xbox vs PS3, getting back into console gaming

Slinkie

Slinkie

Slinkie

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Hi all,

I am looking to get back into console gaming. I have always been a PC Gamer but haven’t had a gaming PC for a while after growing bored of it.

In the past (a long time ago) I had a PS3 and an xbox 360. I got the xbox when the first Gears of War came out and the PS3 a little while after. These got sold due to not having time to play them (studying outside of work) but now I have time again I want to get something to keep me occupied when I have some downtime.

I understand there are new consoles on the horizon but they are too far away for me to put off purchasing something now.

Out of the two I preferred the xbox controller and now I have a standalone blu ray player so it isn’t a selling point of the PS3 for me. What I want to know is:

1.) Out of the two, which one has the better online community for FPS and competitive games (size of community, type of player etc)
2.) Are there any big games coming out soon that should sway me to choose one over the other?
3.) Should I be looking at getting a pre owned console rather than a new one due to how long I’d own it before a new model comes out?
4.) Which console has the best online store/ exclusives (these have developed a lot since I had my consoles)

Any experience of newish games on both consoles would be good too. I have mostly played FPS games in the past but do enjoy final fanstasy style games (haven’t played any of the newer ones though) along with good story driven single player games.

Thanks
 
Depends what games you want really. The PS3 has far more exclusives this year, the notable ones (for me at least) being The Last Of Us and Beyond: Two Souls. By comparison, the 360 doesn't really have anything like those.
 
If you prefer the controller, get the xbox :)

1) There are no real differences between the communities.
2) PS3 generally has the better exclusives, but releases currently are a bit slim. PS3 has the better backlog of exclusives.
3) Preowned consoles are pretty hit and miss. It all depends on the deal. I'd just get a new one personally.
4) Xbox has the better online experience and features. However PS3 has the better exclusives.

Either one you get will be fine, the difference between consoles is very small so I'd just pick the one with the controller you prefer.
 
Thanks all,

What about comparisons of the same game on both consoles. EG. Black ops 2. Are the player bases around the same? Are the levels of play the same (does ones console get more hardcore multiplayer gamers than the other?)
 
1.) Out of the two, which one has the better online community for FPS and competitive games (size of community, type of player etc)

Personally I prefer the online play of the 360 (primarily for the party voice chat that works across games), but then again you are paying a monthly/yearly fee for that privilege, while you pay almost the same amount on PS3 to have access to Cloud Storage, Automatic Updates, larger discounts on games, beta access, exclusive downloads, and a batch of games every month for both the PS3 and the Vita.

I'm not sure which of the two has a better community for FPS (as I rarely touch them), but as far as types of players, you're going to be surrounded by idiots no matter which platform you pick.

2.) Are there any big games coming out soon that should sway me to choose one over the other?

The 360 hasn't really had many exclusives in recent years in comparison to the PS3 (as most of the games are on both consoles, or on 360 and PC), and off the top of my head the only recent Xbox ones I can think of are Halo 4 and Gears of War: Judgement. The PS3 is due to get The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, Tales of Xillia, FFX + X-2 HD, Kingdom Hearts 1.5HD, and some others that slip my mind. Like Hilly said, there are far more exclusives to be played from previous years and such, and IMO ones that are more worth it.

3.) Should I be looking at getting a pre owned console rather than a new one due to how long I’d own it before a new model comes out?

I don't think there will be any new models released before the PS4/Nextbox come out (with the exception of some reskinned ones like Halo 4, God of War: Ascension, Ni no Kuni, etc.), so I guess it comes down to where you can find a better deal. There are pre-owned consoles going quite frequently in the Member's Market at some great prices so I'd just keep looking at both used and new to see which works out better cost-wise.

4.) Which console has the best online store/ exclusives (these have developed a lot since I had my consoles)

I have problems with both stores such as the Wednesday only updates to the PS Store and its tedious search system with the new update, but it does allow you to buy games and pay for content in real money as opposed to the annoying MS Point system (on-demand games on 360 do let you pay in money too, but a lot of Marketplace games/DLC deal in points). Again, the exclusives on PS3 are a real deal breaker to me, as it has far more games that appeal to me so you'll have to look at which games both offer to see which suit you better.
 
The main reason I chose PS3 over Xbox was I didn't want to pay to use On-line.

A good thing I did as I go long periods without ever going on-line so wouldn't have been worth it for me. And then when I do it's free :)

Also the idea of buying points to buy content is alien to me. I prefer just paying straight up via card. Arguably neither more nor less safe, just easier...

(I also prefer the controller and exclusives :P)
 
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Howitzer said:
The main reason I chose PS3 over Xbox was I didn't want to pay to use On-line.

A good thing I did as I go long periods without ever going on-line so wouldn't have been worth it for me. And then when I do it's free :)

Also the idea of buying points to buy content is alien to me. I prefer just paying straight up via card. Arguably neither more nor less safe, just easier...

(I also prefer the controller and exclusives :P)
Click to expand...

This, as stated no fee to play online and if you get PS+, free games, the £25 or so for live isn't worth it, your paying Microsoft for online and to have advertisements on your dashboard, with no added bonuses, awesome.
 
caz32 said:
This, as stated no fee to play online and if you get PS+, free games, the £25 or so for live isn't worth it, your paying Microsoft for online and to have advertisements on your dashboard, with no added bonuses, awesome.
Click to expand...

It's also worth point out to the OP that these "free" games aren't just bargain bin or indie games but are often times AAA titles like Sleeping Dogs, Batman: Arkham City, Hitman Absolution, and the likes. The games are yours to keep and play as long as you have an active PS+ subscription and is really worth getting as the games I received in the first month far exceeded the £30 fee alone. If you want to see some examples of the content you get there's a PS+ thread here on OcUK, as well as an EU blog that gets updated by Sony here.
 
I must say i went from PS3 to xbox mainly for party chat.

I hated the times on PS3 when it tooks ages typing out text messages just to get your friends to join a game. Also, with the ingame chat being quite poor, mainly on COD4 with no chats when playing other games.

If you don't mind all that then go PS3, but i mainly play for the social aspect so i much prefer xbox. I also, love the crap out of Halo.
 
Just buy both.

They are cheap enough if you buy second hand. There are plenty of high street retailers that will sell you one second hand with a warranty.
 
Slinkie said:
I am looking to get back into console gaming. I have always been a PC Gamer but haven’t had a gaming PC for a while after growing bored of it.
Click to expand...
I think this is the key here - if you are bored of PC gaming then the only choice is the PS3. The things that the 360 does well are just as good on PC (multiplayer), and most of the top games on 360 are available on PC. PS3 on the other hand has a whole load of exclusives that will never appear on PC. It's no match for Xbox Live when it comes to multiplayer, but if you want more unique experiences that you can't find on PC, PS3 is the way to go.
 
I vote PS3. I have both but hate having to pay for a 360 live subscription.

Since 2006, I've spent at least $350 on subs, and I hardly game online these days.
 
If you're a PC gamer it makes more sense to get a PS3: More games have been released on that platform that aren't available on the PC.

There's actually a surprisingly small amount of games on the 360 that are only available for that platform, the reason for its popularity lies more with an excellent controller, hardware that has been affordable for longer than the PS3 and the best online integration.
 
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