaft were to only allow multplayer via Online, it would render some people's experience useless, as not everyone has the correct iNET connection to allow it; USB modems etc.

So; in short. Yes multiplayer games do support online and offline gaming. Such as PES, PGR3, NeedforSpeed etc

[ses5909]

I got a 360 last year for xmas and i primarily use it as a dvd player and i do enjoy plaing video games. I still play my ps2 more than the 360. I did get a wii this year for xmas and it is as cool as everyone says. The main game I play right now is zelda which is just unbelievable. I've always been a Nintendo girl though and have played zelda since I was a kid.

[jbennet]

do you get dvd support out of the box or do you need to buy the remote and stuff like you had to with the original xbox.

[Dani]

Guess what? After trying to get the Wii for quite a long time my mom was finally able to get one for me through someone she knew! She brought it home last night. I tried Wii sports last night but didn't get it set up until almost 3 am so only played for about a half hour before going to sleep. Alright, alright, you caught me. I played for a half hour, went on DaniWeb for a full hour, and then went to sleep at 5 am :)

[ses5909]

do you get dvd support out of the box or do you need to buy the remote and stuff like you had to with the original xbox.

It is supported out of the box. You don't need to buyy a remote as you can use the wireless controller as one, although they do sell them if you want one.

[roryt]

Good to know you are commited (obviously). I think i will get a PS3 if any, I have always been a fan of the playstation but not really of that price tag. I am not really much of a gamer and I do all of my gaming on the PC at the moment but I might buy a PS3 when it drops that ugly price tag a bit.

[jbennet]

i loved the PS1 and PS2 but the PS3 looks too pricey for me (the xbox 360 is even a bit pricey for my tastes but it it is next gen so i suppose u pay for wat u get)

Am i rigght in belieing u can rip cd's to the 360's hdd like on the old xbox? or will i need to buy media centre edition of xp?

[cpickering]

Am i rigght in belieing u can rip cd's to the 360's hdd like on the old xbox? or will i need to buy media centre edition of xp?

You can share files from an XP machine to the XBOX, have a look at this document.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/digitalmedia/pc.htm

[sadaka]

I heard from my brother-in-law that he had a friend who modified his xbox and now he could watch all video formats and could play any game from any system. Sounds too good to be true though but I would like to get a ps3 since I have many of the old games. If ps 3 is still backward compatible that is. But the some amount of cost for a ps 3 for controllers and such would be about 700 dollars. Thats a lot of money to spend unless you have a really rich aunt. Maybe the price would drop when they come up with a ps 4. please cite if I'm wrong about xbox.

[jbennet]

its possible but modding the xbox is illegal

[seufer]

This is a really tough one to respond to. I wouldn't sway you either way honestly. The 360 is great, it has a lot of different types of games beautiful graphics and is fairly easy to operate (even in advanced applications.) The PS3 has much much more power than the 360 and has a built in hdd. This means everyone is going to have a hdd that has a ps3 so the companies that make the games can take advantage of this. Upon the launch of the 360 Microsoft made the hdd an option and not a requirement.

[sadaka]

That's true but then comparing the price difference I think that xbox would be a more preferred choice for a blue collar joe since the game halo in itself is an excellent game. I admitt I have invested heavily in a PS 2 but even after careful maintenance PS still manages to break down after 7 or 8 months lifespan. I am still skeptical whether it has improve in this part of quality in the PS 3. But lately I have been getting rumors from video game gurus that PS 3 will not be made backwards compatible so I'll have to restock in my library and many of the classic games or not made for PS3. Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks.