So, when one of my best friends (who has no interest in the Wii) recently asked me which Next Gen console he should buy, an Xbox 360 or a Playstation 3, I didn't hesitate.
"Xbox 360 all the way!", I told him. I gave him all the reasons why too, and they all make perfect sense. There are more games for the 360 than any other new console, and some of the games coming out over the next two months appear to be among the best in the history of gaming. Yo
u have something for every kind of gaming fan...first person shooters, driving games, adventure games, role playing games, and all the major sports. Online play is great and now with the new three year warranty, you don't have to worry about the possibility of the dreaded red ring of death."What about online?", he asked."You have to pay for Xbox Live and Sony is free, right?" Yes, Sony's online service is free but it isn't nearly as gamer friendly as Xbox Live. Live is only $49.99 for 13 months which comes down to a little more than $4 a month. Let's face it, if you're considering paying $400-$600 for a console, you probably aren't worried about $4 a month, especially if that $4 gets you the best online gaming in the world.
"But what about Blu-Ray?", he asked. "I've heard Blu-Ray is great and the games are better."
Of course, I had to correct him here. "Well actually, so far all the games that have been released on both consoles have looked and played better on the 360. If you specifically want a Blu-Ray Player, then yes, you should definitely consider buying a PS3," I explained. "But if you are talking about the better gaming machine, then that's the 360. There just aren't enough decent games for the PS3 to justify paying five or six hundred bucks for it. Maybe in 2009 the PS3 will be worth the money. By that time, there should be a lot more good games for it and it will cost significantly less. Plus, by that time, we may have an idea whether HD DVD or Blu Ray is going to be the accepted High Definition DVD format"
Then last week, Sony threw a big wrench in all my reasoning by confirming the November release of a 40 Gigabyte PS3 priced at $399.99. Yes, they were forced to compromise by completely dropping PS2 backwards compatibility to reach that price, but it is a move that, in my mind, they needed to make if they were serious about getting back into this console race before it is too late.
I'm not saying I'm about to jump off the Xbox 360 bandwagon...far from it. I still believe the 360 is the best pure gaming console on the market now and for at least the next six months. But I did feel the need to call my friend and ask him just how important Blu-Ray was to him down the road? If you think Blu Ray is something you're ready to invest in, then it is difficult to ignore the PS3 at $400. But if it's just about the games, I still say go with the 360.
I myself already owned a PS3 and sold it after two months because I just got sick of looking at the thing and having nothing good to play on it except Resistance:Fall of Man, which was good but not great. After a while, 95% of my gaming time was spent on the 360. So, yeah, I sold the PS3 and used the money to finance a new gaming PC, and I've never regretted the decision.
Now that this 40GB version of the PS3 is becoming available AND there are some truly good looking games like Uncharted:Drake's Fortune and MGS4 on the near horizon I am ready to get back on board and set up another PS3 alongside my 360. I already have the HD-DVD player for the 360, and my wife and I both love it. But it is aggravating that we can't get all the movies we want in High Def on HD DVD. ALL High Def players should be combo players if you ask me, but since those are still priced at $1000, having one of them in our living room is only a dream at this point.
The biggest coup for Sony over the past six months was probably getting Disney/Pixar to sign exclusively with BluRay. We have a young son and love Pixar movies ourselves, so that is a factor when making movie buying decisions.
All in all, I don't know if this 40GB PS3 at $400 can help Sony win the console war this generation because there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the future of their online gaming service and a general lack of good game titles in comparison to the 360. But if Sony can manage to get a stream of quality titles to PS3 owners and at least offer an online gaming service that can compete with Xbox Live, then this new price point certainly has the potential to get them back in the race in a big way!
Finally I find a person that is far away from the "My console is better than yours" fanboy war. Congratulations. You explain the facts so clearly.
ReplyDeleteI am an Nintendo lover since I was 7 and I'm 26 right now. I have a Wii an an DS of course, and I love gaming on them but I was considering to buy another console to complete my gaming experience. I feel right now as your friend feels and I make myself the same questions you are writting about. 360 is the best HD Gaming platform but the cut on PS3 makes me wonder if investing on it will be the right choice, I always thought that PS3 had no interesting games for me in the short term, but a TV commercial of Hevenly Sword made me chenge my mind, moreover MGS is nearby and the future FF games also seem to be interesting. Im afraid of 3 red lights problem. I live in Spain and each time a Microsoft console has a problem it has to be send to Germany, and takes 4 to 6 weeks to came back repaired; people I meet had sent it 3 times a year that means about one third of the time being unable to play and spending money on Xbox Live. But what is making me change my mind is Blue Ray, High Def movie sales seem to be proving that Blu Ray is the winner horse (despite my pro HD DVD campaign) on the battle and my Hig Def TV is asking for the right partner, I do not know what to do right now but I think that February will tell the final words on the choice. The cut on PS3 price can raise to the top the console sales and that can be the nail in the HD DVD coffin. Now I find myself in the complicated bifurcation of full gaming experience (Live is life, someone said)or good gaming with top multimedia performance and my Wii seems to support better the multimedia choice. What do you think?
Hi Venzuan. FIrst of all, thanks for commenting. Reader feedback is what makes any blog worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteYour points are all valid, especially since you live in Europe and your process to get a faulty 360 repaired is quite a bit more inconvenient than it is here in the States.
Keep in mind though that with the new chips going into 360's now, your likelihood of getting a faulty 360 is going to be greatly reduced after January 1st.
I am saddened by the Blu Ray/HD DVD format war. Having experienced both, I honestly feel that HD DVD is the better of the two formats, both in terms of picture quality and "extras" that come on the discs.
That's why I wish all High Def players were "combo" players.
Like you, I am fully in the High Def era now, owning three high def TV's.
I also own a Wii but consider it to be completely seperate from the other two major consoles. It is not as feature rich, and costs significantly less...although the "core" 360 is now only $30 USD more than a Wii.
How valuable is online play to you? This may be the deciding factor for you. Xbox Live is fantastic, and Sony's HOME is an unknown quantity right now.
Either way, I wish you luck in your decision, you may end up flipping a coin in the end!!
-TJ
Very good article, I also enjoy the fact that you aren't all about one system over the other. Can Sony be saved? I'm not so sure if it can happen during this generation of systems. If they can manage to come back and grab any significant amount of market share, it will be a victory. Look at the past, systems with slow or late starts.. well they just never fully catch on. Maybe the PS3 will be a pioneer though and show us something we haven't seen before.
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