Console Wars: Xbox 360 vs PS3

Lagniappe, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Dec 22, 2006 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Looking for a new gaming console this Christmas? Decision-making just became harder for the technically-challenged. For the last year, the clear winner of the gaming wars has been Microsoft's newest gaming console, the Xbox 360. Offering major upgrades to previous technologies, Xbox 360 buried its main competitor,
Sony's Playstation 2, which, as a gaming system, has been showing its age ever since Microsoft released its first version of the Xbox console.

Trying to regain the technological lead, Sony adopted Microsoft's strategy, which was to build a console that integrated many cutting-edge components, regardless of the cost of production. As a result of the high manufacturing cost of its new gaming platform, the Playstation 3, Sony has opted to sell the console at a lowered rate for consumers-in effect, loosing money on every transaction, in the hope that major profits will be made on the actual games. So far, this is a strategy that Microsoft has shown can work both for the consumer, who is able to buy a console for a much cheaper price; and for the manufacturer, since the market appears to be able to bear the high prices demanded for individual games.

Marketing strategies aside, which console is better? The question can be addressed in three ways: Which has the better technology? Which has the better games? Which is a better value?

Technology:
Processors: In terms of processing speed, both consoles feature a 3.2GHz processor and 512 megs of RAM. As far as testing goes, however, it appears that the Playstation 3 has a slight speed advantage; which is no surprise, if one takes into account that the technology is newer. Sony has, nonetheless, managed a small coup in the arena of processing, considering that one of the main selling points of the Xbox and Xbox 360 have been their superior processing power. In the final analysis, however, the speed advantage that Sony's Playstation 3 enjoys is probably not significant enough to persuade consumers.

High-Def Capability: In the area of extras, it appears that Sony has, once again, gained the lead. The new Playstation 3 offers a next-generation Blu-ray player, which gives the console the ability to play movies at HD quality (true 1080i), with the expanded capacity of Blu-ray disks (about six times the information capacity as a conventional DVD). Microsoft plans to release an HD-quality player for the Xbox 360 later this year, but consumers will have to purchase the player separately, as an add-on component, for about $200.

Online Services: In the past, both consoles have offered online gaming services. The clear winner in this competition, however, has been, and will probably continue to be Microsoft. Of course, no one should be surprised by Xbox's domination of the online venue, given their expertise in the technological arena. One should keep in mind, though, that online gaming is not every gamer's "cup-of-tea." Therefore, choose your console based on the gaming habits of the intended recipient.

Games:

Game quality is clearly the most subjective element of decision-making. Both gaming platforms have had their "blockbuster" titles, so the choice comes down to preference. One caveat will server here: The Xbox 360 has been out for nearly a year now, which obviously means that it has a greater number of titles right now. If you are looking for a quick "out-of-the-box" experience, and a relatively large number of games, Xbox 360 is the right choice. If, however, you are willing to be a little bit patient, Sony's Playstation 3 will eventually catch up. Traditionally, Sony's console has generated more titles than Microsoft's Xbox, and this trend will most likely continue.

Value:

Value is a relative term here. Neither console is inexpensive. The Playstation 3 will cost consumers around $600 this Christmas. The Xbox 360 costs around $400. With the Playstation 3, one gets a Blu-ray, HD-quality player (the first dedicated Blu-ray player from Samsung will sell for around $1,000 this season), a 60-Gbyte Hard Drive, wireless controller, built-in Bluetooth and wireless capability, and memory card readers. Alternately, the Xbox 360 comes with a 20-Gbyte Hard Drive (there are cheaper versions of the Xbox 360 without a Hard Drive, but they are not worth purchasing), and a wireless controller. A wi-fi adapter will cost an extra $100, and, as mentioned above, if you want an HD player, be prepared to shell out an additional $200.

In short, the Xbox 360 is a better value, if you are happy to settle for a basic configuration, amazing games, and a wonderful online environment. If, on the other hand, you want to start adding on to the capabilities of the Xbox 360, the $600 price-tag for the Playstation 3 starts looking pretty good. The good news for fans of the Xbox 360, however, is that in the past Microsoft has initiated price-cuts after a year on the market, which means that we might see a more competitive pricing scheme introduced for the Christmas season.

By Matthew Landers

Published by Lagniappe

Formerly known as Baton Rouge Lagniappe, now just plain Lagniappe roams the world reading, writing, and loving. View profile