Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360

[JKTrix]

--edit since I didn't see Ceej's post before: Really, the Wii is not competing with the PS3 and 360, so don't worry about Wii being #1. It's not likely to change, even with Final Fantasy. Wii is overlapping into a different audience now who doesnt' care about FF. Anyway, this topic is not about the Wii.

As for rumble, the Dualshock 3 is only out in Japan right now. Some of the PS3's current software is already rumble compatible. Future software releases will likely have automatic system updates included on the disc.--

[Topic]

For Hardware: If you can find a 60GB PS3, I'd say that should be top priority. The 80GB's backwards compatibility isn't terrible, but it's better safe than sorry. ('Course if you don't care about BC, it's a moot point.) This "+1 point of desperation" also puts it above the 360 because of the current 360's tendency to crap out (I'm on my 2nd screwed up 360 now). That's "-1 point of faulty faultiness". If you intended on getting both, by time you save up enough money to get a 360 after getting the PS3, the 360 should hopefully be o-k.

As for Software right now, I'd go with 360. If you like shooters even a little bit, there are a good chunk of great ones on the system. Some that the PS3 do not have yet, aside from the obvious exclusives. Since it has been out longer, there are a larger number of quality games on the system than are available on the PS3. Using Azar's Metacritic list as anecdotal evidence, PS3 has 37 games rated '80 and above', while the 360 has 84 games. Many of the games may not be to your liking, and a selection of the games in the list are download-only games, but the numbers are still there for your perusal. 360 simply has a higher number of quality games right now.

Online stuff: Xbox live is better in my opinion, but you do have to pay for it. PSN is ok for what it does right now and the price. I haven't been able to get into a good game of Resistance or Warhawk (thereby having wasted money on the game) to be able to comment properly but I've downloaded videos and demos of stuff from their (incredibly slow) service. I doubt the game connection thing is their fault, it's my geographic location and the quality of my home internet.


For me, reccomending a system to buy is a split. 360 has a clear, immediate software advantage, but the increasing rarity of a 'fully backwards compatible' PS3 and the potential (maybe inevitable) death of your 360 makes it difficult for me to wholeheartedly recommend the 360. So hopefully my opinions here will help you decide.