Lazy Man's Version:

Console war. Pretty interesting, eh? Talk about it.



tl;dr Version:

It's now been over a year since the new console war began in earnest. We don't have a dedicated thread for it, so the time seems right to make one now that we can see the trends emerging.

Here's the facts of the matter so far. These are indisputable facts, free of any form of bias:

Xbox 360 - Having a year's head start gave Microsoft an early advantage. The early launch cemented their position as the primary console for development of multi-platform games, which more or less ensured that most such titles would look or perform noticeably better on 360 than PS3. Strong first-year sales gave it significant momentum leading up to the launch of the other consoles.

In its second year, the 360 has secured a place as a serious competitor in this generation. The excellent sales of many of the system's best exclusive titles have earned it a considerable amount of developer loyalty. There can be little doubt that Microsoft, after exceeding their hardware sales from the system's first year, will continue to be a major player.

However, they do have their fair share of problems. The "red ring of death" problem has done some fairly significant damage to their reputation, although they've taken excellent measures to make amends for the hardware failures, including extending the warranty on the console to three years and refunding the repair charges to those who were among the first to experience the problem. New units are being produced with a superior motherboard and processor that should virtually eliminate the RRoD problem.

Another problem in their court is the lack of support outside North America. While the 360 is still the most commonly owned current gen console in the US, its sales in Japan, despite having several high profile exclusive titles with appeal in that region, have been nothing short of abysmal. Its European sales are undoubtedly lower than Microsoft had hoped for, although that can hardly be surprising, considering that Sony has traditionally held a stranglehold over many of those countries. Even on its home turf, the Xbox 360 is rapidly losing ground to the Wii, which is on pace to outsell it in the region sometime in the next couple of months.

Playstation 3 - Few would deny that Sony got off to a poor start in November '06. Its steep price tag made it inaccessible to budget-conscious gamers and families, who could easily find a less expensive 360. On top of that, a relatively unimpressive list of launch titles did little to help drive the system's appeal. It was, however, the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market at the time of its release, although that factor's effect still remains largely unknown.

Despite starting off slowest of the three consoles due to the machine's prohibitive cost and unprecedented consumer hostility toward Sony, the PS3 has really taken off in recent months following aggressive price cuts and repeated modifications of the available SKUs. Sony has taken some flak from many gamers over the lack of PS2 backward compatibility in the 40GB model, but its $399 price tag has helped to push sales, especially in Europe.

Unfortunately for Sony, the system's software is still performing below expectations, having a lower overall attach rate than the 360. While many of the system's high-profile titles (including Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue) have yet to be released and may help drive sales further, that hope is somewhat dimmed by the fact that previous "system seller" games (such as Heavenly Sword, Lair, Warhawk, Ratchet & Clank Future, etc.) have not boosted console sales numbers much at all.

Sony is also taking the largest loss on its consoles in the history of the industry, lacks support among third-party developers in the west, and risks untold damage if the Blu-Ray format fails.

At present, the PS3 is selling at an approximately equal rate to the Xbox 360, although its sales are distributed through the various regions much more evenly, but it being roundly trounced in all areas by sales of the Wii.

Wii - Nintendo's idea of a cheap, technologically inferior machine with an innovative input device was certainly a gamble, but it paid off more than anyone could have anticipated. From day one, it has shattered sales records and has been sold out practically worldwide, and remains so today. Despite Microsoft having a one year head start, Wii has already eclipsed that competitor's worldwide sales numbers and is nipping at its heels for the #1 spot in North America.

The console's cheap price tag, unprecedented mass market appeal, and viral marketing have allowed it to find a home with demographics that have never been known for playing games. While titles like Wii Sports, Wii Play, Big Brain Academy, and Cooking Mama are selling well to those people, the console also boasts an impressive number of AAA titles for more traditional gamers. With reports of the Wii appearing on cruise ships, in nursing homes, and in other unconventional places, Nintendo's talk of creating new markets seems to be completely justified.

For the so-called "hardcore" gamers, which is a term I personally find ridiculous, Wii has provided some truly unique gameplay experiences. Super Mario Galaxy is already being counted among the greatest games of all time. Metroid Prime 3, Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, and Medal of Honor Heroes 2 are proving that the Wii remote is a far superior control method for shooters, as opposed to a dual thumbstick layout. Zack and Wiki, a wonderful title which has sadly been ignored by most gamers, shows the amazing potentials in motion sensing gameplay.

However, the Wii does have some significant drawbacks that are frequently pointed out. The lesser graphics are frequently commented on, although few Wii owners actually seem to care about that factor, and most seem fairly impressed with the capabilities of the system after seeing its showcase titles. Another issue is the lack of a serious online structure. With Xbox Live being well-established and Playstation Network on the rise, it is a failing that Nintendo may eventually come to regret.

Then there's the shovelware issue. The dominant console in each generation naturally has the highest number of junk titles on it, and the Wii has been no exception. While there are a large number of quality titles on the console, many or most of which are exclusive to it, the high quantity of quickly-produced cash-in games can give a bad impression of the console's library, as well as of its capabilities.


I'll add in segments on the DS and PSP later.

Discuss positives and negatives of the various platforms, your thoughts on their futures, or whatever else might be relevant. Fanboyism is welcome, cause lulz, but expect to be called on the carpet over it if you can't back up your positions.

Wii - I've had it since day one, and I have never regretted the decision. But I think half of that is due to the fact that you simply cannot find the Wii anywhere, and the other half is just because I've loved Nintendo since I can remember. It's already become the fastest selling console in history, and who knows how long that is going to continue with Super Smash Bros. Brawl only about 6 weeks away. My pros for the system is the price is spot on, the Wii-mote has really opened up my eyes to how a FPS can be played on a console, the growing library of the VC, the great first-party games that you can always expect from Nintendo, and its massive market appeal. The cons are more obvious than I would like, and they include no voice-chat for online play, the fact that it is incredibly stupid it doesn't have some sort of buddy list similar to Xbox Live (yes I want to input my friend's Wii code for every game that I get instead of just adding on his nickname or something permanently), the Wii still needs more third-party support and a few exclusives that aren't just some spin-off or sequel with gimmicky motion controls, and memory space. The Wii definately needs a hard drive of some sorts.

Xbox 360 - I finally shelled out the big money to pick one up earlier this year, and it has seen considerably more play time than they Wii since then. It just sucked that when I brought it home, I encountered the RRoD only a few hours after playing Gears of War. The pros of the system are it has the best online service available without a doubt, you can download just about anything you can think of to the hard drive from tv shows to game trailers to game demoes to probably even food (ok not really but it would be neat if a poptart came out of the disc slider), the games look better on it than any other console and they run a lot more efficentally as well, and it's home to several games and exclusives which are just simply fantastic. The cons are the system failures (over the last week or two my games have frozen probably an average of once a day, maybe twice) regarding a reported 30% failure rate for the console, the number of SKU's to choose from which could be a good or bad thing depending on your thought process, the lack of genre games excluding First Person Shooters, and I personally think that most of the merchandise you can buy online is too expensive.

Playstation 3 - Can't give a personal history of it since I don't have one and I honestly don't think I'm ever going to pick one up this generation. The pros of the system are the built-in Blu-Ray DVD player, the Home service which looks extremely interesting and could be really great, it still has some quality exclusives that I sure would like to play but can't, and the name Sony. Cons of the system include the number of exclusives it keeps losing to the 360, the hefty price tag for each SKU ($400 for a console that has no backwards compatibility?) when compared to the SKU's for the 360, most games simply look worse than they should despite what is supposed to be a console a heck of a lot more powerful than the 360, and overall the number of games that you actually want or would buy the PS3 for is very, very minimal.

Now I'll talk about what I see in the future for these three consoles. The success of the Wii has surprised even me and I still can't fully explain it. I would like to say that Nintendo needs to find some third-party support and improve its online service a lot for the Wii to stay at the top, but they just keep selling like hot cakes regardless. It is really important that a hard drive be released for the console, and sooner rather than later. I think the 360 has the least to worry about. It's gathering all of the great exclusives that people want to play, including Mass Effect, Bioshock, Halo 3, Gears of War and its sequel, Jade Empire 2, and more. You can find just about anything you want to do or buy on Xbox Live, and Microsoft has done an excellent job appealing to the market. But that doesn't mean they can just sit by and twiddle their thumbs. Playstation 3 is gaining ground, albeit a short burst from the new SKU, but it's still catching up regardless. Playstation 3 certainly is in bad shape. It keeps pumping out a SKU every few months because they don't realize why nobody wants to buy the system. It is losing support from third-parties faster than they will admit. They need to keep the exclusives that they still have, including Final Fantasy XIII, Metal Gear Solid 4, and a couple others. If they lose them, there is virtually no reason for someone to get a Playstation 3.

people keep fighting for their consoles, none is the best.
while you can say one has more pros that cons the fact is that people make a console (and everything) popular or not despite the software or playability of the console, Sony is falling in the terms of sales, if you remember PSone and Ps2 were the best sellers in their times (not saying they were the best consoles) and now PS3 is selling less that the other 2 consoles, Wii is winning in terms of sales.
but now that you analyze it the games that made that possible are those made by nintendo (you can mention a few of third party companies but..)
I can't afford any of these consoles, but I'm saving up for a PS3.
And I tell you why:
1) My friend have either an Xbox360 or a Wii so I can play both without owning them
2) I own a PSone and a PS2 so I got accustomed to the controller
3) A Wii requires more space than I have available in my room. To fully enjoy the sensor thing I need both more space and a bigger TV or I can use my current Tv but I need to change it to another place because where it is now will make my arm tired in no time
4) Xbox360 has few exclusive games and some of them don't interest me so why bother buying one, most of the games it has are shared with PS3 or Wii or both
5) I don't mind if the graphics are not at their full potential on PS3 because they are great, seems that a little worse that a 360 but far better that Wii
6) I want to try the home online system that sony is providing, I have tried the 360 online system so why not try another different and free.

that is a resume of my opinions and explanations for buying a PS3.
As you can see is for me it depends more on my likes and circumstances. If I own a PS3, I get to play all three consoles.

Ok, guys, keep talking. This is an especially interesting read so far. I can't bring anything to the table because I haven't technically liked a console since the SNES.

I only have a PS3, and I am generally pleased with it so far, not a single one of my PS2 or PS1 title has failed to play on it so thats' a plus, the PS3 games I do have are all enjoyable, and I have enough to keep me busy for a while. I haven't touched the 2 other consoles so far, but I probably will in the near future.

3) A Wii requires more space than I have available in my room. To fully enjoy the sensor thing I need both more space and a bigger TV or I can use my current Tv but I need to change it to another place because where it is now will make my arm tired in no time

I can't think of a single Wii game I can't play in a small cramped area. Wii Sports, maybe, but even that doesn't require standing and room (but it makes it more fun in that case).

They need to keep the exclusives that they still have, including Final Fantasy XIII, Metal Gear Solid 4, and a couple others.

Perhaps I'm dreaming it, but isn't MGS4 slated to be a multi-platform release? I could've sworn I saw something about it being on the 360.

While I'm talking about Sony (which I admit doesn't happen much anymore), I have questions.

--Has Sony fixed the issue with ps3's "downgrading" to 480p on older HD sets?
--Are there still reliability issues with the ps3? Shortly after launch, I heard a ton of RRoD-ish stories from ps3 owners. If those issues are still around, has Sony taken steps to try to help alleviate the issue, like Microsoft?
--Since Prak brought it up in the OP, how's the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray battle shaping up at the moment?

I ask these questions because 1) I truly don't know, 2) I'm too lazy to do all the research on a system I almost certainly won't buy, and 3) I think those issues have at least some relevance to the 'console war.'

And because I'm not yet too sleepy to type and I'm just as opinionated as everybody else here, a few of my thoughts about the Wii, as it's the only current-gen console I own:

I don't think Ninty *needs* to produce a hard drive for the Wii. It has SD memory card compatibility. A thirty-second Google search found me an 2GB SunDisk SD card for 30 USD, just over a sixth of what the external Xbox hard drive costs. Granted, the Xbox hard drive is a whopping 120GB in comparison, but I'd personally prefer the versatility and portability of the SD card. With a dozen game files and about 120 USD in Shop Channel purchases, I've only used just over half the Wii's 512MB internal disk, so I don't see much use beyond 2 gigs unless you're a total photophile.

Regarding games, Ninty desperately needs more quality third-party support. "True" exclusives aren't even really necessary, as Wii Remote functionality can make any title a pseudo-exclusive. That being said, Zack and Wiki is absurdly good. Capcom totally hit a home run with it; it's a real shame that many gamers will overlook it because it's "kiddie."

The Wii Remote is the best controller ever. If you disagree, play Metroid Prime 3, Zack and Wiki, and Twilight Princess. Hell, RE4 does a great job of using the Remote, considering that it's a port. The whole nunchuck cord thing is a minor hang-up for me (I'm about 6'2"--I have long arms), but I hear that Nyko's aiming to fix that.

Regarding the HD formats, Cyan, there's been a fairly major recent development. One of the major studios (can't remember which at the moment) announced that it is dropping support for HD-DVD.

Of course, anyone with half a brain can see that such a move is retarded, considering the fact that stand-alone HD-DVD players are outselling their Blu-Ray counterparts by a significant margin, indicating that when the mainstream begins to adopt the HD formats, HD-DVD will likely be the format of choice for the average consumer. But then again, it's entirely possible that neither format will succeed in truly supplanting DVD. Only time can possibly tell.

Perhaps I'm dreaming it, but isn't MGS4 slated to be a multi-platform release? I could've sworn I saw something about it being on the 360.
There have been rumors and speculation about it going to the 360 as well for months now. Here's a <A HREF="http://xboxfamily.com/xf/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1123&Itemid=2"> link </A>that just surfaced a few days ago and it's the most recent I've read. It's not terribly credible in my estimation, but I'm still fairly positive that MGS4 will ultimately come to the 360 eventually.


I don't think Ninty *needs* to produce a hard drive for the Wii. It has SD memory card compatibility. A thirty-second Google search found me an 2GB SunDisk SD card for 30 USD, just over a sixth of what the external Xbox hard drive costs. Granted, the Xbox hard drive is a whopping 120GB in comparison, but I'd personally prefer the versatility and portability of the SD card. With a dozen game files and about 120 USD in Shop Channel purchases, I've only used just over half the Wii's 512MB internal disk, so I don't see much use beyond 2 gigs unless you're a total photophile.
I really believe that Nintendo needs a hard drive, or at the least some form of memory that is better than their SD crap. I have about 20 VC games downloaded, 3 or 4 of them are N64 games and they take up probably 40% of the Wii's internal memory. I did pick up a SD card, but some of my game data won't copy to it. I deleted all my VC channels off the Wii's internal memory and have it on the SD card only. But I can't play the games directly from the card when I feel like it. I have to re-copy them back to the Wii. It's ignorant that Nintendo chose that route. And when Wii Ware comes out soon, along with that channel where you can download DS demos to your Wii, memory is going to fly out the window fast.


The whole nunchuck cord thing is a minor hang-up for me (I'm about 6'2"--I have long arms), but I hear that Nyko's aiming to fix that.
Yeah, Nyko is releasing wireless controllers for the Wii. I plan to pick them up as I to prefer the cords to disappear.

another thing that I forgot to mention was the games (how did I forget?) but since there are now more multi-platform releases, that might decrease the need of owning another console.
anyway there are still some exclusive games, and exclusive or not I choose PS3 and Wii games.
PS3 for the possibilities (keeping in mind the other two PS) that there will be more RPG's available for that console. And Wii for the Nintendo games that give best use to the controller--ok, ok I know that other games also are better to play on Wii, but for example DBZ: Budokai etc 2.. is a lot easier on PS2--

I've been reading the other comments and I too believe that Wii needs a hard drive.
And Wii Remote the best controller ever...mmm... well I certainty do not disagree but might be just because of a bunch of good games. The best controller will be the one that gives you the best experience (in comparison to the other consoles) in every or almost every game you play. And let's face it there are some real crap releases for the Wii, and for every console but this one in particular attracted my attention. I like to read VG magazines and most of them made the classic "best ___ award" at the end of the year; the best game for each console, best seller, best graphics, etc, Wii only won in most for best playability for Mario Galaxy (man, how I like that game) and the other majority of game awards were for 360.
Of course it is just the opinion of some people and It's only what I read in my country it has no real impact (it's minimum) on the so called "console war"

Personally I think that we need to wait at least one year to make real definitive opinions.

Here in M�xico Xbox 360 is winning followed by Wii (and some of that is thanks to piracy, because here there are only pirated releases for those two consoles)

I'm going to take issue with a couple of things you just said.

First, the fact that Playstation consoles have had more games in a particular genre in previous generations means nothing now. The old rulebook is gone. And in fact, the Xbox 360 has more real (i.e. western) RPGs in development, and has more of the Japanese adventure games that the silly slant-eyes call RPGs.

Second, DBZ:BT2 is in no way easier on PS2. The motion/pointer-based gameplay on the Wii version is far superior due to the fact that the it actually requires a bit of actual skill, rather than simple button mashing. When you get used to it, it's also pretty damn intuitive, fast, and accurate. And despite that, you can still play it with a Gamecube or Classic controller, which means it totally destroys the PS2 version in every way imaginable.

I've been a life long Nintendo fan and i'm personally very pleased at the success of the Wii and DS (especially after the fiasco that was the gamecube).
While it may be true that shedloads of 3 year old games are shovelled onto the console with poorly implemented use of the motion sensitive controller, (how about we try and THINK about things hmmmm publishers?) you cant ignore cold hard figures and the fact that there are many top class games out there for it. The Wii continues to outsell everything everwhere and the DS manages to outsell even that. In addition to this games such as Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime, Twilight Princess and the upcoming Super Smash Bros. you have some of the best 'hardcore' games there are. These games among others should be enough to silence all those people who say that Nintendo are a purely easy-gamer company which only looks for profit through mini-game compilations and gimmicks.
Oh and you DO NOT need acres of room to play the game, 6 inches in every direction is plenty of space for nearly every game. Trust me, i speak from experience. And did you hear the story of the bloke who put his arm through his TV? How close was he standing to it and how hard was hw swinging his arm?
The only complaints i have are that the graphics trully suck compared to the other consoles and the online compatibilty just hasnt been implemented properly. I can only think of a handful of games that ARE compatable with it, and i dont own any of them.
As for the X-box 360, i dont have one myself although i'd like one. The graphics are fantastic and the online mode is easily the most developed, most user friendly and generally all round better than the other console's systems. They are some trully stand out games (halo 3, bioshock etc) which i'd ove to own as well. The main complaints i have with it are the lack of reliability (They break ALL the time) and that many of the games are...well...samey. All of the stand out games are sci-fi shooters with similar stories (shoot the all the aliens in every level until you reach the end where your team wins). If microsoft could include a little bit more variability then maybe they would have a larger fan base.
Now for the PS3, a bit of a joke at the moment isnt it. A couple of months back, it was being outsold by the GAME BOY ADVANCE! a 2 generations old handheld console. On top of this, its been bereft of problems from the off. At the launch it was so expensive that Sony were offering free tv's with every console. But the funny thing is is that there was so little interest they still had tv's left by the end of the campiagn. Then in an attempt to regain popularity they released a cheaper version with NO backwards compatability. So they were basically saying "you can now buy our console but cant play the games you own for your old console". The most succesful games console of all time, sold hundreds of millions world wide, and all your games for it wont work. Finally, there's the fact that there arent any top-class games for it. Motorstorm, a good game i grant you, but i dont think any racing game can be classed as top-class, and admit it, Assassins Creed was dissapointing wasnt it? In my opinion the PS3 will be saved by a succesful launch of FF XIII and other future FF products. As for sony itself? They need to hope that the PSP continues to do as well as it is doing at the moment.
For anyone who read all this, then i'm sorry for the length and the little bit of bias because i know someone will pick me up on it. Anyway, i hope you enjoyed my first major post. Be nice :)

I did pick up a SD card, but some of my game data won't copy to it. I deleted all my VC channels off the Wii's internal memory and have it on the SD card only. But I can't play the games directly from the card when I feel like it.

Wow, I didn't know about those issues. Color me ignorant. And corrected. So Ninty needs two things now: third party support and a hard drive.


In my opinion the PS3 will be saved by a succesful launch of FF XIII and other future FF products.

I kind of doubt that. Every FF after VII has been released on consoles that already had signifigant marketshare. Granted, FFVII was in no small part responsible for the ps1's success, especially earlier on, but as far as I can tell right now, XIII hasn't anywhere near the media hype or the advertising power VII had.

I kind of doubt that. Every FF after VII has been released on consoles that already had signifigant marketshare. Granted, FFVII was in no small part responsible for the ps1's success, especially earlier on, but as far as I can tell right now, XIII hasn't anywhere near the media hype or the advertising power VII had.


Of course it doesn't. Wait for it to be in a more advanced state, and you'll see the hype taking off in full force.

The Xbox has failed me time and time again. 3 times i had to have it sent in with RRoD. THREE! For 4 months the Xbox live I purchased whittled away in silence. No compensation, no remorse on MS' part.

It constantly freezes during xbox original: Fable. It's like a 20 year old car that always needs a new catalytic converter or something.

I'm completely indifferent to the wii. SM: Galaxy was a blast. Smash Bros. is going to be loads of fun. But, very few of the non-first party titles are...nearly as good. Which seems fine at the moment because the first party titles seem to be in good supply.

The virtual console: I immediately assumed that Japan-only releases would be translated and an insurmountable collection of titles would be released. For Nintendo, the VC is an absolute pittance of games. The games that are there are good...but where is Earthbound, SM:RPG, etc...

PS3: This system is pretty solid. It will Freeze if you put in 12+ hours of play without a cooling device, but, from what I have experienced personally, the wii and 360 freezing is far more common.

I fell in love with warhawk. I really did. The massive landscapes and lack of lag or drop in connections or even frame rate during 32 person matches was incredible! Don't get me wrong, Gears of war is my favourite shooter at the moment.

But, I think anyone who likes shooters will love warhawk.

The ps3 has a great controller. Not for ergonomic design or sixaxis BS, but for having it as a [i]detatchable, rechargable[i\] controller. That means no AA batteries like the xbox wireless controller or wiimote--I find that extremely repulsive. The only gripe I have with the sony controller is that they're too damn fragile.

Realistically, anyone could pick up any of the 3 leading consoles, buy a handful of games and be completely satisfied with their purchases.

But really, Sony electronics are just the pinnacle of superiority. They've just never given me a reason to complain.

The virtual console: I immediately assumed that Japan-only releases would be translated and an insurmountable collection of titles would be released. For Nintendo, the VC is an absolute pittance of games. The games that are there are good...but where is Earthbound, SM:RPG, etc...


Maybe you just didn't realise yet that new games are released every monday...

So these games' turns will come in due time.

The ps3 has a great controller. Not for ergonomic design or sixaxis BS, but for having it as a [i]detatchable, rechargable[i\] controller. That means no AA batteries like the xbox wireless controller or wiimote--I find that extremely repulsive. The only gripe I have with the sony controller is that they're too damn fragile.

I find having to attach my controller by a wire to recharge it repulsive. I'd much rather just replace the batteries and plug the old AA batteries into my recharger on the wall and continue playing, uninhibited by a wire.

I find having to attach my controller by a wire to recharge it repulsive. I'd much rather just replace the batteries and plug the old AA batteries into my recharger on the wall and continue playing, uninhibited by a wire.

Well the ps3 controller at a full charge lasts 24 hours. And from no battery life to full takes about an hour and a half.so just leaving your controller plugged in for 10 minutes while you play gives multiple hours of use.

This was more or less directed at the wiimote which is a juice sucking demon. The 360 at a full charge gives 300 hours supposedly but I dunno if that's true or not.

I just always leave it plugged into a usb hub when I'm not using it and it's great. It even works with zsnes and dgen when i want to play on PC.

Keeping a controller that has a rechargeable battery pack plugged into the system will shorten the lifespan (if it can last for 34 hours, then it will work it's way down to 10 before you know it). And as far as I know, the 360 controller (with battery pack) lasts for 25 hours of continuous use. Not sure about the ones that need AA batteries though.

i think most of us over 20 have been lifelong nintendo fans b/c the NES was the first system we ever owned...based on the experiences i have had with my various nintendo systems vs. everything else, i would also say its the most kid friendly system..we grew up with tetris and dr. mario and now kids grow up playing grand theft and manhunt

thus if i had a kid i would much rather buy him a cheap wii and a mario game than an xbox and something like an fps...it seems every game on xbox is an fps doesn't it? plus if he busts it like i did with my NES when i was ten i would only be down 250 instead of 400-500 bux

I'm over twenty but I liked Sega better. I didn't really like Nintendo...okay, the 64 was awesome but that was it!

> One of the major studios (can't remember which at the moment) announced
> that it is dropping support for HD-DVD.
That would be Warner Bros.

> That means no AA batteries like the xbox wireless controller or wiimote
I find having non-replaceable batteries repulsive. Sure, the controller can be plugged in to recharge, but what's going to happen if the battery eventually fails (believe me, it happens, particularly with Sony devices. I have a Sony Clie PDA who can't hold more than an hour of charge nowadays because it's rechargable battery is kaput. When I bought it in 2003, it's battery lasted a good 2 weeks per charge). And I can't replace the batteries because the battery is inside the device, which is secured with proprietary screws. Replaceable AA batteries? Keep one set of Rechargeable AA batteries in the charger, another in the controller, and when it runs dry, replace the batteries with the set waiting in the charger, and put the other set into the charger. And when they eventually die, you don't have to throw out the entire controller.

Personally, I have yet to buy any of the current generation consoles. So long as no one has figured out how to remove region-locking on these consoles (mod-chip or otherwise), I don't want it. Also, they still costs above a thousand RM each, which is way out of my budget range (especially the PS3- two grand plus plus RM is a lot for a game console for me). And lastly, no games that interests me yet on the consoles.

I'm going to take issue with a couple of things you just said.

First, the fact that Playstation consoles have had more games in a particular genre in previous generations means nothing now. The old rulebook is gone. And in fact, the Xbox 360 has more real (i.e. western) RPGs in development, and has more of the Japanese adventure games that the silly slant-eyes call RPGs.

Second, DBZ:BT2 is in no way easier on PS2. The motion/pointer-based gameplay on the Wii version is far superior due to the fact that the it actually requires a bit of actual skill, rather than simple button mashing. When you get used to it, it's also pretty damn intuitive, fast, and accurate. And despite that, you can still play it with a Gamecube or Classic controller, which means it totally destroys the PS2 version in every way imaginable.

wow you really seem to hate Sony or love Wii, whatever.
but my comment did it's purpose, sorry but when there are threads like that I like to put some comparisons to see how people react too bad I cought only one person.(oh and button mashing makes the game faster, and that's good in a fighting game, besides I hate Gamecube cotroller)


These topics became nonsense when people start to post something like:
"Wii sucks man, PS3 is far more better"
or
"Xbox has better graphics than PS3"
or
"I hate Xbox, people only talk about Halo"
or
"Do not insult me with a list of the few RPG's Xbox has"
(this last one I have seen it somewhere else recently actually)

No comment is going to make you change desicion, that is if you already own a console xD , either you liked it or not, this is no war thread is just opinions
I'm going to get a PS3 and I won't change it gor a Wii or Xbox360.

I like this thread, pople here are really givin full opinions and solid arguments

One more thing, about the rechargable battery on the PS3 controller: the life of those kind of batteries have increased in the past few years, but that depends on the quality. For example I used to have an ipod but I changed it for a Zen, the las one has a 14+ hours of battery while my ipod had mmm... I don't remember but was about 10 hrs that decreased to 7 in no time while the Zen still has it's (almost) full potential after one year and the charge requires the same time

I wish I had one of those consoles to give more solid arguments, but the only thing I can tell you is that a rechargable inside battery can be replaced easily with rechargable AA batteries, the charge time on the AA is greater and the inside battery last longer but is a way of replacing this. Anyway I don't have any troubles with those thing since I don't own a PS3, 360 or Wii D:
but the controller issue is really a good thing to argue about. The only really different controller is, obviously, the Wii remote I don't see any downsides on this besides the short cable that it has. The other are very similar and now the 360 has a less squared controller that, for me, is trying to look like a PS3 controller I can switch between those two consoles very fast but with the wii I have to take some time to get accostumed to it.

I kind of doubt that. Every FF after VII has been released on consoles that already had signifigant marketshare. Granted, FFVII was in no small part responsible for the ps1's success, especially earlier on, but as far as I can tell right now, XIII hasn't anywhere near the media hype or the advertising power VII had.[/QUOTE]

I dont know how to work quotes properly so this could end up being very wrong (complete forum retard i know)...anyhoo, that may be right, but the thing i was getting at was mainly Crisis Core. This is because it more or less single handedly re-launched the psp in Japan due to the popularity of the FF series (it actually outsold the DS during the week in its release and a couple of weeks after). I thought that this could translate onto the ps3 with FFXIII, also a lot of my friends have considered buying a ps3 purely for the FFXIII, admitedly if i had the money i would to.

The only really different controller is, obviously, the Wii remote I don't see any downsides on this besides the short cable that it has.

The wiimote has no cable. :confuse:

Rechargable AA's > recharable battery packs 99% of the time. I don't think much more needs to be said on that issue.

On controllers, the 360 controller is the best feeling classic-styled controller of all time. It's not really trying to emulate the dualshock controller at all, though. It's obviously based off the original xbox controller, which at a huge stretch could maybe be described as a ripoff of the gamecube controller's analog stick layout because gcn came out two months earlier, but you'd have to be an idiot to take that argument and use it.

I'm not anti-sony, but nowadays their controller design feels old and outdated. I always hated using analog on my PS2 because it was just far enough away that it was slightly uncomfortable (and slight uncomforts are really about the most you can complain about).

but my comment did it's purpose, sorry but when there are threads like that I like to put some comparisons to see how people react too bad I cought only one person.

In b4 lolsmokey


The wiimote has no cable. :confuse:

I think he meant the cable between the remote and nunchuk.


On controllers, the 360 controller is the best feeling classic-styled controller of all time. It's not really trying to emulate the dualshock controller at all, though. It's obviously based off the original xbox controller, which at a huge stretch could maybe be described as a ripoff of the gamecube controller's analog stick layout because gcn came out two months earlier, but you'd have to be an idiot to take that argument and use it.

I'm not anti-sony, but nowadays their controller design feels old and outdated. I always hated using analog on my PS2 because it was just far enough away that it was slightly uncomfortable (and slight uncomforts are really about the most you can complain about).

I agree with you on all that pretty much completely. The 360 controller really is the best of the lot. It would be really great if Sony would redesign their controllers since it does feel pretty cramped if you have to use both analog sticks.

The wiimote has no cable. :confuse:

Rechargable AA's > recharable battery packs 99% of the time. I don't think much more needs to be said on that issue.

On controllers, the 360 controller is the best feeling classic-styled controller of all time. It's not really trying to emulate the dualshock controller at all, though. It's obviously based off the original xbox controller, which at a huge stretch could maybe be described as a ripoff of the gamecube controller's analog stick layout because gcn came out two months earlier, but you'd have to be an idiot to take that argument and use it.

I'm not anti-sony, but nowadays their controller design feels old and outdated. I always hated using analog on my PS2 because it was just far enough away that it was slightly uncomfortable (and slight uncomforts are really about the most you can complain about).

yeah sorry for the confusion, is just taht sometimes I can't remember very well the conrrect words since English is not my home language, so that brings confusion up.

And yes the PS controller is really old, that is some real mistake by Sony, but I feel more confortable with my thumb slightly separated from the fingers, I kinda feel like I can move it freely.

In b4 lolsmokey


sorry for the silly question but... what?

it's an in-joke.

I am interested in the wii and the 360, i only own a wii. i have a a grudge against sony due to dodgy ps2s, though i will get a ps3 if that's the way things go.

i've the 360 myself and it's worked great from day one, there's the odd freeze every 2 or 3 weeks but thats about it. couldn't be happier with it, have/had gears of war, bioshock, the orange box, mass effect and loads of other titles and they've all been really good. controller's great as well so very happy with it.
tbh mass effect alone is reason enough to buy it.

the wii is great fun, don't own one but a friend of mine has one and i've had plenty of access to it, all the games i've played are great. SM galaxy and RE4 especially.

don't really have any interest in ps3, cause there's no game i really want on it, except of course mgs4, but then again, what if they fuck it up, eg mgs2...

I have a Sony Clie PDA who can't hold more than an hour of charge nowadays because it's rechargable battery is kaput. When I bought it in 2003, it's battery lasted a good 2 weeks per charge).
I am pretty sure battery life is shortened by improperly recharging them. You should always wait until a battery has run dry before recharging it (that is what I've been told anyway).

Wii: Personally, I originally thought the Wii was going to flop when I first heard of it as it was being developed although I wasn't really thinking well back then (I was still subscribed to GamePro and other such magazines along with a very limited access to the internet). Even though I admire the Wii now somewhat, I felt motion sensing was nothing but a gimmick. The motion sensing in games like Zelda: Twilight Princess and even Wii Sports felt generally tacked on, too many mini-game games like Mario Party 8, WarioWare, Cooking Mama (hate the new addition of the voiced mother btw) and not much other games generally to choose from besides the typical Nintendo titles. I am, however, very impressed with Super Mario Galaxy. SMG restored my faith in what possibilities there might be if and when developers realize how to utilize the Wii-mote's capabilities. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of twirling around a planet and the special feeling of being immersed into a game physically really felt amazing (along with the music).

What I really despise about the Wii, like what has already been said, is the very limited amount of internal memory that's available. I intend to someday buy games from VC and enjoy the old classics I once had like on my SNES. But I don't want to be put in a position where I have to delete games to make room for new ones. I sort of feel a bit cheated with the somewhat overpriced games on VC. I deeply wished, if possible, if I didn't have to repurchase games I've already bought for my SNES (I still remember the old days of cartridges being like what, 70?). It's a minor thing really and quite debatable if Nintendo should grant free copies to those who own an old copy so I'm not pushing for it though it'd be extremely nice.

360: I'm on like my 3rd 360. RROD has been plaguing me badly and keeps chasing me unfortunately. I have a usb fan running, and it's been doing great to maintain the 360 I have but the problem is: it's still not enough when I'm playing my games. My 360 seems to overheat the most when I'm playing games so I merely use it nowadays to upscale my videos on my TV to watch. I'm actually in the minority who bought the 360 not because of the FPS games but the potential for some nice exclusive RPGs. Eternal Sonata was definitely not what I expected, and I was deeply disappointed as it felt like a weird hybrid between Tales of the Abyss and some other RPG that eludes me. I'm absolutely confident and sure Lost Odyssey will be what I'm looking for, but I have to send in the 360 eventually again so I'm able to play games before school starts.

The 360 is a wonderful media center, but I'm sorely disgruntled about the RROD issues and unable to play any games at the moment. Perhaps I'll try a Xbox game like Halo and see how it goes.

And quite frankly, I'm somewhat surprised and suspicious of the number of 360s that were sold in total. 17.7 million is indeed a great number but I would also like to ask and wonder how many of those 360s that were bought were to those who previously owned one and opted to buy a replacement? I was surely tempted numerous times too. I know the PS2 had its bad days too, but I'm not quite sure to this extent of what the 360 is going through.

PS3: I really don't know what to say about Sony. I intend to get one if and when there's another price drop and only if there are actually games worth getting for that particular console. I'm one of those type of gamers who thinks length of a game = worthwhile compared to games like God of War and Devil May Cry 3; hence, why I love RPGs and why they're my favorite genre perhaps? I love playing God of War and Devil May Cry 3, but I was never the type of person who'd play a game for an immensely short story especially 50 dollars, which is why I wait until the drop to play.

The way I'm looking at the PS3, there really isn't much bang for the buck right now for games. The hardware reliability seems to be there (except the numerous versions that have come out with no bwc) and a somewhat better customer service than Microsoft though not even by a bit (varies really, right?).

I am pretty sure battery life is shortened by improperly recharging them. You should always wait until a battery has run dry before recharging it (that is what I've been told anyway).

yeah people said the same thing to me, I think is because that way the reaction can be complete. But most of the things that have rechargeable battery always keep some energy only to tell you that the battery is low with a blinking image xD so there is always some wasted energy there.

In b4 lolsmokey



I think he meant the cable between the remote and nunchuk.



I agree with you on all that pretty much completely. The 360 controller really is the best of the lot. It would be really great if Sony would redesign their controllers since it does feel pretty cramped if you have to use both analog sticks.


In my mind, the 360 controller is good but I think you are overrating it. It is not without flaws.

The directional pad...is just a fancy elevated analog stick. Which works great for fps games. but try playing games that require dextrous d-pad movement like mortal kombat 3 or other games (particularly xbla games). You will find that mashing in combos nigh impossible.

the ps3 controller needs reworked analog sticks for fps games. But I just use usb keyboard and mouse for the 1 fps i have for the system, UT3

All we said is that it's the best of the lot, not that it's perfect.

Yeah, The D pad on Microsoft's controllers always have the tendency to suck.

At the very least, they are comfortable in the hands.

One of the major studios (can't remember which at the moment) announced that it is dropping support for HD-DVD.

According to a couple of recent news articles I read it was Warner. It's also been mentioned Paramount could well do the same. Apparently they initially offered exclusive backing to HD-DVD, on the basis the decision could be reversed if Warner decided to switch.

Interestingly it's also been suggested that Microsoft's continuing support for the HD-DVD format could mean it still stands a fair chance of success. Of course, only time will tell.

Just to throw this out there, I've been having a discussion with Hynad and I figure other people might be interested.

In essence, I brought up the notion that Blu-ray winning the format war at this point could effectively doom both formats.

First, consider the fact that HD formats have not yet penetrated the mainstream, and cannot be expected to do so for some time. Mainstream consumers are still perfectly happy with DVDs.

In terms of sales, stand-alone HD DVD players are leading over their Blu-ray counterparts. On top of that, HD DVD disc sales indicate a much higher attach rate, probably due entirely to the fact that most PS3 owners don't use their consoles as dedicated BD players, whereas all HD DVD players sold are used exclusively for movies and similar content.

Taking that into account, it seems slightly insane for so many studios to be going to Blu-ray exclusivity. The desires of the consumers are being left behind, which is a dangerous and self-destructive path in the business world. Now here comes the reason why I think Blu-ray could fail also if it "wins" the format war now. This is entirely my own theory, based on absolutely nothing but my own observations, which I'm sure many of you already believe to be reliable anyway.

Your average Joe Blow armchair quarterback does not know or care about the difference between formats. At this point, he thinks his DVD player is all he needs, and will likely continue to think so for a long time. DVD has a leg up in convincing customers to adopt it, in that it looked different and offered things VHS couldn't possibly offer, such as a wide variety of extra features. BD and HD DVD have no such advantage. Instead of being a new technology, it's an extension of an old one, and for that reason, it will fail to make the same impression in the minds of consumers.

People need to become aware of these formats in order to care about them. They need to see that the future does lie in HD formats, but that's a very hard sell under these circumstances. For a semi-related example, you can look at the success of the Wii. The games don't look as pretty as the other two consoles', but it's outselling them easily and achieving a much greater degree of mainstream market penetration. Obviously, looks are not everything to consumers, so they can't be expected to adopt HD players on the sole basis that they look better than DVDs.

Now the format war has forced both sides to slash their prices. But if Blu-ray establishes a dominant position now, the price will stabilize, and maybe even go up again. That will put a stopper in sales figures as surely as anything. On top of that, HD DVD is a much more powerful tool for selling HD formats because consumers will see it as a natural evolution of DVD technology instead of some newfangled thing trying to usurp it. The fact that Blu-ray has been mentioned in conjunction with HD DVD so often has helped to build awareness of it as a competitor for the same market. Without having that direct correlation in the minds of consumers to an upgrade of the DVD format, it's far less likely for BD to break into the mainstream. It also gives a third party time to come in and create another challenge.

In essence, the format war itself has been protecting Blu-ray from falling into obscurity and dying out.

Thoughts?

Yeah, The D pad on Microsoft's controllers always have the tendency to suck.

At the very least, they are comfortable in the hands.

OMG so true, I bought one for 15 USD. You have to hit up dead on or else you'll go up to the left or right.

Sincerly,
Beta Max Vs VHS
DVD vs DIVX
DAT Vs MiniDisc ????

The price on players, consoles and Tv's will be the deciding factor. We could not rent more than a dozen diff DVD's at Blockbuster (at least in my town) until players were well under 199.00. I'm also old enough to remember that you could not buy Music CD's at your average music store even though the players were sold. Even in the heart of Silicon Valley, you had to buy music CD's at specialty stereo retailers.

I dont belive it is in the hands of the consumer to decide which format wins or if its even evolved. It lies in the effectivness of retail, entertainment industry, along with technology to make it available and affordable for the consumer. And HD is most certainly available and affordable these days.

Too much stuff for me to quote and respond to, so I'll try to respond to the ones I remember. If anyone had a direct question they asked me or something they wanted me to clarify more on, just say so.

You are <B>supposed</B> to let rechargable batteries go completely dead before you recharge them in order to maintain both the amount of playtime you can get in a single charge, and the number of times you can recharge them to their original running time (what you get on a full charge right out of the box). I do it both for my Wii and 360. When one set of batteries die, I switch to the other console and let the suckers charge overnight. The 360 gets about a 15 hour charge on the batteries I use, and the Wii about 20.

About the Virtual Console. People can complain about Nintendo not releasing a ton of old games at once all they want, because it's just simply not going to happen. The best market strategy for them is to stagnant the releases, like they do now with three titles a week. Sure I definately want the best of the best games to come out sooner rather than later, because it seems like there is only one, at most, worth downloading per week.

don't forget that newer dvd players can upconvert standard dvd's to hi def

don't forget that newer dvd players can upconvert standard dvd's to hi def

It doesn't upconvert it to HD at all. All the upscaling does is match the native resolution of the HD TV. The screen will look better than if you were using a regular DVD player with no upscaling fonctions on a HD TV, but in no way do you gain a vivid and detailed screen quality comparable to the HD-DVDs or Blu-Rays.

It is still a 480p screen stretched to match the higher resolution of your HD TV.

I'd just like to say that I'm still perfectly happy with VHS, except for the fact that movies don't come out on it anymore and I don't have a VCR in my dorm room.
I begrudingly accept DVD.

HD-DVD/Blu-ray? Maybe in 10 years? I got a DVD player this year.

I have a PS2, DVD player by ftw.

High Definition...I guess includes Televisions with: 480p(standard DVD player)/720i/720p/1080i/1080p or higher...?

Only 2 facts come to mind that I've seen on the news recently or on the CES:

i. 20-30 percent of households in the US have HDTVs

ii. Sony is predicting HDTVs to breach the 50 percent mark this year.

iii. Microsoft's official response is that it is not worried due to the digital media it's providing through xbox live.

If the HDTV sales spike like the predictions say, then yes, people aren't going to be satisfied with just upscaling DVDS. They are going to want HD feeds that make use of the highest resolution their television has available.

I have the 360 add-on HD-DVD hard drive. I purchased the 40 year old virgin on it. It was stunning...because it wasn't released for blu ray, I had to rip it to my computer, convert it to blu ray format and play it on my ps3 and it was equally as stunning.

I don't think video playing should be relevant to the console wars. I would much rather look at the gaming aspect. It's common knowledge that any high end BD\HDDVD player can outperform xbox360/ps3.

I want it solemnly understood, however, that if I had watched the movie on a blue ray disc @ a native resolution on the ps3, the quality would have been significantly enhanced. The 360 does NOT actually display proper 1080P images the way they were meant to be seen. It has been upsampled significantly.

About failed ports of pre-existing games: I don't like hearing people compare the relative power of the machines on 2 supposedly identical multi platform games. Yes if a game is made for the 360, and rush-ported to the ps3 it's going to be equal to or worse-than the original.

Companies like EA are to blame. They whine about the ps3 programming architecture because he or she can no longer take the lazy way of assembling his or her game engine from his or her prebuilt routines.

"Make it like a PC so I can reuse all my old work."

No. You fucking do your job that you are paid 50-120 000 dollars/year to do.

The really disappointing games are coming from the west. Electronic arts is the real culprit here. It didn't only happen to the ps3, though.

Let's not forget the abomination they created on the 360 with "battle for middle earth 2" where, before the patch, it dropped to 15 FPS during high intensity scenes.

Evidence...I don't have enough. But I do have a little.

I own oblivion for both systems (the 360 version is pirated and burned illegally obviously)

Now people bash ps3's oblivion as being a waste (the whole game is about 6gb) because of the small usage of the ps3 blu ray disc. But in fact, the game was copied twice to the blu ray disc to improve loading times. Greatly. That's one title that, aside from downloadable content, the ps3 blew out of the water.

Gears of war. Probably the best game graphically I have ever on either console. But the developers had to cut so much out of it.

Because of the obvious spatial limitations, they were unable to do an atmosphere transfer from night to day and a lot of miscellaneous goodies were cut out.

DVD capacity is going to be a severe hinderance in next-gen game development. I wonder how MS will deal with that.

I don't think video playing should be relevant to the console wars. I would much rather look at the gaming aspect. It's common knowledge that any high end BD\HDDVD player can outperform xbox360/ps3.


My attitude also. I think it's ridiculous when people come out with comments such as "The PS3 looks really good. It's even got Blue Ray!" I immediately think "for heaven's sake, what's that actually got to do with anything?"

Not that I've a problem with people who choose to buy console with an in-built dvd player as opposed to buying them seperately. But it seems to me at times people are quick to forget what the real point of a gaming console is - actual gaming.

My attitude also. I think it's ridiculous when people come out with comments such as "The PS3 looks really good. It's even got Blue Ray!" I immediately think "for heaven's sake, what's that actually got to do with anything?"

Not that I've a problem with people who choose to buy console with an in-built dvd player as opposed to buying them seperately. But it seems to me at times people are quick to forget what the real point of a gaming console is - actual gaming.

I think it is incredibly stupid when a person like you post a comment like this.

Every fonctions and factors should be taken into account when you compare 2 systems. If you don't see the reason why, then you clearly have some brain issues.

Every fonctions and factors should be taken into account when you compare 2 systems. If you don't see the reason why, then you clearly have some brain issues.

Umm hang on a sec. You totally misinterpreted what I said.

All I am saying is that it's stupid for a person to choose to buy a console based on the fact that it happens to have an inbuilt dvd player - without taking anything else at all into account. Believe it or not I have come across people like that. I said nothing about comparing two systems. Just giving a personal example of the kind of thing I meant i.e. the PS3 example.

Still, since you brought it up, as it happens I completely agree on the point you made about making system comparisons.


I think it is incredibly stupid when a person like you post a comment like this

I haven't a clue why you think it's necessary to suddenly start throwing personal digs like this at me. Especially when I've never - intentionally - treated you in anything less than a respectful manner on here. But if you choose to make negative assumptions about me regardless of this then as far as I'm concerned that's your problem.

I didn't misinterpret your comment. I took it word for word.


My attitude also. I think it's ridiculous when people come out with comments such as "The PS3 looks really good. It's even got Blue Ray!" I immediately think "for heaven's sake, what's that actually got to do with anything?
Not that I've a problem with people who choose to buy console with an in-built dvd player as opposed to buying them seperately. But it seems to me at times people are quick to forget what the real point of a gaming console is - actual gaming."

Just re-read yourself.

Hmm. Seeing as at the very start of that post I indicated I agreed with Duke on not thinking video playing should be relevant to console wars, and didn't think to split the next few sentences up into a seperate paragraph I can - to a degree - understand why you responded how you did.

Still I agreed with what Duke said as for one can't see why it's essential for consoles in general to have a video playing feature included i.e. dvd player. While it might indeed be handy for many gamers, a games console is perfectly capable of functioning well without it. I assumed that was what he meant, though perhaps somehow I was overlooking something. Admittedly I didn't read everything.

Hmm. Seeing as at the very start of that post I indicated I agreed with Duke on not thinking video playing should be relevant to console wars, and didn't think to split the next few sentences up into a seperate paragraph I can - to a degree - understand why you responded how you did.

Still I agreed with what Duke said as for one can't see why it's essential for consoles in general to have video playing included. While it might indeed be a handy feature for many gamers, a games console is perfectly capable of functioning well without it.

Yet, if they were to remove the video playback fonctionality, you'd see people complaining that it reads DVD roms, but not regular DVDs.

I'm not anti-sony, but nowadays their controller design feels old and outdated. I always hated using analog on my PS2 because it was just far enough away that it was slightly uncomfortable (and slight uncomforts are really about the most you can complain about).
On this point, because my hands are a different sized than yours I disagree. I find the ps controller to fit perfectly and have no troubles working both analogue sticks at the same time. The PS controller suits me perfectly, so when you call it outdated, I'll call it timeless.

On the other hand I've always hated the X-Box controller. Far too big and clunky; people mentioned they think the ps controller is too cramped - I think the xbox controller is far too irregularly spaced, such that I must remove my hand from the grip in order to reach normal button combinations.

Now the Wii, since no-one else has stressed this so far I'm guessing it was mostly my version but I have a complaint or two. First, the often unresponsive, inaccurate nature of the motion sensitivity. I found the actions on screen often did not correspond to the input action - more often than not random actions are sent to the game after I have set the controller gently down on the ground and stood back. Very frustrating. Maybe it was the game (Wii Play I think..? Sports too) or the copy of the console, maybe not.

Secondly, as the battery depleted the responsiveness of the controller plummeted. Via playing, you can really tell when the battery is half full, then less so. Theoretically if I want to play the game properly I need the battery perpetually near full capacity, otherwise it feels like a faulty controller. Bah.

Hmm. Seeing as at the very start of that post I indicated I agreed with Duke on not thinking video playing should be relevant to console wars, and didn't think to split the next few sentences up into a seperate paragraph I can - to a degree - understand why you responded how you did.

Still I agreed with what Duke said as for one can't see why it's essential for consoles in general to have a video playing feature included i.e. dvd player. While it might indeed be handy for many gamers, a games console is perfectly capable of functioning well without it. I assumed that was what he meant, though perhaps somehow I was overlooking something. Admittedly I didn't read everything.

Yeah Im really trying to avoid people attacking a console because it cant play divx/hd-dvds etc...

l would like very much to see some predictions of the 'next-gen' portables

I have a hunch there will be a new ds model released by Q3.

and psp skype: a very clunky cellular phone?

Well, attacking a console for that reason is stupid, but pointing out the fonctionalities as a possible advantage over an other isn't.

Personally, I prefer the PS3 over the 360, as far as the SYSTEMs go, not software) because it comes with everything out of the box (I'm not going to talk about the theoretical horsepower they both have here). While the 360 becomes more expensive than the PS3 if you buy the add-ons you need to make it on par with it.

I've had my ps3 for a couple of months now and so far and to be honest i'm pretty disappointed with the few amount of great games it has. The reason i had always stuck with sony was because it always had a bigger game library than the other consoles I think that's why they were dominating for so long. But the console hasn't been out as long as the others, I'm hoping this year to see more RPG's come out for it since they are my fave type of game

Well, attacking a console for that reason is stupid, but pointing out the fonctionalities as a possible advantage over an other isn't.

Personally, I prefer the PS3 over the 360, as far as the SYSTEMs go, not software) because it comes with everything out of the box (I'm not going to talk about the theoretical horsepower they both have here). While the 360 becomes more expensive than the PS3 if you buy the add-ons you need to make it on par with it.

When I purchased my 360 I hadnt done any research.

The add-ons were pretty expensive.

49.99 per wired controller x3
29.99 chatpad
59.99 xbox live 1 year gold subscription
39.99 microsoft points x3
49.99 wireless ethernet adapter (needs a special one)
199.99 hd dvd player

the sixaxis controllers were all 59.99 but warhawk came with a pretty good bluetooth headset. Eye of judgement comes with a usb camera/microphone also.

xbox live forbids companies from giving away freebies. the ps3 store has an impressive pile of freebies available already.

with free portals, i just cant justify paying for live ever again.

On the other hand I've always hated the X-Box controller. Far too big and clunky; people mentioned they think the ps controller is too cramped - I think the xbox controller is far too irregularly spaced, such that I must remove my hand from the grip in order to reach normal button combinations.

Seriously? I'm willing to bet that I have smaller hands than nearly every member at this site and I have zero problems using the 360 controller.

The original XBox controller was a nightmare for me to use, but once they redesigned it I didn't have problems. Is that the only one you've used?


Anyways, I own a 360 and a DS. The DS is far and away the best system available right now, imo. I don't play my 360 as much, but I enjoy it and there are still many games I'd like to own for it.

The only exclusive game on the PS3 that looks interesting to me is Folklore, but I'd never buy a system for just one game.

I'm not especially interested in the Wii right now because most of the games that I'm drawn to for it are also available on the DS, and I'd rather play them on that. VC is neat and there's a good chance I'll get one a ways in the future.

The only way I'll ever wind up with a PSP is if Merl gets one and I borrow it. The idea of playing Disgaea on a handheld with lots of bonus stuff is very tempting, but it's not worth the price of a psp.

Here's an article I found while the Shrine was down:

Who really IS winning the HD/BluRay war? (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080114/media_nm/toshiba_hddvd_dc;_ylt=AvlsMots0D7b9Be0.cU663YjtBAF ) (The last sentence surprised me!)
Just thought you guys should know.

Also, I've noticed a trend lately. Older gamers (25 and up) tend to choose PS3 while Younger gamers (25 and younger) choose Xbox and Wii.

I've noticed exactly the opposite. My personal observations and discussions with clerks at retail outlets suggest that people under 25 and especially in the 13-19 age bracket are the ones that want the PS3, although older black males favor it also. The Xbox 360, meanwhile, tends to attract more people aged 25-40. Consumers buying the Wii seem to equally cover nearly every demographic except the above-mentioned adult black male.

Ok, Here is what I think. (I own the three systems, Wii, 360 ans PS3)

I will start with my recent purchase, the 360. After searching the market I found that the premium had the exact same price of the 40 GB PS3. My main concern at that time was whether I am going to get a modded vs. non-modded one. I searched the net to see if modding would affect the performance of the 360. All the advise I could obtain was to get one with the most recent manufacturing date. I ended up having one made on 22-09-2007.

Why the long story?? I live in Syria.. I will have no means of legal support if the system goes in "death mode". So, I have to raise up my chances and get the one that can last longer with lesser hardware failures. On th other hand,my heart was very calm when I got the Ps3 since I did not hear of mass-occurring problem like the one 360 had. This is to people who live in a country like mine, makes a very big difference.

I bought all the titles released on 360 when I got the consoles (illegal copies of course). This really felt nice, kinda like a compensation for all the the doubt and fear when you get a unit of 360. My ps3 has been living in my room for about 8 months now and I only own 4 titles, since they are expensive, and even I can afford them, getting one from the market here is really tough job. I can't find a lot of them, and if I do, they are not the titles I am looking for.

now, fast comparison points (based on my Opinion):
- 360 had a better controller than Ps3
- Ps3 had a better console design
- 360 was louder (I don't know why)
- Playing the same game on 360 and Ps3.. For some reason I enjoyed doing so more on the 360. For that purpose I tested Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty 4. I know some people would kill me for this point, but I am stating what I feel.
- I can't compare online gaming since I can't log on with my Xbox since its modded. But IMHO, I think the prize goes to ps3. ITS FREE. And I think this is way its meant to be.
-BR/HD DVD issue. I am not going to comment on it. A lot of comparison was done on this particular thread. I bought my consoles for gaming.
-Exclusive Titles: although currently the 360 is winning with games like gears of war and others; but I think that in the future, the Ps3 will claim it with titles like the upcoming Ico project, God of war sequel , Final Fantasy, Tekken and Metal gear Solid.


One last thing before I finish. Its really annoying to start your console with the fear that it will die on you. I think this is a real disadvantage when you consider a 360. All of the advise that you can get over the internet that speaks about prevention techniques to prevent overheating are near crap. Its going to overheat and die. I know it. and I am sad for that. Microsoft is still denying the problem though the company admitted other problems like Dvd scratching.

If my opinion showed lack of knowledge, then I apologize for it and will be happy to read what you will share. If you did not like it for other reasons, well,... I have nothing more to say.

Thank You

I'm still hoping for the N-Gage. I know that soon, Nokia will crush all their competition. You guys will think I'm crazy, because you don't know what they have up their sleeve. I do. I saw it. And it ain't pretty. For the other companies, that is. For Nokia, it most certainly is pretty.

You'll see. It will happen. 08/08/08 is the day. You heard it here first.

Boom!

I've never played a mobile game that required the dedication of an adventure game, I only play Bejeweled and such.

I've never played a mobile game that required the dedication of an adventure game, I only play Bejeweled and such.

Did you just say Bejeweled? Damn. You've looked up Nokia's secret sleeve too then, huh. Well, their plans are spoiled now. Forever. Are you proud?

So, I really don't think the N-Gage will win the wars anymore.

Plan B.

Game.com - it can do it. It will do it!

You heard that here first too. And this time, it's on!

I've noticed exactly the opposite. My personal observations and discussions with clerks at retail outlets suggest that people under 25 and especially in the 13-19 age bracket are the ones that want the PS3, although older black males favor it also.

This made me laugh big time. I remember when I first started playing resistance. the people were older. I don't recall talking to a single child on the voice chat.

Does the age-group primarily using the system make or break it's online mode? Well, not necessarily...

BUT: There is another problem. Xbox live users more frequently use their headsets for in-game chat.

Now keep in mind Xbox Live does not host dedicated servers. So any increases in the maximum latency of the connection has serious reprocussions for other users, often giving people who spam the game using their headset a slight lag.

No designated servers+voice chat = desynchronization+lag on 360

This lag exists because the vast majority of high speed internet providers provide god awful upload speeds which, in turn, result in even more degradation in the 360 console's overall latency. Remember that lag leads to exploits. This is even more of a huge deal in halo 3 where players can generate lag whenever they need to dodge a rocket, etc. It happens, trust me.

Designated servers are a huge deal. Most ps3 online games have them. And warhawk even has the ability to let anyone who owns the game to set up their ps3 as a dedicated server for their friends or even the public if they want.

What happens commonly when a host tries to run a non designated server in gears of war: the game will sometimes pause and present an error message that tells you to wait while your connection to the game is refreshed. This could take anywhere from 10 seconds to god knows when and the game could boot you if you fail to connect in a timely manner.


I urge anyone who questions my 'testimony' here to play resistance:fall of man or, optimally, warhawk on ps3, then try a 360 game like GoW, Call of Duty or Halo 3.

I'm trying to give a fair account of what I've experienced on both consoles.

Continuing to ignore the seemingly pointless post above...

Wii: Play Biiyond

That line seems to annoy a lot of PS3 fans. Have fun with that.

Ha, that's cute.

My personal observations and discussions with clerks at retail outlets suggest that people under 25 and especially in the 13-19 age bracket are the ones that want the PS3, although older black males favor it also.

Hmm interesting to know. I wonder why it is they happen to be the exception.

Continuing to ignore the seemingly pointless post above...

Wii: Play Biiyond

That line seems to annoy a lot of PS3 fans. Have fun with that.

The point was that your 'discussion with retail clerks' is a really, really horrible source. I was laughing at how horribly skewed your observations were as a result of poor information.

PS3 = Older gamers. Especially during and for the first few months following the launch.

He doesn't need a source for something he clearly said was his own personal observation. He was responding to Vastalis' own personal observations and simply pointing out that he'd observed otherwise.

To the best of my knowledge, there are no stats on the average age of the owners of any specific console, so no one can really provide anything outside personal observations anyways. It is a little weird that you seem to think yours carry some sort of huge weight, though?

Prak: I had to use google-fu to get the Wii: Play Biiyond joke. :(

also: I predict the neogeo pocket color will win the console wars. (if only)

because the players you (personally) experienced on ONE GAME on the PS3 is a much better "source" than the people who actually sell the consoles day in and day out.

The seller source is in one area, whereas the players can be from all over the US/Eur.

I think that's what point he was trying to make.

No it wasn't :\ He said nothing about that anywhere, simply that his experience with ONE game was somehow a legitimate and better source overall than speakign to retail clerks. At any rate, Prak even said it was personal observation. This guy acts like what he's experienced is fact. Which I guess it may very well be fact that he's never spoken to a child, but all the same, you can't tell the age of someone based solely on their voice/performance in a game. And its ONE GAME.

I doubt a deep throaty voice is that of a child, but that's besides the point. You could also say how can these clerks tell age by looking at a customer ( unless they ID everyone ) I'm probably just reaching now... >.>

To say you're reaching would be excessively kind.