Advice please!

miker1

miker1

miker1

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17 May 2003
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539
Location
Milton Keynes
I know this sounds a silly question and that there will be so-called "fan boys" of both, BUT which is the best system for;

Gaming
Online gaming

XBOX360 or PS3.

I know that XBOX charges and at the moment PS3 does not charge for on-line.
However, we are having to cut back drastically and buy just for 1 system for my sons Xmas prezzies. [we do have both but now I need to make a decision to go along ONE path!]

Thanks in advance,

Mike
 
I would personally suggest the Xbox 360. While you do have to pay for online gaming it's a much better system than the PS3's online (IMHO), and you can find the deals pretty cheap if you shop around online.
 
Davey_Pitch said:
I would personally suggest the Xbox 360. While you do have to pay for online gaming it's a much better system than the PS3's online (IMHO), and you can find the deals pretty cheap if you shop around online.
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Thanks for these replies [so far!].

talking about the Live cards; These online sellers who do them cheap, bit only send you the photocopy of the card, are these kosher?
 
Ive got both systems and id say the 360 is the best system for online gaming even though you have to pay for it.

That said Id also say the PS3 is a better all round system in terms of over all functionality.

Ive bought XBox live subs from a online retailer and only received the number via email without any problems.
 
miker1 said:
Thanks for these replies [so far!].

talking about the Live cards; These online sellers who do them cheap, bit only send you the photocopy of the card, are these kosher?
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Yup, not had a problem in the past with them, sending them via email saves them money on delivery, and you get it much quicker. Win all round :)
 
Can i just ask what is it that makes the 360s online so much better than PS3s? Both allow you to play online which is the main objective so im a bit confused. Cheers :)
 
If your sons friends favour one console over the other you should take that into account as well. Its always more fun playing online against friends rather than strangers.

While we are discussing the 360 online, do the newer versions of the console come with built in wi-fi or do you still need to buy a seperate adapter?
 
I'd say Xbox 360 personally, if gaming is the main priority, I enjoy playing on PS3 but most of my online gaming is done on Xbox and there is a massive back catalogue of inexpensive games now.

Bennie-Mac said:
Can i just ask what is it that makes the 360s online so much better than PS3s? Both allow you to play online which is the main objective so im a bit confused. Cheers :)
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I can't really put my finger on it, Live as a whole is a slick system that just "works" (clichéd I know but it's true). I know a lot of people who are on Live and If I want to play with them i simply select them on the friends list and jump into a game. I know that's completely possible on a PS3 but Live just seems to work better and more people seem to be on it. An awful explanation I know but it really is difficult to put your finger on it.

As I said though, still enjoy playing on the PS3 and using it as a media centre, just the Xbox edges it slightly online and from (in my oppinion) a superior controller. :)
 
Cannaton said:
I can't really put my finger on it, Live as a whole is a slick system that just "works" (clichéd I know but it's true). I know a lot of people who are on Live and If I want to play with them i simply select them on the friends list and jump into a game. I know that's completely possible on a PS3 but Live just seems to work better and more people seem to be on it. An awful explanation I know but it really is difficult to put your finger on it.

As I said though, still enjoy playing on the PS3 and using it as a media centre, just the Xbox edges it slightly online and from (in my oppinion) a superior controller. :)
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Thanks for that, it does make sense what you say im just not sure id be happy to pay for something that does the exact same but a bit better :) When i had a PS3 the online was rather poor, but since they sorted it out properly i didnt think there was that much separating them. Im different i much prefer the PS3 controller! Wouldnt stop me from getting an Xbox though when i finally get some money :D
 
360 is a better gaming experience overall.

PS3 has technically more potential but very few developers are willing to invest in the time/money to get the most out of it unless they are Sony funded. You can still count on 1 hand the number of PS3 exclusive games worth buying!!!!

Whilst PS3 MP is free to gamers, Publishers apparently have to pay for it & get billed for bandwidth so thats another reason why the 360 MP is stronger as it gets more publisher/developer support. If you look around its possible to get 12 months LIVE for £26 or MS were even doing a recent deal with 14 months for £2.70 per month which is reasonable.
 
I think it just comes to the point that when the X360 was being designed it was online gaming-centric, Sony just didnt have the same impetus with the PS3 (originally sold as an all-in-one media device rather than a console) and why over firmware iterations its got far better.

Apart from a few things/frills they are very similar but because X360 was built from the ground up for online gaming (so to speak) what it does is far more polished.

Ultimately though Im more than happy with my PS3 and what it does online and never thought I was disadvantaged when it comes to online gaming. Its additional features that I want made me choose it and thats not changed over a year down the line (hell it seems even a better purchase)...

Definitely agree with ~Divine~Wind~, his/her friends and what they have might sway your decision too...

AWPC said:
You can still count on 1 hand the number of PS3 exclusive games worth buying!!!!

Whilst PS3 MP is free to gamers, Publishers apparently have to pay for it & get billed for bandwidth so thats another reason why the 360 MP is stronger as it gets more publisher/developer support.
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Wow so much mis-information there that Id be inclined to ignore - though Force Unleashed is epic ;):p...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
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The fact that you mentioned Online gaming then I will have to say the 360 by a mile.
I have both consoles and use the PS3 a fair but it's the online stuff that normally drives me mad on it even down to the trophies.
 
I dont suppose you have any idea what sort of games your kids are into? Both consoles are great, and the main selling point is always going to be the games on the console.

MGS4 for instance is Playstation 3 only, Uncharted 1 and 2 are playstation 3 only.

Forza 3 is Xbox 360 only, Gears of War 1 and 2 are both Xbox 360 only games.

There are many more games out there you should take a look at, and see if your child will miss it if it if it's not on the console you purchase.

Online experience wise, Xbox live is a very well put together online experience, and feels much more like a community than PSN. But PSN and the Playstation 3 in general to me feels much more stylish which i prefer over the childish\kiddy looking Xbox dashboard\Live.

PSN is free also, But for £26 you can now get Xbox live for the full year, So it's not breaking the bank.

In making your purchase I would take the games into sole consideration. As the online experience between both consoles arent exactly lightyears apart.

A big thing you need to remember aswell actually, Is these consoles are now a social passtime, It could be an idea to figure out what your kids friends are using. I'm not sure how you'd accomplish this, but I all your kid's friends have xbox 360's, Then surely it would be best to get your kid one, inorder to allow him to play with his friends.
 
I also have both consoles and since buying the PS3 have not renewed my LIVE! subscription. No need to spend a further £26+ a year when you get a free service which is just as good (IMHO) on the PS3. Let's not forget that unless the 360 is being hardwired into the internet that you will have to fork out another £40+ for the wireless adaptor so make sure you factor that into the price of the console. I would also suggest you factor in a bluetooth remote control for the PS3 if you get one as they are invaluable compared to the normal controllers when watching films, etc.

At the end of the day you pays your money, you takes your choice. Ask your kid to find out what console most of his mates play on as that should also be a consideration when making a purchase.

Both consoles are great altho I am now leaning towards the PS3 over the 360 because:

more HDD storage (upgradeable HDDs)
in-built wifi
bluray player
free online play

Just my opinion....
 
I'd add in the fact that the xbox live lags to **** or is broken in most new games when they launch. Peer to Peer sucks ****.
 
As an owner of both, I’d go with the 360 for the points you listed on the OP – the 360’s online aspect walks all over the PS3’s in term of functionality and usability; sure it comes at an extra cost, but personally I’d rather pay the 20-odd quid for 13 months of Live and have all of the features you take for granted these days.

For an avid gamer such as myself, I feel that PSN hasn’t really improved the online experience at all since version 1 (assuming they launch with v1?), it is still lacking some basic features: such as the ability to private chat all the time – i.e. during loading screens/when in different games etc, and using the messaging system on the XMB still feels clunky, as does the trophy aspect (if you’re bother with that – I’m not). The ability to skip straight to the right screen by pressing the guide button on the 360 pad is much needed on PS3 imo.

I think the only thing that would still linger in the back of my mind though is the frankly atrocious failure rates of the 360s, but I guess warranty/SOGA will give you at least some piece of mind…
 
Bennie-Mac said:
Can i just ask what is it that makes the 360s online so much better than PS3s? Both allow you to play online which is the main objective so im a bit confused. Cheers :)
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Assuming that you own a PS3 and have played a 360 online, you can probably answer this yourself – I’m just hoping you are not baiting any of those fickle enough to fight about their chosen console, thus trashing the Ops thread!

For me though, I guess the biggest issue I have with friends is the private (cross-game) chat, which after over a year, I’m still waiting for; hell it got so bad, that we were all using the party chat of the 360 as our comms when playing PS3.
I know this feature is frowned on by some, due to the obvious cheating that’s likely to go on, but for those of use who simply view these devices as entertainment to relieve the stress of the day, and not some tool to prove our virtual prowess over others; it’s nice to be able to chat amongst friends without random people spouting abuse at you – yes I’m aware that I can mute people in most games to achieve this, but nine time out of ten a loading screen will often cut us off.

There are other things too – XMB desperately needs a mimic of the guide button, so that when you get a message/trophy etc, you can simply press it and be taken right to the screen, rather than having to scroll there each time. Granted this may not strictly be an ‘online’ benefit, but it still impacts it; for instance my friends and I are currently playing a lot of the Bad Company 2 beta and the invite system seems to be made more cumbersome by the XMB.

If I really sat down I could probably provide more points, but many of the failings I perceive are subjective – what I find frustrating/backwards/lacking, may not have even occurred to someone else; especially if they have not experienced how the other console does it; this can work both ways too – for example I hate the bloated dashboard you now have to run on the 360, whereas I quite like much of the simplicity of the XMB (its failings above aside of course!).

Just my 2p and sorry for the thread-jack OP.
 
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