Sony Playstation News and Tips

PS3 versus Xbox 360

The next generation of consoles is finally upon us, and the burning question about the current console war is this: should you buy a Sony Playstation 3 or a Microsoft Xbox 360?

Both consoles are engineered differently, so it's useless comparing their technical specs. That they both have, more or less, the same processing power and they are both capable of rendering the same level of excellence in graphics is enough to describe the core of these two mammoth gaming units.

What can be the points of contention between the Sony Playstation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 are the important factors that video game enthusiasts (and even casual consumers) are looking for. Let's take a look at these points and determine who wins them, and who will ultimately win the battle of the consoles.

1. Which console has a deeper game library? Given the fact that the Xbox 360 was released almost a year before the Playstation 3 definitely gives it the edge. In that period, the Xbox 360 has amassed a number of published games that never saw the light of day on the PS3, even if there were no exclusivity clauses involved with those titles. Currently, more exclusives are being released on the Xbox 360 than the Playstation 3, and the former continues to widen its lead. WINNER: Xbox 360.

2. Which console has better exclusives? We're not talking about the number of exclusives here (which would make the Xbox 360 the runaway winner once more) rather, we're talking about the quality of the exclusives. Microsoft can boast of the Halo franchise, the Fable series, Project Gotham Racing, the Gears of War franchise (for the time being), Banjo Kazooie together with the former properties of Rare, among others. The Playstation 3 has the God of War franchise, Killzone, Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid 4 (and possibly 5), Final Fantasy XIII (at least in Japan), the Tekken series, Warhawk, the Uncharted series and others. The problem that's working against the Xbox 360 is that most of its "exclusives" manage to end up in the PC eventually, whereas Playstation 3 exclusives are never released elsewhere. WINNER: Playstation 3.

3. Which console has better games in the near future? Software makes or breaks hardware: this is the general rule with all software-dependent devices like video game consoles. Existing game libraries are an important factor in determining the winner of the console war. However, tomorrow's games are just as important as people buy video game machines as investments for the games to come. Microsoft has the following lined up for 2009/2010: Alan Wake, Halo 3 ODST, Mass Effect 2 and Forza. Pretty lean compared to 2008. The Playstation 3 is expecting God of war III, DC Universe Online, Gran Turismo 5, Heavy Rain, Infamous, MAG, White Knight Chronicles, Quantum Theory, WarDevil: Unleash The Beast Within, Uncharted 2, Free Realms, and many more. Clearly, there is only one WINNER: Playstation 3.

4. Which console has better multimedia functions? Both consoles are multimedia beasts, capable of playing a variety of video and audio files saved on their hard drives, read from their DVD drives, or taken from their USB hubs. But the Playstation 3 can play Blu-Ray discs, and the Xbox 360 is supporting the long abandoned HD disc format. WINNER: Playstation 3.

5. Which console provides a better online experience? Multiplayer modes courtesy of online connectivity is greatly credited as the most important addition to next gen games that helped them beat piracy. Xbox Live provides a solid online experience backed up by a proven infrastructure. The Playstation Network, as many gamers put it, "sucks." WINNER: Xbox 360.

6. Which console is a more reliable hardware? Three words: three red lights. WINNER: Playstation 3.

From the foregoing, it becomes clear that the important factors that define a console's success favor the Sony Playstation 3. If only the Playstation3 can improve its online play, then it can be the best console for this generation.