[TollhouseFrank]

I am considering getting one in the near future (yay tax returns!)... and will have enough money to get either a ps3+1 game or 360+2or3 games. I don't have an HDTV. I don't even have a t.v. with component in. I'm stuck with good ol' red/yellow/white composite.

1. Do I HAVE to have at least component in to use either of them? If so, that will stall my purchase for quite a while. Remember, Graphics aren't the big thing for me... fun is (NCAA Football for the win!)

2. When getting either system, what should i look for to make sure I don't get one that'll brick on me in 1-2 months? (i know with the 360, there is a serial key or something i need to look for?)

3. If getting one, should I avoid a certain type of store or look for a certain type of warranty?

[tenchi86]

As an owner of both systems, for most people I would recommend the Xbox360 as their first system. Honestly, the network is better, the game catalog is currently better, and if you can get 2-3 game rather then one you will of course be off to a better start.(Also X360 allows download of original Xbox titles for a decent price, which is very nice) The X360 does have a higher failure rate, but if you are buying a new model you should be able to sleep easy as most issues have been resolved, not to mention it comes with a 3 year warranty for free.

As for the cables, either system will work fine using the old standard. However, the graphics will honestly not look much better then a good looking PS2/Xbox game.

[TollhouseFrank]

thanks man!

[Twigglish]

Pretty much everything he just said. I cant really recommend the PS3 unless youre wanting some of their future exclusive titles, or you really want a Blu Ray player and dont currently have one.

[rainless]

I couldn't really recommend either if you don't have an HDTV. The best use of that money would be on a nice HD Television.

Now, if you're still inclined to pick one up anyway... I'd say go with the PS3. Last year the 360 would take it hands down and the PS3 is the best choice you can make in 2008 for all the same reasons. This year they'll be delivering more exclusives... period.

And if you've got a PSP as well there's an unlimited amount of magical things you can do with the two together.

There's a great exclusive coming in almost every category for the PS3. GT5 for racing, Metal Gear Solid 4 for action, Killzone 2 for its shooter. Not to mention the aforementioned Blu-ray, which is and shall be the way you watch movies over the next decade just like DVD was for the last decade.

Vegas-odds say Sony has a lock on 2008.

[Seven]

I'd go with the HDTV and the 360 personally, the PS3 has 3 good exclusives coming out...okay. Well judging by the fact that independent developers and most big game companies CANNOT develop for the thing (noting that Madden 08 has a framerate of 30 tops on the ps3), you're looking at a console that's going to play 3 games that might not even be that good.

For example...

(On Killzone 2) - It was also announced that Killzone 2 will run in 720p and at 30fps.

That's just unacceptable. 30fps is VERY choppy for a fast paced game like that, and not going to 1080p is ridiculous at this point.

I'm sorry, no PS3 fan can say that 30FPS is at all acceptable for a game at this point. And again, what if you framedrop when you come around a corner or there's a complicated scene? There are simply too many variables to be accounted for, and I don't think the PS3 is going to have what it takes to knock off the 360. Sorry, Microsoft has already begun to turn a profit off the 360, the PS3 is years away from that point (if it ever happens).

[TollhouseFrank]

i'm seriously thinking now of getting this for either system: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5623471 . Yes, I know it's cheap and a walmart thing, but that's pretty much the best i can do around here. Wal-mart... or bust. The t.v.'s are well overpriced at circuit city and radio-shack (only other electronics stores within a 2 hour drive)

i'll be using the system mostly for sports games, and so far, the 360 looks to be better in that regard.

[Niku-Sama]

acually vizio arent just at walmart, they started out in costco and are in circuit city aswell now.

i got a 37" vizio and at the time it was an awsome deal because it was hard to find a HDTV with a bulit in tuner, i dont think thats as much of an issue but it used to be. and alot of people like em because of the price to picture quality ratio, its amazingly good considering how much you pay for the TV. i suggest you buy one at costco how ever, better return policy (like 18mo) ask em about the return pilicy at costco

[JonEapples]

I agree with others about picking up an HDTV before getting one of the HD consoles. When I bought my 360 I played on a standard TV for two days before going out and buying as HDTV. The games a just optimized to run in HD, and running them on stand results in problems like text, HUD, ect., being hard to see, at least from my experience.
I've heard the Vizio you linked to is a good set. I can also personally recommend the Westinghouse that's $550. My Dad got it for Christmas and it has a great picture. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=7983781
Go with the 360 when you make console purchase.

[tenchi86]

As for sports games, keep in mind that next years versions should be running at 60FPS on both systems.(EA Games)

(As mentioned Vizio TVs seem to get decent reviews considering the price. The one you have listed is a bit low on contrast ration, but still not a bad TV. It may also be worth looking into local trading systems such as craigslist or a similar program. I know around here HDTV can be had for often less then half of what they are payed for knew with only a couple months use through a newspaper trading system. Bestbuy also has a couple decent deals on Insignia and LG TVs.)

[asusradeon]

another vote for the 360 from me..

[rainless]

You don't want a 360... If you got a 360 I'd challenge you to a game of Street Fighter 2 Turbo and so far NO ONE HAS DARED.

(Then there was that unfortunate incident in NFL 2k5. I forget how that game turned out... Maybe I won...)

[knight_of_knee]

I just got a 360 and a friend of mine just got a PS3 and I must say that I'm happier with the 360, but only because I was able to get a few more games with it because of it being cheaper. He only has 2 games for his PS3 and I've gotten 6 (not including the little arcade disc I got with it) and I've still spent less money on it than he did, but he got the 80gb PS3 and I got the arcade 360 so he got a few more features than I got. But all in all I would recommend the 360 because of it being cheaper and if you don't have an HD TV then there is no need to get Blu-Ray movies or a player atm.

[12am]

You can't really go wrong with a 360 at this point in time.. yes both consoles offer their exclusives.. but really this same debate sold more consoles last generation.. the 360 has the huge game library.. the ps3 does not.. and while atm most 360 games put the ps3 to shame graphics wise I know it's only a matter of time before the ps3 closes the gap.. but like most say.. it's gameplay over graphics.. and just like the last console war.. where sony had the games and xbox had the graphics the ps2 came out the clear winner, and I just can't see sony's 3 exclusive titles helping it take over this year. Lets also not forget that the 360 has the online gaming aspect almost single handedly sewn up.. while it will never match the pc's ability to play online it sure has come close and performed to my standards. While some say wait to buy a HDTV before getting your console.. if your itching to play games.. buy the console first and then get a new tv.. I did just that and honestly.. the games looked just fine when I was playing on my 480p 27" SDTV.. Yes they do look better on my 42" plasma HDTV but at least they still look better than old xbox games on a sdtv. As for the ps3 blu ray issue.. really at this point in time there is no clear winner.. though bluray is at the forefront in the war atm and shows no signs of slowing down.. what's to say that once it does take over standalone blu ray players wont come down in cost enough to match that of the ps3's selling point making buying a ps3 to solely play blu ray movies a moot point?.

But all is not well in the microsoft camp.. you are taking a gamble on the 360's reliability at this time.. allthough if you get a newer revision of the console it's chances for failure are alot less than that of the last run of 360's, there is still a chance that your console will die within a year or so.. and the free 3 year warranty MS offers you will not fully comfort you when your left without a console for upwards of 2-4 weeks.. but hey.. if you buy a ps3 you will be in the same boat anyways because of it's general lack of titles available at the moment.

And like you said.. sports gaming is a big deal to you.. and right now.. if you wanna play sports games online.. the 360 is the best option you have.. I can't stress how much fun I have playing nhl08 on the 360 online against other players.. the matches are smooth as glass and connectivity issues are almost next to none.

[rainless]

Originally Posted by 12am

You can't really go wrong with a 360 at this point in time.. yes both consoles offer their exclusives.. but really this same debate sold more consoles last generation.. the 360 has the huge game library.. the ps3 does not.. and while atm most 360 games put the ps3 to shame graphics wise I know it's only a matter of time before the ps3 closes the gap.. but like most say.. it's gameplay over graphics.. and just like the last console war.. where sony had the games and xbox had the graphics the ps2 came out the clear winner, and I just can't see sony's 3 exclusive titles helping it take over this year.

I definately don't think the PS3 will "take over" this year. If they manage to take over at all it will be 2-3 years from now. But take this under consideration:

You're talking about spending $400-500 for a video game system. I strongly believe, and this is looking at everything objectively based on past trends, that Bluray will be the future of next generation gaming. It will if only because of all the extra space. Look at the pattern:

1. CDs overtook cartridges the generation before last.
2. DVDs overtook CDs last generation.

Now what on earth makes you think Bluray won't overtake DVDs?

And games don't look better on the 360 than the PS3. I don't know where you got that Idea from. (Although there was that whole fiasco on Gametrailers where they were doing comparisons without adjusting the RGB balance on the PS3.)

So if Bluray does overtake DVDs, and you buy a 360... and the one year membership to Live for $50, are you going to be willing to drop another $200 on a bluray player? That brings your total up to $600 minimum.

No... If you just got a DS and a Wii, it's no big deal. But a $400-500 console is an INVESTMENT, and it's best to think about the future when you make investments.

When I got this building, the neighborhood was pretty bad. But it was a block away from Lake Michigan and half a block away from a main street that led to Lake Shore Drive. (And it's not a bad neighborhood anymore.)

[12am]

ok rain you make a good point about gaming and storage media.. being the capacity differences of the dvd-9 format against blu ray. But lets be real the games coming out now are not really stressing the dvd-9 format all that much.. and in the next 2 years.. I'm sure the compression schemes to make them fit on dvd-9 will be in place to help it weather the storm until the next gen consoles from MS and Sony drop. And myself personally.. yes if blu ray wins the format wars I will be willing to spend 200 on a standalone player to watch them. But if your looking at things through most people's eyes.. the hi def movie format wars will really not take dominance for at least another 3-4 years.. I mean look how long hdtv programming is taking for the average person to adpot.. and while I understand that most people on this forum are early adopters of new tech, most people still will not catch onto it for at least 4 years.

And you have a small point about a $500 console being an investment.. it really isn't much of an investment.. I mean look how much we spend on our pc's!.. 1-2k every year or two.. now that is an investment.. not 500 bucks to a gaming console. And on the topic of the ps3 looking the same as the 360.. well yes.. I'm basing my opinion upon reviews and images of ps3 vs 360 on the same title wich for the most part shows the 360 having better image quality or the same image quality while running faster than the ps3.. while that is a little dated and might not tread water for long.. the bottom line is that at the moment the 360 is holding up it's end of the bargain when it comes to gaming.. and the ps3 is not.

[rainless]

All valid points. Let's go through them:

Originally Posted by 12am

ok rain you make a good point about gaming and storage media.. being the capacity differences of the dvd-9 format against blu ray. But lets be real the games coming out now are not really stressing the dvd-9 format all that much.. and in the next 2 years.. I'm sure the compression schemes to make them fit on dvd-9 will be in place to help it weather the storm until the next gen consoles from MS and Sony drop.

Two words: MASS EFFECT.

And while we're on that subject (in keeping with the two word run):

1. Interminable Loading
2. Inadaquate Space
3. Compression limited

Mass Effect pushed all the boundaries of what you could compress onto a DVD, and the next gen wars are just getting started. Just like Xbox Live's Arcade file size limit is crippling it's downloadable games (see "Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD remix for more details") the fact that the majority of 360s only have 20GBs worth of space, they've already reached the limit of what they can put on a DVD, and Microsoft's staunch refusal to allow developers to make large installs on the HDD will come back to bite them. (According to the developers of games like GTAIV... it already has.)

And myself personally.. yes if blu ray wins the format wars I will be willing to spend 200 on a standalone player to watch them. But if your looking at things through most people's eyes.. the hi def movie format wars will really not take dominance for at least another 3-4 years..

Have you been to Best Buy lately? It's begining to look a lot like 1998... the year I bought my first DVD: The Matrix. Were you around then? It almost seems like videocasettes disappeared overnight the day that movie was released on DVD. I can't even remember what it was like to see VHS on the shelves now... it happened so fast. (And I was playing on a PC-DVD player. Set-top dvd players cost about what next gen players cost now.)

This whole HD-DVD/Blu-ray thing happened while I was living in France. At first there'd just be these tiny sections with five movies: Three HD-DVDs and two Blu-ray discs. Then I'd come home for christmas or something and "Hey! They've got their own row now. That's kinda cool." The next christmas Blu-Ray and HD-DVD were in seperate rows. The next logical step is that they will BE the video section. And that's not going to take 3-4 years to happen.

And you have a small point about a $500 console being an investment.. it really isn't much of an investment.. I mean look how much we spend on our pc's!..

Well the computer isn't a game. You sure as hell BETTER be spending more money on your computer than a game system. I don't think many novels have been written or movies edited (Besides my NBA 2k8 highlight reel) on the Xbox 360 or PS3. I haven't heard of anybody filing their taxes through Xbox Live just yet. If the PS3 has some sort of non-linux system for sending emails... I haven't seen it yet.

A good third of my life revolves around my PC. I *make money* with my PC. I can only lose money with the console.

500 bucks may not be a lot to some people... but it is to me. It would still be a lot to me if I was worth a million bucks. (I tend to lean towards the Native American ideal of only using what you need.)

[AngelfireUk83]

I traded in my XBOX 360 yesterday with 8 games I got £203 on a GAME/EB Reward card I am considering a PS3 40GB for the Blu-Ray player and some other games. Army of Two, Mercenaries 2 & Battlefield Bad Company are also coming to PS3 I had them pre-ordered on 360 but just cancelled them all.

Depending on what I get which is either a brand new Elite 360 (which apparently MS can't keep up with demand and there out of stock in places) or a PS3 I'll re-order the games again. I just got fed-up of the content problems I was having most of my arcade games where asking to be unlocked called MS support a month ago about transfering licenses. Called them again yesterday they said it's been sent to MS officially and ring back next week for an update I traded it in.

[TollhouseFrank]

blu-ray and hd-dvd dont' matter to me right now. i'm happy with regular DVD's. I'll be getting into the blu-ray/hd-dvd wars in a couple of years when there is a more established library for both (and the players cost less than $100 for both).

For those that said go to costco or bestbuy... we don't have one here. The nearest bestbuy is 3 hours away, and i can't see spending 6 hours driving just for a t.v. as for costco, i don't think there IS one in WV.

[rainless]

Originally Posted by TollhouseFrank

blu-ray and hd-dvd dont' matter to me right now. i'm happy with regular DVD's. I'll be getting into the blu-ray/hd-dvd wars in a couple of years when there is a more established library for both (and the players cost less than $100 for both).

For those that said go to costco or bestbuy... we don't have one here. The nearest bestbuy is 3 hours away, and i can't see spending 6 hours driving just for a t.v. as for costco, i don't think there IS one in WV.

Well Jesus, Frank... Where the hell are you living? WEST West Virginia? j/k

But anyway my point an about bluray isn't about movies... it's about next generation games. History says... the past two generations have each moved on to new media. It's probably going to happen this time as well. The undisputed "System of Last Year" was the 360. But this year Sony's going for "The Surge."