About time I got a PlayStation 3

I’ll look forward to killing you on Battlefield : Bad Company

Remember the Name

Hmmm I’m glad you’ve got a PS3 - I’ve been agonising over whether to get one of these or the 360, because I woke up one day and was completely over the Wii without ever actually buying one. Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Galaxy - I’m sure they’re all superb games. But I just genuinely would rather play GTAIV :-(

HD-DVD being dropped has made the PS3’s Blu-Ray capabilities an enormous selling point, as has the fact that they’ve finally produced a rumble-controller. The only thing putting me off is the fact that, in the UK anyway, isn’t the PS3 not backwards compatible? That’s something I’d really like because I want to get the PS2 Metal Gears.

And the 360 is obviously very cheap now, with many of the same games as the PS3 - but that failure rate? Argh.

I suppose it’s moot until I have some money anyway.

The new UK version does indeed lack PS2 backwards compatibility, although rumours have it that a special MGS edition is being released in the US to coincide with the MGS4 launch which includes limited software-based backwards compatibility that targets MGS1 and MGS2. Whether or not this comes to fruition remains to be seen, as does it ever seeing Europe.

To quickly describe the backwards compatibility scenario, there’re basically three levels: complete (the PS3 literally contains the PS2’s hardware), semi (the PS3 contains some of the PS2’s hardware and uses software emulation for the rest), and none (neither). The original US PS3s contained full, the original European PS3s (20GB and 60GB) contained semi, and the current European 40GB PS3s contain none.

Numbers shed a bit more light on the actual value going around here, so I’ll throw some out:

1. A 40GB PlayStation 3 costs about £280

2. An Xbox 360 Premium costs about £250

3. An Xbox 360 Core costs about £180

4. The Xbox 360 Core does not include wireless controllers (~£30), a wireless network card (~£30), HDMI, or free online play (~£35/year); the PlayStation 3 contains all of these

5. The Xbox 360 Premium wireless controller takes actual batteries rather than being interally charged via USB like the PlayStation 3’s, thus necessitating further purchases for that functionality

6. The original PlayStation 3s with backwards compatibility were and are priced £350–£400; indeed, it’s the removal of the PS2 hardware inside that has contributed to much of the price drops — you were directly paying for the PS2 compatibility

7. A PlayStation 2 Slim can be bought for ~£90, with a further price drop expected; second-hand purchases are naturally even cheaper

8. All versions of the PlayStation 3 — including the ones without PS2 backwards compatibility — play PlayStation 1 games

9. All online play is free on the PlayStation 3, and a wireless network card is included internally

I’m pointing this lot out as the actual value you’re getting for both consoles can be a bit misleading, as people tend to take them at face value while in reality the PlayStation surprisingly ends up cheaper if you match them up spec-wise. Of course whether or not the differences above matter to each individual is indeed an individual decision. :)

You have swung me towards PS3. It’s interesting how everyone scoffed at Sony’s long-term kind of tactics when compared to the 360, which had a huge number of buyers, and the Wii which obviously is a runaway success and has been making profit since the word go - but now the PS3 is definitely coming into its own.

And I have nothing but fond memories of my PS1, which I often overlook when in Nintendo mode.

You’ve convinced me to go towards the PS3. I think I’ll wait for the MGS4 bundle, though (80 GB PS3, Dualshock 3, MGS4) all for $500, I think it were.

Any 360 games I was considering are available to PC (I’ll just purchase a Xbox 360 wire’d controller, yah (I trip up on the mouse ‘n keyb setup)).

I’ve had my PS3 since January and have really only played Uncharted and Ratchet and Clank. While both were fantastic games, my 360 has been seeing so much more play time in the intervening time period. Of course, a large part of that has been Rock Band, but other games such as Mass Effect, Earth Defense Force, Crackdown, Bioshock, and Viva Pinata have taken precedence over finding anything else that really grabs me on PS3. When you factor in things like the additions of Rez and Ikaruga to XBLA, I do think the 360 has more to offer still. Of course, I’m crazy excited for MGS4, but given that I have the option, I will be playing GTAIV on 360 and getting the DLC as it comes.

And that’s the thing. In many cases, the 360 simply has the superior version of the games. For example, I’ve played Assassin’s Creed on both, to completion on 360 (by the way, glad you’re enjoying it, but I’ll warn you now, it ends in a similar fashion to way Pirates of the Caribbean 2 does. No resolution, very irritating…) and when looking at the PS3 version, it just seemed substantially less smooth.

I got my 360 about 2 years ago (and thus 6 months before the PS3 came out), saved for a good while, and then got a PS3 when I could do so for less than $300 (mine was used, and one of the original North American 60GBs. Go PS2 compatibility!). If I was making a choice today, I’d still go with the 360 over the PS3, though MGS4 would give me pause when doing so. The PS3 may eventually come out on top, but if I’m looking to play something for the next two years or so until the PS3 finds more of its potential, the 360 would be what I’d buy.

You said on the Thumb “I’m sure there’ll be some lingering exclusives I’ll want to play on the 360 like Banjo-Kazooie 3, but I’ll get a 360 for that eventually — and they’ll be much cheaper then too,” and I would take the complete opposite approach. If I were buying today, I’m sure there would be some lingering exclusives that I’d want to play on the PS3, but I’d plan on getting one eventually so it would be moot. If you plan on getting both eventually regardless, may as well get the one that has met more of its potential to date. The 360 is that system, I think. I’m very fond of my PS3, but it has yet to really prove to me that it was a good use of my money. The 360 on the other hand, was proven to me the day in summer ‘06 that I brought it home from the store with a copy of Dead Rising and a shit-eating grin on my face.

…that said, I may check out GTV Prologue given your recommendation. I’m a little miffed that they have us paying for a really big demo, but I thought it was more expensive than you indicated, so it may not be so bad.