One, two, three, four – I declare console war

Recently, I bought myself a used (but still rather shiny) PlayStation 3 games console. And very pleased I am with it. However, as a user of both the Xbox 360 and, now, PS3, one clings to the question: which is better? A simple search online (and, more specifically, on YouTube) pointed me to this one, rather sad conclusion: the vast majority of people who have written articles or recorded videos stating a preference are just fanboys who have a bias before they start. Their rantings about high price, lack of online support, graphics, noisy cooling fans etc are almost pre-ordained to be negatives against whichever console that they don’t like.

I would like to make amends for all of this and to champion the pros and cons of a debate that, I think, most gamers would want and deserve. While writing this paragraph, I am unsure which console shall come out on top. All that I can promise is that the arguments for and against each system will be balanced, unbiased and fair.

Disclaimer
The following article may contain opinion. These are my own and do not represent the feeling of my country, race, sex or sexuality.

Firstly, I would like to explain why this is a two horse race. I can almost hear the sighs of people reading this who are thinking “but he hasn’t mentioned the Nintendo Wii – isn’t that the market leader and most popular of the three 7th Generation systems?”. Well, let me explain.

While it is true the the Wii is the top seller and that it promotes, arguably, the most innovation of all of the three living room systems, it falls short in terms of power and titles of Microsoft and Sony’s machines. The Wii is marketed for non-gamers and families and excels at providing an social and interactive experience in the living room, with people of varying ages and gaming abilities. Yes, there are a select few titles that are multi-platform (for example Call of Duty: World At War is available on all three platforms), but, frankly, the Wii in terms of both power and control simply is not in the same category as the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.

The PC is also omitted from debate as it is a constantly moving and updating piece of kit that appeals, I think, to a totally different group of people. It would be unfair to compare a game that runs on a console that is getting on to being 4 years old and a game that wouldn’t run on the high specs of last year’s top of the range PC. This is a console battle.

Now that we have that out of the way, we can begin.

COST & VALUE

At the time of writing, Gamestation have got Xbox 360 bundles for about £180 (with a 60gb memory unit, controller and game) and, PlayStation 3 bundles for about £309 (with 80gb of memory, controller and game). Now, while this sounds like an easy victory for Microsoft, let’s just have a look at what you’re getting.

The 360 comes with the lower price tag, but, considering the extras you get with the PS3, this makes it an interesting battle. Not only does the PS3 have a larger hard drive but you also get wireless internet connectivity built in (you have to fork out £60 for the Xbox dongle) and a BluRay disc drive (you can still buy the Microsoft HD-DVD drive that plugs into the 360 at about £120, although it must be noted that HD-DVD is now an obsolete format whereas BluRay keeps going from strength to strength). Now, if you are planning to treat your console as a multimedia unit then it’s actually the PS3 that comes out on top in terms of value (especially considering that standalone BluRay players tend to sell at about £250), but if you either don’t care about these things (or already own a BluRay player and have a modem right next to your TV) and just want a games machine, then, obviously, the 360 wins the round. It all depends on what you want.

FEATURES

Playstation 3
The games run on BluRay format, which means that there is a built in BluRay drive that will play high definition movies and DVDs alike. And, just in case there are snobs out there who belittle and becry using games consoles for playing movies, be rest assured that the PS3’s BluRay player is every bit as good as the stand alone players of comparable value and is actually better than most of the entry level models. The picture is crisp and flowing and, importantly, as the PS3 connects to the internet wirelessly, it updates itself periodically so ensure that the latest features can always be viewed. An additional remote control can be purchased for about £15, but the game pad works well.

The PlayStation 3 also features a web browser, so you can watch streaming movies and access emails, YouTube and everything else that the internet offers. Although a definite plus, it is somewhat cumbersome and difficult to use without a keyboard. It does let you store favourite websites and has a predictive text function, which helps, but overall the experience is somewhat disappointing.

Then there is the PlayStation Store, where one can get game demos and buy arcade games, themes and soundtracks for games. This is all well and good, but somehow lacking in both content and design. Then there is PlayStation Home.

I am sure that if you climbed aboard the Second Life train then PlayStation Home would be something of a treat for you. It enables you to create a realistic avatar of yourself and gives you a sparcely decorated flat to live in. You can leave the flat and go to town and meet other gamers who are there as well. I was not someone who joined in with Second Life and, likewise with PlayStation Home, find the whole thing rather creepy. This coupled with the fact that the vast majority of users that are online at the same time as you don’t really know what’s going on either, makes this more hassle than it’s worth. And the signing up and signing in loading times are just a joke.

The PS3 offers online play at no extra cost and this is perfectly acceptable, although it does feature occasional lag and sparsely populated servers. However, recently, Sony have taken control away from the developers with their online gaming, which promises to have a faster, more reliable system. But, for now, it is adequate but fails to shine.

The PS3 connects with the PlayStation Portable, which, so they tell me, can act as another controller. I don’t own a PSP so can’t really comment on this, but given that it apparently can act as a PDA on certain games, this seems pretty cool indeed. And you can download games on your PS3 for your PSP and transfer them. All good stuff.

Older PS3s are able to play some PS2 games, while newer 40GB and above models do not offer any backwards compatibility. So if your wanting to play some PS2 games (which are still classic) then you’ll have to dig out the PS2 and connect it up via the scart or three cables. Sucks, I know.

Xbox 360

On paper, the 360 suffers when compared to the PS3. No BluRay player, no wireless connectivity and no web browser. But, having said all that, it does have Xbox Live.

Xbox Live is the single best feature of any online gaming experience (except maybe Windows Live as it uses the same system). Not only does it allow for a more seamless gaming experience, it offers movies, music videos, themes, gamer pics, trailers and demos. It also feature its own magazine, Inside Xbox, which gives information about upcoming games, strategies on games that have just been released, interviews with creative teams behind future titles and question and answer sessions. In short, Xbox Live is something that is way and above anyone else does in terms of internet based gaming.

Xbox Live does come at a price though, and that price is about £5 a month. The types of accounts are split into Silver (free – can download movies and demos and access content) and Gold (about £5 a month, can play games online, can get demos ahead of release and access some exclusive content). While it is annoying that one has to pay another charge for the privilege of online gaming it is clear that you get what you pay for. The servers are fast and reliable, the system matches players according to their ability, and allows you to report players that don’t play fair, resulting in a fair and satisfying experience. True, there are mistakes here and there and there are jokers around, but all in all its a system that is second to none.

Conclusion

Although the 360 has the superior online gaming experience setup, it is clear to see that the PS3 outstrips it in terms of features. There are few people who won’t be thankful for the BluRay player, which easily makes up for the higher price tag. Again though it comes down to personal expectation. If you want a pure gaming machine then the 360 edges it, but for the bulk and quality of extras, the PS3 wins.

NB: It is worth noting the future may sway towards the 360, with the announcements made at this year’s E3. The 360 will be able to be used as a Sky TV box, with no extra hardware, and users will be able to access Twitter and Facebook directly from their console. However, this may not make up for the lack of BluRay drive and will probably incur extra costs, for the Sky at least.

PERFORMANCE

Playstation 3

The PS3 is reliable, quiet and reasonably fast when it comes to games. The games themselves are only available up to a 720p display, although this doesn’t detract from the graphics. In fact, the graphics shown on exclusive games like Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Killzone 2 are about as good as you can get on console.

The BluRay player also works extremely well, with picture and sound quality very very high. It has been speculated that the system settings should be altered to get the most out of it, but this is by no means an urgent requirement.

The DVD playback is, however, less successful. The PS3 does not automatically stretch the screen if watching something filmed in 4:3 ratio, giving a vertical letter box feel with it both ugly and restricting. On one DVD, the viewable screen shrunk down to about 30 inches, so, while still widescreeen, it was less that the 37″ that my TV offers. This can all be adjusted using the settings, but with a game pad this is difficult to work out, resulting in a loss of immersion.

The online capability is good but slow to connect and the setup takes forever. The access that certain games need is a little hit and miss (Little Big Planet refused to connect at all for me, although I could access PlayStation Home and the PlayStation Store) but, when working, seems to work well enough.

The controllers charge via a USB cable that plugs into the front of the console, and the battery life is very impressive. I game for approximately 20-25 hours a week and find that I only need to charge the pad once during that time. The rumble isn’t all that great (sacrifices had to be made for the SIXAXIS motion sensor) but works well enough.

Xbox 360

The 360 is, sadly, besmirched with various problems. The first and most obvious of these is the incredibly loud cooling fan. While by no means a game wrecker, it does threaten to annoy during the quieter moments in games. Then there is the fact that a lot of units have had the so-called Red Ring of Death, when the system packs up because it overheats. I have had this happen to me and it’s sodding annoying, because you either have to replace your system (which I did – luckily it was under warranty) or pay someone to fix it. And it costs. It really makes you wonder what the cooling fan is making so much noise for. Then again, you’ll get used to the fan and cases of the RRoD aren’t that common, especially in the later models.

The DVD playback is brilliant, with its automatic resizing of screen ratio. The gamerpad provides an easy to use interface, with very few frustrations to hamper enjoyment. And, like the PS3, one can buy a media remote if it all becomes too much.

The controllers feel robust and made for gaming – some might complain that they are heavy but to me they simply feel for definite in your hands. The battery life is less than you’ll get from the PS3, and you have to use AA batteries which can be costly if you’re not using rechargeables, but with that you get enough rumble to excite an elderly person. You also lose out on the SIXAXIS motion stuff, but, to be honest, that’s a bit of a tacked on extra anyway.

Conclusion

Although the 360 suffers from a noisy fan, it performs doing what it needs to do. It also has the better feeling controller. But then again, the PS3 system feels slick and has the superior battery life that runs by itself rather than from costly batteries. The DVD playback does let it down though, and this is something that users of the PS3 will want. So I would say that this is probably a draw, but if pushed, I would say that the 360 just edges it.

GAMES

All of the previous categories aside, a games console is only as good as the games it offers. After all, this is the very reason that the majority of people will be buying a console and not, as the makers would have you believe, for the multimedia experience.

It must be noted that the obvious thing to do would be to compare like for like, but, as I am but a gamer rather than a games journalist, I don’t know first hand which games run better on which system first hand. I can however cite what others have said and speculate what I feel would be better based on controller, power of the system etc. Please bear this in mind when reading.

PlayStation 3 Exclusives

The exclusive games that the PS3 has that are worthy of play may be small but they are of the highest quality available to console gamers at the moment. Little Big Planet innovates not just in terms of visuals (which are stunning) and sound design (which is lovely) but with the scope of user based content. Simply put, there is nothing remotely similar on any platform. Killzone 2 offers a standard FPS, but one which is of the highest quality and features graphics better than anything seen on a console before and enough gameplay tweaks to keep you interested. And Metal Gear Solid 4 features such a unique gaming experience that you really have to play it to understand just how good it is. It is also worth noting that it uses an entire 50gb BluRay disc for the game, so it literally would not run on the 360.

Xbox 360 Exclusives

The 360 has been around for a lot longer than the PS3, so obviously has a more impressive range of exclusive titles. Halo 3 features a solid campaign and deep and rich multiplayer not seen on a console game before or since. I must admit that I’m not much of a Halo fan as I find the meat and gravy of a game in its single player campaign modes and in my opinion, Halo 3’s simply didn’t cut the mustard. Gears of War 1 and 2 are more seminal and, I think, just better games with brutal, visceral action and cliché ridden but deeply satisfying story. The campaign is amazing as is the online play, and this makes for one of the best gaming experiences ever. Fable II and Mass Effect offer two of the best western RPGs ever produced with amazing visuals, deep stories and changeable plots depending on whether you play as a good character or bad.

Games available on both platforms

It must be said that, when researching this, there is very little difference in the game experiences offered on either PS3 or 360. In IGN’s comparison videos for Grand Theft Auto IV, the viewer is told that both versions are awesome and to buy whichever ones your friends are playing to maximize the online experience. In most part, the games tend to follow the same pattern. The graphics are slightly more detailed and textured on the PS3, but the game suffers some extra clipping and slowdown because of this. The less detailed 360 graphics run smoother and faster. But neither of these things are significant enough to make a gaming experience inferior or bad.

There are two clear examples of games running better or worse on a console. The Orange Box, one of the best games bundles ever released performs much better on 360 than PS3, because of Valve, the developers, finding the PS3’s coding hard to use. The PS3 version is plagued with frame rate drops and clipping and slow loading times. It’s still a good game, but definitely poorer than the 360 counterpart.

Streetfighter IV, on the other hand, favours users of the PS3. This has nothing to do with the way that the game runs or performs (it’s still razor sharp on 360) but with the controller. Because the PS3’s DualShock 3 features a defined D-Pad compared to the 360s soft and spongy disc, one can pull off moves on the PS3 that woud be very hard indeed for 360 users. However, for both systems an old school gamer joystick can be purchased for the ultimate fighting experience, but again, it’s extra cost.

In my opinion, shooting games are better suited to the 360 as the analogue sticks feel better and are placed more sympathetically on the pad. The weight of the controller feels good in the hand and pulling the deep shoulder button just feels more trigger-like. Sports games are probably better suited to the PS3 controller, as the D-Pad allows for vastly more precision and the shallower buttons allow for more subtle and deft plays on the ball or board. I would say that it’s an even keel when it comes to racing games.

Conclusion

Both have a few exclusive titles that are worth getting a console for and both have games that perform brilliantly and poorly compared to their counterpart. It’s really too close to call and it all depends which games appeal to you personally.

To sum up…

There really isn’t a winner. Both are exceptional machines that will delight gamers and media fans everywhere. Yes, the PS3 is stacked with hardware perks, but the 360 has online support to die for. If you want a multimedia centre, then choose the PS3. If you want a games machine that excels at shooters, then choose the 360. If I had to choose now, I would have to look closely at the exclusive titles and see which ones I preferred. I always intended to get both consoles, but at the time of my initial purchase there was no Metal Gear Solid 4, no Little Big Planet and no Killzone 2, so it was an easy decision to get my 360 first.

One last thought

I don’t earn a huge amount of money and I’m not exactly what you’d call debt-free. I sometimes find it hard to get by, but gaming is important to me. In fact, it’s so important that I refused to make the choice and bought both. It really is a choice that you don’t have to make. If you are serious about console gaming and about living room entertainment hubs then simply save your pennies and buy both systems. It may take some time but if gaming is your primary hobby then you owe it to yourself to not choose. And trust me, if I can get both then so can you.

RESULT

Tie. Ain’t that a bitch?