Console Wars

[Contra Fates]

It's time for one of those console war threads! So, pick your favorite console, and explain why you chose it. Feel free to go as in detail as you like!

I used to be a serious Sony fangirl. I loved Sony, everything Sony. Squaresoft [I mean it!] is the main reason for this. But in current days, with the way the consoles have been, I find myself leaning far more to the X-Box 360 side of things, which is a shock to me. I never really cared for Microsoft, but ever since they've adopted a 'give the fans what they want' mentality, I can't help but like them!

So, here's to hoping that Microsoft comes out with a handheld system and sticks a Blu-Ray drive in their console! [Granted, I realize that this would be very difficult from a developer's standpoint. I keep hearing how difficult coding in Blu-Ray is, but, still!]

So, tell me who wins in your eyes!

[Inu]

I have no preference. But I usually tend to stick to Sony/Nintendo. That way I don't have to deal with



every 6 months. /totally unbiased.

[BlackJack]

/totally unbiased.

I prefer 360. It has a good balance of graphics and quality game library. PS3 wins the graphical aspect easily, but has few exclusive games that are worth buying the system for. And it helps that I don't give a damn about bluray. Redray is just fine for my needs. And Wii has some good games, too, but not more than 360, and the it has the lowest graphical power of the three. As Inu says, there is the 360's tendency to bork, but I've never had it Red-ring, and I only known one person whose 360 did.

And then there's the fact that Microsoft's profit from the Xbox franchise has been negligible (and that's when they make money at all), yet they still keep it going. I respect that.

[Jigoku Shōjo]

I'm a Kingdom Hearts Fan-girl so when I heard about 358/2 days I had to buy a DS. It wasn't till a year later the game came out but my DS suprisingly got put to a lot of use over that time. I found a large amount of games I enjoyed which is rare for me since I normally find only a few games I love for a specific console.

[dippindotty]

I picked the DS just because I own one.
I was going to pick the PS3 too, but I only 1 game for that console. :-0

edit: Oh darn, I should have picked 'other'. N64 & SEGA DREAMCAST!!!!! <3 I love them just because they are old school. Surprisingly, my N64 still runs pretty darn smoothly.

[Fuyumine]

Let me start off by saying that I do not own a PlayStation 3, and it's still something I prefer. I'm sure the moment I get my hands on one, I'll experience some annoying little problems, but that comes with just about every console out there.

With the PS3, I appreciate the free internet, I LUST for the exclusive titles they have, it comes with a god damn Blu-Ray player, it's quieter than most consoles right now (The Wii might be just as quiet, I don't know), and it has a built in 20 or 60 or 100+ gig harddrive.

It's so beautiful T_T

[Recycled Human]

@Fuyu : The PS3 is nice. All those reasons are perfectly good reasons to pick one up! Definitely research it and try and play around with the features it has.

Its to my experience that the only aspect of the ps3 worth anything is the bluray player. And possibly the graphics...

The internet on the PS3 leaves much to be desired even though you don't have to pay extra for its wireless capabilities, it offers its free service for dlc, and it has a selection of games that can be downloaded with ease. The drawback for this is really in the games. There isn't much that you might want and I don't see anything in the way of progress for it. The interactivity on the PS3 is also pretty bleak, especially when you consider the ease of use for the 360.

Just so you know, just by saving your games to the hard drive with your 360 you can quiet the system down to just about as much as the PS3. And between the two, its been my experience that the ps3 runs way hotter.

Then you look at the games, there really isn't anything that great on the system. All the games it does have are great visually, but since most of the truly great games seem to be multiplayer as well as multiplatform (I don't count Demons Souls on the multiplayer aspect or the 'great game' aspect...so you might take my opinion with a grain of salt) and in the case of multiplayer 360 has ps3 beat.

@Topic : At any case, I read a couple articles in my issue of Game Informer (I think thats the magazine that gamestop gives you for joining their little club) that really shed some light on the three big companies.

Sony's article explored the poor sales of the PSP Go and the dragging sales of the PSP 3000 as well as the mindset Sony is undertaking concerning digital and hard copies of games. One of the main complaints with the Go is the fact that you can't transfer umd to the system. And the big problem for me was that the Sony rep was claiming that this was the way of the future with no need for change. Sales would tell you otherwise...

I've downloaded a fair share of things online, full versions of games being one of them and its great for those really elusive games that you can no longer find but for the most part its a pretty poor decision. Hard copies offer so much more than digital, if not the competative price (360 full game is 30 bucks, while I can buy the same game at best buy for 10 dollars less, OR I can buy those games used for even cheaper). Hard copies offer extra content, be it in the form of codes for DLC, or extras like figurines, maps, posters, leather bound journals (I got a batarang and cool case with the Batman Game). And finally, a manual. Sure you can download one online pretty easily, or just figure the stuff out yourself, but nothing beats exploring a bit then reading the manual later to understand whats going on.

The wii had a really sad article talking about what they wouldn't do, and while I wasn't exactly sure of what they were talking about. The whole 'we aren't doing what our customers want' thing really got to me.

Finally, the 360 article I read was nothing but a bunch of 'can do'. The rep discussed a few of the new features they were coming out with and a few things they planned to do. They described how their target was interactivity (Facebook, twitter, live.fm, zune, netflix, and eventually something called Sky TV) and how they tried to keep the friendly atmosphere alive. I was very impressed with their attitude and I'm a great fan of putting the customer first. Sure, the 360 charges you a yearly fee, but the things you get with it pay back in dividends.

Anyway, I picked the 360. I've played or owned all the above systems and it just suits my needs.

Maybe its all a matter of personal perspective, but ... go microsoft?

[Ryvius]

Out of the wii, 360, and ps3 I'd have to go for ps3. Why? Okay, I think it's safe to say we can eliminate the wii off the bat. It has some really fun games, and I'm definitely happy to have one, but the 360 and ps3 are obviously superior consoles. I'm cheap, so I enjoy the amount of free you get with a ps3. I'll admit you get what you pay for, Xbox's online service is superior, even if their online community is terrible. They can't be blamed for that though. Playing with people you know on the ps3 is easy as a breeze, but hooking up with strangers isn't so great.

Also, having an internet browser and being able to use linux is pretty fucking awesome. It has some games I love, like Valkyria Chronicles which is just about the best game ever. I also enjoy my PSP, and the PS3 and PSP work together wonderfully. To an oldfag like me who likes older games more than newer games the ps1 classics section of the playstation store is great. I think the most expensive ps1 games are $9.99, and they can be played on both the ps3 and the PSP. Game saves also transfer, so you can play your favorite game at home and then take it on the go.

Also, my ps3 is the only thing I have that can play Blu-ray.

The only real complain I have with the ps3 is that there's no music playback during gameplay. Also, I (naturally) can't hook my Zune up to it like I can with a 360.

Also, another reason I chose the ps3 over the 360 is because....a lot of people I know have a 360, and I know like...two people with a ps3. I prefer the 360 for local multiplayer but...if I'm hanging out with a friend, chances are they have a 360 we can play on.

[Dee]

I don't have a favorite; however, I alternate between PS3 and xbox360. There are just some games I have to play on the latter, like GTA, Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead. Whereas, for the PS3, I find myself preferring to play games like Uncharted, Final Fantasy, Assassin's Creed.

[Mellusia]

I'm currently in love with my PSP and DS, but I'll continue to hold a flame for my PS2 (that plays both PS1 and PS2 games) for many a years to come, even when I do finally get that PS3.

I've seen the XBOX 360 in action and I didn't really see anything to shoot it down for, but the main reason why I'm turned off by it is of course the infamous RROD. I mean, it's become so prevalent on the web with people's testominials and even a few people I know, it really has managed to scare me from getting the system.

It's unfair to judge mainly on that, but if I keep worrying about my system malfunctioning instead of enjoying the game, is it really worth it?

For the Wii, I recently bought it for my mom because she said she liked the interactive play it had. I'm a decent gamer. My mother? Not so much. It's why I think the Wii is good for the casual gamers and family - anyone could enjoy it for a little while.

As for the afore mentioned PS3 I want to have, I have made up my mind on having it. I suppose it's more out of habbit. I had a PS1, PS2 and a PSP. So my first reasoning is 'why break habit', right?

And I suppose there is also the gaming habbit. I'm a decent Final Fantasy fan and I'm still enjoying the series despite many comments across the board about it going down hill (pfft, haters xD), and I've played most of the games on the Sony systems (the SNES ports I played on my PS1) so while FFXIII is available for the XBOX 360, it just makes sense in my head to get it for the PS3.

And I know the main criticism is that the PS3 has been lacking in RPGs, which I'll concede - but that's the past. It took a while, for sure, but the PS3 is getting it's momentum. There are a couple of RPGs I wanna get that are on the PS3 so I feel more secure in my future purchase.

[Recycled Human]

I've had my xbox for over a year now with no sign of the rrod. I'm not too worried about it... Granted my 2 year protection plan ends in a year, we'll see how I feel then. To be honest, though I haven't heard of the ps3 crashing, I worry more about it than I do my 360.

I don't run into too many ps3 fans irl, so maybe it's just ignorance. I can tell you I stopped using my ps3 when I found out content was going to the 360 first. I've noticed that a couple of you WANT a ps3 but don't have one yet. And I can say you're doing the same thing I did when I had to make a decision. It's economical to try and get the best deal. You compare the features against what you think you need/want.

Ps3 has bluray, better graphics, several good exclusive titles, is a solid system developed by a reliable company, offers free Internet and a browser, has built in wifi.

These are all great logical reasons and I would gladly say, buy a ps3. But the problem is, you'll get much more out of xbox live and while it doesn't seem like a big deal (after all you never needed it before) you'll find that the better interconnectivity provides for a better environment all around. Or maybe not, it's your choice after all.

[Doaj]

I chose 360. I haven't played a PS3, so choosing it would be silly. The Wii is absolutely ludicrous. It's good games are few and far between, its controller is less than ideal, and the graphics aren't any better than the Gamecube's. Actually, I prefer the Gamecube over the Wii by about 90%. If they put out those new games on the Gamecube instead, I'd probably have bought one.

Anyway, the 360 has addictively fun online, great games, a comfortable controller, and I only have one qualm. I can't play mine. D= This Rrod shit has got to go. Luckily, Microsoft has always been the company that seems to learn from its mistakes. Next-gen should be breathtaking.

[BlackJack]

Oh, since this seems to be a shoppers guide of sorts, I want to warn people that the 3-year warranty that Microsoft advertised only counts if your 360 suffers RRoD. Otherwise, you get 1-year warranty. I found this out the hard way.

[Inu]

Oh, since this seems to be a shoppers guide of sorts, I want to warn people that the 3-year warranty that Microsoft advertised only counts if your 360 suffers RRoD. Otherwise, you get 1-year warranty. I found this out the hard way.

[Aleister Black]

I used to be a huge Nintendo fan, back int he days of the N64. However, since that time I've found that the PC holds a far greater attraction to me, and I have never owned another console after my N64 (except for an old PSone to play FF& and 8 on) and I don't really have any preferences now.

I thought Nintendo's Wii was a very good innovation, and it has possibly changed the way we approach video games. Still, I wouldn't buy it myself, since many of the games do not appeal to me at all.

The PS3 and the X360 are pretty much the same to me, though the PS3's capability to run BluRay discs might make me opt for that. I'll still pick 'no preference' though because I have nothing left of the old fanboyism I used to have back when I still played on my trusty N64 loads.


I'f I'm a fanboy of anything, it's the PC: the only TRUE gaming medium!

[Inu]

I'f I'm a fanboy of anything, it's the PC: the only TRUE gaming medium!

If your computer can handle it, that is.

[Recycled Human]

Yeah, I don't find it fun knowing the guy down the block can run the game I'm playing better than I can because I don't have the 'newest hardware'. Annoying. Though I admit the power of the pc is rather staggering.

[Aleister Black]

A computer might turn out more expensive per purchase than a console (though if you buy a good one its longevity is pretty much the same) but that's not so strange taking into account that a PC is a multimedia platform besides a gaming medium. If someone would want to trade me all consoles (plus games) of this generation (Wii, PS3 and X360) for my PC, I'd decline.

[BlackJack]

If I'm a fanboy of anything, it's the PC: the only TRUE gaming medium!

I'm so glad we have you to point out the correct way to play video games. I would have ignorantly played my consoles for years. The thought of how close I was to having fun the wrong way frightens me.

[Aleister Black]

I'm glad I was able to make a difference; SO MANY SOULS STILL TO SAVE!


(Maybe I should rectify it with; ''the only true gaming platform, for ME''?)