Playstation vs Xbox

thunderdog

Hi there. Im looking for a bit of advice. Im thinking of getting some sort of console for Xmas but not sure whether to get an Xbox or a playstation.

I use to be big into games as a teenager but with work etc have kinda lost touch with it.

I will be using the console for gaming mostly....wont really be using it to watch DVDs or go online.

Cheers for a any advice

DirtyBollox

if you dont care much for online play go for the PS3, has better graphics but some of the online play leaves a lot to be desired.

Penn

If you're going to be playing online, Xbox is probably your best bet. For mostly single-player gaming, I'd go with the PS3.

I have both and that's really how I choose which system to buy games on if they're released on both. So since you say you won't really be playing online, personally I'd say to go for the PS3. And I know you say you wouldn't really be playing dvds on them, but the PS3 does play Blurays too.

Kiith

Just remember you've to pay to play online with the 360, and not with the PS3.

Big Knox

I have both and you can't go wrong with either to be honest you would be very happy regardless. They both have their pro's and con's but judging by what you've said I would go for the PS3.

It has the better selection of exclusive games and you said you won't be using it for DVD's etc. but you may just find yourself liking the blu ray side of things!! Also if you don't plan to play online than the PS3 is more casual in that sense if you ever do need to get online etc. you won't have to pay.

Balfie

and remember that both are full of screaming cursing 12 year olds that have all had sexual relations with everyone's mother, sister, dog, budgie.

CiDeRmAn

I don't know either, having had them both for extended periods of time.
The PS3 probably has another year to run beyond the 360's lifespan but the back catalogue for the PS3 is not as good, simple as that.
There are a couple of game series that are PS3 exclusives, Uncharted is the best of them.
The 360 has a vast back catalogue, better online experience, loads of cheap preowned games, it has lots of console exclusives that rank, like Gears of War or Halo, and the console is considerably cheaper.
The PS3 is an excellent Bluray player though and not bad as a media hub, I found it friendlier than the 360 at least.
The Move is pants, lets be honest, but the Kinect has loads of potential, although little beyond Kinect Sports and it's sequel have done much, there are plenty of cool apps and games from XBLA that impress more, Kinect Labs for example is a great source.

krudler

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I don't know either, having had them both for extended periods of time.
The PS3 probably has another year to run beyond the 360's lifespan but the back catalogue for the PS3 is not as good, simple as that.
There are a couple of game series that are PS3 exclusives, Uncharted is the best of them.
The 360 has a vast back catalogue, better online experience, loads of cheap preowned games, it has lots of console exclusives that rank, like Gears of War or Halo, and the console is considerably cheaper.
The PS3 is an excellent Bluray player though and not bad as a media hub, I found it friendlier than the 360 at least.
The Move is pants, lets be honest, but the Kinect has loads of potential, although little beyond Kinect Sports and it's sequel have done much, there are plenty of cool apps and games from XBLA that impress more, Kinect Labs for example is a great source.

Uncharted, Metal Gear, Heavy Rain, God of War, Killzone, Infamous, Little Big Planet, Gran Turismo, Wipeout, Demons Souls, Flower, Warhawk, Shadow of the Collossus/ICO, Ratchet and Clank and Resistance all say hi.

exclusive wise the 360 has Gears, Halo, Forza, Alan Wake, a few other quality titles but the ps3 has a better line up of exclusives overall imo (personal preference though)

The ps3 is a much, much better media browser than the 360, I have both and would use the ps3 99% of the time for it, more audio/video options too and blu-ray.

Xbox live is better than PSN, but you pay for it, the xbla exclusives are great though and demos of nearly everything is really handy.

plenty of preowned games for the ps3 too, theres little or no difference between the pricing for both


really at the end of it whatever you plan on using the console for most and what kind of games you're into will seal it, sometimes the 360 gets a better conversion of the same game but both consoles can have their issues.

or buy both :pac:

Paparazzo

Do you mean you won't use it online as in surfing the net, or you won't play games online?

Both are basically the same. Chances are you'll eventually play games online with it. If your friends or work/school mates have a console, find out what most of them have, and get that. Even if you don't go online to play them, you can swap/borrow games.

I wouldn't worry too much about the back catalogue of games and which is better. Both have loads of good old cheap games to choose from.

I'd get the cheapest available, but bear in mind if you do want to play online with the xbox you have to pay a subscription.

mystic86

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I don't know either, having had them both for extended periods of time.
The PS3 probably has another year to run beyond the 360's lifespan but the back catalogue for the PS3 is not as good, simple as that.
There are a couple of game series that are PS3 exclusives, Uncharted is the best of them.
The 360 has a vast back catalogue, better online experience, loads of cheap preowned games, it has lots of console exclusives that rank, like Gears of War or Halo, and the console is considerably cheaper.
The PS3 is an excellent Bluray player though and not bad as a media hub, I found it friendlier than the 360 at least.
The Move is pants, lets be honest, but the Kinect has loads of potential, although little beyond Kinect Sports and it's sequel have done much, there are plenty of cool apps and games from XBLA that impress more, Kinect Labs for example is a great source.

bits and pieces of sh1te in here

Krusader

Paparazzo wrote: »

Both are basically the same. Chances are you'll eventually play games online with it. If your friends or work/school mates have a console, find out what most of them have, and get that. Even if you don't go online to play them, you can swap/borrow games.

^^^^ This.

Or PC gaming!

Trevor451

I have both consoles and I prefer the 360 simply due to the better online services offered. The playstation network is terrible.

DarkJager

Not to sound like a fanboy but in terms if controller design I don't know how anyone uses a dualshock or would prefer it over the xbox pad. You need almost child like hands to use it while the xbox pad is much more comfortable with better spacing of the sticks and buttons.

meoklmrk91

I have both, I bought the 360 and got the PS3 in a deal with a TV and I like both.

Xbox: Better controller hands down, you can play for hours and still not get the pain you do with the PS3, Kinect is good for when you have friends over, it's good craic like. I really like the Dashboard, it's very fluid and easy to use. Online gaming is best on the 360 if you are into that.

PS3: Blurays, which is quite a nice feature, every so often I rent a big popcorn movie and watch it, Fast Five was really fun to watch. Every model has the Wifi so you have the option to buy used. I have not played with PS Move but I have heard it is good fun too.

But really none of that is important, what you need to do is run down through the must have exclusives for each one and decide which ones you want more. For instance the Uncharted series is only on PS3, had I never got a PS3 I would never have had the chance to play them, and they are pretty much the best fun I have had gaming since Red Dead Redemption. Usually a title will win you over. Good luck and have fun getting back into gaming.

Grumpypants

As a casual gamer either will do, if you think you will get more serious into it and want to play online on the odd occasion the PS3 is free, if you pay for online then don't go online for 3 months its kind of a waste. Both online experiences are the same. The slight advantage Xbox Live had has been closed a long time.

PS3 has a blu-ray player but you need a HD TV with out one its useless.

Both play DVD's, Both have or will have soon film streaming services where you can rent a film. PS3 has a web browser so you can watch things online. Xbox's can lead to scurvy.

CiDeRmAn

krudler wrote: »

Uncharted, Metal Gear, Heavy Rain, God of War, Killzone, Infamous, Little Big Planet, Gran Turismo, Wipeout, Demons Souls, Flower, Warhawk, Shadow of the Collossus/ICO, Ratchet and Clank and Resistance all say hi.

GT5 is simply not in the league of the 360 range of racing titles, from 2 generations of the excellent Forza to the PGR titles.
Plus you have a controller on the 360 that is so much better to play those titles with.
Killzone? Fun but not in the same league as either Halo or Gears series.
Infamous? Not really earth shattering is it? And then the 360 has Crackdown 1 and 2.
Metal Gear 4 has as many who thought it was the worst in the series and the HD remasters of the best of the series is coming to both formats anyway.
Warhawk isn't really worthy of the list.
LBP is fun, I'll grant you, you can have that one!
Ratchet and Clank? No where near as groundbreaking as they were on the PS2 and even then they often came across as pale versions of Jak and Daxter, another series that didn't get any better with the jump in console generations.
SOTC/Ico, best games of all time, probably the best reason to own a PS3.
God of War is another example of the laws of diminishing returns, and Bayonetta kicks it's ass anyhow!
Resistance is a never ending supply of unimaginative levels, mostly coloured brown and destined to be forgotten about, not a great series at all.
I'll give you Uncharted as well, great games if a little short.

exclusive wise the 360 has Gears, Halo, Forza, Alan Wake, a few other quality titles

Gears, Forza, Halo are all some of the best games in the various genres and it completely misses the amazing selection of titles via XBLA, Braid, Limbo, Geometry Wars, Pacman CE, the back catalogue of Xbox originals like Crimson Skies available to download etc.

The ps3 is a much, much better media browser than the 360, I have both and would use the ps3 99% of the time for it, more audio/video options too and blu-ray.

I think I agreed with you there, since the demise of my launch 60gb PS3 I have not had the need to replace it and instead use a modded Xbox to act as a media hub, which it does very nicely.
I will pick up another PS3 in the new year but I will really miss the PS2 compatibility big time, a stupid decision by Sony to leave it out.

Xbox live is better than PSN, but you pay for it, the xbla exclusives are great though and demos of nearly everything is really handy.

You get what you pay for, yes, and now after years of pointing out that they are free Sony went and introduced a Gold, sorry, a Plus online experience, what a bunch of hypocrites.

plenty of preowned games for the ps3 too, theres little or no difference between the pricing for both :

I never said there was a price difference between the two consoles preowned games : too, but there is simply more variety available on the 360 as the machine has been on the market for longer.

Also the dashboard updates, on the 360, mean that your experience has improved incrementally, with the newest dashboard build online this morning and very nice it is too.


I too, if given a choice, would own both consoles as they both have games that I want to play, no fanboy am I, I am looking towards the new game from the Ico team and NEED a PS3 for that purpose.
As much as I'd love to play Uncharted 3 after the fun I had with the previous two games, I know that the experience would be fleeting as the games are quite short, a couple of hours over a weekend would see it finished. Pity that.

Ostrom

Have to agree with some previous comments - cant stand the PS controller, I find it completely unplayable.

SeantheMan

I hate these threads....lock please ?

Fanboi vs Fanboi arguments will arise.

Potential-Monke

efla wrote: »

Have to agree with some previous comments - cant stand the PS controller, I find it completely unplayable.

I like them both, but prefer the PS controller slightly. And, in fairness, Sony have kept the exact same design since 1995 which, imo, proves that it's the perfect design (hasn't changed in any way, aside from the addition of the Home button and 2 analogue sticks). Whereas MicroSoft are on their second iteration of controller, and while the 360 controller is better than the original Xbox one, i can see a new shape with their new console...

Krusader

The ps controller is better i find because the 2 analog sticks are symetrically, it's lighter too and you dont need to buy batteries or a rechargable kit to use it

BlitzKrieg

Well the playstation is about what 15 years old at this stage?

But it still has some of the best entries in the final fantasy series (the re-release of 6 if you can find it is the best in the series) on it and tekken 3 and the original metal gear solid.

the xbox is less old but they have discontinued live for it and it has a much smaller catalogue but there are a few gems hidden in there. Like Panzer Dragoon Orta and the xbox version of shenmue 2. Also some of the best multi platform titles of that generation can be easily found on that format (beyond good and evil, psychonauts)

but for collections sake I say the playstation would be a more entertaining backlog to collect, more rare unheard of gems.


Happy retro hunting.

great christmas idea!

krudler

people whingin about the ps3 pad being uncomfortable, I'm pretty sure this:



was the cause of my arthritis :pac:

I'm neither on the side of ps3 or xbox with the controller, some games I prefer the ps3, some the xbox. really its all about the games OP, have a look at online shops for catalogue and upcoming titles, see which ones appeal the most, buy console, enjoy.

Paparazzo

Pointless comparing what has the best exclusive games. It's entirely subjective.
But the ps3 is better in every way

theteal

You gotta love these threads

OP, you need to decide what games you want to play, some will only be available on a particular console, simple as that.

I will say, I once had no interest in online gaming. . .then I tried it once. . .kinda liked it. . .and now most games will get a multi-player spin before the single-player gets a look in

Big Knox

DarkJager wrote: »

Not to sound like a fanboy but in terms if controller design I don't know how anyone uses a dualshock or would prefer it over the xbox pad. You need almost child like hands to use it while the xbox pad is much more comfortable with better spacing of the sticks and buttons.

I hate when people talk about how much better one pad is than the other, it's just such nonsense.

As I said above I have both consoles and I actually find the PS3 controller the better of the two while my brother prefers the xbox controller. It's completely subjective!!

marco_polo

Big Knox wrote: »

I hate when people talk about how much better one pad is than the other, it's just such nonsense.

As I said above I have both consoles and I actually find the PS3 controller the better of the two while my brother prefers the xbox controller. It's completely subjective!!

I do think people use 'better' alot where 'I prefer' would be much more accurate. Don't think the PS3 one suits my big hands and I prefer the asymetrical Xbox analogue sticks myself, but each to their own and all that.

The best thing anyone thinking of buying is to walk ito a shop and try them both out in the flesh.

Magill

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

GT5 is simply not in the league of the 360 range of racing titles, from 2 generations of the excellent Forza to the PGR titles.

Racing games aren't my thing so can't really argue that..

Killzone? Fun but not in the same league as either Halo or Gears series.

Gears is decent... halo is a bit **** in fairness.. the single player is about as much fun as watching paint dry.. horrible.

Infamous? Not really earth shattering is it? And then the 360 has Crackdown 1 and 2.

The two infamous games are far better games than crackdown.

Metal Gear 4 has as many who thought it was the worst in the series and the HD remasters of the best of the series is coming to both formats anyway.

Diffo a love/hate game, personally i'd rather have the choice to love/hate it. (I thought it was great.)

Warhawk isn't really worthy of the list.

Warhawk was an amazing MP game.. from what i've played from the beta.. starhawk is also looking like an excellent game.

God of War is another example of the laws of diminishing returns, and Bayonetta kicks it's ass anyhow!

God of War 3 is excellent.. it still looks better than almost any other console game and its what.. 2/3 years old now ?

Resistance is a never ending supply of unimaginative levels, mostly coloured brown and destined to be forgotten about, not a great series at all.
I'll give you Uncharted as well, great games if a little short.

Haven't played the resistance games, but a lot of people rate the first game very highly..


I can't believe your even arguing that the xbox has a better selection of exclusive games !! The best exclusive for xbox was mass effect, thankfully its multiplat now. A game like heavy rain also deserve a mention as its a one of a kind type of game. Not to mention demon souls... which in my opinion is one of the best games this generation has produced.

You get what you pay for, yes, and now after years of pointing out that they are free Sony went and introduced a Gold, sorry, a Plus online experience, what a bunch of hypocrites.

huh ? PS+ is a service that gives you free PSN games and a few other services like cloud saving etc.. hardly similar to xbox gold where you have to pay for the ability to play your games online.

I never said there was a price difference between the two consoles preowned games : too, but there is simply more variety available on the 360 as the machine has been on the market for longer.

Huh ? what do you mean ? That there are more copies of preowned games available for xbox ? I've never had any problem finding a preowned copy of a PS3 game.

Nothing wrong with having a preference.. but you shouldn't really state things like they're fact when you're so obviously wrong ! @OP Just decide for yourself... there are enough threads/articles and opinions on this that a simple google search will give you more than enough info to make a decision.

marco_polo wrote: »

I do think people use 'better' alot where 'I prefer' would be much more accurate. Don't think the PS3 one suits my big hands and I prefer the asymetrical Xbox analogue sticks myself, but each to their own and all that.

The best thing anyone thinking of buying is to walk ito a shop and try them both out in the flesh.

^ this... i actually find the PS3 pad more comfortable and I have big hands.. just something about that battery pack on the xbox that cramps my fingers !

Retr0gamer

My advise: Buy both. If you can't afford it then look at the exclusives each one has then get the one with the exclusives that appeal to you. The PS3 doesn't have better graphics than the 360 and vice versa, they are equivalent and excel in different areas. As for the pads both are a bit wonky. 360 has a terrible d-pad but fantastic analgoue sticks. PS3 pad has always been a bit **** but you've probably been using it for years now and are used to it.

Free online on PS3 is something to factor in though.

Paparazzo

theteal wrote: »

I will say, I once had no interest in online gaming. . .then I tried it once. . .kinda liked it. . .and now most games will get a multi-player spin before the single-player gets a look in

Yeah, I got my ps3 about 4 years ago thinking I'd never go online. Didn't last long!
Although, some live in an area with terrible internet, or have those vodafone/meteor dongles as their internet. So going online isn't an option.

theteal

Paparazzo wrote: »

Yeah, I got my ps3 about 4 years ago thinking I'd never go online. Didn't last long!
Although, some live in an area with terrible internet, or have those vodafone/meteor dongles as their internet. So going online isn't an option.

I had my xbox for the good while before i went online. I bought mw1 about 5 months after release and hearing everybody harp on about it, i thought i'd better give it a go - because of that, i've 4 other friends who had no interest in games back then you have xbl gold accounts now

sorry for going OT, OP but, like i said previously, online use can be a huge factor, i wouldn't discount it completely

Ostrom

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I like them both, but prefer the PS controller slightly. And, in fairness, Sony have kept the exact same design since 1995 which, imo, proves that it's the perfect design (hasn't changed in any way, aside from the addition of the Home button and 2 analogue sticks). Whereas MicroSoft are on their second iteration of controller, and while the 360 controller is better than the original Xbox one, i can see a new shape with their new console...

I'm almost ashamed for putting that up - I've always bought consoles on games alone, and have owned all sony/nintendo/ms since the ps1 (and I look forward immensely to owning a ps3 at some point in the future). I just cant quite take to the PS controller.

thunderdog

Cheers for all the responses. From what I've read above it seems like the PS3 comes out on top despite the Xbox having a much more comfortable/useable controller.

I understand what games I want to play is also a big factor too. I'll mostly be looking at shooter games e.g. Call of Duty.

Yeah I'll be playing online from time to time but not to surf the web.

I think I'll rarely be using it to watch DVDs as Im happy enough with the old reliable laptop for now.

padr81

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

GT5 is simply not in the league of the 360 range of racing titles, from 2 generations of the excellent Forza to the PGR titles.
Plus you have a controller on the 360 that is so much better to play those titles with.
Killzone? Fun but not in the same league as either Halo or Gears series.
Infamous? Not really earth shattering is it? And then the 360 has Crackdown 1 and 2.
Metal Gear 4 has as many who thought it was the worst in the series and the HD remasters of the best of the series is coming to both formats anyway.
Warhawk isn't really worthy of the list.
LBP is fun, I'll grant you, you can have that one!
Ratchet and Clank? No where near as groundbreaking as they were on the PS2 and even then they often came across as pale versions of Jak and Daxter, another series that didn't get any better with the jump in console generations.
SOTC/Ico, best games of all time, probably the best reason to own a PS3.
God of War is another example of the laws of diminishing returns, and Bayonetta kicks it's ass anyhow!
Resistance is a never ending supply of unimaginative levels, mostly coloured brown and destined to be forgotten about, not a great series at all.
I'll give you Uncharted as well, great games if a little short.


Gears, Forza, Halo are all some of the best games in the various genres and it completely misses the amazing selection of titles via XBLA, Braid, Limbo, Geometry Wars, Pacman CE, the back catalogue of Xbox originals like Crimson Skies available to download etc.



I think I agreed with you there, since the demise of my launch 60gb PS3 I have not had the need to replace it and instead use a modded Xbox to act as a media hub, which it does very nicely.
I will pick up another PS3 in the new year but I will really miss the PS2 compatibility big time, a stupid decision by Sony to leave it out.


You get what you pay for, yes, and now after years of pointing out that they are free Sony went and introduced a Gold, sorry, a Plus online experience, what a bunch of hypocrites.


I never said there was a price difference between the two consoles preowned games : too, but there is simply more variety available on the 360 as the machine has been on the market for longer.

Also the dashboard updates, on the 360, mean that your experience has improved incrementally, with the newest dashboard build online this morning and very nice it is too.


I too, if given a choice, would own both consoles as they both have games that I want to play, no fanboy am I, I am looking towards the new game from the Ico team and NEED a PS3 for that purpose.
As much as I'd love to play Uncharted 3 after the fun I had with the previous two games, I know that the experience would be fleeting as the games are quite short, a couple of hours over a weekend would see it finished. Pity that.

Theres nothing between both consoles. Some people myself included much prefer the ps controller as I find the xbox one, big clunky and kind of annoying.

If online gaming is not a priority, call round a mates. I'm sure you know at least one person with each console and see which you prefer.

Potential-Monke

efla wrote: »

I'm almost ashamed for putting that up - I've always bought consoles on games alone, and have owned all sony/nintendo/ms since the ps1 (and I look forward immensely to owning a ps3 at some point in the future). I just cant quite take to the PS controller.

I started with the PS1 (well, a Pong machine back in the 80's) and never actually owned an original Xbox, but i remember the Xbox controller being too bulky to use. But, if i owned the Xbox or even a Dreamcast the size of the controller would have grown on me.

I had a PS3 before a 360 and when i got the 360 i thought i would never be able to get used to the controller, but now there's much of a muchness between them, but i still do prefer the PS controller.

Penn

DarkJager wrote: »

Not to sound like a fanboy but in terms if controller design I don't know how anyone uses a dualshock or would prefer it over the xbox pad. You need almost child like hands to use it while the xbox pad is much more comfortable with better spacing of the sticks and buttons.

I agree the 360 pad is better, but it's not like the dualshock is impossible to play with, and I barely notice a difference. Been using the dualshock since about 1998 and can't say I've ever had a problem with them or felt they were too uncomfortable. Like I said, I agree the 360 pad is better, but it wouldn't be a huge factor in what console I bought

Ostrom

Potential-Monke wrote: »

I started with the PS1 (well, a Pong machine back in the 80's) and never actually owned an original Xbox, but i remember the Xbox controller being too bulky to use. But, if i owned the Xbox or even a Dreamcast the size of the controller would have grown on me.

I had a PS3 before a 360 and when i got the 360 i thought i would never be able to get used to the controller, but now there's much of a muchness between them, but i still do prefer the PS controller.

Nothing beats a dreamcast controller

or perhaps :eek:

And yes, I seem to remember the first xbox controller feeling like a brick. I probably need to dust off the ps2 for a while... I think it is the placing of the sticks - made fps' a little unwieldy

Does the PS3 have better graphics? I mean, if you have just a standard TV how likely is it that you'll be able to tell any difference?

Penn

Deleted User wrote: »

Does the PS3 have better graphics? I mean, if you have just a standard TV how likely is it that you'll be able to tell any difference?

They're pretty similar. If it's just a standard TV 32" or less, I doubt you'll ever see a difference.

Retr0gamer

Deleted User wrote: »

Does the PS3 have better graphics? I mean, if you have just a standard TV how likely is it that you'll be able to tell any difference?

Both pretty much identical really. Xbox 360 has has a slight advantage in carrying out transparent alpha effects far more efficiently than the PS3. PS3 has a much better shadow algorithm and has more advanced shader effects so can cover up the video memory deficiencies it has by placing nce shaders over low res textures.

They both have pros and cons. If a game is specifically made for the hardware like Uncharted 2 or Halo Reach and GoW 3 on the 360 they look stunning and excel in the ares that the console is strong in. It used to be that third party games looked much better on the 360 but in the last 2 years there's very little between them. If you had the games side by side you'd have to be looking very hard to find differences and in the vast majority of cases the games are basically like for like.

Look at the digital foundry articles on eurogamer for a comparison between systems. Lately they haven't been able to find much difference between multiplatform games.

thunderdog

I've decided to go with the playstation.......does anyone have any suggestions of where I could pick one up for a decent price? Should I be looking at gamestop, argos, smyths etc??

DARK-KNIGHT

thunderdog wrote: »

I've decided to go with the playstation.......does anyone have any suggestions of where I could pick one up for a decent price? Should I be looking at gamestop, argos, smyths etc??

As a former owner of both let me tell you something, you are making a huge mistake not that I give a rats ass what you buy bunt the ps is a pile of crap compared to xbox360 well has some good games ie uncharted and little big planet..

Buy online defo will be cheaper