A Not so Typical XBox 360 PS3 Comparison

There are currently two major video game entertainment systems available, the Sony PS3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360; I chose to exclude the Wii because it is not at the same hardware level as the other consoles. The major distinctions between the two consoles are hardware, games, and price. Neither console has all three, but they are very good in their own respects.

**I feel that I should mention that I have played both systems and prefer/own the PS3**

Hardware

The PS3 and the Xbox 360 may appear, at the moment, to look (graphics) the same, but they are very different on the inside. There are multiple versions available of each console; I will go with the cheapest of each, PS3 80 GB (Other models are no longer sold at retail stores) and the Xbox 360 Arcade.

First and for most, the PS3 uses a Blu-Ray drive and the 360 uses a DVD drive. The Blu-ray Drive (BD) can read disks holding up to 50 gbs of data, the DVD only supports up to 9 gbs. This means that, in theory, the ps3 can have about five times more content per sick than the 360. The 360 has a processor that has three cores running at 3.2 GHz each (most computers have two cores running about 3.2 GHz). The PS3 has eight cores running at 3.2 GHz each, but it only uses seven of them (six for games and one for its operating system). In theory, the PS3 should be able to load and run content much faster. In side of all computers there is a thing called RAM. The more RAM a system has the faster it should go. RAM can get complicated, so I will not go into too much detail about it. The 360 and PS3 have about the same amount of RAM, but the RAM that the PS3 uses can run faster. The 360 can achieve 1080i and the PS3 can achieve 1080p; 1080p is current high def, but in reality it will not make too much of a difference. The PS3 has an internal wifi antenna, for the 360 you have to buy your own. The PS3 also has free online access, so you can play the same games online you have to pay for on the 360 for free. Xbox Live is about $50 a year, but it is better if you intend on using online play a lot. The 360 only supports 4 controllers, the PS3 supports 7. The 360 uses infrared for its controllers, the Ps3 uses Bluetooth. Bluetooth has a longer range and the connection is more stable. Last but not least, the 360 arcade had no hard drive, but the PS3 has an 80GB one. Is you want to play online you will need a hard drive.

The hardware indicated that the PS3 is the better system.

Games

The PS3 may have better hardware, but the 360 has better games. There are more games available for the 360 than there are for the PS3. Currently the games look the same, or better on the 360. Once programmers learn how to write games for the PS3, the graphics should be much better. Currently the 360 is the winner on who has better games.

Price

The 360 arcade sells for $200; the PS3 for $400. You may think that the 360 is the clear winner, but let us take a closer look. The PS3 has a built in antenna, to get one for the 360 it would cost about $100. That brings the price up to $300. Also if you want to play online you need to get a hard drive and Live membership. You can buy a 60GB hard drive with 3 months of Live and a headset for $100. For a one year subscription, it will cost $100. The final price for the 360 with a 60GB hard drive, 15 months of Live, a headset, and a wifi antenna will be about $500. The 80GB PS3 (which includes an internal wireless antenna and free internet access) and a headset would be about $430. One last thing that should be mentioned is that, if you want to watch HD DVDs (a dying format) on the 360 it will be more money. The PS3 can play Blu-Ray out of the box. Over the life of the system, the 360 would be more expensive.

One lost note, I chose to omit the 360s hardware issues. When it cam out the 360 had about a 50% failure rate. Since then Microsoft has attempted to fix the problem and issued longer warranties. Conversely, the PS3 has had about a 1-3% failure rate since its release.

The PS3 currently is better in hardware and is cheaper in the long run, but games make a system. The 360 has better games at the moment, but only time will tell what will happen.

*Hardware compression was a result from the data at this web site http://www.futuregamez.net/hardware/ps3hard/system/system.html