RF Generation Message Board

  Well way back when I was deciding on which next-gen console to purchase I did my homework. I Played both the Ps3 and Xbox 360, Determined what features I wanted and decided the PS3 was the console for me. And it is, the PS3 fits my everyday gaming and I have been 100% satisfied since day one. My dilemma is this... My friends that have a PS3 don't have High speed internet (I Know go Figure...) and three friends I know that have high speed Internet have an XBOX 360.  Now... I was bound to get a 360 eventually but now that I realize the only friends I know that are online are using the 360, I'm looking twords the purchase of an XBOX 360. I've thought real hard about this and I need some info. Besides being able to play online with my buddies and the reported quality of XBOX Live. What are the other benefits of owning an XBOX? I'm not interested in Netflix compatibility and all of the games I want are on the PS3 too ???

Despite what you say there really are alot of nice exclusives for the 360 simply because the PS3 wasn't out yet.
You could also consider getting a 360 for the exclusives that are yet to come. The time of "big exclusives" may be over but there's bound to be a couple more to come.

The biggest benefit the 360 has is, for you, the possibility of playing online with your friends. You have to decide for yourself whether or not that's important enough to buy a 360 for. Or you could convince them of getting a PS3, of course ;)

I never said the XBOX didn't have exclusives. Just all the games I'm into are on the PS3 also. In fact the games that arn't on both, like motorstorm are on PS3. I'm more of a racing/action/ sand box  game player and the majority of those are multi console. 

And I almost got my one buddy to buy a PS3 but I had to buy his 360... didn't happen.

Well, it sounds like the games your 360-owning friends are also available on the PS3. But if you don't own them for the PS3 yet, maybe that's part of your recent motivation to get the 360?

Other factors to consider (games-wise), depending on your tastes:
1. Future releases (including exclusives).
2. Current exclusives.
3. Games on XBox Live Arcade vs. those on Playstation Network.

Another factor may be the 360's Achievement system. PS3's trophy system has been rolled out, but they're still working out getting more games to use the feature. All games on the 360 utilize it (including arcade).

Also, with the recent price drop, you're getting a 60gb console with backward compatibility for a large % of Xbox1 titles for the price of $299.99. And the majority of Xbox1 titles are about $10 or less.

Lots of freebies on Xbox live for demos, videos, themes, pictures, etc.

Hope that helps. 8)

Basically, what it boils down to is what system has the exclusive content that intrigues you more.

Are you interested in Ratchet and Clank, LittleBigPlanet, Gran Turismo, Resistance Fall Of Man, Infamous, Team Ico's game (whatever that may be), etc, then go for the PS3.

If you're more interested in Halo, Viva Pinata, Forza, Gears of War, etc, then go for the 360.

Your right I forgot about that... I remember hearing that Xbox live was getting an exclusive vigilante 8 game and i remember feeling a little jelouse....


for me it's not really about the exclusives. Yeah there nice and i'm always glad when the exclusive game I want is comming out on my console. But in this situation i'm trying to see what the Xbox 360 can do for me as opposed to the PS3. so far I got, Xbox Live and playing online with my 360 owning buddies... I was always planning on getting one. I just want to see if i'm missing out on anything that might help me decide to purchase one now

The 360 will be slowly going downhill as games progress. It doesn't have the hardware to compete for as long as the PS3 will, that's the one beef I've had with the system since it came out, it's more like X-Box 1.5 than X-Box 2.

Well, I can see where you stand. I myself if going to buy something that costs more than I can justify, look for whatever positives I can to make me feel better about blowing the money on whatever it is.

Essentially for what you are after, you have two choices, encourage your PS3 owning friends to get better internet connections (perhaps do the footwork and find the cheapest solution for them), or join your 360 owning net users. In the end, it really is up to you.

There's actually a few things that the 360 does that the PS3 doesn't, but they're really not features that EVERYONE would use.

First of all, I play Final Fantasy XI. I played on PC for years, but the 360 version just has fewer lag spikes for me. Also, I can be online within a minute or so, wheras my comp takes that long just to boot itself up.

One thing that I've noticed with the PS3 is that enabling the media server detection crashes my Linksys router, but not my Netgear. The 360 doesn't crash anything and it actually integrates the network streaming feature a lot better. It's nice to stream music while you're ingame, and control it with my Vista Media Center remote control.

Lastly, if you have XP MCE or Vista Home Premium/Ultimate, the 360 connects as a Media Center Extender. So if you don't have your comp hooked up to your entertainment system, but your 360 is on the same network, you have access from there. However, this is really only useful for TV recording and playback, so I'd avoid wireless connections. That leaves you with having your 360 within ethernet reach, at which point you might as well just have your computer in your entertainment center or home theater or whatever. I don't think most people have this setup, or even have a TV recorder set up. Recording on anything but a pretty high power computer seriously lags your system, so it would be better to just build a cheap dedicated comp to do the recording. But then, you need to buy another Vista license and.... God, this is a mess. Extender functionality is cool if you design your HOME around it, but just adding TV-tuner support on the 360 would have worked a LOT better. Come to think of it, didn't Sony just release something like that?

So yeah, there's reasons to get a 360 other than exclusives, but not for the average Joe. I used mine as an extender for a while, but now that I have a separate comp hooked up to the TV for that, it's just used for exclusives.

I tried doing the footwork for one of my friends. they have AOL dial up. still waiting to see how that turns out...

You are dead on my friend.

I thought AOL discontinued their ISP service...

They're crazy to pay that much for dial up. :o

So... the original Gameboy didn't have the hardware to compete and neither does the DS. Oh wait...

Um...that smells like the start of a flame, and is not a helpful comment to the intent of the post.

Let's stay on topic, ok?

Nah, I don't see it as a flame at all. It's just an opinion stated as fact. We all do it from time to time. And it is on topic, he's just stating that he thinks that it will become obsolete before the PS3 does (which is the system TC already has). That's something that should be taken into consideration whether you agree with the logic leading up to which system will become obsolete first or not.

But I disagree with Leon's post as stated earlier (in a sarcastic tone). It's about the library of games not hardware. This has proven to be the case time and time again even though hardware is a huge factor. PS2 has the worst hardware of last gen and it is the only last gen system still pumping out games such as Persona 4 coming out later this year. That's not just some sports game, that's a huge named RPG.

Sorry if I sounded like a fanboy, I can assure you I'm not (don't own or plan on owning either system). I've just been following this console war for years and have become opinionated.

As far as Shimra's post I agree that it should always be about the games. Indeed if no more systems were ever made I would be happy to continue playing games made for those systems. The fact remains, however, that new systems are being created. And if I am going to spend money on a new system I feel that it should actually be something groundbreaking, and that, to me, is for this generation the PS3. It has the most advanced hardware and gives you the most "next" for your buck. The 360 is essentially a shinier Xbox and the Wii is...the Wii.

But really you all should just get God damned PCs.

I think this is true. Even though the 360 has more games and more support, I think the system will be replaced earlier than the PS3. Microsoft won't let their system have "uglier" looking games than the PS3. The hardware is worse and although you can't really see the difference now I think that'll change during the next two years. It also uses dvd's which won't be enough anymore to store games on.

Although...maybe something completely different will happen, I think it's hard to tell, being on the edge or the traditional console era. (or so I think)

The PS3 may yet have the "10 year" lifespan Sony says it will, but who's to say how good of a span that will be? You can guarantee both Microsoft and Nintendo will have a new system out in 3 years or so just as the Wii and 360 really begin to show their age.

As far as the Wii and 360 using DVD, funny multiple discs weren't an issue for the PlayStation nor the PS2 nor the Gamecube. Didn't hurt RE4 any did it? Besides, if Mass Effect and Oblivion can fit on one disc, I doubt you'll see many 2 disc games in the future. At least no more than the insane amount of LE's and CE's that have second discs do now.

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To the OP: If you need to find reasons to own a X360 and need to ask, then you should probably wait. Most games are multi-console anyway and you've said yourself how satisfied you are with the PS3. This is no different than any other generation except for the online. Just play the games with your friends while your there and enjoy the PSN with whoever you can when your not. It's certainly not worth $300+ to possibly play a couple games you may or maynot like once or twice a week when your PS3 is silent.

I say $300+ because although the Arcade may look appealing to you and will play *most* of the games, that purchase may bite you in the ass later on. More and more X360 games are requiring the mandatory use of a HDD, especially the online ones and the cost of an Arcade + HDD is more than the new 60GB 360's cost new. Besides, most demos exceed the 512 meg of the memory card the arcade has, and for a 2nd system that you may be reluctantly buying, try before you buy is a must.

Console longevity is a funny thing. Personally, from the company standpoint it would make sense that as soon as a rival goes next gen that company should go next gen as well. The reason being that consumers constantly want the newest products regardless of specs. Lets's face it, us hardcore gamers who delve really far into this stuff are only a small percentage of consumers. People just want the newest and shiniest stuff.

*That's my perception at least.

Yeah I know but I wouldn't want console gaming to become something like PC gaming where you have to upgrade your hardware every year and a half just to be able to play the latest games.

For me, 5 years is the minimum a generation of consoles should last. Any faster and it would feel that the technology is moving too fast for me. Financially atleast. I'm not an early adaptor, so I'll buy a console maybe 2 years or longer after its release. Imagine buying a console after two years that only has a lifespan of three. You'd barely get to enjoy having a "new" console and the next one would already be out.

The Xbox 360 is meant to be played with friends.  I'ld say go for it.  Better yet, if you invite them over, they can recover their accounts and everyone can be signed in as themselves.  PS3 seems a bit more anti-social in how they deal with the friends list.  Both have good games and good exclusives, not to mention some of the best like COD4 are available for both.

System life spans are a cruel thing, poor Dreamcast, we hardly knew ye.

I mean no ill offense with this so please take my post with a grain of salt.  When you were deciding between the 360 and the PS3, you came to the conclusion that the PS3 served what ever purpose you wanted from the two.  Now, it's true that your friends are on the 360, but even with the lowered expense, I'd recomend not getting a 360.  None of the exclusive games interest you and while the online aspect may, you'd basicly be making a somewhat large investment on a system you've already wrote off.  Its not that the 360 is a waste of money by any means, but if your only buying it to play with friends, reguardless of the game, well, I'll leave the rest up to you.

In my day we played our Dreamcasts with their 32k modems (we didn't get those fancey pancey 56k modems down here), and we would play Quake III Arena, Phantasy Star Online, and that was cutting edge! Before then you would have to go all the way over to your friends place to play multiplayer. So the trick was to have the best game collection and get them to all come around your place instead ;D

  your right. I do feel the only reason to get one now is to play online. That's why i'm looking for other perks to justify my purchase. I know i'll get one eventually (gotta have one in the collection) but for now i'll just keep browsing pawn shops,thrift stores,yard sales & ebay. If I see a 360 for dirt cheap... I'll probably buy it. thanks to everyone for the input, it has been very helpfull

Me and 3 of my friends played through the Legendary difficulty on Halo 3 from our own homes.  Enough said.

Tell me more.

One day me and my friends planned to play through Halo 3 on legendary one day.  So we quickly and easily invited everyone to the party. (NO FRIEND CODES!!!)  The gamertag is an easy to use and effective system that allows you to see what your friends are playing and join them, or have them join you.  Also, the Halo 3/xbox live server is the best I've ever played.  Halo 2 had some laggy games, but I havent experienced a single laggy game with Halo 3.  So all three of us, from the comfort of our own homes, played through the entire Halo 3 campain, all the while communicating with the crystal clear xbox 360 wireless headsets.  That was one of my favorite gaming experiences.  Right up there with playing FEAR in a room full of people who never played it.  (I knew where everything was :D)

Man i miss those days...we used to set up the DC and Q3:A up with a little 20"tv on the tailgate of my truck and play 4 player deathmatch outside all night, doing alot of things we were underage for at the time...lol

Well I came upon a good deal on an Xbox 360. $100 brand new with a 20gb hard drive. So I snatched it up. I only got Test drive unlimited and Burnout revenge for it as of right now. I have to admit the 360 does have some interesting features. But it feels more (and i'm not trying to put the 360 down) like a toy. Not as much as the wii, but compared to the PS3 it's more family friendly and bright. As aposed to PS3's "darker" and technical vibe.... maybe it's just me.

The 360 has many titles in its ranks for the hardcore though. More than the PS3, actually.

I know, I wasnt talking about games. I was reffering to the overall layout of the dashboard compared to the XMB. PS3 feels like a PC/console hybrid and the Xbox feels like it's right in the middle of a Wii and a PS3. It's not too toy like but not overly "Tech"
Again not talking about Games or actuall performance, just the impression I got. I don't mind it. It's fresh, different.

Ok, but as long as it's easy to navigate and the games are good I don't think it matters that much what layout the dashboard uses. ;)

After all it's the games that make a console "hardcore" or "casual", not the menu's.

360 doesn't have THAT many more titles from what I've seen. The only games the 360 gets exclusively nowadays is either shovelware or Microsoft products. Exclusives are dead for the most part so I don't really see it having too much of an effect.

I like the feel of the Xbox Dashboard.  It's relaxing and that is one of the main reasons I play games. 

I think the PS3's XMB interface is far superior just because it's far more minimalist, yet very customizable with themes that YOU can make and/or download. Plus, I think it's easier to navigate and get around in.

I can't believe how big of a nerd I am. Touting the benefits of a menu system.

As far as games go, I think they're pretty much even. The only thing is that 360 has their exclusives and a lot of the earlier "next-gen" (aka: now-gen) games that PS3 won't get.

Well so far i've gotten the games that I wanted when 360 first came out: Test Drive unlimited (has really showed it's age) Burnout Revenge. and my first new game purchase: Vigilante 8 Arcade. all in all so far i'm satisfied with my purchase. My only gripes are: The 360 doesn't work properly with my tv's auto source feature, num pad on keyboard inop, That darn power Brick, control d-pad feels "loose" and lack of web browser. mostly little stuff but still stood out to me.

hope you enjoy the 360 overall...personally I like it better than the ps3 in general, though I admit the ps3 is finally catching up. Btw any idea if your system has already been repaired? If not pray your one of the lucky ones

Well when I got the 360 it failed... I didn't want to say anything before ( i didn't want to fire up any fanboy comments) It was a hardware failure for the Video output (one red Light) They repaired it and sent it back to me, but it was kinda scratched up in the back where they opened it. So I called them and the person I talked to was very helpful and what they did for me was very unexpected. They asked me to send it back and in it's place they would give me a spanking brand new one w/ a charge and play kit and another free month of XBL. I sent it in and what I got back was a shock to me. The manufacture date was 10/25/08 , I got it on 11/03/08... only 14 days old!

as far as the 360 and PS3 go they both have their strong and weak point's. my new problem with the 360 though is the extra cost to get the things I need I.E. wireless internet, bigger hard drive, headset. I knew I was going to have to buy this stuff but it just makes me unhappy to open my wallet... :(

When mine died I got one that was about the same age 2-3 weeks old so no complaining here about how they handle system issues..lol
I know what you mean about opening the wallet...but on the bright side you dont need wireless just one hell of an ethernet cable

for know i'm using my laptop as a wireless adapter, but that's only temporary... I thought about running a cable but when I measured it I would have needed 110 feet...bah!

That "powerline ethernet" stuff has supposedly matured to the point of being usable. I just got a kit today to hook up a media center extender, but it's going back tomorrow because it just doesn't carry the bandwidth. If you know a place with a good return policy, that's something to check out.

I broke down and bought the official Xbox adapter.... But no way was I going to pay full price! I got it from gamecrazy used for 39.99 and some crummy ps2 trade in's ( no loss to me I got 10 at a yardsale for 5$) It cost 59.99 used normaly which also is'nt too bad considering the wireless bridge I was planing to purchase was 50$
So far so good, it works very well and I havent had any issues yet...

That might be your best bet. Regular wireless is probably better than any ethernet solution that isn't directly connected to the router.