The video game console wars

[creekster]

Little Big Planet is an awesome game. So is MGS4.

LBP is truly a great game. My son and his frineds spend hours creating levels and tinkering with them and so forth. It is their favorite game by far.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I find it amusing that you posted that long-ass review of gaming machines but only mentioned the actual games in about 2 lines. And you didn't really even individual games. That's really the whole advantage of the 360 - its not netflix or price, its the games available on the 360. After reading your review, it sounds like you just bought a $300 wireless blu-ray player that will probably end up playing Madden 2010 and that's about it.

I have a PS2, and to the extent I actually still play games, I enjoy Sony's exclusives. That includes God of War, Ratchet & Clank, and now Uncharted. I also liked the GTA series, but that's multi-platform now.

I have said before that I don't play Halo. The reason being is that I've never had the desire, time or maybe the ability to get good enough so I don't get killed within the first 30 seconds when I'm playing with other people. I'm not into online gaming. I clearly recognize that MS has a big advantage in that category, but Sony is working on trying to close the gap.

Sony is still a heavyweight and it still has a huge advantage in Japan where some of the big game developers are at (Capcom, Konami). As soon as the numbers of PS3s sold by Sony catch up to the 360 (only around 7 million behind worldwide), then Sony will be able to wrangle out more exclusive titles. Last week alone, Sony sold 600k PS3s and outsold the 360 (which also dropped its price) by a ratio of 3:1. Sony can't expect to have that every week and it certainly can't keep that kind of production up, but the 3:1 ratio is telling.

My comments were more of an observation of the jostling between the two companies. The current situation will possibly be a case study for MBA students in the future. In all honesty, I don't know who will win this generation's war. But the # of consoles sold will likely determine the winner and Sony absolutely killed everyone else with the PS1 and PS2 even when they weren't technically the most advanced machines. The XBox was better than the PS2 and the Nintendo 64 was better than the PS1- yet the PS2 and PS1 killed the competition and the PS2 is the most successful console ever. I just don't understand why Sony decided to shift its strategy and force the blu-ray player and that huge price back when the PS3 was launched. Despite the year and a half headstart, Sony could have dealt a death blow to MS's gaming division if it had just come out with a machine with a comparable price with comparable capabilities. Instead, the 360 has huge advantages in the sports gaming sector which commands a huge portion of the older teen, 20s and 30s market- and these are the people that actually have the money to spend on games. The advantage wouldn't have been so clear cut if Sony wasn't trying to get $600 at launch for its console.

[falafel]

perhaps, but the whole point here, I think,. is that the PS3 does other things much better than just gaming so on balance it was chosen as their platform. It's like getting annoyed with a blackberry review that stresses its utility for email becasue it is supposed to be a phone, it is a phone! So that they are gaming platforms doesnt really invalidate the reviews, does it?

Hmmm, I'll admit that your blackberry analogy has me stymied. So I'll ignore it.

Actually, I won't. I think its more like saying sure, my iphone does all sorts of things that my blackberry can't, and it does them way better. But it drops 30% of my calls, and the ones that I get are scratchy. My blackberry, OTOH, has great call quality, although it doesn't have as many other features. It would be unfair to say that iphone were a better phone, based on the additional features it has, if it doesn't perform its primary function very well.

However, maybe this is a bad example, b/c lots of people are getting iphones mainly for the other features, and Hey! Guess what! It has a phone too!

[cougjunkie]

Ask HL how he likes Xbox, red ring of death 4 times now? Over 50% of their units have been replaced. Sounds like a great product.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Thank you Creeky for the invitation. Xbox has better gaming than PS3. And, after all, these are gaming machines.

Well, the 360 is mostly a pure gaming machine. But the choice for me was not so much 360 vs. PS3, but a stand alone blu-ray player vs. a blu-ray player with a harddrive and built-in wi-fi.

I'm not sure how you guys pull off playing games online as much as you do. My wife won't put up with it. I can have a week here and there where I can log in a couple hours for a few days, but that's about it. For sure, I could never get good enough to play against people online.

If I was a SERIOUS gamer, I would have probably picked the 360. Content is king and MS learned the example from the PS1 and PS2 quite well. Unfortunately for Sony, it got away from its own gameplan and also didn't pay enough attention to online play.

[TripletDaddy]

Ask HL how he likes Xbox, red ring of death 4 times now? Over 50% of their units have been replaced. Sounds like a great product.

no substance.

personal attacks.

[Colly Wolly]

Ask HL how he likes Xbox, red ring of death 4 times now? Over 50% of their units have been replaced. Sounds like a great product.

I've had RROD twice in 2 1/2 years. Not great. But I got a free replacement sent to me in less than two weeks each time for free. Granted that still sucks, but they have new chipsets now that don't red ring. For me, it's tolerable given the enjoyment I receive from online play.

[TripletDaddy]

I've never received the RROD. I purchased my 360 the day it came it out, so it is one of the oldest ones around. Never had a problem.

I also never stand it on its side, I don't play it for 5 hours at a time, and I keep it in an open area so it is well ventilated.

My only complaint about the 360 is that it gives off way too much heat. That thing makes my bedroom feel like a furnace....and my bedroom is already on fire, if you know what I mean! rowrrrr!

[RobinFinderson]

we are discussing the merits of PS3 v 360. If you are suggesting that the PS3 coupled with a PC is the superior option, you are probably 100% correct, but you have also all but ended the discussion re ps3 and 360 as stand-alones.

what is Little big planet? I am waiting for the next WW2 themed Call of Duty or the next fun RPG. But I don't like anime-type RPGs.

But what person on this board doesn't have a PC?

Anyhow, the question comes down to:

1. What exclusive games do you want to play.
2. Do you have a use for Blu-Ray?

That is it. The right answer depends on how you answer those two questions.

[falafel]

Sony is still a heavyweight and it still has a huge advantage in Japan where some of the big game developers are at (Capcom, Konami). As soon as the numbers of PS3s sold by Sony catch up to the 360 (only around 7 million behind worldwide), then Sony will be able to wrangle out more exclusive titles. Last week alone, Sony sold 600k PS3s and outsold the 360 (which also dropped its price) by a ratio of 3:1. Sony can't expect to have that every week and it certainly can't keep that kind of production up, but the 3:1 ratio is telling.

I'll bet a lot of the 3:1 sales data can be explained by the BR player. Lots of people who are buying PS3s now are people who already have an xbox but also want a blu-ray player. Since blu-ray players are still around $250, might as well spend another $50 and get one with a 120 GB HD and that can play some games. I seriously doubt the uptick in sales was centered on games and not the BR capability.

In all honesty, I don't know who will win this generation's war. But the # of consoles sold will likely determine the winner and Sony absolutely killed everyone else with the PS1 and PS2 even when they weren't technically the most advanced machines. The XBox was better than the PS2 and the Nintendo 64 was better than the PS1- yet the PS2 and PS1 killed the competition and the PS2 is the most successful console ever. I just don't understand why Sony decided to shift its strategy and force the blu-ray player and that huge price back when the PS3 was launched. Despite the year and a half headstart, Sony could have dealt a death blow to MS's gaming division if it had just come out with a machine with a comparable price with comparable capabilities. Instead, the 360 has huge advantages in the sports gaming sector which commands a huge portion of the older teen, 20s and 30s market- and these are the people that actually have the money to spend on games. The advantage wouldn't have been so clear cut if Sony wasn't trying to get $600 at launch for its console.

This generation's console war (i.e. 360 v. PS3) is already over. The 360 has been out since 2005. PS3 has been playing catch up the entire time, but still doesn't have the game library. It just won't surpass the 360 as a gaming machine, and as you know, games are where the companies make their money. If everyone's buying the PS3 for the Blu-ray, which is what this thread leads me to believe, companies making games for the PS3 are not getting the return on their investment like they do with the 360.

I don't know if I believe your "death blow" comment. Certainly the race would be a lot more competitive if PS3's started at $400 rather than $600.

[falafel]

But the choice for me was not so much 360 vs. PS3, but a stand alone blu-ray player vs. a blu-ray player with a harddrive and built-in wi-fi.

Now we're getting down to it. Let's rename the thread. You should have told us that you never really considered the 360 in the first place. We could have saved ourselves a lot of time.

[falafel]

But what person on this board doesn't have a PC?

Anyhow, the question comes down to:

1. What exclusive games do you want to play.
2. Do you have a use for Blu-Ray?

That is it. The right answer depends on how you answer those two questions.

I think you have to add this one:

3. What device are your friends playing on?

[Color Me Badd Fan]

crappy online gaming, no streaming HD movies, no Halo, and seems slower at getting online content.

enjoy watching Lindsay Lohan movies in blu-ray.

If Lindsay Lohan would already get on with it and grasp her true destiny- Skinemax movies (but also available as exclusive DVDs!)- then I would indeed be the winner on this.

Online gaming matters to those who actually do online gaming.

I don't know what Sony will do about the streaming HD feature. Sony has been stubborn to its detriment in trying to force certain formats down peoples' throats in the past and I think they won't allow HD streaming on its blu-ray system because they want people to go out and buy blu-ray discs.

I don't know much about the marriage between netflix and the 360. I think one reason for the viability of the DVD format even through the time when on-demand was widely available, was because of the wide selection of DVDs. On-demand was great as long as you were interested in only watching movies that had been out on DVD between 2-5 months. You couldn't get anything newer, or older. If the whole Netflix library is available, that would be a true gamechanger.

[Drunk Tank]

I own all 3.

The Wii is cool because of the motion play, and the downloadable classic games. The Wii is also popular for people outside the "gamer" genre. Young kids as well as those who are older (40-60's) find it attractive. I know my parents cant put the controller down when they come over.

The XB360's main point are the games. Tons of games available and backwards compatibility with most older XB games. Put this together with a great online gaming environment/community and it blows away the PS3. If you have the wireless adapter, it also links with the media center on your PC, which is a cool feature.

The PS3's strongsuit is it's Bluray. In fact, the only reason I bought the PS3 is the Bluray. I was going to buy an LG or Samsung Bluray player, however, in reading the reviews, the PS3 had faster load times, more frequent updates, and great picture quality. The games were a bonus, and Although Sony has some exclusive titles, I dont think that makes up for the lack of available games. Online gameplay is crappy compared to the XB360 as well. Other things I do like about the PS3 is that you can load an OS (Linux I think and maybe windows...) and use it like a computer.

Overall, the XB360 is the winner in my book.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Now we're getting down to it. Let's rename the thread. You should have told us that you never really considered the 360 in the first place. We could have saved ourselves a lot of time.

I also posted above that the PS3 will quite possibly catch up with the 360 in console sales. With console sales numbers comes more content. The PS3 admittedly doesn't have the same quality of online play (according to all of you), but I wouldn't put it past Sony to remedy this. The fact that MS, of all companies, has been the pioneer in this aspect is telling because MS hasn't had that reputation throughout its history.

But the XBox was superior to the PS2 in this regard and the PS2 still kicked the shit out of the XBox.

The true problem for Sony was the price point and the lower numbers of consoles sold as a result. The developers wanted higher numbers to justify making exclusives for the PS3 and Sony wasn't putting them up. When that changes, then the content will increase.