Looking to buy a new console?

[Lee]

I just thought the following would be useful to people debating which consoles to get. We all know about which systems do what but the main thing people don't seem to know about is the exclusives. The following are links from wikipedia and they show the exclusives for each console both past and present. It's worth giving it a look (NB the lists include PSN, XBox live and WiiWare).

XBox 360


Playstation 3


Wii

I hope that helps you guys.

 

[Lee]

If you've had a look at the exclusives you still may have questions regarding the consoles.

360

Red Ring of Death: This was caused when the older versions of the console overheated, if you buy a new console today that problem won't happen, if you buy second hand go for the 60GB and keep it ventilated.

Online: The main complaint about the 360s online service is that it costs you to go online, well here's a news flash...it's by far the superior online console. For those in the USA it's $49.99 for a year subscription to the gold, to those in the UK this is £39.99...the way I see it is it's about the same price as another game, so if you like to go online it's worth it.

Consoles: There are typically two consoles available in the range at the moment: there is the arcade which costs about £140 or $199 and does not have a hard drive. The Elite comes with 120GBHDD and built in wireless. This costs $299 or £199

PS3

Not really many complaints about this console aside from it not being able to play PS2 games, it does come supplied with a blu ray player though which is a pretty cool add on. Online wise it's alright, there are the occasional problems with it however it's free.

Next week the PS3 will be released and will be priced at $299 United States/£249 United Kingdom and is scheduled to be released on September 1, 2009 in North America and Europe and on September 3, 2009 in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

 

[Lee]

Ok an update

PS3 slimline

There have been a few reports of the PS3 slim overheating and what not because of it now having one fan rather than two. Don't let that put you off, a little play will be fine but should you have a mega game session (over four hours) then it is simply recommended that you take the disk out but leave the machine on for ten minutes, this should cool the machine down.

Expect a bit on the Wii and handhelds soonish.

 

[Dave]

I think that I will throw my two cents into this one. At this time of year, people will naturally be debating which console to buy, if any. However, I think that a viewpoint of someone who works closely with these systems and who knows value for money is essential. That is why I though that I would go over the three consoles and describe what I think to be good point and bad point of each of the consoles. Now, I do not pretend to be an expert on everything related to games consoles but I do like to think that I know a lot about them and I do know what people want and that is a good gaming system without having to pay through the nose for it. So, in this post I want to cover the deals that are prevalent in the Microsoft Xbox 360.

XBOX 360

The XBOX 360 has had a rocky road so far since it was released. Many have noted it's reliability issues but I do think that a lot of the issues that have been plaguing the console have been resolved for the most part. The Red Ring Of Death has all but disappeared in the newer consoles and whatever issue was causing them to overheat seems to have gone now. The Elite consoles have had no problems with overheating and the arcade, which I owned and played constantly, has never failed me. It was the Pro consoles that were the problem and Microsoft have decided to stop distributing them. So what do we have?

The Super Elite Console:

-Xbox 360 Super Elite console (250GB)
-2 x Wireless controllers in black
-1 x Xbox 360 headset
-Composite A/V cable
-Xbox Live silver membership
-One-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold
-1 x standard edition copy Modern Warfare: 2
-1 x standard edition copy Forza Motorsport 3

Please note that these are bundle deals and you will be very hard pressed to find the console on it's own at this point. This was the best deal that I found and as such, I posted it that way. However, at any other time of year, the Elite consoles generally sell for around £199. This is not too bad if you ask me for the Elite console. Considering that you will get all of the amenities that are listed above without the games at the end. I personally think that the Elite console is probably the best deal that is available to the customers right now but that may be a slighted view. However, it is perfectly justified. You get the 250GB har drive with the new Elite and thw controllers. You also get the headset for online play and a month of free gaming on XBOX Live. The Elite console on it's own is around £199 and will come with a few games and a 120GB hard drive. It is up to you which one you would prefer and how much emphasis you put on capacity.

Arcade Console:

-Xbox 360 Arcade console
-Memory Stick
-1 x Wireless Controller in White
-Xbox Live silver membership
-One-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold

Generally, this does not come with the accessories that I listed for the Elite. I would assume that the better deal is the Elite console. You see, the Arcade console is not a very good deal. You will generally pick them up for £130. However, I would suggest that if you are going to buy an Xbox, I would urge you to get the Elite as there is so many good deals that are prevalent for that edition. The arcade does not have nearly the same deals and is not realy worth the price. Especially when you can get an Elite with a few games and much more value for you money for only a couple of quid more.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Well after having my xbox 360 since its launch, and never experiencing RROD until a month before my birthday of this year, I can say that the RROD thing must've been from what other people were doing. And even after that happened, I just called the Xbox Support line and found out that 3 flashing lights is not a problem at all it's just the AV Cables need to be switched. Plus, 360 has some very great exclusives that I find very amazing to play. The only downfall is that you have to pay for XBL.


As for PS3, well I'm getting that soon and it's going to be the 250gb instead of the 120gb. The only reason why, though, is because I want to get the most out of my gaming experience. I have played PS3 with my friends at their house and I must say that my grudge on them from PS2 has now been taken away.


As for which one to get, I will always go on record in saying that 360 is way better than PS3. Yeah, it may get the RROD, but a call to Xbox Support is free and it will let you know what's wrong with it before you have to send it in.

 

[Dave]

Well after having my xbox 360 since its launch, and never experiencing RROD until a month before my birthday of this year, I can say that the RROD thing must've been from what other people were doing. And even after that happened, I just called the Xbox Support line and found out that 3 flashing lights is not a problem at all it's just the AV Cables need to be switched. Plus, 360 has some very great exclusives that I find very amazing to play. The only downfall is that you have to pay for XBL.


As for PS3, well I'm getting that soon and it's going to be the 250gb instead of the 120gb. The only reason why, though, is because I want to get the most out of my gaming experience. I have played PS3 with my friends at their house and I must say that my grudge on them from PS2 has now been taken away.


As for which one to get, I will always go on record in saying that 360 is way better than PS3. Yeah, it may get the RROD, but a call to Xbox Support is free and it will let you know what's wrong with it before you have to send it in.

Wrong! 4 Flashing red lights are the indicator that the AV cables are not connected to the console properly. 3 flashing red lights are indication that your system has had a severe failure and must be repaired. Easy mistake but a prevalent one all the same. The other thing is that, even though you phone Microsoft Customer Support, I have never found it to be the wonderful service that you are making it out to be. I have phoned 5 TIMES and although they have offered to fix it for me, they demanded £80 for it. This was the first time I had broken it and it was the disk reader that had fucked up. They said it was common on Xbox's and that the editions that were made very early on in Singapore were becoming very unstable in regards to over-heating and system faults. Even though it was there fault entirely, the still demanded money to fix it. I contacted my lawyer and sent them an e-mail and got it for free though. The good guys won.

On the other hand though, I recently got a Wii and my evaluation of it will be coming shortly.

 

[Alex]

I bought the 360 because it was cheaper unfortunatly the exclusives that it had while perfectly good were not my favourite type (Halo, Gears of War) this is why my 360 is made up mainly of third party games. When I got my PS3 I have more exclusives (Ratchet and Clank, Infamous, Heavenly Sword and waiting for God of War collection as well as 3)

My point is, find which one has more exclusive's that you enjoy and get that one (as you can still play third party games)

 

[Skorpiunz]

From experience find PS3 more satisfying. My friend has sent in his 360 4 times due to red ring. THe same console not replacements. I have never had one problem with my ps3.. Although i know nothing officially of slim vs thick, i beleive thick probably has more computing power.. Plus the thick has more character!!

Don't have to pay for XBL. Not saying that paying is a problem but its just a perk. The quality of online games is the same if not, better. I've only had lagg and such with wrestling games online..
Plus Playstation is the home to the best.. BEST video game series ever created.. Metal Gear Solid.. THe PS3 is easier to use with files like music, and videos.

 

[JohnnyBlaze1986]

I've said this so many times, so it's only fair I repeat it here:

If you want to play all of your old console favorites or want something simple: Get a Wii

If you want to play all of your old arcade favorites or want a console with the biggest games and most value: Get an Xbox 360

If you want to use the console as a general multi-media device along with some great games: Get a PS3