PS3 Vs Xbox 360, My Views

Ever since the Playstation 3 was released in Japan on the 11th of November 2006 the same question has been circulating the internet, which is the better "next gen" console? The Playstation 3 or the Xbox 360?  Well it seems that everyone takes sides on every website and forum that you visit, mostly because they only have one of the two consoles and can't see the other side of the argument.  As everyone who has owned both knows, they both have their downsides.

Firstly I will talk about the Playstation 3. When it was delayed for release in Europe in September 2006 and put back to March 2007, people already began to doubt Sony and turned to Microsoft and the Xbox 360.  When the PS3 eventually released in Europe, March 2007, the library of games at launch was slightly disappointing considering the years Sony took to develop it. Even with the poor selection of games and the slightly delayed release date Sony still had one thing that Microsoft would never have in their Xbox, a Blu-Ray laser.

By using a Blu-Ray laser in their console, Sony had gone into competition with Microsoft on a bigger scale than just the power of the console and quality of the games.  They were now in competition with HD media, with Microsoft siding with HD DVD as the "next gen" DVD format against them.  Right from the off Sony and the Blu-Ray disc were winning. Microsoft reduced the price of their HD DVD add-on and then film companies stopped producing HD DVDs and moved to Blu-Ray; this then made Microsoft discontinue their add-on.  Another advantage of using Blu-Ray in the PS3 is the amount of data that you can store on a disc, you can store up to 50 GB compared to the 8.7 GB of the normal DVD disc.  Another reason that the PS3 will draw people is the free to play online as opposed to paying up to £40 for a year for Xbox live.  Overall the PS3 is more than a gaming console; it is a media device which gives you more for your money than the Xbox.

When the Xbox 360 was released in December 2005, it sold out in all countries except Japan, the reason for the rush to get one may be because the Xbox was the first of the "next gen" consoles to be released and this was the publics first sight of "next gen" graphics.  Graphically the Xbox exceeded anything console owners had seen before and with the release of HD Ready televisions the graphics only got better.  Microsoft had won the fight for the best online console with the first Xbox so decided to carry on with Xbox Live on the 360, however users would have to subscribe to play games online at a cost of forty pounds a year.

When the PS3 was released Sony also released the Playstation Network, the rival of Xbox Live, but if we're being honest Xbox Live is miles ahead.  Yes you need to pay for it but you get better competition and a friendlier environment where nearly everyone uses headsets and ingame communications, whereas with the Playstation Network, because it's free you get everyone going online thinking they're the best player in the world. The best games to show this are driving games as in nearly every race you will get someone taking you off because they can't pass you properly.  Also next to no one has got a headset so the feeling that you get on Xbox where you can chat mock your opponents are done through text messages.

With Microsoft really choosing the wrong  "next gen" DVD format this let Sony patent the Blu-Ray laser and the 360 is now just a gaming console, whereas the PS3 is a multimedia device with the ability to watch high definition videos and play HD and 3D games. Obviously everyone has heard of the Red Ring of Death on the 360 and this is why people do choose the Playstation over the Xbox, but the Playstation does also have a problem like this: the Yellow Light of Death. This can happen when, like the Xbox has the Red Ring of Death, the console overheats and warps the motherboard.  Also the early Playstations did have a problem with their Blu-Ray lasers which would also cause the Yellow Light of Death.

Overall both consoles have their down sides: with the PS3 the online experience isn't the best and the 360 not having Blu-Ray capability.  While both consoles are equally as good, the Xbox will entice the "hardcore gamers" with their Xbox Live and massive online community, and the PS3 will draw the more light hearted gamers and people who don't want the spend too much money on a standalone Blu-Ray player when they can get a game console for just a little more.

I personally think that if the Xbox didn't have such a bad reputation around the Red Ring of Death, and was as quiet in running as the PS3, I may not have purchased a PS3 at all....