Console Comparison Advice Please

[miz ducky]

I don't have any of the latest consoles. I have a PS2. On my PS2 I played Dark Cloud, and the Final Fantasy games. I am also a fan of Tetris (I still play my PS1 Next Tetris game, I love that version of two player Tetris).

At one friends house, I've played Rock Band and some down loaded games on the XBOX 360.

At another friends house, I played Guitar Hero and Mario Party on the Wii.

So here's my question:
What console should I get? If you think an XBOX 360 would be best for me then which version do you think would be best and why?

Can you download songs for Rock Band on the Wii like you can on the XBOX? And games too?

And just to throw one more question into the mix:
What games for the recommended console do you think I would like?

Thank you!!

[Xelloss]

I'd vote Xbox, but I'm very biased. It does have the largest selection of games and biggest on-line social precense of the three, plus it has netflicks. It's also the cheapest. Honestly, it doesn't matter what Xbox you buy because all Xboxes do the same thing, the different packages just come with different add-ons - all of which can be purchased separately, if you so choose.

- Karen

[duotrouble]

I'm very biased too and say go with the PS3. The Playstation Network is much better than the X-Box network from what I've seen. My brother has the X-Box360. From my point of view, the Playstation store is easier to scroll through. They have rentals the same as X-Box's Netflix but using real money and not that strange X-Box kind of money.

The best person I know you can ask is Baylor. She owns the PS3, Wii AND X-Box360. She can tell you the ins and outs of all 3 pretty much non-bias.

To answer your other part, I have Dark Cloud 2 so based on that I would say there are a few games out now you might like. Eternal Sonata just came out. It's a turn-based RPG. Of course, you can get that for both the PS3 and X-Box360. I'm not sure if it's on the Wii. The newest Final Fantasy will be coming out later this year. There are 2 great Ratchet & Clank games out as well as a Tomb Raider.

Best of luck on your decision!

[HotIce]

I have all three next gen consoles. If I were to recommend one I would have to recommend either the Wii or the 360. Sadly my PS3 isn't much more than a glorifed door stop. I do have 4 games for it (MSG4, Uncharted, Resistance, and Folklore.. and I'm psyched for Heavy Rain) All of which are excellent PS3 exclusive games... but there are very very few PS3 exclusive games that really interest me. Just my preference this time around is the 360. I was a huge Nintendo, then I favored PS/PS2, now I'm very much an Xbox girl.

But to say what you should buy really depends on several things. The two most important being (1) how much you wish to spend on your system and (2) what kind of games you will play on the system.

If RPGs are your thing, then than the 360 is definitely the way to go. As it has great RPGs like Eternal Sonata, Lost Odyssey, Infinite Undiscovery, Fable 2, and Mass Effect (which is one of if not my favorite game for the 360 so far). Xbox also has Rock Band and Guitar Hero and it allows you to download songs/content for Rock Band (and other games as well). XBox has also combined with Netflix which, if you don't know, is a movie renting service. Netflix mails you a movie, and you can keep it as long as you want for a monthly charge. For $8.95 a month you can get unlimited rentals one at a time, plus unlimited time to watch tv and movies online (or via your Xbox). Just go to the website and put the movies/tv shows in an online que, and the movie will arrive either in your mail box, or the online que will show up on the Netflix blade of your Xbox.

If party games are you type of thing than I would definately recommend the Wii, as the Wii seems to be finding its niche in games that groups of people can play together. Mario Party, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Carnival Games jump to mind as some very fun party games. It does have a few stellar titles that are not party games such as Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, trauma Center: Second Opinion, and No More Heroes (though I will say that I can definitely understand why this game is rated M).

As for the PS3, I can't give you much as to what it specializes in as I do not play mine hardly at all. The 4 games mentioned above are amazing titles and a blast to play. Plus Heavy Rain looks like its going to be simply amazing. This also has Rock Band, and allows you to download content.

Now price wise, what I would recommend The Wii is the cheapest, then the 360, then the PS3. But each is only cheaper than the other by about $50 retail, so its not "HUGE" difference.

If you want to buy a 360 I would have to say go with the Pro and not the Arcade. The HD is very much needed, and Xbox has made it so the new Arcades are NOT backwards compatible with original xbox games.

If you want a PS3 I would have to say search on eBay to try and find a 60G PS3 (they are not made anymore). 60G systems are the only systems that are backwards compatible with PS2 and PS1 games. The larger HD (of the newer systems) is nice if you want to add movies and such to it, but if that's not important to you I'd suggest looking for a 60G system.

Now I know I had more I was going to add/expand on, but I lost my train of thought and I'm too exhausted from work to try and think of what it is.

Anyways, best of luck on your decision. If you have anymore questions please feel free to ask. ^_^

[majinuub]

I can't vouch for the other 2 systems since I only own a PS3 but I will say, like hotice mentioned, it depends on your preference for games.

A few things I want to add to your post Hotice. Currently the XBOX 360 is the cheapest console of the 3(well the arcade version is) starting at $199. In the arcades defense it comes bundled with 7 games already included in the package. I also heard that they're including a price discount for people who want to add a hard drive in the future so it'll be similar to the pro edition. The bundled gamed PS3's(only the motorstorm and metal gear solid ones) are backwards compatable with PS2 games and all PS3's are compatable with PS1 games. Also PS3's and PS3 games are region free so you can play imported Japan games on them.

[HotIce]

Yeah, the arcarde is the cheapest next gen. system out right now, but lack of HD and backwards compatibility make me recommend the Pro version more, and thus making the Wii the cheapest system of those I would recommend to her.

I didn't know the Metal Gear and Motorstorm bundles were PS2 compatible, I just remember reading somewhere that the backwards compatibility stopped with the 60G system. As for PS1 games, I figured that they stoped being backwards compatible as well since my friend -just- bought a 160G system and his PS1 games do not work on it. I thought they stopped being compatible, but if it's an issue with his system I'll let him know he should contact Playstation immediately to get it fixed while it's under its warranty.

[yoshito]

First off, I'd need a bit more information regarding what types of games you like to play for me to recommend a console based on games. You mention Rock Band (which is for all three systems and off the top of my head I only can confirm knowing that the PS3 and X360 have downloadable music and add-ons) and that you like to play Dark Cloud and FF series along with a version of Tetris which if I'm to assume means you like puzzle games as well as RPGs.

But I don't want to assume so if you could tell us more of what types (shooters, racing, sports, RPGs, puzzles, party/group games, etc.) that would probably help narrow down which next-gen console you'd probably enjoy most. Are you going to use this next-gen console as an entertainment unit (play movies, download movies, etc.) or just strictly as a gaming console? Which do you prefer more, graphics or gameplay (do you expect your games to be lifelike at 1080p or do you mind having games at 480p and be fun)? Do you want to play online with lots of friends or mostly play offline?

The reasons I ask are because while all three game systems are good, each one has a certain "strength".

Now the only "bias" I have is with the Xbox 360. If you do decide to buy one, make sure you get the newest version (named Jasper). This way you are more likely to not have the chance that your unit will die on you (just look up in any search engine "red ring of death" and you'll see what I mean). Not saying that every Xbox 360 will die, but you have a pretty good chance of one dying.

The Xbox 360's strength is with their operating system. From what I hear from those who have all three systems it is the nicest one around. I personally can't confirm this or deny it since I do not have one. The downside is that you really want to play online you will have to pay a monthly charge to play (Xbox Live). The Wii and PS3 both have ok operating systems. They don't blow my skirt up in any way, but they are both really easy to use once you get used to them. I have both and enjoy playing with them. Not to mention they are both free to play online with friends.

The pros for the Wii are as follows:

• Gets you moving with their motion sensing / IR remotes. Grand fun playing sports titles and I highly recommend just getting the Wii and an extra controller to play the Wii Sports game that comes with the system.
• Small footprint and power consumption.
• Simple design.
• Can download the Nintendo Channel and get DS demos.
• Cheaper games!

Cons for the Wii:

• Setting up the IR sensor was a pain at first, but once it is set it is good. Seems that large LCD/Plasma TVs have problems with sensing the angles if you're lower than your TV near the bottom of the screen if you're below the TV.
• If you want to buy downloadable games or content, you have to buy in chunks of $10ish (1000 points). So if you want to buy a 600 point game you'll end up spending $10 for it and having 400 points left over.
• If you want to surf on the net, you'll have to buy their Opera browser for 500 points.
• Memory is limited and if you want to expand it to download more stuff you have to buy SD cards which are limited to 2 Gigs in size so far.
• Nintendo's famous "we'll nickle and dime you to death with extra controllers and adapters" attitude from the Gamecube era is back again.

Pros for the PS3:

• Has a blu ray player that is decent and equivalent to a $180 stand alone player.
• Can play DIVX files as well as other media files that can be transferred from a USB memory device.
• The internal HD can be upgraded to a larger size by buying a standard SATA drive and external USB adapter (to format the drive and transfer over all the data from the existing drive. No need to buy a proprietary HD.
• Some versions are backwards compatible with PS2 and PS1 games. If you want to use the old memory cards you'll have to buy an adapter that will copy the cards to your HD though. Or just replay the games and use the virtual memory card option that is in the PS3.
• Upconverts DVDs to 1080p.
• Can surf the internet for free, and you can connect USB keyboards and mice to make your surfing easier.
• Personal favorite is being able to get the exact time from the Internet w/o having to enter it in manually. (trust me, this gets annoying on the Wii lol)
• Can link and download games to your PSP or just link the PSP for remote play.

Cons of the PS3:

• Large and heavy. The sucker feels like a computer and not a console.
• If you have multiple controllers (and have the USB ports) having to plug them in and getting extra USB cables for the extra controllers. At least you can just get some generic USB to USB Mini adapter cables at any computer store for cheap, or use ones that came with digital cameras, etc.
• It is Sony, so people will mock you for having one.
• Great games come out at $60 (if you live in America) at launch!!! @_@ But often they go down after 3-6 months of being out. (This is the same for the Xbox 360)

Those are off the top of my head. The reason I didn't make any comments on the Xbox 360 other than the bricking issue is that I personally do not have one. I have read that there are some people who have had their first generation PS3 die on them, but not as much as those who have had Xbox 360s replaced.

The last backwards compatible PS3 was the one that has Metal Gear Solid bundled with it. All PS3s after that are not backwards compatible (Sony didn't think that people cared about it since most people upgrading still have their PS2 that works fine and didn't want to buy the memory card adapter to transfer all their save games to the PS3).

[crackpot27]

While I'm generally a Playstation fan, I'd have to say I'm loving the X Box 360 as of now The Playstation 3 just doesn't have all that much, and even less that's uniquely it's own. I actually bought the stupid thing in anticipation of a final fantasy game that keeps moving it's release date XP

Granted I'm pretty stuck on my RPG's, so whichever gives me the most, has my devotion so if you're an RPG fan X Box hands down. Though if you're looking for party games or just plain "fun" games, I'd point you to the Wii. I bought this one (Wii) for a single RPG also, but found about a dozen games that I just love. And if you're a fan of the old Nintendo games (or sega) Wii points hooks you up with all the old favorites

So sadly... I would point you to anything BUT the Playstation 3, it's just not worth it yet

[Startyde]

I'm biased towards the PS3, and that's not just because I sent in my 360 three times for service (two red ring and 1 disk read error forever) before I gave it away.

At the end of the day, nearly all the AAA games for 360 are also available for PC, so having a toned down version on unreliable hardware that can only be played online with a yearly fee of $50.00 doesn't seem worth it. That and the fact that MS has this nasty habbit of abandoning their fanbase (see last console...and Windows ME and Vista for that matter), I wouldn't be surpised if 360 is dumped in the next 18 months and their next console doesn't support adeqaute BC, but I wont jump to speculation just yet, just observing track record.

That being said, 360 does have a large online community, but unless you're into GoW, Cod or Halo, you wont be seeing them.

80 Gig PS3's cost 400 these day, and amazon often has interesting promotions, but for the price you get a reliably made console, a high end blu ray playter, a built in wirelsss adaptor, and software emulation for you entire PS2 library upscaled to 1080p (hardware emultaion if 20 or 60 gig model..none for 40). Free online play, free online updates and apps such as Home and PSN World, as well as higher rate of exclusive titles not available on any other platform. In addition, you can exchange accounts on up to 5 other people's console and download any games or appls they purchased from the store for free (some exceptions to the rule, but I have download over $100.00 worth of software from friends and vice versa).

I entered this gen hating the PS3 and loving the 360, but with extended use, the cream rose to the top in a big way, again, imo.

Wii has some pretty rocking titles. Mario Galaxy and No More Heros alone is worth the purchase. But in my experience, it doesnt get used much unless you're just clamoring for that next party game.

[duotrouble]

*jumping in really quick again*

Sorry, I forgot to mention something but Startyde's post reminded me. Even though Netflix is tied to X-Box360, you will not be able to rent any Sony Pictures movies from it. Since Playstation is Sony, I read that all those movies were pulled from the list of downloadables. Someone who owns that platform can confirm or deny this.

The rule of thumb I've followed based on games I've seen and heard about is this. If you like party games, the Wii is the way to go. If you like RPGs, the PS3 is the way to go. If you like FPS, the X-Box 360 is the way to go. While they do exist, there are fewer and fewer exclusive game titles now. For example, Eternal Sonata was exclusive on the X-Box360 but it was just recently released on the PS3. The new Final Fantasy, scheduled for Christmas 2009 currently, was supposed to be PS3 exclusive but is now also scheduled for the X-Box360.

One final note, every person I personally know (online friends not included) has had to return their X-Box360 at least once. My friend Tim has had to do it 4 times. He said if it broke down again he wasn't going to get a new one. Thank goodness he got the insurance on it. They've had big problems with over heating. As far as PS3s go, you never buy first gen Sony. There are always problems with those. But the second and third gens are out now so as long as you buy new you shouldn't have that problem. And the downside of the Wii is that the controller can be hard to get right where you want it as well as eat up your batteries.

I'd love to have all 3 consoles just so I can have the best of all worlds. But for space and well I do like having a real life, I picked one that suited me best based mostly on games available and coming. Hit some gaming sites' forums for more comments.

[chibikitty2045]

I have the PS3 and the XBOX 360, but I prefer my PS3. The main reason is the free community and online gameplay. Ill admit, its a heavy unit but it does a lot more for less, in the long run.

With the 360 you have to pay for XBOX live. That can get costly if you are an online gamer like me.

the 360 isnt as portable as the PS3 as well. What I mean is,While both are huge units, you cant connect your unit to a friends home, as moving the 360 could wipe it out without notice (I found that out the hard way HA!)

Both units will cost you with accessories and games, but for me? My PS3 is my 'other' computer


Anyone have a MGO screen name? PM me!

[RoboFlonne]

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the XBOX 360 Arcade...

It's $199 and for special people!!!!


Get a 20GB Hard drive and 3 Months of XBOX LIVE GOLD for $29.98...

But it's only for a limited time...

And only for Special people like you!!!

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/hddoffer/default.htm

Most people don't know about this offer!



I am missing out on Disgaea 3 and Valkria Chronicles that are only for the PS3.... though...

[beatrush]

I am missing out on Disgaea 3 and Valkria Chronicles that are only for the PS3.... though...

If it wasn't for those games, MGS4 and Little Big Planet, my PS3 would be a glorified Blu Ray Player.

[HotIce]

I just added SuperBad and We Own the Night to my Nexflix que and they're appearing to play on my Xbox console. From what I've read on the Sony/Columbia pictures problems with Xbox live is that Neflix was having a very difficult time getting rights to play these movies through the Xbox system. They were still playable via the users computer just not through the XBox. At least some of those issues appear fixed.

I have -never- wiped out my 360 by moving it. When I switched apartments it was fine. I've also never had issuses when taking it with me when I went to visit my folks for a long period of time (like over the holidays, or when i was out of a place to live when my town flooded, and my old place was in debates about being torn down).

Xbox live does cost money. $50/13 months. $40/13 months if you can catch Amazon at the right time. So its less than the cost of a game that just came out $60. I've never had any issues with signing into Xbox live for online play, while with my PS3 when I did try to play online with it I was constant booted off. I never had any troubles with my Wii either.

Something I will say about Xbox and PS3 is that their customer service SUCKS from my personal experience, while Nintendo's has been far, far superior to both when problems have arisin.

[chibikitty2045]

Yeah. Their customer service is horrid
they rely on everything to be delt with automated service. Then when you finally get a rep they can only tell you what the automated service said.

I had hell trying to purchase castlevania from sony. After 2 hours on the phone, I was told that I can only attempt my credit card 2 times in 24 hours.... Then asked if I spelled my name correctly lol

I have -never- wiped out my 360 by moving it. When I switched apartments it was fine. I've also never had issuses when taking it with me when I went to visit my folks for a long period of time (like over the holidays, or when i was out of a place to live when my town flooded, and my old place was in debates about being torn down

You are lucky. It actually happened on my move up here from Ohio. 32 games worth of achievments wiped out My music, wallpapers everything. the only good thing about it was they gave me a free xbox live card out of it when I asked. But my model is like....one of the first 360s out there