The Next Generation Console Thread

[Raiden]

I own both consoles and iv really barely used my PS3. I mean i think its a great system, but i havent purchased any Blu-Rays yet as i feel they are just too expensive. I only own Metal Gear Solid 4 and Uncharted: Drakes Fortune as i feel those are really the only games that are MUST haves for that system at this point, imo. You just really have to figure out why your making the purchase. Do you want to purchase a game machine or more of a multimedia system? As for TDK, that movie will be out on the Marketplace when it releases, so if you just want to watch it in HD and dont really care to own it, then the 360 will have you covered. I suggest you make a list of all the games you want to play and which ever system has more games suited for you, then go with that. At the end of the day you are purchasing a game machine

You have a point. I think I'll really take a good look at the library of both consoles, and decide which one has the most games I want to purchase. I also need to see if I can play 360 w/out playing it online and still be worthwhile. If not, then I might lean toward PS3 instead.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

You have a point. I think I'll really take a good look at the library of both consoles, and decide which one has the most games I want to purchase. I also need to see if I can play 360 w/out playing it online and still be worthwhile. If not, then I might lean toward PS3 instead.

Yea, i mean if i were in ur shoes, id be looking at the titles. As for the fee for online, at around 4 bux a month, its worth it. You dont have to buy a full yrs subscription.

 

[Havok83]

Yea, i mean if i were in ur shoes, id be looking at the titles. As for the fee for online, at around 4 bux a month, its worth it. You dont have to buy a full yrs subscription.

Its only about $4 with the full yr subscription. Without it, its $8 a month

Thanks for the feedbacks. I still haven't really decided yet, but $4 a month to play online seems kinda stiff to me (I also play a MMO, but I won't be able to convince my wife that I have to have both), and Blu-ray DVD is awfully attractive. What I also haven't decided is what HD to get. Is it imperative to get the system with the biggest HD, or is 20g enough?

It depends on what you want to do with it. For most people I would say 20gb is not enough. That space is going to be used for downloadable games, movies, music, demos, etc, not to mention game saves and data. Also on the PS3, beware that some games require an install, so the more space the better. Here are your options if you want to breakdown the systems by available HDD space

PS3:
80gb/MGS4 bundle - $499. This model will soon be discontinued. This will be the last model that will play PS2 games. Get it while it still lasts

40gb - $399. This model has been discontinued. I really wouldnt buy it bc come this September it will be replaced with the....

80gb - $399. This will be the new standard PS3 model and cant play PS2 games

One great feature about the PS3 is that you can upgrade it with almost any laptop HDD. HDDs are pretty cheap, and you can stick 200gb HDD in there if you want for about $100

360:
120gb Elite - $449

60gb Pro - $349

20gb Pro - $299. This model has been discontinued. Get it while supplies last

512mb Arcade - $279. I really wouldnt reccommend this one.

As far as upgrading the HDD, unfortunetly, you can only do so with the official MS HDDs. They come in 2 varieties; a 20gb for $100 or an 120gb for $180

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Its only about $4 with the full yr subscription. Without it, its $8 a month

Then the yr is the way to go

 

[StrainedEyes]

Thanks for the feedbacks. I still haven't really decided yet, but $4 a month to play online seems kinda stiff to me (I also play a MMO, but I won't be able to convince my wife that I have to have both), and Blu-ray DVD is awfully attractive. What I also haven't decided is what HD to get. Is it imperative to get the system with the biggest HD, or is 20g enough?

If you can't afford a 4 dollar a month online service, maybe buying a 500 dollar system isn't the best financial option for you right now.

 

[Spider-Jay]

Honestly, $4 a month is a steal considering how excellent Xbox Live is.

 

[Havok83]

For the second quarter this year, the PS3 has been making EA the most money off of its software

PS3 is EA's biggest source of income

EA released their incredibly dry Q1 financial report for investors last night. Nestled amongst the self-congratulations and expectations for the future lie some interesting numbers regarding console-specific income. Put bluntly, the PS3 is EA's largest source of income right now, and has been since the beginning of 2008. Not bad for a console Riccitiello regrets backing.

For those of you who can't get enough of numbers, here's a breakdown how much, in millions, each console brought to the EA table at the end of Q1 2008 (April - June) . Bracketed numbers show the amount of income generated during the same period last year, followed by the percentage increase. For more details, including plenty of fun tabulated data, check out the report for yourself.

PS3: 139mln (13mln, 969%)
360: 81mln (47mln, 72%)
PS2: 79mln (61mln, 30%)
Wii: 57mln (29mln, 97%)

http://investor.ea.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=88189&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1180823&highlight=

Source

 

[Fading]

I still haven't really decided yet.

I toss my vote onto PS3, however both are great systems that offer more $$ for you buck than any system before IMO.

I think we're finally at the point where PS3 exclusives = 360 exclusives, and future PS3 exclusives look better than future 360 exclusives to me. PS3 has some really nice games coming out in Resistance 2, Naruto UNS, inFAMOUS, LBP, Motorstorm 2, FFXIII Vs., Heavy Rain, Mag, DCUO, etc. The 360 on the other hand has nothing too appealing to me coming up other than GOW2, most of the other games I care for on the 360 can also be bought on PC. Everything else is pretty much multiplatform.

Then there's firmware updates, the PS3 is constantly evolving. PSN added a new video store, Home will connect with it (eventually), a Youtube and video capture service is in the works, Trophies have been added, and so on. Plus the price is dropping to $399 for the 80GB, which is close to the 360's $$, however you get BR, Wifi, etc.

 

[Fading]

Edit

 

[StrainedEyes]

I toss my vote onto PS3, however both are great systems that offer more $$ for you buck than any system before IMO.

I think we're finally at the point where PS3 exclusives = 360 exclusives, and future PS3 exclusives look better than future 360 exclusives to me. PS3 has some really nice games coming out in Resistance 2, Naruto UNS, inFAMOUS, LBP, Motorstorm 2, FFXIII Vs., Heavy Rain, Mag, DCUO, etc. The 360 on the other hand has nothing too appealing to me coming up other than GOW2, most of the other games I care for on the 360 can also be bought on PC. Everything else is pretty much multiplatform.

Then there's firmware updates, the PS3 is constantly evolving. PSN added a new video store, Home will connect with it (eventually), a Youtube and video capture service is in the works, Trophies have been added, and so on. Plus the price is dropping to $399 for the 80GB, which is close to the 360's $$, however you get BR, Wifi, etc.

It's not exactly fair to list every good PS3 exclusive and then only 1 360 exclusive just cause it's all you're interested in. Bad journalism.

Banzo Kazooie : Nuts and Bolts, Castle Crashers, Braid, Fable II, Gears of War 2. Star Ocean IV, Naruto: The Broken Bond, Exclusive DLC for GTA and Fallout 3, Halo Wars, Peter Jackson's Halo, Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2 (The last two will be exclusive for some time at least, not forever)

Not to mention MS's newfound ability to make PS3 exclusives, multiplatform. Wonder what the next one will be.

-The 360 is getting a new dashboard this fall.
-Already has a video store, will be getting the partnership with Netflix making the library jump to over 10,000 titles.
-It will pretty much have all the connecting qualities of HOME, without the Sims style MMO wrapped around it. Share full movies with friends, stay with your group and go into games together. And it's actually coming out this fall. Who knows when HOME will be out.
-Achievements are still there.
-Avatars, they are a copy of mii's, but plenty of people are looking forward to them.


Also, don't forget to mention that the new lower price 80GB PS3 will not have PS2 BC built in.

 

[Fading]

I wasn't trying journalism tho lol, I was giving my opinion.

imdaly and Whysoserious both simply said to get a 360. I was just countering that with my opinion, as so far he basically had a one sided argument stating "360 = gaming, PS3 = movies" which I no longer believe to be accurate.

Of course the 360 has more exclusives than I listed, however their not ones I personally am excited for, which is why I kept saying "IMO" and "to me". Banjo Kazooie I never cared for on the N64. Another Halo game, never cared for the others. I mentioned GOW2. The PS3 Naruto easily blows the other Naruto games out of the water, and I'm not saying that in a bias way, it just really has that good of graphics and doesn't dissapoint on gameplay (and I have played the demo, it's better than I thought it'd be). I have a feeling Bioshock 2 and Star Ocean 4 are timed exclusives, Bioshock 2 because Bioshock ended up going to the PS3, and SO 4 because all other Star Ocean's have been on Playstations and Japan would freak heh.

 

[Fading]

(continued, PS3 browser limits typing space)

As for GTA4 DLC, that's countered (IMO) by the PS3 getting an upgraded Bioshock and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, as well as other exclusives.

As for the dashboard, I don't seem them as the same. The XB Live dashboard has some interactivity with games, but pretty much you just stare at them. Home lets you walk around and interact with a fully 3D world. It also gives you a room to display your trophies, a strategy room for Warhawk, and has a museum of sorts and so on.

As for Netflix, that is a good deal. However don't get your hopes up too high. First you have to have Netflix. Second, this is coming from a Netflix user, if it's anything like the PC set up, be prepared to be underwhelmed. It uses your $=hours, like $18 a month =18 hours of viewing. On top of that their basically older movies, and mainly crap ones at that. No Star Wars, no Jurrassic Park, not even the better 80's films. I think I saw "Kill Bunny: Mulva returns" or something like that on there tho.

 

[StrainedEyes]

Double post

 

[StrainedEyes]

As of now Star Ocean is exclusive. It will probably change, like Bioshock, but not for at least a year after release.

I have no interest in Naruto, so I can't comment on which looks better.

I think Ninja Gaiden Sigma was countered by Ninja Gaiden 2. I can see the comparison between the GTA dlc and the Bioshock extra content. Though we have no idea what the GTA dlc will be, it could be huge or tiny for all we know.

As for the community stuff, I think the amount of people who are interested in exploring an MMO world and hanging out with friends on a virtual couch and going to their virtual home, is equal to the amount of people who don't want any of that and just want the functionality, IE the connection to a group of friends.

I don't have a Netflix subscription, I thought you paid a set amount for unlimited movies and streaming per month, all the changes is the number of movies you can have at once.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

I also need to see if I can play 360 w/out playing it online and still be worthwhile.

Raiden, don´t get offended by it but...WTF?
You will see if playing single player on the 360 is worthwhile, if not you will get a PS3?
What are you expecting, that bunnies will come out of your screen when you play single player on the PS3, but the world might end in a ball of flames if you play it on the 360?
Dude, choose what you want, but to actually think that playing single player in both consoles will give you diferent experiences, doesn´t make sense.
I can speak only for the 360 (i don´t have a PS3), but all games have a great single player gameplay (at least the ones i have)
Then again, didn´t you said once that you had already made up your mind and were going with the PS3?

 

[Fading]

I don't have a Netflix subscription, I thought you paid a set amount for unlimited movies and streaming per month, all the changes is the number of movies you can have at once.

I haven't used the streaming service for a bit, but last time I did it wasn't unlimited.

Take my current deal, it's for 3 movies at any given time, I send one in and keep 2 and they'll send me the next on my list, I send in all 3 they send me all 3 back, and any combination thereof.

Streaming however is different, and uses it's own player. I say a $1 per hour because my plan comes to roughly $17-18 a month, and I get about 17-18 hours of streaming a month. It very possibly could have changed, but it was like that last time I used it awhile back. However the very limited movie selection keeps me from using it more often. Big name movies are not on the streaming list.

I'm not taking anything away, it is a good deal, and I'm happy for 360 owners. I just mean I wouldn't expect much out of it.

 

[Fading]

Just checked it, it has the wording "Is there a limit to how much I can watch? - Not with a plan that includes unlimited watching". So I'm taking it we're both right, there is a plan that let's you watch unlimited, I'm guessing you have to pay more unless they upgraded my account (tho I don't believe they have).

On a positive note they just added, Otis, Nature:Birds, Autumn Hearts, and other jewels such as those to the watch instantly list heh.

 

[Figs]

I read Havok83's post about the different type of PS3's released.

Why is Sony being stupid and not allowing gamers to play PS2 games on the newer models?

 

[StrainedEyes]

Just checked it, it has the wording "Is there a limit to how much I can watch? - Not with a plan that includes unlimited watching". So I'm taking it we're both right, there is a plan that let's you watch unlimited, I'm guessing you have to pay more unless they upgraded my account (tho I don't believe they have).

On a positive note they just added, Otis, Nature:Birds, Autumn Hearts, and other jewels such as those to the watch instantly list heh.

Awesome, I've always wanted to see Otis...

 

[StrainedEyes]

I read Havok83's post about the different type of PS3's released.

Why is Sony being stupid and not allowing gamers to play PS2 games on the newer models?

It's cheaper to manufacture it. That's why the new 80GB will be the same price as the previous 40GB.

 

[Figs]

It's cheaper to manufacture it. That's why the new 80GB will be the same price as the previous 40GB.

The fact that it's cheaper is completely understandable but...in this day and age backwards compatability shouldn't even be a choice.

This is regardless of how others look at it, a step back in progression. This is definitely a bummer.

I just think this just deterred me from getting a PS3 in the future. Half the reason I was going to drop money on one was for Blu Ray capabilities and backwards compatibility(other half was for the games of course).

 

[Havok83]

The fact that it's cheaper is completely understandable but...in this day and age backwards compatability shouldn't even be a choice.

This is regardless of how others look at it, a step back in progression. This is definitely a bummer.

I just think this just deterred me from getting a PS3 in the future. Half the reason I was going to drop money on one was for Blu Ray capabilities and backwards compatibility(other half was for the games of course).

If you want a BC PS3, I say get one now, while they are still available. Im sure probably at some point in the future, they may update the firmware to offer software emulation for PS2 games but thats not a guarantee and even if they do, it most likely wont be as good as the current level of BC offered.

 

[Fading]

Just a side note, but all PS3's play PS1 games to my knowledge (think Havok's the one I found that out from). So when we talk about PS3 backwards compatibility we're refering to whether it can play PS2 games as PS1 compatibility is a given.

 

[Havok83]

Just a side note, but all PS3's play PS1 games to my knowledge (think Havok's the one I found that out from). So when we talk about PS3 backwards compatibility we're refering to whether it can play PS2 games as PS1 compatibility is a given.

correct. Its only the PS2 BC thats being phased out. They all play PS1 games

 

[Figs]

Thanks for all the info everyone.