Two amazing consoles fighting for King of the Ring, shame they both lost to Wii (Playstation 3 versus Xbox 360)

Member Name: rashedon89

Product:	Playstation 3 versus Xbox 360
Date:	09/11/08 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Xbox 360 is cheaper and a greater selection of games to play

Disadvantages: PS3 has a lot more to give and has better online features, which are free

I still remember the day my Dad came home with my Playstation 1. I was so excited to play it and looked on in awe as the opening cut-scene for Tekken played out. Then along came smash hit games like Tombraider, Rayman, Crash Bandicoot and lets not forget Final Fantasy. Just thinking about them brings a tear to my eye, the good old days.

Next came the Playstation 2, a whole new level of gaming and the fighters in Tekken, well frankly they looked like stick men, take a look at how Yoshimitsu has changed and you'll see what I'm talking about. Along came new heroes, Kratos in God of War, Max Payne and one of my personal favourites the Prince of Persia :)

However Microsoft had begun to take an interest in the gaming world and out comes the XBox with games like Halo and Ninja Gaiden. My thoughts on the matter then were Sony are the best and always will be. Yes there were statistics that made no sense to the average gamer about how many polygons were used and all this other jargon stuffed in that led to the claims that as a console the XBox was superior. While this was statistically true the view from consumers was, who cares? People who hadn't bought either console may have been swayed to pick up the XBox because of its mere power but the Playstation 2 had the games, especially Grand Theft Auto. The console war ended with the Playstation 2 in first place and even now with its low price the Playstation 2 continues to sell!

Along comes the news of the next generation of console gaming. I don't think anyone expected Nintendo to make such a strong comeback, from the news on the web, in some months the Wii outsells its closest three competitiors put together, one of them being the Nintendo DS. Anyway back to the real issue, Xbox 360 and PS3 are announced and to be honest I felt there was a lot more hype surrounding the PS3. Everyone considered Sony a gaming giant and with Demo's for Resident Evil 5, the new Tekken and Metal Gear Solid 4 the PS3 was dressed to impress. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the Xbox games, I considered myself loyal to Sony and could never imagine buying an Xbox.

Boy was I wrong.....

Along come the next generation of consoles and ouch did you see the price tag on the PS3. Loyal but broke fans everywhere sighed as dreams of owning Sony's latest masterpiece crumbled. Normally I would have done everything in my power to get my hands on one but I'm no longer a kid who can ask Daddy to buy me the latest console. Now I'm a student with rent to pay and at £50 for just the games, I can no longer keep up.

So for a few months I smile and nod at those who can afford "the ultimate pocession". An then I think to myself, wait, are they really happy? I take a look at there bedrooms, a few months have passed and by now by shelf would be full with every new release, but no, all I see in everyone's room is Call of Duty and the odd Heavenly Sword.

Then I come into some money and my world is full of sunshine. I run into gamestation full of glee ready to purchase my hearts desire. Then I stop, I ask the opinion of the men behind the counter, which is better, PS3 or Xbox? The words just slipped out of my mouth, I couldn't stop myself and before I know it I hear the dreaded answer, the till operator's voice so clear and confident. "Xbox 360, by miles". Shocked. Astounded. I can't believe what I'm hearing but then I look at my cash and I look at the price tags on each and I think, maybe that's why? I ask the gentleman how he could provide me with such a prepostorous answer and he says "Well the Xbox 360 has got loads of better games and most of the big ones are coming out on both, including Grand Theft Auto". I think for a moment and then I ask "But what about Final Fantasy?" Now I have him or so I thought. "Its coming out on both too". The truth dawned on me, and I switched sides and left the shop with my new Xbox 360.

Do I regret my decision. HELL NO! Gears of War, Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata, not fantastic but brilliant! Every other hit game is on both and I'm paying less for it. I could sit here and talk about the future games that may not see the inside of my Xbox 360 but right now at this moment in time the Xbox 360 has the better game selection and to me this is the most important element to consider when buying a console.

Online content is free on the PS3 and apparently much better than the Xbox who charge but wait a moment. I'd rather pay £25 for my interenet access then an extra £100 for another console and an extra £10 every time I get a game, not that online play appeals to me anyway.

Statistically yes the PS3 has the power but its just not using it! Majority of reviews I read for games that are released on both consoles say the Xbox 360 version is better. PS3 games experience slowdowns, bad lighting and this is only to those with trained eyes otherwise it doesn't greatly affect your gaming experience.

Both consoles are around the same size, I have never been a great fan of the Xbox 360 controller but it hasn't affected my life that greatly that I would give up my Xbox.

Unfortunately the whole HD-DVD and Blu-Ray issue gives the PS3 one point but right now I don't think people are ready to switch over to Blu-Ray and rebuy there whole collection of DVD's.

Hard Drive wise I don't know which is better so I won't comment but a 20GB Hardrive for the Xbox is £40 and that's good enough for me.

In my opinion and I apologise if it took too long to get there, the Xbox 360 at this moment in time is the better choice of console for hardcore gamers because of the great number of titles it has to play. If like me you constantly need new games to keep you occupied your likely to enjoy the variety offered by Xbox all at a low price. I think PS3 will have the chance to overtake the Xbox if its price could jus fall some more and if it gets out all those big titles we are all waiting for, when that day comes I will gladly purchase the PS3 and be happily content with both consoles :)

Summary: A brief history of my gaming experiences followed by my reason for choosing the Xbox 360