After posting the last two console topics some of you guys asked me my take on the 360. I also thought it would be somewhat appropriate to explain why I came to my earlier conclusions. Understand that I love the three horse race that we have in the console market today. When there is more competition it’s always the consumer that wins in the end. I fully intend to purchase all three eventually, but for now I’m happy with the purchase of my 360. This is a big step for me, as I fully expected to have console envy last Nov. 17th and 19th.
I am certainly no fanboy of Microsoft, but as of right now I do think that with all things considered the 360 is the best system for the money. My opinion may change once the PS3 hits it's stride, but for now there are multiple reasons that I'm not in PS3/Wii envy, and I'll list them below.
Oooh, pretty!
Graphically, the 360 is on par with the PS3, and obviously dominates the Wii. Due to the control innovations, the Wii graphics factor is non-issue to me, but the PS3 is a shocker. I fully expected to be blown away by the PS3 and I wasn't. Don't get me wrong, the titles look good, (I finally saw the ATV racing title up close at my local EB) but they don’t look like the
E3 Killzone 2 Trailermade me think they were going to look; and for $200 more and all the hype, I expected to be blown away. I understand that these titles are launch titles and that there is always a graphical learning curve that the console programmers must adapt to for each new console. I agree that it's unfair to compare the PS3's launch titles against 1 year titles like Gears of War. But GRAW, Oblivion and COD2 at the 360's launch looked as good as the material I've seen from the PS3’s launch, and that was a year ago. I have yet to see a cross platform title side-by-side comparison between the 360 and PS3, so I will withhold my personal judgment until then. But for now, it doesn't look like the difference is going to justify the extra price and year long delay.
Bringin’ the “A” game baby!
We all know that it’s the titles that will make or break a system. This section will vary tremendously from person to person, but I personally am more excited about the 360 exclusives than the PS3 exclusives. I think the console you owned during the last generation will have a large impact on the titles (and their sequels) you will be drawn to. (For example, I never played Devil May Cry so I'm not all that psyched about the 4th installment.) During the last generation I had both the xbox and a ps2, (I also borrowed Cordalis’s Gamecube to play Windwaker, Super Smash Bros, Metroid Prime, and Resident Evil 4) so I like to think that my experience was the best of both worlds.
There are some great PS3 exclusive sequels that I'm excited about, such as Metal Gear Solid 4, God of War 3, and FF XIII. Heavenly Sword also looks like it will be a strong new exclusive property. My wish list for the PS3 has 4 games on it, not bad; But when you compare that to the list of 360 exclusives that I'm excited about: Mass Effect, BioShock, Halo 3, Gears of War, Alan Wake, Overlord, Fable 2, KOTOR 3, and Lost Planet, the PS3 line up pales a bit.
As for cross platform titles, like Assassin's Creed and Army of Two it will be a toss up. If the PS3 hits it's stride and starts blowing the graphical doors off of the 360 I will naturally prefer to play the PS3 versions of cross-platform titles. (As I preferred the xbox titles during the last gen). But as of right now the difference I see is next to nothing. Also there is the realization that the game models will not generally be remade with more polys from the 360 for the PS3, so the realistic difference will be a texture, draw distance, or particle upgrade if any at all.
Hold me…
Microsoft finally got the controller just right, after the original xbox controller size and button layout debacle I think that they just decided “if you cant beat em, copy em!” The new 360 controller is modeled after the Microsoft s-type controller, which was in turn modeled after the ps2 controller. The trigger and button layout are excellent and the weight is perfect. Now that I’ve gone wireless, I’ll never go back. The PS3 controller basically the same as the PS2 (Why change a good thing?), but slightly less ergonomic than the new 360 controller. The big innovation for the PS3 is the new six axis sensitivity. I’m a bit skeptical of this, as I feel it was tacked on at the last minute after Sony saw the public reaction to Nintendo’s Wiimote control scheme. We will have to see how it is implemented. I think the concept could be fantastic, even with the sacrifice of rumble functionality, but much depends on the implementation of motion sensing in the games and sensitivity of the controller. It seems to me that though the addition of the motion sensitivity is nice, if you want real motion sensitivity you should go buy a Wii.
Hello, you there?
Without any hands on experience with the PS3 I can’t say how their online strategy will factor in to the overall experience. I have heard that it will be free, and that is a welcome change to the $60 a year Microsoft charges for their full featured Live service. Unfortunately there are just too many questions about Sony’s system that need to be answered. Microsoft does have a slight advantage in the fact that it has been managing a highly populated online console service for over 3 years now. While Sony, though it has managed multiple online pc titles via SOE to varying levels of success, is new to the online console market.
All I can speak of from first hand experience is the 360’s online system. Though there is a cost, Xbox Live is relatively cheap. $5 a month includes the ability to download HD movies and TV shows for a nominal fee each, while trailers, demos, and online gaming are all included. The most interesting aspect about the live accounts is the gamer score. It is basically a point total that is attached to your account. You receive gamer score points by completing various objectives in games. Every game has a total of 1000 points to add to your gamer score. When I first heard about this feature I thought it was superfluous, but I have to say that in practice it is highly addictive. As Angelus can attest to, the addition of gamer score points to a game dramatically increase it’s replay value. I have heard that the PS3 will update it’s system to follow suit, a wise move on their part. Both consoles have implemented an in game voice chat, and since I always had problems with Teamspeak and other computer communication programs, this is a welcome addition.
Below is a really interesting article that explains some of the pros and cons between the processor tech in the two systems. Topics such as ease of programming and memory and processor allocation are discussed. You computer science guys will get a ton out of it. Very informative.
http://dpad.gotfrag.com/portal/story/35372/?spage=1
Anyways, those are my thoughts, I hope this can generate some interesting conversations. I look forward to hearing some of your opinions and comments, especially if any of you have had some hands on time with a PS3.
Edit: I forgot the best part about getting a 360, you have people like Angelus, BigYak and I to game with!