The Just Win Clan

Playstation 3 or XBOX 360:  Which is the better choice?

Written by Matt Phillips 

It’s a good time to be a gamer.  With the launch of two new next generation consoles along with ground breaking games all in the last two years we, as gamers, have little to complain about.  The only real decision is which system to buy?  That decision is significantly more difficult today with game system prices skyrocketing.  Fierce competition between two enormous companies has caused the internet to be full of biased, agenda laced articles claiming there product is the best.  The question remains, which system should I buy?  And it’s a big question.  Hopefully I can help shed some light on the subject. 

I’m not here to bash one system, or praise another.  I’m not writing this for money, or because I have a vested interest in which system you buy.  I do not work in the game industry, or have any affiliation with anything to do with video games.  I’m writing this because I no longer think that the question is in doubt.  Having owned both systems and racked up significant playing time on both, I believe the choice is simple.

I’m not expecting anyone to just take my word on it.  After all, who the heck am I?  Instead, I’ll let the facts speak for themselves.  Let’s first take a look at the XBOX 360.  Since the debut of the 360, reports have been flooding in about hardware problems.  Many of us (me included) have experienced these problems first hand.  These problems have ranged from simple disc read errors to the console literality melting right on the spot.  Granted, for the most part these issues only occurred at launch and were promptly fixed.  However, that’s not before shelling out an additional $150.00 to Microsoft and hearing an explanation from customer service that you were at fault for not properly ventilating your system.  “Ahhhh, come again?”  In later models, and ones still being sold today, users will get the dreaded “red ring of death” error  in which your system will show 3 red lights on the front of the console and display a general hardware failure on your TV screen.  The hardware problems are numerous, relentless, and frustrating.  Thankfully, after mounting pressure from disgruntled customers, Microsoft extended the warranty from one year to two years and paid for all costs associated with any hardware defects within the warranty. 

So what happened?  In an interview on E3 this year Peter Moore said, “We’ve seen a number of issues that will create what we call a general hardware failure, as indicated by the three flashing red lights. So as a result, we’ve said: Look, if you have the three flashing red lights, we’re going to take care of you. You don’t have to worry about what it is that’s causing it, and we won’t know what it is until we get the box in.”

Shane Kim VP of Microsoft Game Studios said, “This takes a lot of investigation, a lot of testing”. “It’s not like there comes a magic day when the [consoles] that are going to break, break. There are a variety of variables and factors that go into this, so we had to get to a critical mass.”  ”And obviously, it got to a point where we decided to look, this is unacceptable, this is too much.”  “We have to stand up and stand behind the product.”

I’m not an engineer nor will I pretend to be one, but to me it’s obvious what happened.  The design that Microsoft was so proud of simply doesn’t work.  The inner makings of the 360 are so closely crammed together in such a skinny shell there isn’t enough ventilation. 

I can go on here, but what’s the point?  By now we all know that in an attempt to gain a foothold in the video game industry, Microsoft rushed an inferior product to market.  Some reports have shown that if you own a 360 for two years you only have a 30% chance of not experiencing a problem.   

Let’s change the focus from hardware to software, more specifically games.  It’s no question that the 360 has had some of the best games ever, on any platform.  The 360 was supported by huge titles such as Gears Of War, Halo 3, Bioshock, and Rainbow Six Vegas, just to name a few.  The 360 has had its day in the sun.  But with the further extension of the warranty from two to three years, coupled with the fact the 33% of all consoles are still having “RRoD” failure, along with countless network failures; one begins to ask the question.  Is the 360 already past its prime?  Exclusive game rights are for the most part, over.  Sure, some games will still come to the 360 first, but that number is fading fast.  Then take into account that the biggest game in their line up, Halo 3 was branded by most to be a disappointment.  Plagued with delays, less than stellar graphics, and early problems with discs (discs were shipped with scratches on the face), many were left with a bad taste in their mouth.  Add in the death of High Definition DVD in favor of the Blu Ray, and you have a system that is looking more and more like it’s on top looking down.  I’ve also come across several different sources implying that with all of the above problems Microsoft is scrapping the 360 sometime next year and will launch a new system much closer to what the 360 was originally intended to be.  I’ve not even mentioned that the hard drives are too small, the controllers are too big, and the console doesn’t support full 1080p. 

So what’s good about the 360?  That question is easy and it’s summed up in just two words, XBOX Live.  It is the one thing that Microsoft got right.  Simple navigation, in game communication, and the ability to join in a friend’s game with the click of a button.  Live also showcases video on demand which is the ability to download movies, TV, and music right to your (small) XBOX 360 hard drive. Granted this comes with a price, but the unique interface is well worth the $60.00 per year price tag.  Microsoft has truly raised the bar when it comes to on-line gaming.

Now let’s take a look at the PS3 which is certainly not a system without problems.  By now most have read or heard something about how hard it is to write code for the PS3.  Game developers have been quoted just about everywhere saying something to affect that it is just too hard to write code for the PS3’s Cell processor.  Gabe Newell of Value Software is quoted as saying “Investing in the Cell, investing in the SPE gives you no long-term benefits. There’s nothing there that you’re going to apply to anything else. You’re not going to gain anything except a hatred of the architecture they’ve created".  Then mix in a gigantic price tag and you have a console that most, including myself, are afraid of.  This is the point where I feel Sony dropped the ball.  The average Joe has no idea what they are getting when they purchase a PS3.  In the PS3 package, you get a Blu Ray player, built in Wi-Fi connectivity, an internal interchangeable hard drive that is 3+ times the size of the 360’s, full internet browser, and a system that is capable of displaying full 1080p. You get everything you need, and some things you don’t need yet, right out of the box.  Sony isn’t selling you a game console for the next 2-4 years.  They are selling you what amounts to a very powerful piece of hardware that could, and should, see a shelf life of up to ten years.  Let’s compare it to buying a new car.  Essentially the 360 is a base model vehicle with only a few standard features without things like power windows, locks, cruise control.  They’re available, but at an additional cost.  The PS3, on the other hand comes fully loaded right out of the box!

At its launch, the Playstation also lacked a descent game library.  The games that were out at launch were weak ports from the 360, or sub-par games that were rushed to market so developers could hold market share.  Madden 07 on the PS3, for one, is a complete embarrassment.  Many, including myself played these games on both systems and quickly threw in the towel in favor of the 360 assuming the PS3 was just not what it was cracked up to be. 

Not so fast.  Enter game developers Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Activision, and Criterion. These companies have created great titles for the PS3 system such as Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, Call of Duty 4, Heavenly Sword, and Burnout: Paradise, respectively.  For the first time we actually got to see the true potential of the PS3 and most gamers, including myself, were very impressed.  With game developers finally understanding how to code for the system, the future looks bright.

The one place the PS3 still needs some work is online.  Sony has reincarnated the Playstation network commonly referred to as PSN.  The network is lacking is several key areas.  The most noticeable is the inability to see what titles your friends are playing while you are in a game.  When you turn on your PS3 you are automatically logged on the PSN.  At this time, a message is sent to every person on your friends list telling them, essentially, that you just turned on the power to your PS3.  However, it fails to inform them of what game (if any, you might be watching a movie) you’re playing.  Conversely, when one of your friends logs on, it’s impossible to tell what game they are playing.  At the same time, you can’t voice communicate unless you are playing the same game.  Managing your friends list is quit tedious as well.  In order to respond to in game text messages you first must exit the game you are currently playing.

Sony is well aware of the problems that they do have.  Recently Sony Computer Entertainment Europe managing director Ray Maguire said "Our momentum will continue with the introduction of in-game communication in the summer, firmware update 2.4 and the strongest line-up of games through our third party partners and our own studios."   The Playstation network has already gone through several upgrades and I don’t see a reason to believe they will stop now.  I expect most, if not all of the above issues to be resolved within the next year.

The PSN isn’t all bad.  The core online system is actually quite beautiful, closely resembling what you might  see from a PC title.  Sony has also adopted popular search engines such as GameSpy, delivering a more familiar online presence.  PSN is also the only console to offer 32 player simultaneous play.  The competition is yet to top 16.  Another nice bonus with PSN is a smoother overall online game.  When logging on to XBOX Live, you are sharing a server with all other players.  With so many people using the same server it can cause slower load times, excessive lag, and frequent drops.  Sony does something completely different.  Instead of a community server that everybody shares, Sony uses one of the actual players PS3s as the server.  When the game begins one player is designated “host” with other members of that particular game using that PS3 as the server.  The result is a much smoother in game experience with less lag, and fewer drops.  Finally, the most important difference, and probably the biggest between XBOX Live and PSN, is that the Playstation Network is free.

Playstation 3 is not only the best system today, it’s looking more and more like the system of tomorrow.  Things like 60 player simultaneous play, head tracking technology (the ability to turn you head in first person shooters to look around), and interactive navigation systems (using hand motion to navigate the PSN online) are making the Playstation seem like something out of a science fiction novel.  Not only are these inovations being discussed, but they are close to being available.  The game line up for the next 12 months is littered with blockbuster titles such as Resident Evil 5, Grand Turismo 5, Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, and SOCOM Confrontation, just to name a few.

I understand that many people have loyalties to one system or another. However, if what you are looking for is the best system, with the best upside, I think the facts clearly show that the PS3 is the best choice.

Which do you prefer?