Time to Buy a PlayStation 3?

Hey guys you need to correct that information. The backwards compatibility is gone in the PS3 since they removed the emotion engine in the new machines that are being sold at the discounted price. So needless to say the drop in price is not even a sweet deal since you lose out on your old library and functionality.

Shouldn't articles like this at least strive for some minimal level of accuracy?

The 360 premium has a hard drive upgrade. At $180 for a 120GB drive it's hardly a bargain, but saying that an upgrade is not available is wrong.

Also, since when does a wireless card allow you to play in front of any TV in the house without a cable? The wireless card is for connecting your 360 to the internet so you can play on-line multiplayer. It has nothing to do with being able to use the console on any TV in the house without a cable.

I've been thinking about picking up a PS3. This news might be what it takes.

Nice chart. It would be even better if it was accurate. The hard drive on the PS3 is very easy to upgrade. Just buy a 2.5" notebook hdd and follow the instructions. It's explained in the PS3's owners manual.

Another mistake. The Xbox 360 Elite is going to be bundled with Forza 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance this holiday too.

Whoa guys, you're reading the chart all wrong.

imkain: The 40GB PS3 includes backward compatibility for the PS1 via software, while the 80GB PS3 includes backward compatibility for the PS2 and PS1 via software.

SpiralGray and superfoulfly: You're reading the chart wrong. This isn't a referendum on hard drive upgradeability. All five systems listed are technically hard drive upgradeable. N/A traditionally means "not applicable," not "not available." I was simply pointing out what it would cost for the only system that doesn't come with a hard drive (the 360 entry level) to upgrade to the smallest drive available.

Your comparison spreadsheet is also incorrect about the hard drive upgrade of the PS3. Unlike the Xbox 360, the PS3 is not restricted to using proprietary hard drives but can be easily upgraded with any standard laptop hard drive. There are even plenty of guides available on the Internet on how to do this.

One thing to remember about the "What do you want most this holiday season?" poll: Some of the respondents may already own one or both of the systems aside from the PS3, which may account for the seemingly high numbers. Just a thought.

Cool8man: Fixed.

proog: The sheet says nothing about upgrade *ability*. See the note I just added to clarify this.

ArturusX: Excellent point. I actually considered adding that as an afterthought to the post, i.e. that Xbox 360 and Wii ownership among PCW readers may be at a temporary saturation point.

Not trying to flame you man. I like the article. I like the chart. It's just a little misleading in some areas. Whether are not n/a means "not available" or "not applicable" doesn't change my original impression. Hard drive upgrades are available and applicable to all models except the Elite. Your disclaimer remedies the situation though. Appreciate the article and the effort to keep it accurate.

No worries supersoulfly, and glad the note helps. It's true the Elite doesn't have an upgrade (from 120GB) at the moment, but it could certainly accommodate (an upgrade) if MS ever opted to offer one.

Only 8% of votes for the 360 because everyone already has it. Talk about hard drive upgrades and wi-fi all you want, it's the games that matter the most and its pretty apparent which system is winning that battle.

One thing no one ever mentions, which still applies to the $400 to a lesser degree. Some parents have a fixed amount they can spend for buying consoles. being able to purchase add-ons is an easy way to allow them to purchase an expensive system. For example, if a parent has a hard limit of $300 to spend, they can get a Wii with a game or an Xbox360 Arcade, they simply cant get the PS3. And then later for a birthday or later occasion, they can get their child the hard drive, or the wireless adaptor, or whatnot. The real sin of the PS3 is you are forced to buy it all in one and pay the price. I would much rather they offered a $299 model without blu-ray, wireless, or an extra large hard drive, and then let me choose which add-ons I wanted. if That was the case, i would have gotten one at launch, and each year thereafter, purchased the add on if i felt I personally needed it.

If you want an Xbox360 to play HD movies and play online without some horrible calble crossing your house you will have to pay 630 U$. PS3 already comes with Blu-Ray player built-in,wi-fi,twice the size of Xbox 360 hard drive and comes with 5 free blu-ray movies. PS3 is the christimas deal.

The article has pertinent informaiton. All the nitpicking is laughable. Of course you can upgrade via documents on the net. You can build a spaceship with a swiss army knife with documents off the net. And the TV cable thing... the guy just meant you can play on any TV without having to route an rj45 cable through the floor or walls. Talk about looking for things to complain about.

TROLLS GO HOME

mattpeckham: I believe you should include the 5 blu-ray movie deal considering they just added the 40GB Sku to the list eligible for the 5blu-ray movie deal. This deal is set to run through the holidays all the way through January of 2008.

Some major differences between the XBox 360 and PS3:

1. PS3 does NOT have a feature that allows user to see which friends are online and playing which games.
2. Yes, PS3 does have built-in Wi-Fi for 802.11a/g. However, since XBox 360 has detachable one, it makes the XBox 360 easier to adapt to the newer 802.11n protocol for faster wireless.
3. Xbox 360 can integrate in a complete home entertainment system via Vista Media Center. I have the set up at my home...i can download/stream my music while playing my game SIMULTANEOUSLY. PS3 cannot do this. However, this does require a multi-protocol router (i.e. 802.11a and g).
4. By not having a built-in HD DVD, it allows the XBox to adapt to either HD DVD or Blue Ray depending on which way the market goes. As you read around, the verdict is not quite in yet for which to go with.
5. With Xbox Live and MSN chat, I can chat to my non-gaming buddies from Xbox 360 as well. PS3 cannot.
6. MS has the infrasture this environment.

JesterMD that is some fine Microsoft Reasoning. Wireless N adaptor for X360 is not going to be that big a deal trust me, I work in networking. why setup a Vista media center when you can just install Linux on your PS3?? I'm not a X360 hater or anything but come on man. It seems its Sony's time now and Microsoft will have to think of something fast to stay ontop of things. Halo 3 has come and gone, now they need to get Bungie to do another Halo game or something BIG.

and BLU-Ray on a Xbox360 will never happen and if it did then it would be the funniest thing ever. Mr. Gates video game system with a Sony Disc Drive built in haha

@Jester
1. Yes it absolutly does. This is completely wrong.
2. good point
3. Ps3 has similar functions -though perhaps more limited. (I haven't tried it out)
4 . yes but it cannot use the extra space for games.
5. Linux
6. what?

I think you also need to add on component or HDMI cables onto the PS3 list. You can't have HD without them. And yes they need to be Sony official cables since we are doing everything else that way. How about adding on the PS3 headset as well. Most of the gamers I know won't touch a wireless connection for online gaming. Thats why these comparisons are just plain stupid. Not everyone will fall into the only category you describe.

rasputin - are you kidding me. You do realize that Halo did not just come and go, it just got released and continues to sell. Most of the great titles coming out are on Xbox360 this year. I'm not willing to concede next year yet either. In your mind it might be Sony's time, but just dropping the price isn't going to save them. They better fix something fast, because they are running out of things to sell off.

Xbox360 and PS3 can duke it out all they want over the overkill game systems they designed. The fact is neither of them have figured out besides price, the quality and creativity of games is most important. Graphics are nice but they aren't what makes a good game. Every game they seem to make now is the same thing over and over just a different movie theme or changed graphics.

How many more shoot 'em up, Doom type games are they going make and repeat before they finally figure it out. That is the reason Wii has sold more than the the combined sales of PS3 and Xbox360. Interactivity, appealing to all people, getting kids off their buts and actually doing something physical.

How about designing a few more games that actually make you think, or allow multiple players at once in the same room. I can't even count how many racing games I have rented and other than visual asthetics they suck. Why not make it so 2, 3, or 4 people can race against each other at the same time?

JesterMD wrote: "Some major differences between the XBox 360 and PS3:"
-
1. Wrong, 2. Wrong, 3. Wrong, 4. Wrong, 5. Wrong, 6. WHAT?

I own a PS3 and my brother has a 360 & PS3. Here are correct statements:

1. Playstation Network (PSN) has many features, such as viewing the status of your PSN friends (online / unavailable / offline)
2. PS3 supports 802.11b/g - not 802.11a. If users demand an upgradable Network adapter, what would keep Sony from manufactoring an add-on device just as Microsoft would?
3. PS3 -can- connect to your media center (or PC running Vista). See here: http://www.somelifeblog.com/2007/08/vista-setup.html
Personal music playback during gaming, -this- 360 can do, which PS3 users are still waiting for via update.
4. Blu-Ray has proven itself with comments from some devs who state having Blu-Ray and built-in HDD makes storage a non-issue when creating games. DVD9 is not enough.
5. PS3 has built-in web browser and Linux support.
6. Explain this please.

everyone is so upset about how expensive it is for a 120 gig or a 20 gig HDD for the 360, why dont you just go out and buy a 160 GB HDD for a laptop and open up your casing for the HDD 20GB that comes with the system and plug in your new 160 GB and it only costs as much as the 20 GB would. next, all the things that Nynja said that the PS3 could do other than blu-ray and internet the 360 can do as well and better even. oh wow the ps3 can tell if your friends are online... THE 360 has been doing that since day one and the original xbox did it too! a day late and a dollar short in my eyes. by the way, if i wanted to surf the net i would use a computer, not my PS3 because thats just stupid, you should be playing games not surfing the net! oh wait, there are hardly any good games out for it so i guess you have to make it up somehow.

You added items to the Xbox, but not the PS3? If you are going to compare apples to apples, then you should at least add in the cost of the headset, component cables and free games onto the PS3, to match the 360. That changes things quite a bit.

But any of these comparisons (and they are a dime a dozen), can never be fair regardless. You are not purchasing a toaster. Each game system lives and dies by its library of games. That's all that matters. Ask anyone with a Dreamcast.

If you want to play Heavenly Sword, then PS3 is the only choice period. If you want Halo 3, then you can only buy a 360. For the rest of the world that just wants to play games, then the wii or 360 arcade offer the best value out of the box. And plenty of us are quite happy with our 20 gig drives and wired ethernet...anything more is optional, not a requirement to be added to the final total.

Ansiansi: Adding games in is too problematic since you'll get just many people driving by and claiming not to care for something like Forza 2 or Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

You can easily find PS3 component cables for as low as $8-$10, and the PS3 also comes with a USB and Ethernet cable.

The headset's a valid point -- I was trying to compare the three most probable "common denominator" items, e.g. wireless, online multiplayer, and a hard drive without getting into the particulars like headsets and flash card readers and number of USB ports or really touchy subjects like whether Blu-ray is a better horse to bet on than HD-DVD value-wise.

nynja: good points.
jester: #6, uh?

Truth is ps3 should be considered a blue ray player that also plays games. As far as I know, it's the only BR player sold in the past year that is upgradable. Ps3 will be getting new BR prfile 1.1 specs via firmware update Oct 30th. It will be upgradable to BR live specs in the future as well.

Regarding cost of ps3 headset, ....really, who doesn't already have a bluetooth for their cell phone? Or just buy Warhawk...
jester: #6...420??? lol.

mattpeckham - You can also find the xbox wireless adapter for way cheaper than $100.00, but I figured you were going with msrp on everything else. Point is you have to buy these extra cables to get HD. Also who plays multiplayer games and does not use a headset these days. Also I think wireless is a big assumption as a "common denominator"

StickeyWeed - Assuming someone already has a bluetooth headset is out of the scope of this article. If someone does not and wants to play multiplayer, they will have to purchase one. If you buy it through Warhawk then you have to include it in the total price.

Based on what you're saying, the answer to the question (Is it time to buy a PS3?) shouldn't depend as much on hardware as on available games. I love the price points of the PS3, but how long am I going to have to wait for a good array of decent games?
If you can't answer that question, then the question you ARE asking seems to have far less relevance, IMHO that is.
That being the case, your statement, "...Sony's mediocre software library, which time and money suggests will look radically different in 2008", needs some sort of validating information in order to be taken as anything more than an assumption (with no stated basis) or an opinion, for which I am not prepared to risk $500 or even $200.

mjmyer: True, but bluetooth connectivity is a ps3 feature the 360 doesn't have. I recently bought a ps2 headset for 9,99$, even with that additionat cost ps3 is a better deal.

Toulinwoek: November

Isn't supposed that any platform should just be for fun? There's where Big N is not failing at all. My friends and family are just having so much fun with the Wii that I don't mind on having a PS3 or a 360 hardware headaches. Why would I want to chat or connect my console to my "Media Center"? Why would I want my gaming console to play my favorite musics if I have my audio for that? Why would I mind in upgrading my HD for movies, songs and photos storages if I'm not going to use all that stuff during my playing and rather I prefer my laptop for all that kind of job. And last one, Blue Ray? HD DVD? Who the heck knows?

mjmeyer23: Most places sell the Xbox 360 wireless adapter for $100, MSRP or no, though it's true you can find it new for as low as $80 if you're willing to buy from an online reseller like Provantage. But even Buy.com and Overstock.com have it at around $90, so I don't know if I'd say "way" cheaper. It's certainly steep considering you can find PC-based 802.11g USB adapters as low as $15.

As for wireless as a common denominator, since no scientific evidence exists either way, I went on the assumption that most people put their network box near their computer, and most people don't put their computers next to their entertainment centers. Ergo for most, running an ethernet cable (either through walls, the ceiling, or across an entire room) tends to be inconvenient enough to spur a cable-free or wireless approach. (What's more, most Cable/DSL boxes now come with wireless inbuilt.)

In any case, for good or ill, Microsoft is making a healthy bundle on its peripherals at this point.

Agreed that the wireless adapter is too expensive...most 1st party peripherals are. I think the point everyone is making here (somewhat obscured by fanboyism of course), is that one simply cannot compare "apples to apples" on a console, since they don't play the same games.

A "gamer's" experience on a PS3 is different from a Wii, different from a 360. For the hard-core, they already want MGS or Halo and have made up their minds. Anyone else, ie. recreational gamers or those who just want Madden, can get their fix from any console, and in that case I think there is no denying that the 360 or Wii offer the best bang for the buck.

Sadly, I fall in the 1st category, so I'll be plunking down my cash regardless...but not until next year, when there are enough games on the shelves I actually want...and as a bonus todays stuff will cost less.

That said, the comparison I'd like to see is the one that takes games into account,ie. cost of ownership.

The PS3 just offers more for less money. I have PS3 and my brother has 360. And yes, there are a few amazing games for 360 that aren't for PS3, like Gears and Bioshock. But if you own a PS3 you can still own Gears and Bioshock and Halo via Microsoft releasing them for the PC. And most serious gamers have a good enough computer to play these games. I play them on my MAC . . . I know, blasphemy!

As far as bang for the buck goes, 360 beat PS3 to the punch by releasing earlier, but PS3 is going to be dominant for many more years to come because of how much power it has.

WWJD? Buy a PS3 . . . I'm a youth pastor