Console help

I'm debating buying a console. Only problem is that I'm not entirely sure which one. Out of the XBox 360, PS3 and Wii, which one would you boardsie's think is best? Also, what would the pros and cons be of each one.

RobertFoster

Really depends on what games you're in to. Are you coming from PC gaming? Have you owned other consoles before?

I think I would be more into fighting/adventure games.

cherryghost

all three consoles have a good selection of their own adventure/fighter games, so i think this is a debate not to get into :P

CiDeRmAn

I own all three of the current crop of consoles and I would have to say, go for a PS3, try for a 60gb if you can.
There's some smashing games on it, MGS4 being one of the best and a decent future well supported by games ahead.
If it was FPS you were into I'd have to say 360, but for RPG and Fighters, it's weighted more in the PS3s favour, with the new Final Fantasy title coming to the PS3 rather than the 360.
I have a feeling the PS3 is going to have software support longer than the 360 too, and it is certainly more reliable than the Microsoft machine.

Ross_Mahon

Xbox 360

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humanji

It might be an idea to list of some games you've enjoyed before. You say you like adventure games, but since there's so many and they can all be quite different, it'd be easier to match a console to your liking.

SolarNexus

The only question you should ask yourself, if your unsure of which console to get, is which has more of the type of games you like. Dont get a wii if you dont like casual gaming, get an xbox if you like a good range. get a ps3 if you want blueray movies, have a hidef tv and like your graphics purdy.

As a person who owns both PS3 and Xbox360, I'd say get the xbox360. The graphics for ps3 *are* better, but nowhere near the difference between the quality of graphics for wii.

If your really a casual gamer, and dont mind soft-plot games like mario or god help us wii-fit, then the wii is for you, but i pretty much scoff at the wii. probably a bit out of snobbery, but its very much a girls and grand parents thing to me.

One final note, the xbox has a horrible repuation for breaking down. even mine, which survived 2yrs+ without a mark against it, exploded THE DAY i bought a ps3 (ironic no?) so its on its way back from ms now from being repaired.

anyways, the message im trying to give is that the ps3 is more expensive, but if it has more games you like, get it. same goes for wii or xbox360, look at the games available and decide which are more likely to entertain *you*.

The only thing about the PS3 is that I don't have a high-def tv and the chances of me getting one are pretty much slim. So without the high-def tv, would there be much of a difference between the graphics of the xbox 360 and the ps3?

I didn't know about the xbox's breaking down (I've never been a fan of consoles as such, but gaming on the PC is just too tedious - my laptop cannot play any of the new games). Do they offer some sort of warranty/repair service?

Jack Sheehan

I'd say the 360. There are a heap of fighting games for all three but with the 360 you can get a lot of classics through XBL Marketplace. For example the first Soul Calibre (Soul Blade?) was just relesed for download for about 10 or 15 quid.

Another thing is that I don't have broadband. I'm using 3 mobile broadband so xbox live or the ps3 alternative wouldn't be an option for me. Which console would have the best single player games? (if that's not a stupid question to ask)

I'm somewhat sliding towards the xbox 360 at the moment. Though any girl I ever ask always says the Wii.

kmick

Deleted User wrote: »

Another thing is that I don't have broadband. I'm using 3 mobile broadband so xbox live or the ps3 alternative wouldn't be an option for me. Which console would have the best single player games? (if that's not a stupid question to ask)

I'm somewhat sliding towards the xbox 360 at the moment. Though any girl I ever ask always says the Wii.

You ask girls for advice? You need a Wii
Otherwise get a 360

kmick

kmick wrote: »

You ask girls for advice? You need a Wii
Otherwise get a 360

Valid point. The cooties must be getting to their brains.

Retr0gamer

I'd have to say that if you are into your RPG's get a 360. The PS3 has no JRPGs on it that are worth getting while the 360 has loads on it. FFXIII is heading to PS3 but it will probably be average going by Square's recent output. White Knight Story is bound to be great but not coming out until late 2009. The 360 on the other hand has a load of excellent RPGs at the moment with lots more coming including 3 exclusive Square Enix games being developed by their external 3rd party devs like Tri-Ace instead of the internal devs that have done nothing but disappoint lately.

I've never really gotten into the Final Fantasy games. Mainly as I found them too time consuming. Which has a larger catalogue of games? The ps3 or the xbox 360? I'm presuming the 360 as it has been out longer. But the games for both are extremely expensive- in the region of 50-70 for a new game. Even pre-owned are fetching for 20-40.

Jack Sheehan

360 by a country mile, though that could change in the next year or so.

SolarNexus

Microsoft offer an extended warranty for about 50-60eur on the consoles, that bump it another two years, but... if your console dies of a red ring of death, which is basically a manufacturing fault, MS have given a 3yr warantee against all consoles free - which is good, as thats the main problem.

if you dont have a HDTV, you'll never notice the difference between Xbox and PS3 Graphics, and mores to the point even if you could its too little to care about. seriously.

The Xbox has a much bigger back catalogue, and you can buy lots of good games on the arcade, hell you can even develop games for it with the creators club. Its really a great package, and not as expensive as the PS3. Personally, I think the ps3 catalogue is quite weak atm, definitely not as big as wii or xbox.

Thats a big deal if price is your issue, because you can get loads of cheap xbox games, theres not that many to choose from for the ps3.

I put it this way (for now at least):

if you want blueray hi-def films, and slightly better quality graphics in games, and/or you prefer the catalogue, choose ps3. Its also got a fairly good browser, which is nice.

if you are a casual (or, at the risk of being sexist, a girl) gamer, the wii is perfect. but personally, i find the the whole cutsey stuff too much..

if you want a middle of the range performer, with good graphics, good performance, a fairly large catalogue (thus more budget games), get the Xbox360.

Retr0gamer

Deleted User wrote: »

I've never really gotten into the Final Fantasy games. Mainly as I found them too time consuming. Which has a larger catalogue of games? The ps3 or the xbox 360? I'm presuming the 360 as it has been out longer. But the games for both are extremely expensive- in the region of 50-70 for a new game. Even pre-owned are fetching for 20-40.

Well there's absolutely no need to be spending that much on games. The PS3 is completely region free and most 360 games are region free as well. Just buy the american or asian versions (which usually come with english tracks anyway) of the games on line for less than half price. Even buying from somewhere like play.com will save you a rake of money.

As for the PS3 having slightly better graphics than the 360 well it's mostly a lie. Almost all multiformat games come off looking and running better on the 360. However the differences are so slight you'd need the games running side by side and really be paying attention. The PS3 is far from the super computer sony made it out to be with little to no advantage over the 360 power wise.

It seems that the Xbox 360 is the best option for me really. And now to move on - which of the 3 packages would be the best for me? People say that the hard-drive is needed if I am to use xbox live, but I don't have adequate internet. How much would the hard-drive cost seperately, or is that not possible at all?

Headshot

i own all 3 consoles and i personally think its between ps3 and xbox 360

the wii hasn't enough hardcore games

but i have to admit mario galaxy is one of the best iv ever played

but for me its the ps3

metal gear is unreal up there with the best of all time

Sephiroth_dude

The 360 is very loud,playstation is quiet enough,dunno if that'll be a deal breaker for you or not,or and on the wii you can smash brothers,quite an excellent fighting game if I do say so myself.

RobertFoster

Deleted User wrote: »

It seems that the Xbox 360 is the best option for me really. And now to move on - which of the 3 packages would be the best for me? People say that the hard-drive is needed if I am to use xbox live, but I don't have adequate internet. How much would the hard-drive cost seperately, or is that not possible at all?

The Premium (middle) 360 would probably do. It's handy to have a HDD, even if it's only 20GB, but like you said, you won't be downloading much to warrent the 120GB of the Elite (top). The Arcade (lowest) 360 has 5 free arcade games, but only 256MB memory card.

On it's own, the 20GB HDD used to be €100 (current price difference between Premium and Elite), which is a rip off compared to PC HDD prices. That price has dropped since since the introduction of the Elite.

If you have a look in Xtravision et al. you can probably find a good deal on bundles.

It's a pity you don't have broadband as it seems to be the way things are going for consoles...except the Wii, which is far behind the 360 and PS3 offerings.

I think I'm moving towards the xbox 360 arcade bundle. Game are doing a deal with the console and 2 games for 230. Even if I wanted to get broadband, I could buy a hard-drive.. the 60gig is 110 euro(or therebouts)

Retr0gamer

I'd pick a 360 as well. It just has the better selection of games. I have all 3 consoles and I have literally not turned on the PS3 to play a game since I got Uncharted in November. Before that it was barely used. Other than that I would only be interested in MGS 4 which I haven't bought because I'm broke. The 360 is on all the time. The PS3 does have good games but they are all mostly available on the 360 as well.

Wouldn't get a Wii on it's own. It has some really excellent unique titles but not enough to keep to satisfy on it's own. It is however an excellent second console.

Jack Sheehan

There's probably an XB360 price cut coming in the next few weeks so hold out a bit.

nealmac

First off, don't get a wii. They are nowhere near the capabilities of the 360 or the PS3.

Having said that, it's just a matter of weighing up the pros and the cons, so I'll do it as best I can, having played both consoles.

For online gaming, you have to pay €60 a year with MS whereas it's free on the PS3. Some say that its because XBL is more user friendly and stuff like that, but in all fairness I can't see how this is. Both versions are equally easy to use. In fact I think the PSN is better if anything. Thereagain MS are just money grabbers.

Game choice: Well the 360 is the clear winner here. No question. having said that, the 360 was released over a year before the PS3 so it always had a good head start. Over the coming years, there is every chance the PS3 will catch up. The PS3 also has some really good exclusives like Resistance: Fall Of Man and Metal Gear Solid 4. Final Fantasy XIII is also in the pipeline. However the 360 has a lot of exclusives too such as the popular "Halo" series. So it's all down to preference.

Price: The PS3 is more expensive. Or is it? Well yes it is, but that's an unfair assumption to make. It's more a case of "you get what you pay for". The PS3 comes with a hard disk drive and BluRay DVD player as standard. You don't get this with the standard 360. So all in all, the price shouldn't be as big a deciding fact as people make out.

Reliability: Well facts show that the PS3 is the more reliable of the two machines. The "Red Ring Of Death" was all the rage for the 360, but I think the newer versions aren't as bad. However, my PS3 shat on me a few months back. I had to back up all my data and re-format the the hard drive. So maybe they're not as squeaky clean as we've been told.

All in all both are great pieces of kit, but the PS3 edges it for me. I think it's better equipped for the future. Good luck in making your purchase.

RobertFoster

Jack Sheehan wrote: »

There's probably an XB360 price cut coming in the next few weeks so hold out a bit.

Didn't Europe already get one a few months ago? AU/NZ got one today AFAIK, with a NA one expected before Christmas.

I'm thinking about getting the Arcade 360 - it's the cheapest options and getting Alone in the Dark and the new GTA. I know the PS3 is the best value for money (hard-drive and Bluray) but I honestly don't need those as such.

Jack Sheehan

Oh no, you do need the hard drive. I can't stress how much you need the hard drive. Not only can you not save without it, but you can't play xbox games and certain games use it to speed up loading times etc.

The package includes a memory stick of sorts. Would that not be ok?

uberpixie

Deleted User wrote: »

The package includes a memory stick of sorts. Would that not be ok?

For a small number of files yes...

Personally when i got a 360, i went for the elite.

Def get one with a harddrive.

Thats the thing- 2 games will probably last me ages as I've a full time job and a nintendo ds. So the space wouldn't be too bad. I'll probably just buy the hard-drive seperately.

Jack Sheehan

I really wouldn't get just a memory stick.

rizzla

On an ign podcast they mentioned that there's some rumours going around that Microsoft might be announcing a price reduction on the Xbox 360 at E3. They said it was fairly likely, so hold out 3 weeks and see if there is a price cut on the 360. Even if there's not I'd still choose the 360.

SolarNexus

rizzla wrote: »

On an ign podcast they mentioned that there's some rumours going around that Microsoft might be announcing a price reduction on the Xbox 360 at E3. They said it was fairly likely, so hold out 3 weeks and see if there is a price cut on the 360. Even if there's not I'd still choose the 360.

i find it hard to understand this line of thought, really. unless its gonna drop 60-100eur (which, to be perfectly honest, is not very likely i dont think), is waiting all of 3 weeks really worth it?

sure, you'll save money, but you'll be 3weeks without a console!

im...LOST

Don't get the Arcade tbh. You need to get a Hardrive or a Memory Card to save game saves and it would probably work out much the same if you got an Arcade and a memory card as it would a Premium.

Oh, there is a bundle you are getting? Sure, go for the memory card but only if you are 100 % sure that you won't be going on Live any time soon.

SolarNexus

dont forget, if you ever want to rent films from xbox live, or buy games (some fairly decent ones) your gonna need a bit of space too... more than a memory card.

Kiith

I'd agree with the above advice and get the premium 360. The hard drive is very handy to have. You'd regret not having it if you ever go online in the future.

Well the house I'm currently living in does not have broadband and I'm guessing 3mobile "broadband" would not be compatible with xbox live. It's hard to tell if the house I'll move into next will have broadband either.

The bundle I'm looking at is 2 games, the controllers, a memory stick and the arcade console for €239

johnk123

If its the money that's putting you off a premium console, then buy a pre-owned console from gamestop or somewhere similer. A friend of mine did. They guarantee all the used stuff(games, consoles, peripherals) the same as new ones. If its the money thats holding you back.... i'd suggest that

The Queen

I think Xtra Vision have the Premium, controllers and two games for 299....or something similar.

Doesn't the standard only come with basic cables as well, meaning that if you get a HD tv in future, you'll have to purchase another set of cables to run in hd? Or was that only the old core model...

Ignore all this 'Ps3 has better graphics' talk, any game I've played that are on both consoles look better on the 360 (cod3), at worst, they look the exact same (cod4).... it's not a concern whatsoever.

Price: The PS3 is more expensive. Or is it? Well yes it is, but that's an unfair assumption to make. It's more a case of "you get what you pay for". The PS3 comes with a hard disk drive and BluRay DVD player as standard. You don't get this with the standard 360. So all in all, the price shouldn't be as big a deciding fact as people make out.

The PS3 is way more expensive - fact not assumption. It doesn't matter what comes with it, what you're paying for, it's still more expensive as a games machine. That's like saying sure price isn't a determining factor between a moped and a car, because the car comes with way more features. It doesn't really matter a toss to the person who can only afford, and have use for, the moped.

nealmac

The Queen wrote: »

I think Xtra Vision have the Premium, controllers and two games for 299....or something similar.

Doesn't the standard only come with basic cables as well, meaning that if you get a HD tv in future, you'll have to purchase another set of cables to run in hd? Or was that only the old core model...

Ignore all this 'Ps3 has better graphics' talk, any game I've played that are on both consoles look better on the 360 (cod3), at worst, they look the exact same (cod4).... it's not a concern whatsoever.



The PS3 is way more expensive - fact not assumption. It doesn't matter what comes with it, what you're paying for, it's still more expensive as a games machine. That's like saying sure price isn't a determining factor between a moped and a car, because the car comes with way more features. It doesn't really matter a toss to the person who can only afford, and have use for, the moped.

Read it again. I said "Well yes it is". All I did was point out what extras you get for your cash, which I think is a valid reason for the extra cost. It's unfair and biased to dismiss the PS3 because it's more expensive, and just leave it at that.

Sephiroth_dude

^^^^^^^^ i agree with the above,the xbox is noisy as hell,i find it irratating after a while,should have gotten a ps3 my friend!

nealmac

Heh, yeah I forgot to mention that. Although, the PS3 can get extremely noisy too, but that's only if you keep it in an enclosed unit. This isn't recommended. If you really have to do that, make sure you keep the door of cupboard open when playing. The fan will still come on, but not overly so.

gamer

get a 360 with hardrive,premium ,it has an av cable with connectors for sdtv ,and hdtv .you can get preowned games for 20euro or less and download demos free with xbox live silver account,which is free.the ps3 is more expensive because of blue ray drive,360 looks great even on an sdtv 21inch.i see no significant difference in graphics between the 2 consoles,very few games are ps3 exclusive .you,ll need the hardrive for demo storage and game saves.Some games look worse on ps3 ,360 is designed like a dual core pc,its easier to make /program games on it ,than 4the ps3.

noodler

I love RPGs, Metal Gears, Pro Evo's, so a ps3 is the way for me. (controller for pro evo ftw)

I guess it all depends.

So I went into Game today and was asking about their bundles. The guy in there told me that the Premium Xbox360 was best as the hard-drive was needed when playing GTA4 (as I intend to get GTA4 and Battlefield: Bad Company) with it. I didn't know this, so I'm now going to get it, but trade in some DS games against it too.

nealmac

Deleted User wrote: »

the hard-drive was needed when playing GTA4

I don't think this is true

SolarNexus

nealmac wrote: »

I don't think this is true

for online play, I imagine it is. but for normal single player? I doubt it

Otacon

Sorry gamer, but I have to disagree with some of your points here.

gamer wrote: »

get a 360 with hardrive,premium ,it has an av cable with connectors for sdtv ,and hdtv.

The PS3 also comes with cables out of the box. Though if you have a HD TV with a HDMI port, use a HDMI cable. The 360 Elite is the only version that has one at the moment.

gamer wrote: »

you can get preowned games for 20euro or less and download demos free with xbox live silver account,which is free.

Online is completely free on the PS3. Demos, videos etc. are all free. PSN games are cheap enough. If you are thinking about PSN games, try Super Stardust HD and PixelJunk Monsters.

gamer wrote: »

the ps3 is more expensive because of blue ray drive,360 looks great even on an sdtv 21inch.

So does the PS3; we had a SD TV in our gaff for the first week we were there and if memory serves, it still looked outstanding.

gamer wrote: »

i see no significant difference in graphics between the 2 consoles,very few games are ps3 exclusive .you,ll need the hardrive for demo storage and game saves. Some games look worse on ps3

There is very little difference between the consoles from a graphics perspective, however, I am yet to see a game look worse on the PS3. The PS3 also has quite a few very good exclusives in MGS4, GT5:Prologue, Uncharted, Resistance, Motorstorm as well as all PSN titles like WarHawk, Tekken Online and the ones mentioned above.

gamer wrote: »

360 is designed like a dual core pc,its easier to make /program games on it ,than 4the ps3.

I don't see how this is considered a valid point when selecting a console to buy, seeing as the OP is probably not going to be creating games himself.

chavezychavez

Otacon wrote: »

The PS3 also comes with cables out of the box. Though if you have a HD TV with a HDMI port, use a HDMI cable. The 360 Elite is the only version that has one at the moment.

Errrr, I think you might want to research that point again!!