Console War Sillyness - An Xbox 360 vs PS3 comparison.
By Arc2010 39 Comments
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As a disclaimer, I'd like to say this blog isn't very premeditated. As such, I may have some wrong information, or forget the obvious. In such cases, I ask that you let me know of such a problem, and I will promptly edit in a fix.
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Intro
So, we're a nice ways into this console generation. We've had several amazing titles, in fact, there doesn't seem to be a year without a AAA title or two. And the consoles have done all sorts of things in sales, and ways they've evolved.
One of the biggest such examples is (my opinion of) the PS3. When it first came out, we were looking at a $599 USD price point (or was there a cheaper model for 499?). It played Blu-ray, where as the Xbox360 had HD DVD, which neither at the time had "won" anything, and I didn't have an HDTV anyways. It's SIXAXIS controller seemed like a cheap shot at Nintendo's market, and didn't have vibration (I was somewhat of a Nintendo fanboy at the time). And all of the franchises I cared about (at the time) were a long ways away from launch (God of War III, Kingdom Hearts III, Final Fantasy XIII to give some examples). So, safe to say, I wasn't really "into" the console.
^ This evolved into this v
Ever since I brought my recent Slim home I've not touched my 360. I've also compiled a list of games I plan to purchase over the course of the next year or so, and its full of nothing but PS3 games. Between what I've missed, what's coming, and cross platform games, there's a lot to get. Below I'll compare the systems on a more direct level.
PS3 vs. 360
When I look at the PS3, and compare it directly to the 360 the below is the result (and I am going to seriously look like a sony fanboy, so just tipping you off). The initial feature chart is close enough at this point, price certainly can no longer be used as a driving force for pro 360 arguments.
The 360 Elite - $299
HDMI - No
Component - No (could be wrong)
1 Black Wireless Xbox 360 Controllers
1 Black Headset (did they take it out?)
120 GB HDD
The PS3 Slim - $299
HDMI - No
Component - No
1 Black Dualshock 3
1 USB Cable Thingy
120 GB HDD
So we'll do some more detailed comparisons. Controllers come to mind first, and I'll compare them as per my personal tastes.
Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - $49.99 (?) 4/5 Stars
- Triggers - GREAT for shooters, and a select few other games. Makes playing JRPG's feel awkward to me.
- Rounded Buttons - I kinda don't like these now that I think about it. I prefer flat buttons. It doesn't come out to be a big bother though.
- Analog Sticks - Idk what it is, but the 360's sticks, but I prefer them over the PS3's.
- Batteries - BLECH, haven't we evolved past this by now?
- D-Pad - I need not elaborate.
Sony Dualshock 3 Controller - $54.99 (?) 4.5/5 Stars
- L2/R2 - Ok, here's the thing, they feel nice enough, but for shooters it's still not quite the same. However, there are some clip on plastic thingies that are supposed to fix that, I haven't gotten to try them yet. But As of now, this is the main thing besides the analogs that keep it from #1
- Flat Buttons - Awesome sauce. One of the biggest bonuses to the PS3 controller is familiarity. Square, X, Circle and Triangle, biotch.
- Analog Sticks - As said above, the PS3's sticks don't do it for me. They move smoothly and respond VERY well, but my thumbs always end up sliding off them a lot more often than on the other console's controller.
- Lithium I Assume? - The batteries are AWESOME. They last a very decent chunk of time under heavy play, can charge while playing, etc.
- D-Pad - Ok, I'll admit, I'm not great at fighting games, but something about them draws me in. And I can't be bothered to play a fighter with the 360's D-Pad. Sorry.
Ok, so close call, and everyone experiences reality differently, so someone may have a drastically different view. But the PS3 pulls ahead a little bit. Both have very solid controllers though, very solid indeed. Below, some quick comparisons to be made between the systems.
Online
- PSN - Free, for some reason considered to be "lacking". However, now seems to offer most of what XBL offers.
- XBL - The "original" as far as big, lavish and flushed out online gaming suites go. It costs you a monthly/yearly fee. But many feel it's worth it.
Xbox 360 Perks
- From what I've heard, multiplatform games tend to run a little better on the 360. This is because multiplatform games are developed on the 360 first, and then ported over to the PS3 later in the cycle. From what I gather.
- Loads of downloadable content. From games like Shadow Complex, to HD Movies, to the prospect of digital distribution in the future with major titles.
- Achievements, the big thing to point out here, is that they've always been there, where as trophies haven't. So ALL 360 games have them, where as some of the earlier games either didn't at launch, or still haven't gotten trophies in a patch either (MGS4).
- Halo 3, Halo 3 ODST, Halo Reach, Fable II, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Fable III, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Viva Pinata, Lost Odyssey, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Forza 3, Shadow Complex etc.
- Natal? Idk, I think it has the most potential out of the various motion sensing "things" that are out/coming out. But I also feel it has the most fail potential too.
PS3 Perks (this is going with slim, so I'll be excluding BC and Linux lol)
- Free Wireless. Omg this is a big one, I could never force myself to shell out 100 big ones for wireless on my 360. And it seems to be a decent card too, very little lag playing Uncharted 2 (demo) and BlazBlue online. Given my fairly sub-par connection, that's pretty impressive.
- Internet Browser. I know, most people don't give a rat's ass about the internet browser on the PS3. I didn't, and really I don't a whole lot still. But it's nice to be able to watch giant bomb stuff on my TV. Looks like ass, but oh well.
- Trophies, while the aformentioned problem with ealier titles is still true. I do prefer trophies to achievements. Sure, some achievements are worth more than others, but I really dig the whole Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum thing they have going on.
- Blu-Ray. Bam, I said it. Wooo.
- Better hardware. I've heard people say the 360's GPU is better, and I've heard the opposite. I have no idea which is right. But I'm sure we all know that the PS3's CPU is a nasty little peice of gaming "kit", if that's the sort of thing you'd say. And thusly...
- Better Graphics. While the difference may not be huge, I'm fairly certain that the general concencus is that the PS3's exclusive stuff is the best stuff on the console market. As far as technical powerhouses go anyways.
- Uncharted, Uncharted 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Rachet and Clank Future (Tools + the new one), inFamous, Killzone 2, God of War III, Heavy Rain, Little Big Planet, Valkyria Chronicles, Grand Turismo 5, Demon Souls etc.
Conclusion
Overall, given current lineups, exclusives, and the like, I'm a bit more into my PS3, but we'll see how I feel after the initial rush of getting a new console wears off. Honestly, unless Microsoft pulls something out of the hat, I predict Sony could really threaten their sales, as well as that exclusivity that they pay so much for. But I could be way off.
Closing
The reason I don't mention the Wii is because it's not the same kinda console. The Wii is a last gen console with motion conrolls marketed out to Grandpa Joe and little Timmy. Do I sound butthurt? Good, I am. Deal with it. And I don't mention the PC because it's kinda it's own thing, awesome console in an of it itself, but I grew up with consoles, so I don't prefer the keyboard and mouse set up. I also don't want to spend that much on my computer.
Thanks for reading, if you did read it all.
Let me know what you think.
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