By Philip Dunkley
So the debate rages on. Which console is better, which one has more power, and which one has the better library of games. Fanboys across the globe wage verbal wars with each other, using sharp edged words and bombs of Fact and Fiction. But the question I ask myself this week is; Is it all worth it, and what’s the point? Every time a game is announced or a new development is mentioned, the response columns and forums fill up with raging attacks about which platform is going to be better, which one will have better frame rate yadda yadda yadda.
Now I know people are passionate about their choice of console or pretty much anything these days, but does it really make any difference if I play games on an XBOX360, PS3 or a Wii. Inherently these consoles are very different in their own rights anyway, and each of the consoles has their own set of pros and cons.
Now I believe the biggest debate always revolves around the PS3 vs. XBOX, and yes these machines are the two powerhouses of the gaming console world, but they have different applications and uses. Yes, they both play games, but the PS3 is also a Blu-Ray Player, and to some people this is a very important feature, especially if that person is into high end setups. Another thing that people overlook on the PS3 is the fact that the PS3 is also able to play Super Audio CD’s, and to an audiophile, this is a very handy little feature, as SACD players are very expensive.
Both the units play games, and from a comparison point of view, the 360 mostly wins this war, but only marginally, and I struggle to tell the difference on most titles.
I have both consoles, and I have a Wii, and a DS and a PSP, and I love them all. The more gaming consoles that get released, the happier I am, because it means more games at the end of the day, and more money getting thrown into an industry that I am very involved in.
Another thing that seems to be getting lambasted at the moment on the PS3, is the fact that most games coming out have a mandatory install that takes some time. Trust me, had all 360’s come with a hard drive from the beginning, this would be happening on this console as well [ed: Like the original Xbox?], and it’s not a bad thing, as this is eventually going to lead to less wear and tear on the laser units of the consoles, and make them last a hell of a lot longer.
Yes, each person has a right to their own opinion, but let’s fill up the forums and response columns with decent content discussing how cool the game is going to be or not, and what features you would love to see in the games, as the developers look into these columns to find helpful suggestions, but they won’t if they keep coming across hordes of comments about which console is better.
Once again, this is my humble opinion and I would love to hear your guy’s comments about this.
Last Updated: May 16, 2008
CAPTAIN BEER
May 16, 2008 at 08:11
I AGREE DUDE , WHY DO YOU THINK I NEVER TALK ABOUT WITCH ONES BETTER, I JUST SAY DIRKA THAT SH-T!!!
Fox1
May 16, 2008 at 09:11
So, if you place all 3 consoles on a level plane then from a consumers point of view you should just go for the cheapest console and not worry why it may be inferior to a more expensive console?
koldFU5iON
May 16, 2008 at 09:12
DIRKA? is that a new gaming word… 😛
Syph1n
May 16, 2008 at 09:16
We are starting to see more of theese articles popping up. sarcasticgamers arguement was also interesting. both lead to the same point. who cares, just play games. another article (cant remember which one) posed the question if ps3 wins do all the ps3 owners get a prise and the xbox guys get sent a letter saying “HAHA you lose”?? NO!!
Unfortunately gamers need something to argue about. Before it was Ati vs Nvidia. Amd vs Intel. It will never stop. Fanboism is not a new thing since the arrival of the next gen console, its always been a part of gaming lives.
Whereas before the arguement could be justified by benchmarks and so fourth (3dmark or whatever). now it seems most all comparisons come across as bias fanboism. IE : Gta 4 looks better on xbox/ps3.. Why? because i say so!! Cue counter fanboy attack.
Personally i dont really care anymore. I have my xbox and i love it, I borrow friends ps3 for good exclusives and play wii at friends house when i go there.
One point i agree with in this article is about the whole constructive critique on part of the gamers as to what they would like to see in the game. Unfortunately that would require and imagination obviously lacking in most people.
bokka1
May 16, 2008 at 09:16
I don’t understand the console wars. To me the Xbox360 and Ps3 are basically the same with slight differences between the two that are negligible. The Wii has its own target audience and is seen as a second system for most mature gamers.
Syph1n
May 16, 2008 at 09:19
dirka dirka dirka – america,, F*&# yeah!! sorry. that was a bit off topic.
Syph1n
May 16, 2008 at 09:23
Then the ps2 is the best console!!! war over!! 🙂
Fox1
May 16, 2008 at 09:39
Yeah. It beats the 360 by +-R200
😆
Philip Dunkley
May 16, 2008 at 09:46
I love our readers!! They have more sense than a room full of scientists. I’m glad there are people out there that feel the same.
Syph1n
May 16, 2008 at 09:49
Post intelligent articles and they will come
Syph1n
May 16, 2008 at 09:58
you know what would be really funny though.. If this was meant to be a Flamebait Friday article and we accidentally hijacked it with an actual intellectual conversation.. 😀
James Francis
May 16, 2008 at 12:34
I think it’s pretty simple: the PS3 controller is shit. Yes, it’s dual shock and dual shock was awesome. But we’re a generation later. Also, Microsoft copied the Dreamcast controller, which in turn copied Nintendo designs. The 360 has the superior controller – it’s more comfortable, has better triggers and doesn’t cramp up your hands (unless you have the appendages of a twelve year old).
So the 360 gets my vote. The Wii is fun, but it doesn’t have the games I want. The PS3 does, but its controller is still stuck in 2000.
Syph1n
May 16, 2008 at 13:03
If im not mistaken you are the editor of nag? Awesome! 🙂
the 360 remote gets my vote to (i have abnormally large hands). and the wii, yes its fun but by not by yourself which is largely how gamers play.
Fox1
May 16, 2008 at 13:05
@Philip- These fanboy wars started because a certain leading past gen console manufacturer made so many promises but failed to deliver. I’m talking about Sony.
It’s always in the news about how bad a certain game looks on the PS3 and how much better on the 360.
Then we were promised that we would find Cell in every home device and it’s super capabilities. Cell seems to be going the way the Emotion Engine went 😕
Then hard drive installs became mandatory.
PS2 compatibility was dropped after being promised that it will have support for the PS2 from day one 😯
And finally, they left out rumble because it’s last gen tech but have now introduced DS3.
Nick
May 16, 2008 at 13:06
Its really interesting for me to see how much controllers get brought up lately. I guess it makes sense because we spend so much of our time with one in our hands. I wonder if it will make Console Makers look even deeper into their designs and do more to ensure that there controller is comfortable and solid.
Im sure a few people who picked up the original Xbox controller were surprised to find that it wasnt a handheld gaming system, that thing was just massive.
Syph1n
May 16, 2008 at 13:24
I want a cell processor in my toaster.. propably only be able to do two slices at a time though due to its limited mutltitasking abilities.. But it could burn a solid snake image on the bread!! 🙂 I admit, That comment was very fanboy.
doobiwan
May 16, 2008 at 15:34
I guess it’s because it’s bit between you and the game, and any frustration with the interface is something you have to deal with all the time.
RivaZA
May 16, 2008 at 16:21
Didn’t Sony remove SACD from the 40GB PS3s?
Rap7a
May 16, 2008 at 16:51
I like all 3 consoles! Wii is great when friends are over, xbox has wonderful online gaming and the ps3 is a brilliant platform for reviewing (or showing off to your friends) games.
I dont care which looks better, gameplay beats everything. My console selection went ps1 -> ps2 -> playing on my friends xbox as much as possible -> xbox 360. Why didn’t I get a ps3 when it came out?
1. I wasn’t earning, the xbox was a present
2. a couple years down the line, if I had gotten a ps3, it would have been swopped.
Xbox games just appeal to me, more than ps3 games. Have a great weekend everyone!
Fox1
May 16, 2008 at 17:55
Speaking of the weekend. Hi-Fi Corp has the 360 Pro for R2879.99 this weekend. If you sign up to receive email notifications as to when the new product catalogue is out, then you get a voucher number emailed to you that gives you R100 off any purchase of R1500 or more 😀
http://www.hificorp.com/ProductGuide/136_1856.htm
larch
May 17, 2008 at 03:54
Welcome to “Console Wars” the war where everything’s made up and the points don’t matter. That’s right the points are just like underwear to Sharon Stone.
larch’s last blog post..Witchblade Live Action
Barbara Ling
May 17, 2008 at 13:23
And don’t forget the bling – ie, 24 karat gold faceplates for the Wii, diamond encrusted PSPs and the like.
It’s amazing what people will put on their consoles once they finally decide on a fav…..
Barbara
Barbara Ling’s last blog post..Buy It Now Insane Luxury – Swarovski Crystal Playstation PS3
lia
May 18, 2008 at 07:33
This fanboy war started with 360 fanboys attacking Sony owners because back in 2007, there were hardly any good games for the PS3. There were delays, and I for one almost regretted buying my PS3. I was going to sell it to get a 360 or a Wii, but I decided to stick in there.
Once the arrogant 360 fanboys shut their pie holes, then Sony owners would shut up as well.
wilson_cc34
May 18, 2008 at 09:20
Well dude u sit there and say all this good stuff bout the PS3 but then say u think Xbox is better. make up ur mind cornflake before I make some popcorn. lol, kiddin but it is a little confusin’
evilredzombie
May 18, 2008 at 09:58
Just like any other industry there needs to be competition. And there needs to be fan boys that point out the best in their console… this gives the average user that doesn’t know so much a idea of why, how . Think of it MS doesn’t like to talk about Prod.. you wont see a add about it, Sony doesn’t like to talk about the backward compatibility drop on teh 40 gig and there are a few more examples… I think we need fan boys and the console war. Just think Eskom and telkom…
evilredzombie’s last blog post..NAG South Africa’s Gaming Magazine
Bob Dole
May 18, 2008 at 12:13
this writer is absolutely boring who, im sure, is a fat dude with nothing to do but play video games and watch anime porn. this article was worthless in every way.
LazySAGamer
May 18, 2008 at 12:28
😯 … weird… oh look the article got onto N4G.com. You can tell with the intellectual comments…
evilredzombie
May 18, 2008 at 15:10
DS3 has rumble and motion..where is the 360’s motion ?
evilredzombie’s last blog post..NAG South Africa’s Gaming Magazine
evilredzombie
May 18, 2008 at 15:11
ex editor
evilredzombie’s last blog post..NAG South Africa’s Gaming Magazine
Grinder
May 18, 2008 at 16:49
Yeah, the arguments and fanboyism will never die! I remember when I had an atari, intellevision and colecovision. This was around back in the late 70’s and 80’s with the same crap that one is better than the other despite the number of games/software out for one particular device. Hell, it’s been around probrably since the creation of time… I mean this all happened with my horse is better than your horse and all that, I’M SURE…. LOL….
Brian
May 18, 2008 at 20:01
The thing that frustrates me the most is ruddy Playstation 3 owners.
They rave on about how amazing it is compared to the alternative consoles on the market, but have nothing to show for it. If it was that good, then it wouldn’t be compared to the likes of the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360!
If you’re happy with what you’ve got – then that’s what counts.
(For the record, I’m Playstation 2 owner! 😳 )
Joe
May 19, 2008 at 00:16
Picking a favorite console is just as logical as picking a favorite sports team.