Console Wars 2009: Xbox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Nintendo wii
Game console wars have never been more aggressive. The three top competitors of the seventh generation consoles; The Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo wii are still going at it in 2009.
While Sony’s PS3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 focus on gameplay, graphics and the delivery of minor adrenaline rushes, Nintendo prides itself on a unique interface which gives players better access to some old-fashioned arcade fun.
The lowdown on the wii
The wii is cheaper than either the Xbox 360 or PS3 but let’s face the facts; the game selection is lousy. The console is delivered with wii sports – the sort of ‘family fun’ that reduces hardened gamers to competing against their little sisters. Admittedly, Star Wars brought a little variety to the wii but the graphics weren’t up to scratch and a lot of players still complain about the combat system. It
What it all boils down to is that the wii interface is very popular due to its motion-sensor technology and great advertising campaign, but game time is far lower than that of the PS3 or Xbox 360 because ultimately the wii was not as enjoyed as the two other consoles. The low gaming time also could explain the ‘high reliability’ of the wii. It simply isn’t played (or loved) enough to get broken as often, although plenty of television screens have been smashed by flying wii controls.
Real competition: Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360.
Hands down, we prefer the Xbox 360. It beats the PS3 on price, performance, game selection and graphics. Its key feature Xbox Live propels it into popularity.
The PS3, at $499 features a blu-ray player and some juiced up SPU drives which makes it attractive to people that want a cheap blu-ray player. These features aren’t that good for gamers though because it translates to really long loading times and a heap of technical errors.
Sony is quite obviously betting on the blu-ray format while Microsoft’s console supports HD-DVDs. Format wars aren’t full blown yet but even here the Xbox manages to come out on top. Its DVD drive is separated to minimize load on the console whereas the blu-ray player is integrated into the PS3 so watching a lot of movies on the PS3 would tear down the lifespan of the device.
Is this all just shameless advertising? Not at all. What else happens to be true is the fact that the Xbox 360 has lower reliability than the PS3. The probability of getting a red circle of death is in the high 20s for the Xbox whereas the PS3 failure rate is about 10%. This may or may not be attributed to the fact that game time on the 360 is way higher than on the Playstation. If you scam through a few user comments on gaming sites, you’ll see people moan about how they’ve broken their eight Xbox. Yet they buy their ninth. Now that is a statement.
Although the PS3 is more ‘powerful’ than the Xbox 360, the latter has the real horsepower when it comes to visual performance. The graphics battle is won by the Xbox 360 due to their choice of memory and great rendition of high definition graphics. It would cost a Playstation a lot more to deliver visually what the Xbox does so you ultimately have to play PS3 games on lower-than-optimal setting.
Game selection is also greater with the Xbox 360. Store shelves boast rows and rows of Xbox titles, many of them discounted too while the Playstation sells less games and generally at a higher price. Sneaky but smart, Microsoft gives gamers even more incentive to keep buying and button-crunching on the sofa; Xbox Live.
Xbox Live; the marvellous feature that allows gamers all over the world to download games, movies, demos and compete against each other in the games they buy. It has hundreds of thousands of subscribers and also allows players to ‘earn’ some live time as opposed to buying it. Xbox 360 games come with achievements to unlock – unlock enough and you’ll have played your way into a month of Xbox Live. The Playstation 3 also has some online support but if this is the first time you’ve heard of it, that only proves the following point.
Online support for the PS3 is pathetic.
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September 30th, 2009 at 8:54 am
PS3 is $299. And you failed to mention XBOX’s multiplayer, XBL, is $50 a year. Over a 5 year life cycle, that’s an additional $250 on top of the price of the system.
In the end, the XBOX is THE most expensive. And the graphics aren’t that much better than the PS3’s.
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:14 pm
the online support for the ps3 doesn’t suck its pretty much similar to the 360, and i’d rather go blu-ray cause who wants to get up in the middle of some awesome action to switch discs, not me
October 26th, 2009 at 1:04 am
I see all the people like you that doesn’t know anything this information is soo old! c’mon ps3 is 120GB = 300$ same as xbox 360 elite ! and it’s better! you have blu-ray now we are getting the exclusives! with better games! better gameplay’s, better graphics, you know Uncharted 1 & 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, Resistance 1 & 2, Little Big Planet, God of War 3, Gran Turismo 5! and ps3 online mode is really good i dont have any problems or lag with it and it’s FREE!! soo GTFO and STFO and admit that ps3 is getting the lead! i really dont know what are all those games xboxers says they got exclusives! haha ¿Gears of War 1,2 and Flable 2 and c’mon every real gamer know’s that halo 3 sucks it’s just halo 2 with a bit of extras! xD soo good luck buying 9 xbox’s just to play 3 games! i have 1 ps3 since it’s lunch and it’s working perfectly and i have a lot’s of games and i have a lot of fun.. without paying fees to play online =P ¿xbox 360 cheaper? it doen’s have batterys on the controller.. or wifi ? you have to buy those thing as extra and ps3 already got those! haha! ok stay with mocosoft! but i prefer real technology GO SONY GO!
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:23 am
One problem about this article. It completely FORGETS that while I wholeheartedly agree that Xbox 360 has better exclusives than PS3 they are NOT really exclusives. Often times they end up being “Games for Windows”. If you own a decent gaming PC rig the 360 is not worth your while. “PS3 has no games” = PS3 has poor selection of platform exclusives. The only game I forsee playing if I bought a 360 would be Halo. Borderlands, Oblivion, Quake 4, Assassins Creed, Bioshock, you name it, it’s on the PC too. Sigh. You want exclusives? Go play Nintendo games.
What happened to SNES VS Genesis? That was the pinnacle of console wars. You HAD to own both because there were a lot less multplatforming then than now.
November 17th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I would have to be on the fence with both PS3 and Xbox 360, but leaning to the Xbox 360 side. I’ve played both consoles and have my opinion for each. First for PlayStation, I’ve owned both the original and the PS2 before I had a Xbox. Now with the Ps3 I believe its a great console to own, that’s of course if you dont have internet or yours is way to garbage to do anything on then its perfect to play by yourself or have a buddy or two come over and chill. Now if you want amazing online gaming with big title games then Xbox 360 is the way to go. Here is something interesting for all you PS3 lovers. A guy came into GameStop one day while I was browsing the selection and wanted to purchase a gaming console. Now the lady behind the counter is a good friend of mine I’ve known for a few years who just so happens to be a PS fan and despises Xbox, she discussed the pros and cons of each console. So I decided to inform the man about Xbox 360. Now I failed to mentioned the Red Ring of Death to him as it has not happened to me, but as soon as my friend mentioned the failure rate of the Xbox 360 he was shock. After a good thirty minutes or so the man ended up buying the 360. What does that say about PlayStation, why would people hear the facts and still go with the one more likely to fail? XBOX 360 IS BETTER!!!! Oh by the way, PlayStation doesn’t have MLG games. See people play in these HALO tournaments and win big cash prizes, and do you know what they play on??? Yep thats right its a 360, oh and C.O.D also.