I'm sure this question has been asked before, but if I'm buying a gaming console, which should I buy, PS3 or 360? Disregard Halo 3.

Eh, as a system, I like both. Maybe 360 a lil more, if just for the games library.

It almost doesn't matter anymore. Sure, you'll see some exclusives on either side, but then there's a whole pile of games in the middle that they both get.

But check out these lists of exclusive games. Maybe it'll help you decide if you see something you like.

Here are some notable PS3-only games:
Little Big Planet
Uncharted 1 and 2
Final Fantasy Versus 13
God of War 3
Gran Turismo
Heavenly Sword
Heavy Rain
Metal Gear Solid 4
Killzone 2
Ratchet and Clank Future
The Last Guardian

Here are some notable Xbox360-only games:
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Blue Dragon 1 and 2
Ace Combat 6
Crackdown 1 and 2
Dead Rising
Fable 2
Forza Motorsport 2 and 3
All those Halo games
Saints Row
Project Gotham Racing
Castle Crashers

Still not decided? Consider some of these other differences:
- The PS3 is more expensive but nets you a Blu-ray player.
- The Xbox360 has better online components, but the PS3 has free online.
- Additional controllers cost about the same when you figure in buying recharge packs for the 360 controllers. But the PS3 controllers have motion-sensing.
- And if you're interested in motion controllers, do you like the 360's controllerless Project Natal, or PS3's motion-sensing wands featuring the PS3 Eye?
- The Xbox360 has backward compatibility to some extent. The PS3 plays PS2 games if you buy the right used model.
- Which controller feels best to you? Try them out in stores.


I've got both systems. Honestly, it's a little redundant to have both. I don't like one more than the other, but the PS3 has a little bit more to live up to because it was more expensive. Both systems have definitely delivered pretty well for me.

Magnavox Odyssey.

There's also resistance: fall of man 1 and 2 that's PS3 elusive.

Also Mass Effect (a fucking great game) is exclusive to Xbox.

I personally hate it when games become console exclusive. It puts me in a situation where I really want to buy a game but I first have to buy another freaking console if I want to get it.

I currently have a PS2 and Xbox 360 myself. Not planing on getting another until my Xbox becomes obsolete.

Product Placement
Also Mass Effect (a fucking great game) is exclusive to Xbox.

No it isn't, it was ported to the PC. Or doesn't that count?

InFamous is PS3 exclusive, and, in an outstanding twist of fate, it's actually pretty good. It's probably not worth it for the one or two decent games that are accidentally released for it though.

PS3 has some great games, Xbox has a great online. It's pretty much down to that.

Custard Trout
No it isn't, it was ported to the PC. Or doesn't that count?

I don't know. Allot of these exclusive games end up being released on the PC in the end.

Bioshock used to be a Xbox exlusive but then it came out for PC... and eventually the PS3 as well.

If you ask me, the PC is the place to play half of the best Xbox360 games.

Hawk
If you ask me, the PC is the place to play half of the best Xbox360 games.

Boy Ghostbusters on the PC is going to be so fun without multiplayer or any additional downloadables!

Hooray for mediocrity~

Oh, just buy a Wii! ;)

don't buy a wii.

Left 4 Dead. it's not on PS3 and is the beastliest game ever. That list by Hawk, to me, does not show the great xbox games. And just all the Valve games. The Orange box has the best games you can buy for $60. There are some others but I can't think of them right now. I would personally go for the 360 because it is more established and has many more games.

My favorite thing about Team Fortress is how morons flock to it en mass. I love nothing more than to play with 4chan 'tards in one of the most spastic shooters ever. Portal was the best part of Orange Box, and I'm not sure why everyone has their lips glued to Half-Life's dick but the game isnt all that great, I think I'm the only one who doesnt care for the gravity gun.

It's still a great game, I just cannot comprehend all the buzz it gets. I guess I'm just really old school, I still think Goldeneye was the best FPS ever made. Ever.

ParkerFarker
Left 4 Dead. it's not on PS3 and is the beastliest game ever. That list by Hawk, to me, does not show the great xbox games. And just all the Valve games. The Orange box has the best games you can buy for $60. There are some others but I can't think of them right now. I would personally go for the 360 because it is more established and has many more games.

That list didn't show Left 4 Dead because L4D is also on PC, a MUCH better place to play it. The Orange Box as well. 360 owners are still waiting for all the updates to TF2 that PC users have been enjoying for a long time now.

Granted, if you're not up to getting a good PC, then the Xbox360 is the best place to get those games. PS3's Orange Box was somewhat inferior.

PS3 had an orange box? I didn't even know. But yeah with the PC, it is superior playing but my computer couldn't run it, and he was asking PS3 Vs. 360 so I didn't take into account if a game is shared with any other console.

It may be more expensive, but the PS3 has my vote.

Why are these discussions still going on? It feels like such a dead horse after all these years!

da_kasha
Why are these discussions still going on? It feels like such a dead horse after all these years!

Well... It's not like anyone is yelling that either console sucks. Both consoles are ok in their own way. XBox is considered to have better online features but the PS3 offers a free online service. Some people prefer the PS controller while others find the "trigger" buttons on the XBox to be a great feature. Both offer exclusive games that appeal to different people. It's mostly a matter of taste today, rather then if they think that the other console is better or not. PS3 took off with a bad start, XBox had that nasty red ring but both problems have mostly been dealt with.

Oh, and I guess that the reason behind so many XBox games, ending up on the PC is probably because that the console is owned by Microsoft, the creator of Windows.

The 360 still has hardware issues. They got the one year head start, but in terms of software, the PS3 is pretty much caught up at this point. In fact, I think last year, the PS3 had a stronger showing. The 360 is still plagued by a large number of PC ports that are still better on the PC.

The online depends on you priorities. Personally, I don't care for voice chat, and I prefer the service that at least gives developers the choice of how to handle their connections. Live is exclusively P2P with some rare MMO exceptions. I'm not fond of paying for what essentially boils down to a matching service. You still get dropped connections and slow speeds since your connection is only going to be as good as the people you're playing with. You seem to get more games on the PSN that use dedicated servers. And I don't know what causes it, but my hardwired connection on my Xbox 360 is most definitely slower than my wireless connection on my PS3. It really should be the other way around.

And another thing Sony's been doing better with their online, NO POINTS. When you buy something, you pay in money and you can opt to pay the exact value of your purchase. You aren't required to buy an arbitrary number of points in order to make a purchase. This generation the PS3 is the only console to do this. Both Nintendo and Microsoft chose to go down the Mickey Mouse Dollar road. I don't think the PSN puts a cap on your spending like Live does, either.

Honestly, there isn't much about the 360 that I think really beats out the PS3. Apart from the price and the one year head start, the 360 really disappoints me as a current gen system. It definitely lacks the quality of its predecessor. Oddly, after two flaky systems, the PS3 is actually a step forward for Sony. A relatively stable system that has a decent web/net component, support for PC perriferals, free online gaming, and enough power under the hood to keep up with, and in some cases outshine the competition.

isukun
Oddly, after two flaky systems, the PS3 is actually a step forward for Sony.

?!?!?!?

???!!!???


?


What? How can you call the previous play stations, flaky? Sony dominated the console market with PS1 and 2. If anything, the PS3 is a disappointment if you compare it with the success of it's predecessors.

I can't call the 360 a disappointment, it's the oldest console on the market so naturally it will start to show it's age before the other consoles do. The Red ring issue has been fixed. All the new consoles sold today will have a much lower risk of breaking down and if your old machine dies on you, you can trade it in thanks to their extended warranty.

I have no quarrels with the microsoft point systems since it's more favorable for me to purchase the points and use it to buy the games rather then buying them directly. It probably sounds good for you to be able to buy through the PS3 console, using dollars but other countries don't use that currency so I wouldn't care the slightest if I'm buying the game using dollars or points since I would have to exchange currency anyways. I consider the points to be a neutral ground when it comes to currency exchange. That way, everyone is on equal grounds.

Hardware vice, I agree. Yes, the PS3 is superior. It's the newest console out there, packed with the most expensive electronics. The same could have been said about the 360, years ago. Because of that, the 360 has had a remarkably long lifetime for a console. I predict the same for the PS3 and it'll probably outlive the 360 since it's newer. But by then the X-Box will simply release a new console and the next generation war will begin anew.

PS3's disadvantages are less obvious than the Xbox360's. A few different developers have gone on record for saying that the PS3 is harder to develop for, and sometimes that has resulted in the 360 version of a mutliplatform game looking better than the PS3 version . This could have something to do with PS3's more complicated architecture thanks to the Cell processor, or the PS3's somewhat limited texture memory compared to the 360.

Some of this could be pointing toward untapped potential in the PS3, because as developers finally get the hang of the Cell processor we could see a lot better PS3 games. People are still saying the PS3 hasn't quite been fully tapped.

I don't know, it's not exactly cut-and-dry. I own both systems so I get to pick and choose which version of games I get.

From my understanding the original Xbox was actually easier to program for than both the PS2 and the Gamecube for largely the same reason: It's a computer. It runs very similarly to how the PCs they use to program with run.

What? How can you call the previous play stations, flaky?

I'm not referring to their popularity, I'm referring to the hardware. Both the PS1 and PS2 had horrible failure rates and problems with DREs. I had to replace my PS1 three times and my PS2 twice. Compared to that, the PS3 is a dream.

The Red ring issue has been fixed. All the new consoles sold today will have a much lower risk of breaking down and if your old machine dies on you, you can trade it in thanks to their extended warranty.

Not entirely. Launch systems aren't covered under the extended warranty anymore. I know my system certainly wasn't covered when I had to have it replaced the first time. And I know for a fact the newer systems aren't any better. One of my friends back home puts a lot more hours into his than I do and the new ones break just as easily. He's had to send back two of the newer models, so so far, he's finding the failure rate to be worse.

I consider the points to be a neutral ground when it comes to currency exchange. That way, everyone is on equal grounds.

Not really. All systems, the 360 included, restrict their stores to the country the account is registered in. With the PS3, you don't need to know the exchange rate, the system should already present you with a store in your own currency. And even then, with all systems some coutries pay more than others, whether they use points or not. Honestly, even if the exchange thing was an issue, I'd rather deal with that and pay what the product is worth than pay more for it because I can't pay for just the required number of points.

Because of that, the 360 has had a remarkably long lifetime for a console.

How so? It's only been four years since the system launched and Microsoft will likely be announcing a new system in the coming year. That's about average these days. The original xbox had a shorter than usual lifespan, so you can't really judge based on that.

A few different developers have gone on record for saying that the PS3 is harder to develop for

There have also been several developers who have gone on record saying the system isn't that hard to develop for and that those who claim it is are simply swapping "different" with "hard". Besides, developers go where the money is. The PS2 was "hard" to develop for, too, but the developers flocked to it due to the bigger install base.

It always comes down to games with me. I don't give a damn about hardware and textures and blu-ray. I just wait til the systems each have a decent library (about 100 games) and pick the one that has the most games I want to play (and some exclusives get more weight). So, I have an xbox360 and a nintendo DS. I loved my PS and PS2 (and didn't have any of the other systems) but the PS3 just doesn't have the games I want. Except maybe that new Ico one. In fact I bought a PSP years ago back when they first game out, and I don't think I have ever gotten my play value out of it. There's all of 2 games on it I enjoy. I haven't touched it for over a year. That was my lesson in buying it before games I wanted came out. :]

PS3, it has a lot more power therefore, better graphics and a lot more potential with what can be done with it. Also, if you play online cost isn't an issue since Xbox live costs money while the PS3 network does not.

Xbox also seems to have more teabaggers.

BffSatan
PS3, it has a lot more power therefore, better graphics and a lot more potential with what can be done with it. Also, if you play online cost isn't an issue since Xbox live costs money while the PS3 network does not.

Xbox also seems to have more teabaggers.

I've never actually been able to get my PS3 to go online. But hey it's free, so who cares if it doesn't actually work?

Ugh, ugh! Sega Megadrive/Genesis or Super Nes?
Sega! It has Somnic! Mario SUX!

----------
With Xbox, Playstation or wii I just couldn't be bothered in the end. They're just too much of an investment of time in recreation that leads to nothing.

I do play demonstration models occasionally and really, they're all nice machines and all the games look and play pretty decent, so if you're into spending your free time that way I don't think it matters too much which system you buy as long as you're happy with it.

isukun
One of my friends back home puts a lot more hours into his than I do and the new ones break just as easily. He's had to send back two of the newer models, so so far, he's finding the failure rate to be worse.

If that story is actually true, then I consider your friend to be the unluckiest person around.

And by saying that the 360 has a good life time, I'm factoring in the fact that it is in fact 4 years old AND is still capable of keeping up with consoles being released years later. Many consoles from the past would be falling out of the race by now.

humorman
Magnavox Odyssey.

For once, I agree with you.

Both competing machines were released one year after the Xbox360, so that really doesn't mean a whole lot. It's not like technology lept forward and substantial amount in that year. Besides, the only systems that really fell out of the race were the Sega systems. Even without the head start and with fairly low sales, Nintendo kept going with all of their past systems. Sega was the only real contender who was quick to throw in the towel (and even then they still were making software for their systems in Japan long after they failed in the US).

My previous roommate also had to send his newer model 360 in for replacement. So I seriously doubt it's just a case of bad luck. Mine's also showing signs of DREs, so I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't see a few red lights again soon, myself. Even the most rabidly fanboy MS loving web sites still admit there are problems with the hardware. And it's not like they can really do much to fix it at this point anyway, not without spending a lot of money and risking some software issues with older games. It's actually cheaper for them at this point to simply extend the warranty and repair or replace broken systems than to actually fix the underlying problem with the architechture.