FacebookTwitter
Hatrack River Forum   
my profile login | search | faq | forum home

  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Hatrack River Forum » Active Forums » Books, Films, Food and Culture » PS3, Xbox, or Wii? (Page 1)

  This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2   
Author Topic: PS3, Xbox, or Wii?
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
I graduate university in a few weeks, and I'm moving into just about the best apartment I've ever seen -- and that's a hell of a statement, given my history of apartments.

We're sort of in the middle of everything, so my place is likely to be a big party spot. We want to get a game system, especially after playing Street Fighter 4 on a friend's system -- Steve and I are both AWESOME at it, and I see a lot of showdowns coming on it. M. Bison rules.

I took some prices from Newegg and compiled a list of the three systems.

XBOX 360:
$360 console (bundle includes 2 wireless controllers, charging kit, 60GB HDD, and Crackdown)
$40 controller
$4/month for online multiplayer

TOTAL - $400 (not including online fees)


PLAYSTATION 3
$390 (1 wireless controller, 80 GB HDD)
$43 controller
$43 controller

TOTAL - $476


WII
$250 console (includes 1 remote)
$25 charge station (2 batteries)
$40 remote
$40 remote
$20 nunchuk
$20 nunchuk
$20 nunchuk
$105 for 3 Gamecube controller (for Smash Bros)

TOTAL - $415 (not including Gamecube controllers)


XBOX GAMES:
Street Fighter 4
Halo 3 (exclusive)
Mass Effect (exclusive)

Bioshock
Orange Box
GTA IV
Call of Duty 4
Dead Space


WII GAMES:
MarioKart Wii
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Smash Bros. Brawl
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Okami


PS3 GAMES:
Street Fighter 4
Metal Gear Solid 4 (exclusive)
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (exclusive)
Resistance: Fall of Man (exclusive)

Bioshock
Orange Box
GTA IV
Call of Duty 4
Dead Space


Totally honestly, the only games I REALLY care about are Street Fighter and Halo -- and Batman when it comes out because, well, I AM Batman. Being disconnected from gaming for a couple years has left me pretty disoriented though, and I could use advice. Does anyone have experience with any of these? The cost is being split between three of us, so it's not TOO important given how similarly priced all three systems are.

I've heard the Xbox has a horrifying failure rate, but all my friends have them and the controllers fit my hands wonderfully. Plus, there's an extended warranty. It DOES annoy me that I'll have to pay an extra $90 for wireless connectivity, but I don't HAVE to stream movies from my computer. Also, a friend gave me her Xbox (classic) a while ago, so I have some older Xbox games and controllers I can use.

The PS3 seems like the best all-around value, but I just can't work up the interest. The controllers are painfully tiny and none of my friends have the console. Still, it's definitely a possibility if the Xbox fails as often as the Internet says.

The Wii seems like fun, but only has 3 or 4 games worth playing. And I'll need Gamecube controllers for Smash Bros. It seems way too expensive and limited to justify.

That said, I also have no real idea what I'm talking about. Does anyone have any warnings against the Xbox I should hear? Endorsements of the PS3 or Wii? Did I miss any make-or-break games?

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Rakeesh
Member
Member # 2001

 - posted      Profile for Rakeesh   Email Rakeesh         Edit/Delete Post 
Looking at your list of games on the PS3 and the 360, and the preponderance of FPS on those lists, I'd advise staying away from the Wii on that basis. My personal taste experience with Wii FPS games is not good.
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lanfear
Member
Member # 7776

 - posted      Profile for Lanfear   Email Lanfear         Edit/Delete Post 
"the wii only has 3 or 4 games worth playing" ....

Your lack of knowledge along with your surety that the wii has such a small library of worthwhile games astounds me. And infuriates me.

You didn't mention:
Super Mario Galaxy- possibly the best game so far this generation

Madworld

No More Heroes

And not to mention a ton of gamecube games that are worth playing.

However, I will answer your questions.

If your interested in Street Fighter and Halo . The 360 is the ONLY system for you.

The failure rate with the "red ring of death" error is pretty high. However, it is decreasing with newer chipsets, and comes with a 3 year warranty. That's 3 entire years. You'll be fine covered by this warranty.

The PS3 still hasn't justified it's existence yet.

Posts: 332 | Registered: Apr 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Xavier
Member
Member # 405

 - posted      Profile for Xavier   Email Xavier         Edit/Delete Post 
I could give you a deal for my XBox 360 if you want. I've been meaning to put it on ebay. It's an "arcade" version, so not the tricked out ones you are looking at. May not be worth it for the upgrades to the hardware you'd have to make, but something to consider.

(Runs fine and everything, I just hardly ever play it.)

Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
Long time buddy, how's life? And nah, I appreciate it, but I'd rather get the warranty that comes with a new one. Plus, the hard drive's probably important for some reason.

Why aren't you using it? Have you SEEN Street Fighter 4?

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Dr Strangelove
Member
Member # 8331

 - posted      Profile for Dr Strangelove   Email Dr Strangelove         Edit/Delete Post 
I love my 360. I haven't really had any experience with PS3, but no one I've talked to who's had one has given me any reason to want one. Especially since Final Fantasy XIII is coming out on the 360 as well as the PS3 (last time I checked). My friend who works at Gamestop says he won't sell anyone PS3's. An exaggeration, as he's forced to, but the key word there is forced. So there's my two cents.

P.S. I don't know if you have Netflix, but IIRC, the PS3 doesn't have the Netflix partnership the 360 does. I can watch any of the Instant Play movies straight from the 360.

Posts: 2827 | Registered: Jul 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MEC
Member
Member # 2968

 - posted      Profile for MEC   Email MEC         Edit/Delete Post 
If you do get a 360, retailers will occasionally have 13 month live cards on sale for $30. Although you might not want to wait to get started, I definitely make a point to get one on sale when I have less than a year left on my subscription.

I'm sure many people can recommend different games for you to get, but one thing I can recommend is a subscription to Gamefly. If you play through games once rather quickly and then are done with it it can let you play a variety of games, I also like renting games to see if I'll enjoy it before I buy it. Gamefly also offers pretty good deals on used games, so if you like a game enough you can just buy it for the "keep it price."

Posts: 2489 | Registered: Jan 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Humean316
Member
Member # 8175

 - posted      Profile for Humean316   Email Humean316         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by MEC:
If you do get a 360, retailers will occasionally have 13 month live cards on sale for $30. Although you might not want to wait to get started, I definitely make a point to get one on sale when I have less than a year left on my subscription.

Wow, really? I've never seen them for under 50 bucks, where did you find that deal, if you don't mind me asking?

I too would recommend the 360 because it does have the best games, but one of the good things about the PS3 is it's built in blu-ray capability. If you want a system that you can play High-Def movies on, the 360 does this but only for the defunct HD-Dvds and it does not have a blu-ray peripheral, and in that, the PS3 is much better. Still, the 360 has games such as Halo 3 (which is one my all time favorites), Gears of War 2 (possibly the greatest 3rd person shooter ever), Mirror's Edge (a great game), and the greatest RTS console game in Halo Wars. Bioshock and Bioshock 2 are great Xbox 360 games as well, and if you love RPG's, then you really cannot beat Fable 2 or Mass Effect.

Posts: 457 | Registered: Jun 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
J-Put
Member
Member # 11752

 - posted      Profile for J-Put           Edit/Delete Post 
Well if you like halo, then the 360 is really the only way for you to go. Cost shouldn't even factor into it, they are very similarly priced as you mentioned.

The 360 has netflix instant viewing built in, but you can get a program for about 5 dollars (one time fee) that will stream the movies through your computer to your playstation 3. That works on both systems, and works with nexflix, hulu, and a bunch of other sites. It's called PlayOn. So that point is pretty much useless.

The ps3 has blu-ray built in. A huge bonus if you have an hdtv and no player yet. The 360 has nothing like this, so that's one for the ps3.

Then there's always the red ring of death issue. I've played my ps3 online for over 2 years now with no problems, and a buddy on there swears by his 360, but with the two of them he owns (one for himself and one for his kids) he has had them replaced 9 times. Each time it takes about a month to send it in to be repaired...so you will only actually HAVE your 360 half the time you own it.

But, the online service on the 360 is MUCH better than the ps3. In this case you get what you pay for.

If your buddies have 360s, then that's the way you should go so you can game with them, but don't start listening to any fanboy hype and thinking that it's a BETTER system.

Posts: 49 | Registered: Sep 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Samprimary
Member
Member # 8561

 - posted      Profile for Samprimary   Email Samprimary         Edit/Delete Post 
Xbox 360: Looking good. Standard gamer console. New xboxen do not redring. Best game library.

Wii: Looking good. Standard casual console. Largest market support and plenty of kitchy games. Cheap.

Playstation 3: Looking bad. Poorest exclusives list. Poorest market support. Distant runner-up. Producer in serious financial trouble. May be console non grata in as little as three years. Still best blu-ray player on market and is sold vastly under cost though, so

Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Christine
Member
Member # 8594

 - posted      Profile for Christine   Email Christine         Edit/Delete Post 
I LOVE the wii but I don't play fantasy games or first person shooter games. The thin I like about the wii is that it gets me off the couch. I have Wii Fit, Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, and several other rhythm/movement games. Heck, even the sports pack that comes with the console gets me off the couch. I love the boxing.

Now, my husband does like fantasy games (not so much the first person shooter games) and is enjoys both those and the movement games. He particularly likes Star Wars Force Unleashed, which allows him to wield his remote like a light saber. It's not my personal cup of tea but I admit to being amused by it for a while. Even in his role playing games, I think the movement of the wii remotes (when the programmers are competent) adds to the game play. I know some die-hard role playing/first person shooter people will disagree with me on that but that's my experience.

Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
twinky
Member
Member # 693

 - posted      Profile for twinky   Email twinky         Edit/Delete Post 
If you want to play online, get a 360. Period.

If you want to play local co-op, I would also skew toward the 360. Gears of War 1 and 2 have exemplary local and online co-op, and Halo 3's co-op is quite good as well.

If not, it's much more down to personal taste. I don't own a Wii, although I know a lot of people who do. I do own both a 360 and a PS3. My third 360 died last month -- the first two (Zephyr models) fell to the RROD, so I didn't have to pay for replacement, but this third one (a Falcon model) had a different failure mode and is out of warranty. If you buy a 360, make absolutely certain you get the newest model, the Jasper.

Since people haven't talked about the PS3 much: the PS3 has some fantastic unique exclusives -- Uncharted you've already mentioned, though it's quite short. I bought mine to play Wipeout HD -- the best rocket car racer ever. And in the bargain, I got interesting and unconventional games like Eden, Flower, and Echochrome. All fairly short downloadable games, but quite interesting. And the Planet Earth BBC documentary series on Blu-ray is staggeringly beautiful.

If you're looking to play the Orange Box on a console, and you get a 360, you owe it to yourself to check out Left 4 Dead.

Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Blayne Bradley
unregistered


 - posted            Edit/Delete Post 
If you want to try game programming Xbox lets you sign up for XNA microsoft thingy.
IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Jhai
Member
Member # 5633

 - posted      Profile for Jhai   Email Jhai         Edit/Delete Post 
We have both a wii & a 360 at home, which is a great combination. I don't know anyone with a Playstation. The 360 has gone through one red ring of death return - it only took a couple of weeks to get it returned. Microsoft has a very streamlined system, probably because they've needed to.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MattP
Member
Member # 10495

 - posted      Profile for MattP   Email MattP         Edit/Delete Post 
I've got all three consoles. The Wii doesn't get played much, though there are some "must have" games for me on there like Super Mario Galaxy. I only own one PS3 game - Little Big Planet. Otherwise I primarily use the PS3 for watching Blu-Rays.

The 360 has the best overall experience in my opinion. The online service is vastly superior to the PS3's and most games that I'm really interested in are either multi-platform or exclusive to the 360. There's a much broader selection of downloadable games from Xbox Live Arcade, though as twinky mentioned there are a handful of compelling titles on the PS3 as well.

Standalone Blu-Ray players are getting relatively cheap now, so I wouldn't put as much weight on this feature as I may have a year or two ago. At the time that I bought my PS3 it was the cheapest Blu-Ray player available.

Obligatory Xbox reliability report: I had one launch-era console that red-ringed at about 18 months of age which was quickly repaired for free. I bought another Xbox 360 at that time and both have been going strong ever since. (another 18 months or so)

Someone asked about the $30 13-month XBL cards. I've seen them at most major online retailers - Amazon, Buy.com, BestBuy, etc. I get the sense that the MSRP on those cards is about to drop so it may be a more frequent or even permanent price soon.

Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
BlackBlade
Member
Member # 8376

 - posted      Profile for BlackBlade   Email BlackBlade         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by Jhai:
We have both a wii & a 360 at home, which is a great combination. I don't know anyone with a Playstation. The 360 has gone through one red ring of death return - it only took a couple of weeks to get it returned. Microsoft has a very streamlined system, probably because they've needed to.

I could have honestly written an identical post, Jhai's experience is the same as mine.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MEC
Member
Member # 2968

 - posted      Profile for MEC   Email MEC         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by Humean316:
quote:
Originally posted by MEC:
If you do get a 360, retailers will occasionally have 13 month live cards on sale for $30. Although you might not want to wait to get started, I definitely make a point to get one on sale when I have less than a year left on my subscription.

Wow, really? I've never seen them for under 50 bucks, where did you find that deal, if you don't mind me asking?
I've seen it on Buy.com, Amazon.com, Best Buy, and Newegg.com to name a few, I'm pretty sure others have had similar sales in the past.
Posts: 2489 | Registered: Jan 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Herblay
Member
Member # 11834

 - posted      Profile for Herblay           Edit/Delete Post 
All wrong.

Look at the reviews on Halo versus Killzone 2. Look at Resistance 2. Both PS3 exclusives. Add the Naughty Dog games (especially Uncharted: Drake's Fortune) and Metal Gear . . . who wanted to play Halo? Any good RPG's come out for PS3 or Windows as well (Mass Effect, etc). And throw in Little Big Planet and free online for good measure.

PS3 OWNS exclusives over X-Box.

X-Box has a more robust online experience, and it's likely you can play with your friends. But they'd be drooling over Metal Gear, if you got the PS3.

Wii games are better, if you're not too concerned about HD, but the lineup is weak. They've got some insanely great exclusives, but you'll be bored six months from now. It's worth the admission price to play, but it's not an "all around" game system.

Best bet? PS3 and Wii.

Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Herblay
Member
Member # 11834

 - posted      Profile for Herblay           Edit/Delete Post 
And games on Blu-Ray are FAR superior. PS3 exclusives have the benefit of a VASTLY larger disk size.

"I don't mind changing disks on my 360," you say?

The Metal Gear game engine ALONE couldn't fit on a DVD. Not to mention all the extra cinematics (real time)and voice.

The production values on Uncharted and Metal Gear might as well be next-next gen, if we're going to consider the 360 next gen. 360 fails . . . obsolete.

Posts: 688 | Registered: Nov 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
TomDavidson
Member
Member # 124

 - posted      Profile for TomDavidson   Email TomDavidson         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
And games on Blu-Ray are FAR superior.
Dude, you can always tell the Playstation fanboys, because they're always so, so wrong. [Wink]
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MattP
Member
Member # 10495

 - posted      Profile for MattP   Email MattP         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
And games on Blu-Ray are FAR superior.
This is hard to support without qualification. Most games available on both systems are on a single disc for each and there has been no significant difference in graphic quality between them. Side-by-side comparisons seem to slightly favor one system or the other in about equal shares.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Xavier
Member
Member # 405

 - posted      Profile for Xavier   Email Xavier         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Long time buddy, how's life?
Not too shabby, you?

quote:

Why aren't you using it?

Hard to say. I have a much harder time getting into video games than I used to, and no console games seem to hold my interest beyond a couple of hours. Same goes for computer games, but slightly less so. I'm not doing any gaming whatsoever right now, besides a couple of play by post board games. I'm counting on Starcraft II, Diablo III, and Blizzard's unannounced new MMO to return me to my gaming ways.

quote:
Have you SEEN Street Fighter 4?
I've read reviews, and while I played a lot of Street Fighter 2 as a kid, I haven't gotten a fighting game in forever. Even highly reviewed ones like Soul Caliber 4 I get bored of shortly after renting. Probably because most of my enjoyment from them was playing my brothers / friends and stomping them [Smile] . Don't really have anyone I play games with anymore.
Posts: 5656 | Registered: Oct 1999  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
twinky
Member
Member # 693

 - posted      Profile for twinky   Email twinky         Edit/Delete Post 
Actually, if you hang out on Beyond3D, side-by-side comparisons of crossplatform games generally favour the 360. The 360 has a 10MB dedicated framebuffer that allows for antialiasing with an extremely low performance hit. That's why so many crossplatform games that render at the same internal resolution on both platforms have 2xAA on the 360 side and either Quincunx or nothing on the PS3 side. The ones that don't render at the same internal resolution on both platforms almost always render at a lower internal resolution on the PS3. GTA IV is one example, but Beyond3D has the full list.

I like my PS3, but every game I buy that's available on both platforms I ultimately buy on the 360 after seeing the graphical comparisons.

Exclusives are open for debate. I think Killzone 2 is the best-looking game on the consoles right now, but it doesn't have to worry about rendering two perspectives on the screen at once the way Gears of War 2 does -- no local co-op in Killzone. (Or co-op of any kind, but that's beside the point.) And Killzone is, IMO, only the latest in a series of graphical leapfrogs: Gears 1 < MGS4 < Gears 2 < Killzone 2.

Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Belle
Member
Member # 2314

 - posted      Profile for Belle   Email Belle         Edit/Delete Post 
Love our 360..we finally broke down and got Xbox live and now we love it even more. We did get RROD, but Microsoft replaced the console and shipped us a refurbished one within one week.

Since then we've had no problems at all. We paid $39 for our 13 month subscription, I think. I know it was less than $50.

Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
Yeah, I'm definitely leaning toward the Xbox. It's HARD to justify though... the PS3 has built-in wireless. non-proprietary hard drives, and free online play, plus all the same games as the Xbox (except Halo).

To get wireless capability on the Xbox, I have to buy a $90 dongle. All I really want is to stream movies from my computer to my Xbox... maybe I'll buy a cheap little computer and use Boxee.

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by Humean316:
Wow, really? I've never seen them for under 50 bucks, where did you find that deal, if you don't mind me asking?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16874103030

About $3.30 per month for Xbox Live.

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
twinky
Member
Member # 693

 - posted      Profile for twinky   Email twinky         Edit/Delete Post 
PSN is free, but feature- and functionality-wise it still has a ways to go before it's comparable to Xbox Live. I can go into more detail if you want.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
Actually, yeah, what's so great about Xbox Live? I'm not such an intense gamer that I think I'll even use the online functionality often -- the console's mostly for kicking back and playing Street Fighter against my friends, and streaming movies from my computer for dates. Can either the Xbox or the PS3 go to Hulu for casual watching without purchasing anything extra?
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Samprimary
Member
Member # 8561

 - posted      Profile for Samprimary   Email Samprimary         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by Herblay:
And games on Blu-Ray are FAR superior. PS3 exclusives have the benefit of a VASTLY larger disk size.

Games on the PS3 have a very tenuous claim to being 'far superior' since the PS3's architecture has proven far more difficult to wrest good performance out of. If anything, they seem to have only managed being on par with the 360.

Not that they don't have the capacity to exceed greatly in the future, perhaps, but just ain't the case now :/

Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
scifibum
Member
Member # 7625

 - posted      Profile for scifibum   Email scifibum         Edit/Delete Post 
Wow, $90 for the wireless thingy seems ridiculous to me.

Looks like you can get a third party wireless bridge that will hook up to the console via a patch cable for less than half that...that's what I'd try. (Don't have a console myself...I assume you'd want to research this to make sure it's working well for others.)

Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Jhai
Member
Member # 5633

 - posted      Profile for Jhai   Email Jhai         Edit/Delete Post 
We've been using the Netflix Instant Demand features on our Xbox a lot lately, if you have a subscription to Netflix. They've recently upped the selection, and the streaming quality is pretty great. We watch Hulu on the TV too, but that's through an older laptop with a dead screen that's permanently attached to the TV. Just a couple of thoughts on the matter of media other than video games...
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MattP
Member
Member # 10495

 - posted      Profile for MattP   Email MattP         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by Lalo:
Yeah, I'm definitely leaning toward the Xbox. It's HARD to justify though... the PS3 has built-in wireless. non-proprietary hard drives, and free online play, plus all the same games as the Xbox (except Halo).

To get wireless capability on the Xbox, I have to buy a $90 dongle. All I really want is to stream movies from my computer to my Xbox... maybe I'll buy a cheap little computer and use Boxee.

I don't know anyone who has both a 360 and a PS3 that doesn't prefer the 360, for whatever that's worth.

The proprietary hard drive is annoying, but not an ongoing issue. You don't really store all that much stuff on the hard drive and the 120GB is plenty for me. The cheaper 60GB drive would probably do for me as well.

The $90 dongle is not the only way to get wireless, but I would try to hook up your console with a physical network cable if you can, especially if you want to do video streaming.

The online experience is just more "tight". You can chat with friends, see what they are playing, join "parties" to play games together, make custom avatars to represent your profile, compare your games played and achievements with friends, send text and voice messages, etc. etc.
The PS3 can do some of these things, but not in a very consistent, friendly way.

Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
twinky
Member
Member # 693

 - posted      Profile for twinky   Email twinky         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by Lalo:
Actually, yeah, what's so great about Xbox Live?

On paper, both platforms have the following features, as of the latest PSN update last week:

  • Global friends list
  • Global text messaging
  • Global chat
  • Online marketplace
  • Online movie rentals
  • Global tracking and comparison of accomplishments
  • Multiplayer game lobbies
  • Custom soundtrack support
  • Video/audio/photo streaming from servers

Here's what's different, feature-wise, including functionality that one console has but the other doesn't:

  • Global chat: This is text-only on the PS3 now; the feature didn't exist at all until last week. Global voice chat for up to 5 people simultaneously on the 360, so you can talk to your friends over Live even if you aren't playing the same game. Voice chat quality on the PS3 is poor compared to the 360.
  • Online marketplace: The PSN Store has a much smaller selection than the Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox Live Arcade. Both have good and unique titles that aren't available on the other platform.
  • Global game invites: On the 360, regardless of what I'm doing, I can accept an invite to play a game at any time. The 360 will quit whatever's running and open the tray for me to swap discs if needed. When the game loads, it automatically connects me to my friend's lobby. This functionality doesn't exist on the PS3. Only some games support invites at all; in the games that don't, you have to hunt around for your friends' lobby, which is compounded by the spotty lobby support.
  • Multiplayer game lobbies: Some PSN games don't even support making a lobby friends-only or invite-only, so not only do you have to hunt around for your friends' lobby because the invite system isn't global, you also have to hope their lobby doesn't fill up with random people before you get there. This problem doesn't exist on the 360 side; every game I'm aware of supports this functionality and is hooked into the global invite mechanism.
  • Custom soundtrack support: The PS3 will let you replace a game's music with music you have on the PS3's HDD. Some games even let you use streamed music; other games don't support custom soundtracks at all. On the 360, you can do this with any game regardless of whether the music is on the HDD, on a USB-connected device (e.g. an iPod), or streamed from somewhere else. I stream from my computer to my 360.
  • Video/audio/photo streaming: The 360 will do this out of the box if your computer is running Windows. Mac users have to use third-party software to mimic Windows Media Centre; I use Connect360, which is about $15 or $20 and is great. On the PS3 side, everyone needs a third-party solution. Free software to do this is available on the PS3 side, although I use MediaLink, which is made by the same people who did Connect360 and costs the same. Incidentally, neither consoles supports playback of video files in the MKV container.
  • Global matchmaking: Live has global zones (family, recreation, pro, etc), ability to insta-mute annoying players, a global reputation/player review system (you can prefer or avoid specific players), and a global complaint system. PSN doesn't have this at all. Matchmaking, if there is any, is per-game.
Finally, the interface for doing most, if not all of these things is significantly more cumbersome on the PS3. There's almost always at least one extra step or extra prompt. The only exception is streaming, which takes one less step on the PS3 than on the 360.

Most models of 360 include a headset while no PS3 models include one. Also, all 360 models come with a high-def video cable (component or HDMI) in the box. The PS3 only has standard def composite cables in the box, so if you get one, make sure to hit up Monoprice for a cheap HDMI or component cable, otherwise you'll be displaying your 720p games at 480i. If you have PS2 component cables, those do work with the PS3.

quote:
Originally posted by Lalo:
I'm not such an intense gamer that I think I'll even use the online functionality often -- the console's mostly for kicking back and playing Street Fighter against my friends, and streaming movies from my computer for dates.

If your co-op and versus gaming is primarily with people in the same room, then you don't need Live Gold. I use it because my friends are largely scattered to the four winds, so we can play full games in co-op mode (Halo 3, Gears of War 1 and 2, Army of Two, Left 4 Dead) with seamless voice chat.

quote:
Originally posted by Lalo:
Can either the Xbox or the PS3 go to Hulu for casual watching without purchasing anything extra?

The PS3 has a built-in web browser and can navigate to hulu.com. Hulu doesn't work in Canada, so I have no idea what the quality is like.

The Xbox 360 will stream movies from your Netflix queue if you have Live Gold (the paid membership tier) and a Netflix subscription. I think a third-party company recently released its own disc-based software for doing this on the PS3.

Both consoles also have their own video rental stores.

Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
I wish I didn't need wireless, but the only place to put the TV is across from the telephone jack. The only solution is taping a cable along the living room wall or doing it wireless. New York City apartments. [Big Grin]

I did find this PopSci article (http://www.popsci.com/node/30580) on using a router as an access point, but it seems like a lot more work than just buying the PS3. How much traffic would you say Xbox Live takes up? Wireless really won't have enough bandwidth to give a smooth experience?

I mean, it probably doesn't matter AS MUCH given how great our location is -- we won't spend much time at all playing the Xbox, and we probably don't even need Xbox Live. But streaming movies from my computer is important to me.

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Humean316
Member
Member # 8175

 - posted      Profile for Humean316   Email Humean316         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Originally posted by Lalo:
quote:
Originally posted by Humean316:
Wow, really? I've never seen them for under 50 bucks, where did you find that deal, if you don't mind me asking?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16874103030

About $3.30 per month for Xbox Live.

Ahh thank you Lalo, that is what I am talking about!

I wanted to add that I paid 100 for my wireless adapter, but I have to agree with Matt, you would be much better served in getting internet through DSL or cable internet. I've found that wireless internet is spotty sometimes with the adapter and sometimes will kick you out of games, even when a good and strong wireless network is present.

ETA:
quote:
I wish I didn't need wireless, but the only place to put the TV is across from the telephone jack
What about cable internet where you get internet through the cable and not through the phone? That would sound like it might solve that problem?
Posts: 457 | Registered: Jun 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MattP
Member
Member # 10495

 - posted      Profile for MattP   Email MattP         Edit/Delete Post 
If you are planning to stream HD video then I think a wired connection is a must. Otherwise, wireless will probably be OK. There are also ethernet-over-powerline options which, I believe, are better than wireless.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
If you are planning to stream HD video then I think a wired connection is a must. Otherwise, wireless will probably be OK. There are also ethernet-over-powerline options which, I believe, are better than wireless.
Powerline? I'm probably going to get DSL, then use a wireless router within the apartment for our laptops and Xbox and such. That won't be enough?

quote:
What about cable internet where you get internet through the cable and not through the phone? That would sound like it might solve that problem?
The cable connection's directly next to the phone jack, which blows. New York apartments.

quote:
On the 360, you can do this with any game regardless of whether the music is on the HDD, on a USB-connected device (e.g. an iPod), or streamed from somewhere else. I stream from my computer to my 360.
Music and movies? I really want to do both, but I'm not sure how. Did you buy the $90 wireless dongle?
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
twinky
Member
Member # 693

 - posted      Profile for twinky   Email twinky         Edit/Delete Post 
My consoles are both wired.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MattP
Member
Member # 10495

 - posted      Profile for MattP   Email MattP         Edit/Delete Post 
quote:
Powerline? I'm probably going to get DSL, then use a wireless router within the apartment for our laptops and Xbox and such. That won't be enough?
It's a device that you plug into your power outlet. You then connect a network cable from your router to it. You can then plug a similar device into a power outlet near the Xbox which you then connect to the Xbox with another network cable. It's a wired network that uses your household wiring. It's not going to be as fast as a conventional wired network, but I believe current models are faster than wireless. I only have a superficial familiarity with the technology, so do a little research if it sounds interesting to you.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
scifibum
Member
Member # 7625

 - posted      Profile for scifibum   Email scifibum         Edit/Delete Post 
Wireless N is faster than the powerline stuff I checked out about a year ago. (either one is fast enough for video streaming, I think.)
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
Okay, we're definitely getting an Xbox. Now it's just to decide which one -- I'd love to get a Batman-themed Xbox, but since there's no evidence it'll ever come, we'll just commit to a Resident Evil 5 one. And it makes economic sense too! Evidence as follows:

Xbox Pro bundle -- $360 (Newegg)
Xbox Pro (60GB)
two wireless controllers (white) ($30)
play-and-charge kit ($15)
Crackdown ($10)

not included
headset ($20)
ethernet cable ($2)

Total cost
$382


Xbox Elite bundle -- $350 (Dell)
Xbox Elite (120GB)
one wireless controller (black) ($40)
headset ($20)
ethernet cable ($2)

not included
one wireless controller ($40)
play-and-charge kit ($15)

Total cost
$405


Xbox Elite (Resident Evil 5 version) -- $370 (Dell)
Xbox Elite (120GB)
one wireless controller (red) ($40)
headset ($20)
ethernet cable ($2)
Resident Evil 5 ($55)
Street Fighter II HD Remix ($15)

not included
one wireless controller ($40)
play-and-charge kit ($15)

Total cost
$425


Since we're splitting the cost between three of us, an additional $15 each means nothing if it means getting a bigger hard drive and an HDMI cable (for future use or selling), plus the cool red color. Plus, if I subtract the cost of buying Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter II HD Remix separately, it's actually the cheapest of the three options.

Thoughts?

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MattP
Member
Member # 10495

 - posted      Profile for MattP   Email MattP         Edit/Delete Post 
There's a Halo 3/Fable 2 Elite bundle coming out very soon. That might be worth considering if you are interested in those games.
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
twinky
Member
Member # 693

 - posted      Profile for twinky   Email twinky         Edit/Delete Post 
Linkage on the new Elite bundle.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
I AM definitely getting Halo, but it's only $30some sold separately. And I'd still have to buy Street Fighter II, which alone makes up the difference between the two prices. I'll think of it as getting the $50 RE5 game for free rather than the $30 Halo 3 game.

And it's red [Big Grin]

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
Just for my own record-keeping, here's what the prices break down to if I buy the following games:

Resident Evil 5 (included)
Street Fighter II HD Remix (included)
Halo 3 ($37)
Street Fighter 4 ($54)
Orange Box ($20)

Total -- 536 (180 each)

Bioshock ($30)
Mass Effect ($20)

Total -- 586 (195 each)

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
MattP
Member
Member # 10495

 - posted      Profile for MattP   Email MattP         Edit/Delete Post 
If you're still looking at wiring options, there's a new powerline-based network adapter out that is supposed handles HD well:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/15/d-link-ships-139-99-powerline-hd-ethernet-adapter-starter-kit/

Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
OH SNAP. I just got offered a used PS3 for $200, with an extra controller and some games/movies. How do I NOT take it.

Quick, any compelling reason to pay 3x that for an Xbox? Besides the warranty and Halo? Games seem to be slightly more expensive, but otherwise...

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
Ugh, and the controllers suck. And no Xbox Live.

But it has built-in wireless, so I can stream movies without pain-in-the-ass networking Twister. And I can get USED to the controller... I guess. Or buy something 3rd party.

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
Lalo
Member
Member # 3772

 - posted      Profile for Lalo   Email Lalo         Edit/Delete Post 
The PS3 is about two years old, 40GB HDD.

Hmmm.

Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
TomDavidson
Member
Member # 124

 - posted      Profile for TomDavidson   Email TomDavidson         Edit/Delete Post 
Question: does it do PS2 emulation in hardware? Because, if so, I will give you $250 for it.

That said, if you don't already have an Xbox, you will be happier with an Xbox. Period.

Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
  This topic comprises 2 pages: 1  2   

   Close Topic   Feature Topic   Move Topic   Delete Topic next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:


Contact Us | Hatrack River Home Page

Copyright © 2008 Hatrack River Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classic™ 6.7.2