As long as consoles have existed, discussions, debates, arguments, fights, and all out WARS have taken place over who makes the best video game units.

Things are slightly more complicated these days however. Console makers are taking different approaches to designing their products; some go for hardcore processing power, others focus more on online gaming.

Here we are comparing both consoles in different terms


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Hardware:

The Playstation 3 has the decided advantage when it comes to hardware. The CPU, memory, and graphical prowess is roughly a wash on both consoles as they are capable of roughly the same computational and graphical rendering abilities. Still, it's evident that there are some issues with the PS3 given the graphical slowdowns and framerate issues present only in the PS3 versions of multiplatform games. All PS3 models offer a bluray optical drive, HDMI, gigabit Ethernet, and USB 2.0. In most models it also includes built-in Wifi and Bluetooth capability as well. While the hard drives are roughly the same in size to many Xbox 360 models, the PS3 makes it much easier to expand as it doesn't require proprietary hard drive preloaded with software as the Xbox 360 does. The Xbox 360, while offering HDMI in its current models, only has a standard dual layer DVD optical drive, 10/100 Ethernet capability, and Wifi only though a $100 adapter.

This is where the Xbox 360 really falls apart. The Xbox 360 had a hardware defect where a heat source within the case causes some internal connections to become disrupted. This would cause a famous red ring to appear on the console indicating a specific hardware failure, hence the "Red Ring of Death" moniker. This hardware issue was so bad that Microsoft extended their warranty for just this issue for a full 3 years after purchase. When it happened to me a year and a half ago they paid in full for me to ship my Xbox 360 back to them. While it was a nice gesture since it didn't cost me any money except to get to the UPS Store, not having my Xbox 360 for 6 weeks was really disheartening and it caused me to appreciate my Nintendo DS a little more. Since my warranty for this issue runs out this coming December. . Aside from the Red Ring of Death issue, both consoles endured issues from drive failures to the console scratching game discs, however these issues were minor even for a typical console release.



Features:

When it comes to console features, the PS3 has a lot more flexibility than the Xbox 360. For instance, I can burn a DVD filled with AVIs or MOV files taken on a digital camera and my PS3 will play them just fine. It supports most major playback modes for video, audio, and images. The Xbox 360 is much more restrictive in that you cannot use your massive hard drive as a media server because it's very hard to place files on your drive. However as a consolation, you can configure your PC as a media server and stream music and videos from there through your Xbox 360 onto your TV. It's kind of a hassle but at least it's a workaround.

The PS3 has trophies which are awarded whenever you accomplish certain tasks in games. It doesn't work well for all games, but it's a nice thing to have. The Xbox 360 has achievements which is the same thing only there's a point value attached to each achievement which contributes to your overall gamerscore. The fact that this gamerscore is always displayed prominently on your gamercard makes this a much more public display of gaming prowess than I care for. I often am ashamed of my gamerscore and like to record my achievements or lack thereof in a second less public account. I'm not too fond of this as it seems like the gaming equivalent of every guy walking down the street with his pants down constantly comparing each other’s wangs.

Both systems have connectivity to commercial streaming media services. The Xbox 360 offers streaming movie service to Xbox Live Gold members and Netflix members via the Netflix service. It's convenient if you have accounts to both Netflix and Xbox Live Gold, but otherwise restrictive and expensive if you don't use one of those two services. The PS3 connects to a streaming music service called VidZone which offers streaming music, music videos, and ringtones.

The PS3 offers some additional features not on the Xbox 360 including a decent web browser, a cluster-based program called folding@home that lets your PS3 analyze medical data when you're not using your PS3, and connectivity to the PSP. Most of these features are nice, but they definitely shouldn’t factor into many people’s console-buying decisions. Frankly if you have $400-$500 to spend on entertainment and need a web browser, you're probably going to spend it on a PC.


Games:

It's my firm belief that the library on the Xbox 360 is superior to that of the PS3. There are only three exclusive titles that standout among their peers on the PS3: Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, and MLB 09 The Show. This is compared to Gears of War 1 and 2, Halo 3, Saints Row 2, Mass Effect, and Fable II. In addition to the edge in exclusives, most multiplatform games simply perform better on the Xbox 360. It's almost as if most developers write their code for the Xbox 360 then port it to the PS3. The multiplatform sports games especially bad regarding slowdown or lower frame rates on the PS3. What's more is that downloadable content is much more plentiful on the Xbox 360 versions of multiplatform games and many Xbox 360 games receive patches where their PS3 counterparts do not.

The PS3 puts forth strong first person shooters like Resistance Fall of Man 1 and 2, and Killzone 2; the Gears of War games as well as Halo 3 are more critically acclaimed and sold more copies in the marketplace. Sports games are vastly superior on the Xbox 360 due to framerate issues on the PS3 as well as downloadable content. Peggle Deluxe trumps any puzzle game on the PS3, and the Xbox 360 just has many more quality racing games than the PS3. Even RPGs are stronger on the Xbox 360 with Mass Effect, Fable II, Lost Odyssey, and Blue Dragon. The only exclusive quality RPG on the PS3 is Valkyria Chronicles. This is surprising given the Playstation's stranglehold on this genre the last two console generations.

The downloadable games really are a wash. Both the Xbox Live Arcade and PSN games boast some great titles like Geometry Wars, Calling All Cars, Super Street Fighter II HD Remix, Flower, and Braid. There are some surprisingly quality games on both systems available for download. You really can’t go wrong in this area no matter which console you choose.

As for backwards compatible games, the PS3 clearly has an advantage given its vast library of PS2 and PS1 games. The Xbox 360 does have backwards compatibility for many of its Xbox titles, but not all and it’s much lower percentage-wise and even more so numerically than the PS3. However, all you need to play those Xbox games on your Xbox 360 is a hard drive, which is practically required for its owners anyway. While the older PS3 models features a 90% compatibility rate with PS1 and PS2 games, and later models an 85% compatibility rate, all the PS3 models currently in production are not backwards compatible with any PS2 games. Fortunately all PS3s even the ones in production does support backwards compatibility with PS1 games. While those games are a little tougher to find since Gamestop has been clearing out their inventory, there are plenty of quality titles, especially RPGs which can make a PS3 purchase more worthwhile. However the lack of PS2 backwards compatibility can be a problem for people looking to pick up a new PS3 if they have a large PS2 library. I feel lucky to have an old 20GB PS3 which can play most PS2 games, but not everyone might be able to find a model like that.

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Accessories:

The accessories for the most part are a wash between the two systems. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have their own webcam, wireless headsets, DVD remotes, and texting keypads. The most worthwhile 1st party accessory that Xbox 360 has is a wireless racing wheel. Other accessories like memory cards, joysticks, rechargeable battery packs, and the HD DVD player are either too specialized or just serve to remind you that the PS3 has better standard features (built in rechargeable battery for the controller, and Bluray player, and hard drive).

I prefer the symmetrical feel of the PS3 controllers over the Xbox 360 one. The analog stick is a little lower on the PS3 version and I like the buttons on the PS3 a little better. It's not as sensitive as the Wii remote, but it's good for certain features.The original sixaxis controller didn't have a rumble feature. Instead you have to pick up a DualShock 3 controller, which is only compatible for just 3 dozen recent titles, most of which already have rumble support on their Xbox 360 counterparts.

Even though the Xbox 360 has a nicer set of accessories, the motion sensor in the sixaxis makes the PS3 controller much more versatile. It has all the buttons and analog sticks needed for a modern console game, but motion control to add a few interesting gameplay mechanics as well.



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