PlayStation 3 versus Xbox 360 - End all Arguments?

Question

Can somebody that knows allot about the technical specifications of video games consoles, electronics, hardware and software please help me analyze this article: PS3 vs. Xbox 360

http://dpad.gotfrag.com/portal/story/35372/?spage=2

Separate the truth from the lies and explain what each numbers mean and which numbers are important to making great video games. Also please provide your source where you got your information from. Like a website, book, own knowledge.

I will reward the best answer with 10 points when you answer the question at Answers.

Answer 1

i think xbox 360 has better graphics and more functions.

Answer 2

This is the end all argument for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Note that I am not a fanboy and have played both consoles and by far the Playstation 3 has longevity than the Xbox 360. These are facts and I have numerous sources. Why is this answer long? It refutes everything that Xbox 360 owners say about the Playstation 3. Also, if you're about to dish out $400-$600 for a system, you want to know all you can.

Company:
Microsoft is a company which experiences are mostly computers not games. Windows Vista is a disaster and 50% of people switch back to Windows XP. Microsoft never answered people's problems, this is why people turn to Mac. When Microsoft heard about their Red Ring of Death, they didn't fix it, instead updated the warranty.

Sony's first Playstation was a success, so they know their field with this. Their smart and reliable and always help their customers when they need too. When Playstation 2 had a lens error, it was Sony who provided how to clean your Playstation 2 with a cotton swab and alcohol, not someone else. They didn't ask you the send your system in so they can fix it, they admitted the problem and gave a simple do-it-yourself solution.

Price:
Look at the bigger picture. With the Playstation 3 you are getting a Blu-Ray DVD player which like $300 on the market for the cheapest one. Playstation 3 most expensive model cost $600 bucks. Xbox 360 most expensive model cost $450 bucks. Let's say Microsoft don't come out for another console for 5 years so lets add their $50 subscription fee to play Xbox Live. That's $250 dollars + $450 dollars for a Xbox 360 in 5 years minus the games. So you are paying more than the Playstation 3 just to use it's features. Features that should have been granted to you when you spent the $450 bucks for their console.

Problems:
Playstation 3 had a slight bug problem (3% in consoles worldwide) but was fixed right away with re-releases of the consoles. People complained about their Sixaxis controller not having rumble technology so Sony has worked on Dualshock 3, which will be coming out in Spring 2008. They actually listen when someone complains.

Xbox 360 currently has a major hardware malfunction called the Red Ring of Death (A play off the name Blue Screen of Death) that only Microsoft can fix. This is a problem in 33% of their consoles in the United States (1 out of 3). Even in their new consoles, these problems still occur. Microsoft has offered to fix it for free and extended their warranty. The problem is it takes 6 weeks to get your Xbox 360 back and it could get stolen in the mail and you won't get reimbursed. In fact Xbox 360 is number 1 in the top ten bad electronics in 2007. Everyone I know is on their second console. If only Microsoft would tell local Gamestops how to fix the problem, but they don't have the best interest in gamers in mind.

Games:
Xbox 360 has better games than the Ps3 now, but by the end of 2008, the Playstation 3 will have way more better games. How do I know? E3 2007 graded every console. Wii got a C- because they talked about their success. Xbox 360 got a C because they talk about their games in 2007 such as Halo and BioShock. The Ps3 got a B- because their longevity is noticed and their games in 2008 will be the best out of the 3 consoles.

Xbox 360 has had a head start for a year and their games are slightly better than Ps3. Their top 3 games: Halo 3, Gears of War, and Bioshock are all First Person Shooters. They don't have a mix array of games. Microsoft dishes a lot of cash to the developers to keep games exclusive.

The best games for the Xbox 360 has come and gone. So you tell me you're going to sit there and wait 2-3 years for Halo 4.

Well right now there's Resistance, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Ratchet and Clank, Virtua Fighter 5, Heavenly Sword, Stranglehold, Assassin's Creed, Virtua Tennis 3, Folklore, Uncharted, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Guitar Hero 3, Singstar and Call of Duty 4. Some games are for the Xbox 360 as well.

Upcoming exclusive games for the PS3 are Killzone 2, Haze, Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Gran Turismo 5, Afrika, Motorstorm 2, Wipeout, Yakuza 3, LittleBigPlanet, Infamous, White Knight Chronicles, Disgaea 3, The Getaway 3, Heavy Rain, SOCOM: Confrontation, Wardevil, LA Noire, Tekken 6 and God of War 3 will all be coming out as PS3 exclusives. Also the maker of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus is making his next game exclusively on PS3.

Thats like 15 exclusives with high 9.0 reviews from Gamespot & GameInformer. Most of these games take over a month to complete so you won't be putting the Ps3 down for quite some time now.

Developers had 2 years to dish out games for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 is not far behind.

Accessories
The only accessory you need and should really buy is a new inter cooler fan for the Xbox 360. You should buy it before the Xbox 360 break on you. Why won't Microsoft give it you guys for free? Because they don't care about their gamers and see this as a lost.

Playstation 3 on the other hand has numerous accessories. They had bluetooth headsets, the new eyetoy which will make the Ps3 a lot similar to Wii with kid games, internet browser. Did you know that Sony is creating an application to allow users to record Live TV. So you're getting a TiVo with a Blu-Ray DVD Player.

Online:
Xbox 360 online is better because more people since it came out a year earlier than the Ps3. When Ps3 introduces Home, the online community will become more connected and better. In Home, you can play pool, billards, bowl, and jump right into games. You don't even need a ps3 game to have fun. Expect a major knockoff from Microsoft, it's in their character to do so.

In closing, you can't go wrong with the Playstation 3. Playstation 1 and 2 were major hits and the Playstation 3 will follow. Getting a Xbox 360 is like having a Daweoo, a pretty dumb idea.

Who are you going to choose? The 2 time back to back winner of the console wars or the sophomore that came back unprepared for a rematch (When I mean unprepared I mean buggy [like the ring of death])

The Ps3 is a end all hands down winner.

Answer 3

the ps3 is a native high def gaming machine-the xbox 360 isn't-high def as in more colours better movement of polygons (no pixelisation of imagery in gaming) sharper images. and more information can be displayed on screen (provided you have an HD ready television) the machine also outputs 1080p straight from the box-is backwards compatible also out of the box-well mine is anyway so i don't know where sony got all this cobblers about downloads from!! and although discontinued the 60 gig version is probably the finest gaming machine out there (and becoming rarer by the day).

Answer 4

I like the PS3 better than the Xbox 360.

Answer 5

The first 2 answers are wrong, PlayStation 3 has better graphics and a lot more functions.

Answer 6

Playstation 3 they have the best graphics and hold a lot of music. They also have 4 caard slots and can go onto the net wireless and remote play with psp witch is meannnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so the answer to what is better playstation 3 fully!!!!!!!!!!!! :}

Answer 7

This is my cut and paste answer. The reason for that is because a tech info is a tech info, you can't beat it (sources below). Also this question is so often!!!

PS3 will win the console war, no doubt. Xbox 360 and Wii are so weak from technological point of view, that in couple of years they won't be capable of dealing with serious graphics. GTA IV, for instance, isn't even announced for Wii - this toy won't be able to cope with the game's requirements. Xbox 360 is getting GTA IV, however, the game is going to be released on several DVDs - Xbox 360 owners will have to interrupt gaming process and switch discs (Rockstar complained about this issue). Only PS3 will have it on single BD-DVD.

Let's compare PS3 and XBOX 360:

1). A third of XBOX 360 (33%) are malfunctioning right from the start. PS3 return rate is only around 0.2%. Despite some people say, that new 360 has no breakdown issues - just visit Xbox section of Yahoo answers and see for yourself an amount of complaints.
2). PS3 has 8 (7+1) kernels in Cell processor, Xbox 360 -only 3.
3). PS3 uses advanced tech called Blu-Ray, one disc can store up to 54 gb (in the future - up to 200 gb), Xbox 360 - regular dual layer DVD-9 (8.5GB). It's possible to get HD-DVD (max. - 30GB) for 360, but it'll cost you around 180$, in this case Xbox is going to be MUCH more expensive, than PS3.
4). Calculations per sec - PS3 - 51-billion-dot-product-operati... per second
Xbox 360 - 33.6-billion-dot-product-opera... per second
5). PS3 has full media support - USBs, built-in 4 slots card reader (except 20GB and 40GB versions), ability to use printer and so on.
Xbox 360 has USBs and only 2 memory slots.
6). PS3 supports up to 7 Bluetooth Controllers
Xbox 360 - up to 4 Controllers
7). PS3 - wi-fi included (except 20 gb version)
Xbox 360 - wi-fi will cost you around 100 $
8). Graphics are stronger in PS3, due to RSX chip, that was developed by Nvidia exclusively for PS3. RSX runs on 550 Mhz. It's difficult to compare their graphics chips, because 360 has a video chip with totally different structure and operating memory is divided differently in both consoles. However, PS3 exclusives look better than 360's exclusives.
9). PS3 uses technology from AGEIA company. It does to physics of the game same thing GPU (videocard processor) does to graphics. This thing is on sale for PC(special card). The price is around 350$. There is no such thing in 360.
10). Xbox 360 is widely known for so-called "red ring of death" problem - it gets overheated easily. My PS3 was running for more than 15 hours non-stop with no problems. Sometimes Xbox 360 becomes so overheated, that thermopaste on CPU melts, drips on motherboard and successfully shortcircuits it. That's why in some countries people call Xbox 360 "Coffin 360".
11). Besides all of this, I've seen disassembled Xbox 360 - regular PC architecture - Billy Gates is an uninventive nerd (as usual).
When I saw disassembled PS3 - it was a surprise - smart architecture, good cooling (don't buy external PS3 coolers - they make everything worse - original system is good), etc.
12). In 2008 PS3 will get more than 300 games, including Metal Gear Solid 4, The Agent and other great exclusives. Here is the good link to the future PS3 releases. http://ps3.ign.com/index/release.html......
13). PS3 online is free, Xbox 360 - you have to pay.
14). There were reports, that 360 scratches discs. No reports on that in PS3.
15). The funniest thing, that right now there are no games for PS3, that show full potential of the console. Biggest games weigh only 25 GB (Xbox 360 will need more than 3 discs even for those).
16). On PS3 you can install other OS, such as Linux Yellow Dog, Ubuntu and others. Sony officially lets you do it. There is no such thing in 360.
17). PS3 HDD can be replaced easily with any 2.5" SATA 5400 RPM HDD (used in laptops). 250 GB will cost you around 170$. In 360 you have to buy exclusive HDD, where 20GB will cost you 100$.
18).Sony expects PS3 to stay on the market for, at least, 7-10 years. Also Sony reduces price now. There is a cheaper 40GB version of PS3.
19).Sony constantly upgrades PS3 software (free updates for OS) - you get new functions and improvements.
20). PS3 controller (sixaxis) has a motion control - you move controller - game responds. Wii has it, Xbox 360 - doesn't. PS3 is getting rumble controller (Dualshock 3) in 1st quarter 2008, Japan already has it. On www.ebay.com I saw those controllers on sale 50$ and up (unofficial import)
21).On PS3 you can help sick people by running Folding Home project. Wii and Xbox 360 didn't even think about it.
22).New 40GB is 399$ or 399 euro (depends on the region) - it has no backwards compatibility with PS2 games, has 2 USBs instead of 4, no built-in card reader, but it's the same PS3, strong, reliable, less noisy, different cooling system. The price is friendly.
23). But, to be just, I'm not a PS3 fanboy, so (despite I own one) hear this - PS3 games (exclusives) are very hard to develop due to complicated Cell's architecture. We have to wait till developers will figure out how to develop games properly. Sometimes multiplatform games run not so good on PS3 due to the same developing issues - it's hard for developers to get a grip on such advanced technologies.

I didn't mention Wii, because it's so weak, no point to talk about it. Leave it for kindergarten and casual games.

Sources:
www.teamxbox.com
www.kotaku.com
www.qj.net
www.ign.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.newegg.com
www.ps3fanboy.com
http://search.ebay.com/dualshock-3_W0QQ_...
and many other sources

Answer 8

Being a video game developer (I develop for both, Playstation 3 and XBOX 360) people ask me almost daily which platform I think is better. These are my personal feelings, in no way does this reflect my employer.

Short answer: XBOX 360.

Long answer: Price, performance, visual quality, game selection and online support. I think the XBOX 360 wins in every category.

Price: This is obvious; the XBOX 360 core is only $299. The PS3 is around $499 for the 20GB version (no longer on market and price continues to fall). It comes with a hard drive, but you don’t need a hard drive to enjoy a lot of great games on the 360 so I think it’s fair to compare both core systems.

Performance: On paper, the PS3 is more powerful. In reality, it’s quite inferior to the 360. Without getting into too many details, the three general-purpose CPU’s the xbox360 has are currently FAR easier to take advantage of than the SPU’s on the PS3. I suspect a few years down the road some high budget, first party PS3 exclusive titles will come out that really take advantage of the SPU’s and do things the XBOX 360 can’t, but I don’t think the console is worth buying based on this speculation (for some it will be though, we'll have to wait and see how these games turn out).

However, whenever you look at console technical specs, you also have to take them with a whole truckload of salt since the game console market has a long history of making a big deal out of numbers that don't really matter, or even making up numbers that have a tenuous grasp on reality. Remember the internal data precision arguments? That specification measurement became useless fairly quickly once marketing departments start adding different specification numbers together to get up into 64-bit or 128-bit range (OK, Turbografix started doing it back when we were still in the 16-bit era).

Console specifications are a lot like statistics in that you can really change perceptions by paying special attention in selecting what you measure and how you go about measuring it. Microsoft may have been the first manufacturer to announce its next-generation console, but in order to gain that advantage Microsoft also had to reveal its console specs first--giving a fat target-list for Sony's marketing team. Do you really think that Sony would have even mentioned the 51-billion-dot-product-operations per second number during the PS3 press conference if Microsoft hadn't boasted that the Xbox 360 could do 9-billion-dot-product-operations per second? What if we told you that Sony combined the CPU and GPU performance numbers to come up with the 51-billion number while Microsoft only reported its CPU performance number? The Xbox 360 actually has 33.6-billion-dot-product-operations per second if you also include GPU performance.

We're not saying to ignore specifications altogether--most of them are relevant in some way or another. And we're going to talk about the specifications that really jumped out at us at first glance. Let's start with the processor. Sony has announced that the PlayStation 3 will have a 3.2GHz Cell processor that consists of a PowerPC-based core with seven synergistic processing units. The PS3 spec-sheet says that there's an eighth SPE reserved for redundancy--whatever that means. The Xbox 360, in comparison, has a multicore PowerPC processor that has three dual-threaded cores that can handle six total threads at a time. You might be able to call the Cell's SPEs overgrown math units, but we think Sony's Cell processor wins from a brute power perspective.

The Xbox 360's ATI graphics core also throws a wrench into our graphics comparison since it uses a new-fangled Unified Shader Architecture that mixes up pixel- and vertex-pipelines and makes comparison to older video card technology very difficult. The Xbox 360 graphics core may have 48-pipelines, but we don't know how powerful they are compared to dedicated pixel and vertex pipelines.

The PlayStation 3 has a pretty strong Nvidia graphics processor, but you can see how Sony may be afraid of the specification sheet comparison by the pipeline number conveniently omitted from the PS3 graphics specifications. We're guessing that the RSX graphics processors has a traditional, non-unified shader engine, so it likely has a smaller total "pipeline" number than the ATI chip. Even if the RSX's normal pipelines are more powerful than the Xbox 360's pipes, Sony doesn't want to risk printing a lower "pipeline" number since people won't understand that it isn't an apples-to-apples comparison.

So how many traditional pipelines does the RSX have? Sony has revealed that the RSX GPU has a 550MHz core clock and has over 300 million transistors. Sony has also stated that the chip is more powerful than two GeForce 6800 Ultra cards put together. Your first guess might be that Nvidia simply doubled the pipeline number on the 6800 Ultra to make the RSX, but you also have to remember that the Ultra only clocked in at 400MHz. If the "double" performance measurement is based on fill-rate performance rather than hardware, the clock speed increase up to 550MHz is clear sign that the hardware improvement isn't from a pure doubling of pipelines. We're guessing that the actual pipeline count is going to be at 24, which is about right for 300 million transistors and, at 550MHz, has just a slightly larger fill-rate than two GeForce 6800 Ultras clocked at 400MHz. Since the GeForce Ultra had 6 vertex pipelines, the RSX likely has 6 more vertex pipes in addition to the 24 pixel pipelines.

From a memory standpoint, both systems are roughly equal with about 512MB of memory dedicated to system and graphics. The Xbox 360 has Unified Memory Architecture that lets the CPU and GPU share the system's 512MB of memory. The PlayStation 3 on the other had has 256MB of XDR memory and 256MB of GDDR3 memory dedicated to graphics. We still have to take a closer look at the memory bandwidth differences, but game developers will be happy with the graphics bandwidth and memory space available for both systems.

The PlayStation 3 comes with an array of data storage and transfer features. Whereas the PlayStation 2 only supported a memory card and the optional hard drive attachment (for a brief time), the PlayStation 3 supports numerous forms of portable media. The PlayStation 3 has 6 USB 2.0 ports, a memory stick slot, an SD slot, and, in stark contrast to many of Sony’s other consumer electronics products, the system actually supports compact flash. Sony even saved a space for a removable 2.5” hard drive.

The Xbox 360, in comparison, doesn't have as much in the way of media support. It has two memory card slots and a handful of USB ports that are rumored to accommodate a host of devices like the iPod, USB memory sticks, and even Sony’s own PSP. However, the real power of the 360 is in its networking ability. We can't forget that Bill Gates's new system can also reach across the network to access media from local, Windows-based PCs.

Sony and Xbox took different strategies when it came to decide on an optical drives. Sony decided to use the PS3 to further its own Blu-ray format, which allows for discs that can hold about 54GB each. The Xbox 360 will support dual layer DVDs, which can hold about 9GB worth of data. Both consoles will support older media formats such as CD-ROMs, conventional DVDs, and user-created DVDs. You'll impress a lot of ladies with the Blu-ray line, but the Xbox 360's normal DVD should serve you just fine in the near future.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 provides numerous A/V output hookups. The upcoming console comes with not one but two HDMI outputs, and PlayStation 3 will be able to utilize both at the same time to output two 1080p video streams at the same time allowing for dual-screen HDTV gaming. Microsoft hasn't finalized the console AV outputs yet, but we do know that the Xbox 360 has the more practical offerings with 720p and 1080i support. Both systems process multi-channel surround sound audio in software.

Network connectivity is going to be an enormous part of the next generation of consoles since destroying your neighbor in Halo 2 is fun, but making that random stranger cry on Xbox Live is priceless. Sony’s Playstation 3 comes with a built-it Ethernet adapter, and also includes an 802.11 b/g wireless adapter. The Xbox 360 comes with a built-in Ethernet adapter, but the 802.11 a/b/g wireless adapter will cost extra.

Answer 9

XBOX 360 you idiot! There awesome and have good games.