The Many Temptations Of The PS3 – An Xbox Owner’s Lament
I’m a former PC gamer long ago lured to the console market by promises of comfortable gaming and never (EVER) having to replace another video card. In the PS3/360 debate I chose the 360 because my friends had them, there was a sale and most importantly: Mass Effect was an exclusive!
I’m pretty happy with the 360, but every so often I want what the other camp has and despite his flirtation with Onlive, Jan is a hardcore Sony fan, so I hear about the system a lot. Retain your sanity and never ask him about certain specialized third party accessories he may or may not admit to owning…
Anyway, on to what attracts me to the opposition:
Credit: Gamerlimit.com
Exclusives!
From Little Big Planet to Uncharted, the PS3 has had some fantastic exclusives and frankly, I’m feeling a little left out. Sure I have the option to play Halo and Gears of War, but these days my tastes are running more towards God of War and Uncharted.
The only reason I was able to talk my girlfriend into the 360 was that Square-Enix had just announced Final Fantasy XIII was going to be cross platform.
Credit: VentureBeat
Their Digital Store
PSN boasts an impressive selection of role-playing games, both old and new. I know that if more of the classics were available on XBLA I’d be a poorer man. Suikoden, Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy? Here’s my credit card!
I’d also like to pay a straight price for my digital games rather than having to buy redeemable points in odd quantities.
Buff Hardware
Although more expensive the PS3 was built with the future in mind. A strong processor and quality video card really helps sell me, especially since this is a visual medium. IGN did a fantastic job of breaking down the hardware pros and cons. Take their word over mine.
It’s a Better Start
As stated before, the PS3 usually costs more than the 360, but the box you get for your buck certainly has a fair bit of value. Built-in wireless, included wireless controllers, a sizeable hard drive and free access to the PlayStation Network. I really wouldn’t mind not paying for a premium service and then seeing ads all over it.
Plus, it’s a Blu-Ray player. That in itself is worth it… if I had any Blu-Ray discs.
All in all, I don’t regret buying my 360 but I certainly wouldn’t say no if I found a PS3 under the tree this year. We’ll follow up on the reverse next week. PS3 and 360 fanboys (and girls!) let us know why you picked the system you did in the comments.
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Posted on December 13, 2011, in Opinions And Editorials and tagged entertainment, games, gaming, playstation 3, ps3, technology, xbox 360. Bookmark the permalink. 36 Comments.
I chose PS3 specifically because I wanted a system that had a diversive library of games and more than FPS. I like FPs games but can only handle so much of them. I chose PS3 back in 2007 knowing full hand that it would be a bumpy ride for PS3 for the time being. But in June 2008 I bought Metal Gear Solid 4:Guns of the Patriots Limited Edition. It was worth my money, and overall afterwards PS3 gradually got better and better. In fact 2009 was a year PS3 started to show off its true potential, but RPG’s didn’t really become part of the PS3 library moreso till 2010. I know i’m forgetting to mention “Valkyria chronicles” one of the most awesome SRPG’s I’ve played on PS3. In 2010 last year PS3 was starting to gain exclusives, and show off its capabilites. Then this year arrived and PS3 started to gain even more titles. Personally i’m mentioning games like Uncharted series, Resistance series, Killzone, in fact in Japan PS3 started getting titles that made an Anime Fanatic like me Excited. “Gundam Extreme Vs, Saint Seiya Senki, Tales of Xillia, Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2, Disgaea 4, Meikyuu Touro Regasist, Dragon’s Crown, Twisted Metal, Ni No Kuni Wrath of the White Witch, Yakuza Dead Souls, The Witch and the hundred Soldiers, Final Fantasy Versus XIII,Agent and many more to upcome for 2012 as well.
I know there’s quite a bit of J-RPG’s and J-Action RPG’s. But I don’t care what anybody says. I still like to buy Japanese games and WEstern games as well.
PS3 slim is only $249 compared to the 360 slim which is $299. And both are the same GB, either 120 or 150 I think. In fact even if it did cost more you would still be paying less money since you don’t have to pay for online.
There are also bundles like a PS3 that comes with Uncharted 3 for $299.
The amount of exclusives the PS3 has is pretty ridiculous. Hope you get 1 for Christmas this year lol
Breath of Fire IV, Grandia and Parasite Eve are nice too!
The PS3 has a lot going for it and while at this stage I would say there is little to differentiate the two platforms in terms of platform features, the PS3 has more variety among its recognized exclusives. Yes, LittleBigPlanet, GT5, Killzone 2, Infamous, Uncharted, Resistance, God of War 3, Heavy Rain, Flower, Pixeljunk Monsters, Joe Danger, Motorstorm, Wipeout HD, Shadow of the Colossus, Warhawk… Plus there are still more exclusives to come… If you enjoy or think you would enjoy at least 3 of those titles and / or their sequels then you should be considering a purchase. I would also say with gusto that DVD and video playback on the PS3 looks better and has better features than on the 360, never mind the 360′s whirring DVD drive or that the PS3 has Blu-ray. I always prefer to use my PS3 for video as opposed to my 360 and will take the trouble to swap as needed. The PS3 web browser is basic but functional and often convenient if your PC is in another room.
These should be good enough reasons to own a PS3.
I chose PS3 over 360 due to several reasons. The PS1/PS2 had better/more original franchises than the original Xbox. IMO, the controller is superior, that’s why it never really required a makeover. The system is reliable, easily outlasting the 360 so I don’t have to continue repurchasing. The system is more future-proofed using the Blu-Ray medium. The first-party games are far more original and varied than silly FPS games that flood the 360. The system is whisper-quiet, making it better for a home theatre setup. The controller doesn’t require the added purchase of battery packs or disposable/rechargeable batteries. The controllers are a standard $5 cheaper across the board. PSN is free, and despite the XBL having cross-game chat and a couple other minor features…and I am quite sure the servers on PSN are equally as good & reliable as XBL’s so no argument there. and lastly, (though not technically, because I want to finish this reply) because Sony has a track record of supporting it’s former console well into the new generation; just look at the PS2…
PS: PSN+ offers 100x the value over XBL and no-one can dispute that. How many games do Microsoft give away to their Gold Members? Oh, and two more things…one being the built-in power supply on the PS3 & the controllers (using bluetooth) far better at syncing with the console. Sorry for the long rant, I just needed to get it all out.
Some really solid points here guys, thanks for taking some time to write ‘em down. You’re all making me think my holiday bonus just might be well spent with Sony.
After getting a PS3 and many of the “AAA” exclusives i have had nothing but disappointment.
Uncharted 2- boring how it won GOTY i’l never know.. its fun for about 12 hours, then its like… eh platform for 20 mins, shoot bad guys for 5 mins rinse repeat.
Resistance 1 and 2- some of the worst shooters ever.
Mag is pretty good, but only 3 maps =\ and sver always wins
MGS4 is great and probably the best game on ps3, everyone who has a ps3 needs this game.
the PS store is great, and playstation + is a much better deal then xbox live gold
but even that doesnt save it. games are just better on 360, the exclusives are better quality and the multiplatform games play better not to mention the 360 controler is by far superior ( but 3rd party PS3 controllers fix this.
Yeah the multi-platform game thing is 1. no longer true and 2. the differences were so minute only nit-picking fanboys used it for ammo.
As for exclusives being better quality…that’s your opinion but humourous. I’m sure playing the same Gears and the same Halo is pushing that quality…or are we talking Kinect?
The fact that you mentioned Mag discredits you…
2 problems with your article. First both were designed for the future. Neither is more “powerful” than the other. Really that’s a non issue. The issue is you said opposition as if the console you don’t own is the enemy. Its not. You can and should own both. They each have their own exclusive games that are worth playing. A gamer plays games not silicon
DVD in X360 is not built ‘for the future’.
Well the first time I bought a ps3 was just because I was in awe of it. It looked like a “beast”,,, it is a “BEAST”. The visual output is incredible (full HD) and the console’s reliability is another high point of it. The library of exclusive games just get better and better with each year. At least 2 ps3 exclusives have won GOTY outright… Metal Gear Solid 4 (2008) and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)… you could even add Uncharted 3 into the the mix but that’s a matter of opinion.
Add to that, psn being free and you have yourself a console with “less” flaws than the Xbox 360 but, one which lacks the “flair” (online features and services) of the Xbox 360.
The ps3 is a MUST HAVE!
I bought my ps3 in 2008. When I decided to buy, I basically compared a lot of the characteristics – other than the fact that I had had a ps2 before and loved a number of of the IPs like R&C, Jak&Dax, I also looked at the other pros and cons, and the fact that multiplayer on ps3 is free plus the blueray AND the fact that at the time FF13 was a ps3 exclusive sealed the deal for me. I have never been happier – we have had a number of different IPs, especially 2011, with new ones coming out all the time. Plus, as someones already mentioned, sony support older consoles very well so even should a new console come out now, my ps3 will still be relevant for a while yet.
id go with PS3 for many reasons but to keep it short simple and sweet main reason being with all the new RPGs and being a RPG fan myself specially FF Series/Franchise and ME2&3(coming out next yr) is the fact for the Blu Ray because it can hold a entire RPG on 1 Blu-Ray Disk as to the DVDs you have to spread them out over 2-3 Disk sets that alone to me sets it apart from the rest .
I really do not see all these temptations from PS3…
Xbox has one of the best line-up of videogame of all time:
from RPG (Fable 2-3 & ME1!!!) to JRPG (Blue Dragon, Lost Odiseey etc..), Strategy (Halo Wars), FPS (Halo?), Action Adventure (Gears, Alan Wake) casual (Dance Central, Kinect Sport etc..) and various others (Viva Pinatas, Banjo, Crackdown etc…).
Do we really want to talk about XBLM exclusives? XBL Arcede is just GREAT!
Then we have the BEST from all the multiplat (Skyrim..!.)..
What else? The BEST on line service? The BEST Dashboard?
Xbox360 era will be remembered for ages.
On the contrary PS3 now live thanks to a fan base that try to convince people by crying loud about their incredible exclusives.. I was impressed by Uncharted 2… Negatively impressed. Do not get me wrong, it is a good game, but I have approached it “super hyped” and then I found a super linear game that is so much scripted to seem more a Laser Game (Dragons Lair?) then a action-adventure.
And then I found that the extreme linearity, scripted sequences and pre-rendered scenes are a costant for all these “incredible” exclusives…. Due to the memory limits? due to GPU limits of PS3?
Halo Reach open levels could be possible on PS3… I do not think so!
It would become Halo “Corridor” Reach with 4 hours of in-engine pre-rendered video from Bluray (well and 2 giga of mandatory install…..).
I have all 3 consolle.
I can see that you have made a mostly well reasoned argument. Where it fails however is like this.
When you talk about variety of games that we as gamers get out of a console , the ps3 destroys the 360
what you mentioned in ur post is all the 360 has EVER.
FPS
360 halo 3,odst reach- 1 franchise 3 games.
PS3 Killzone 1,2 Resistance 1,2,3.
Third person shooters/Action adventures.
Lets not even go here.
360-Gears 1,2,3,Alan Wake, Crackdown 1, Crackdown 2(should i even consider this??)
PS3-Uncharted 1,2,3 Infamous 1,2,demons souls God of war 3, God of war collection(granted its a re-release but tey are exclusive and cant be found elsewhere. dont say PSP.), Ratchet and clank-3 games. Heavenly sword and also MGS4!
And those are just the AAA titles for the most part
If we start pulling in 3d dot game heroes,disagea,socom,etc etc and its a hands down win!
Casual- LBP!! Modnation,move blah blah blah.
And lets face it, the list of move titles are WAY more suited for the 14+ age group as opposed to kinect which again is mostly a fail as far as gaming in concerned.
LMFAO at Kinect being a fail & Move not…..Hahahahahahah
They are both failures, but at least the Move can actually be concise and accurate. Something the Kinect can’t even come close too.
I went with the PS3 because it almost has the same library as the Xbox 360, and then has a huge range of quality exclusives spanning many genres on top of that. There isn’t much on the Xbox 360 that you can’t get on PC and for me there’s no point in owning a platform unless it has unique content to make itself different from the competition. Sure the Xbox 360 has a few unique Live titles, but not much in the way of bigger exclusive games that are sold in retail, especially after 2009.
i have both consoles, and whilst i have absolutely no complaints with my ps3, its little more than a 3d blu ray player for me now, ive dabbled in most the big exclusives and felt let down by nearly all. god of war felt mindless, id rather watch someone else play it. killzone 3 looked nice but it felt hampered by the controller which to me feels like a 90′s throwback. and felt like a slightly boring experience over all. uncharted just reminded my of how much i never enjoyed tomb raider, even if it does look INCREDIBLE! mgs 4 again looked good, and i got that good game feel from it, but just wasn’t for me. i absolutely loved demon souls to death, what an amazing game! a lot of the games i can see are good games and absolutely see why people enjoy them, i just struggle too myself. heavy rain, another exciting game that just didn’t get me in to it. some games ill trick myself in to getting and really try to like, maybe even complete but it feels like such a chore, gears 3 on the Xbox seemed to be the biggest culprit for this in recent history!
i use my Xbox all the time. i much prefer the controller, my Xbox live gold account has been live for about 4 years now and im a big fan, i have no problem with paying for some thing that’s solid and almost consistently works, the psn store has just about caught up now the 360′s new dashboard update has set it back a little. im a really big games fan and i just don’t know what it is that puts me off using the ps3 the most, the Xbox does seem to get the best multiplatform games, but it has been thin on the ground when it comes to exclusives this year.
but when the ps3 exclusives are rarely ones im interested in at all its not an issue for me. im still playing skyrim, and the 360 was always going to be the system i picked for that, same for batman, and demon souls.
last generation i had all 3 major consoles, as i said before im an avid gamer and i know i need to try things out for myself, and ill continue to do this while im lucky enough to be able to. i hate the fan boy argument. if you like games there’s no need for one console to be superior to the other, they all have their own strengths and weaknesses. the ps3 is more future proof because internally it is a more powerful beast, but you’ll only ever see this extra horse power on ps3 exclusives, i don’t think the 360 could pull off uncharted 3. i do prefer what im getting on Xbox live, i have a few friends i use the cross game chat with, and its relatively easy to find and meet up with friends in any games. i really dislike the ps3 controller, i thought it was good when they stayed with the same design for the ps2 all those years ago, but now it just feels old and a bit cheap to be honest, i think for fps games it really falls down flat. the 360 controller is a refined version of the Xbox s controller which i always liked. the ps3 does look nicer than the old Xbox 360 i have but that doesn’t really matter. the blu ray player is nice but to be fair its hardly the best on the market and after upgrading mu TV recently ive noticed this much more, the multiple disc problem on the 360 has never bothered my because i know im probably getting the best version, with portal 2 being the 1 exception i can thing of. and there lies my probably biggest problem with Xbox live, Microsofts long verification process for any updates, and generally just the closed nature of the Xbox live network. with psn developers can update games freely patching bugs and glitches or adding features, it takes ages for Microsoft to verify anything from updates and arcade games, dlc. and the fact that the ps3 now has a (albeit limited) steam functionality! that to me is where the 360 is held back.
so there it is, my absolute honest opinion. in summary, buy a ps3. just don’t be surprised if after you’ve gone through the hand full of exclusives your interested in, the loud hum of the Xbox will be filling your gaming area while the ps3 slowly gathers dust.
i forgot to say, you’ll only ever see the extra power the ps3 is capable of in exclusive titles like uncharted because Microsoft still have the larger market share, and they simply wont allow for games to come out looking better or having additional features on the ps3. with exception to portals steam functionality which is something they just simply wont allow on the Xbox at the minute, and maybe battlefields slight ps3 dlc exclusivity, IE it coming out a week early. that though is a privilege that anyone with vast amounts of money can buy! and to be honest was probably a bad idea and a waste of money! im a battlefield boy through and through but buying bf3 on the 360 was still a no brainer for me, and Microsoft managed to secure a similar deal for modern warfare 3, even if that a game i don’t hold the slightest fragment of interest for. sorry, ill stop my rambling now.
I went for the 360 when it was a few months old as all my mates had them, unfortunately I wasn’t too impressed I have now had several due to rrod. After my second rrod I bought a ps3 to play while I waited for my 360 to be fixed at a cost of £60. Then on my 6th rrod I decided to use my ps3 as my main console and I have not looked back. I do jump on my 360 from time to time but my ps3 hasore to offer. Although this isn’t a really valid reason to leave 360 there are too many kids screeching and singing down your headset. But in the ps3 there are more mature people and less kids playing. Plus LA Noire 3 discs 360 single disc ps3 there are others with this problem but LA Noire comes to my mind first.
Dont play your console for so long, allow it to cool off/stay cool and you wont get the rrod. If you play your ps3 just as hard, you will be up for even more problems.. take it from me. Also install the games to your hdd for your xbox. Something that the ps3 cant do and will never do be cause sony is a hard head.
A console was meant to last and however long the end user wants to play it for. I have 2 ps3′s and they can be on for 12+ hours if not more and still have no problems whatsoever. A 360 might just get too hot and get an RROD, MS fails at making hardware is what your post should have said. Oh and the reason we don’t need to install games to our hard drives is because we have our games on a medium that isn’t 15+ years old idiot. We are on a blu-ray disc for a reason, for uncompressed awesomeness, thus no reason to dump 50+ gigs on a hard drive so you can shave 1-2 seconds off your loading time. Seriously, people own 360′s are just plain retarded. Do yourself a favor and jump in a lake with a cinder block attached to your leg. The less idiots around the better. Good riddance.
You deprived your girlfriend of the optimal FF13 experience. I couldn’t trade in my 360 copy of ff13 quick enough after seeing it on the 360. I wish someone had told me that would be the lead platform version of the game. Solid Article.
As Far as im concerned its the other way around. I have a Ps3, and i no longer use it because i got the xbox slim. Way better IMO. I have a friend thats gone through 3 ps3′s, they are total garbage and so is sony. All i use mine for now is media and bluray, not for gaming, otherwise im going to burn out my second one also. MS looks at what the people want, Sony looks at what they want and how much money they can make and are very stubborn in their ways.
I bought my 360 first, primarily because the first gears of war sold me completely, and I was not going to be without Mass Effect either. I bought a ps3 years later, primarily for uncharted 2 and god of war III. I can tell you that if you don’t own both systems you are certainly missing out on some great exclusives on both sides. Plus, for those who only own a playstation, the vast majority of multiplatform games perform much better on the 360 than on the ps3. That is just the way it is this gen, like it or not. Both systems have their strengths and weaknesses, but again, if you don’t own both, you really are missing out on some tremendous games this gen.
the console war is over, microsoft gave up trying to beat sony in the hardcore game dept
(ps3 has been kicking 360s ass in games since 2008 )
microsoft now has gone after the casuals ala nintendo
if you dont agree then ur delusional or dont want to admit it
(just look @ teh glorious xbox exclusive lineup the last couple of yrs LOL)
dont worry 360 fans theres always more halo and cod mappacks on the way!
and dont forget ” YOU ARE THE CONTROLLER!”
Sorry kid your wrong MS beats Sony in the hardcore crowd just look at there software sales more people chose to buy and game on 360 over PS3 and that’s fact. 360 fans will be very happy about more Halo,Gears and Cod map packs in fact the DLC alone will sell more your flops you call Resistance/Killzone LOL. I don’t think any one is going to forget about Kinect it only sold 750,000 last week you sound like a typical Sony drone hating on MS because it stole all of your friends.
Great article, I personally only own a PS3 and have been a Sony fan for years now. While the 360 is more popular in the U.S. I personally don’t want the system, I have very little interest in playing Halo, Gears of War and paying for Xbox live. I am jealous though that the online service and its features keep evolving much much faster than the Playstation Network.
xflop 3shitty is too a defective POS and i dont want to pay internet twice and ps3 has more and better exclusives
I’m always amazed by how personally attached people get to brand names. Although, this is exactly the kind of passion corporations want to see. Just scary to see some of the personal attacks people drum up about it.
For me, I started with my PS3 after many years of good service from my PS1 and PS2. I also owned an Xbox in the last few years of that generation. I enjoyed playing sports games (better graphics and smoother gameplay) and a few of the exclusives better on Xbox at the time. I always seemed to come back to the PS2 though. I’ve also always been a bit of a PC player but also got tired of constant hardware upgrades to keep up with the newest games.
I had my PS3 for a while before purchasing my 360 and eventually a Wii as well. The PS3 is my primary machine by far, but I’m also not a big online player. When I have a choice of a multiplatform, I usually pick up the PS3 version. I originally bought my 360 because of some of those exclusives already mentioned above (Blue Dragon, Fable 2, Mass Effect 1, etc). The 360 hasn’t actually be powered up for quite some time (could be some hidden fear of the unit getting RROD – it’s the version prior to the slims).
My gaming experience on both has been equally satisfying (the Wii is barely ever played). I guess I would say I’m a gamer first and although I have some loyalty, it isn’t bad enough to bash those that play another system. If I would only get to choose one system, I’d likely choose the PS3 because I’m more familiar with the games (not a huge FPS fan) and have enjoyed the overall experience with that system the most.
To each their own though!
Easily the PS3 for me had a 360 Elite then sold it after a yr because it was just never played. Im no fanboy Im to old for that its just simple the 360 is a serious waste of money. Lets face it No bluray, Controllers that need battery replacement at least once a month, pay to play online not to mention ads everywhere and barely any exclusives seriously 360 gamers PS3 games have won GOTY for three yrs. Mgs4, Uncharted, LBP. The Playstation 3 has all the titles. Xbox comes out with maybe 3 exclusives a year and their the same game and usually also on the PC…is that even really exclusive? I dont know why people fight over which is better when its so obvious. People say xbox live is better in what way 1 feature lol and you pay 50 dollars I pay 50 dollars too for Playstation plus and it paid for itself with free games the first 3 months. The point is when you look at it from a logical standpoint The ps3 is simply better More quality exclusives, Free online, Bluray player, rechargable controllers swappable hardrive and more really it is simple.
get a PS3, I loved it, its better than a 360, I’ve owned the PS3 since 2006, and it has more and better games than the 360. 360 on the other hand has a good controller for first person shooters, but its shit when it comes down to fight game, controller is just bad compare to the PS3. And besides, sony’s first playstation came out in 1994, and its been releasing systems every 6 years, so that makes PS3 and must get for Christmas considering all the exlcusive coming out for it. Unlike Microsoft, they don’t buy exclusive.
I chose the 360, I was going to go with the ps3 but at the time it was more cost effective for me to get a new 360 then spend $300-$400 for a new ps3.
I decided on the PS3 for a number of reasons. like, at the time of purchase PS3 had an HDMI port, 360 didn’t. PS3 could read blueray but the 360 only could read dvd, that was a huge deal in 2008. I looked at all the reviews and the PS3 hardware in every way was superior to the 360. extra little things influenced my decision, the disk tray didn’t obliterate disks if you gave your console a funny look, there was a lack of the infamous red ring of death, the PS3 could successfully cool itself without an external fan, came with a large harddrive, and PSN is a free service. i chose the playstation over the N64, i chose the playstation over the xbox, playstation over 360? natural choice.