Consoles For Christmas 2008 Comments

very good review I own a wii but like playing more on the PC always better than any game console on my opinion. I'd like to see how you can revies a gaiming compouter vs a game console despite de price of the computer

Think i'll stick with my PC as well

@ lams_007

Years ago the PC ruled the FPS genre but not any more. I've been gaming since the early 80's and no console has given me as much pleasure as the Xbox 360. It has everything!

Developers are even ditching the PC in favour of consoles. Call of Duty started out as a PC game and then the consoles started to get versions of the game then the developer dropped the PC completely in favour of the consoles!

Playing on Xbox live against a bunch of friends with a headset on beats any PC online gaming experience. Sitting on the sofa in front of a huge HDTV with surround sound playing Gotham/FIFA/NHL/PES/CoD or whatever is infinitely more enjoyable than sitting in front of a PC (IMO of course).

Even the banter I've had with total strangers on Live beats anything I've experienced on the PC.

A well-rounded article that I appreciate was hard to write.

Personally I would go for the Xbox 360. It's not because I think it's the better console, but because I think the Wii is a very social "lets do something" console, and the PS3 is still developing itself and character building.

Xbox Live is something of a console in its own right, with the amount of new and old games coming to download for not a huge amount, there really is so much available. Besides WipeOutHD (which I think is by far the best game available on the PSN), the PS3 just doesn't compare to this.

Great article. The only thing I would take issue with is the scandalous omission from WipEout HD from the racing games section. This is surely one of the best (if not THE best) racing games out there at the moment, and it is absurdly cheap (£12 on PSN IIRC). IMO that's enough to tip the balance in favour of PS3 for racing game enthusiasts even without taking GT5 into account.

@Steve,

I'm an Xbox 360 Owner, & A PC Gamer. You do know that Call Of Duty 4 is also available for the PC?. Also have you never tried TeamSpeak etc on the PC, the XBox 360 was certainly not the first headset gaming platform. Try joining a Clan on a PC game, and things get even more interesting.

In terms of gaming, I still believe the PC has the edge, of course PC gaming requires some expensive hardware, even a half decent GFX card for a PC cost more than some of these consoles. I mean I still play Counter Strike Source on my PC, now how old is that game now, something I can't say for any XBox game I've purchased.

I think one of the main features I really miss using consoles, is the good old mouse. Playing COD4 on the PC for me just felt so much better than on the XBox 360, also the graphics on the PC were better, I suppose mainly down to me having a 8800GTX but even that's old now. :)

One thing the consoles really do have is, Value for money. You get a lot of Graphics & Power from these console for the price, ironically when it comes to the games, PC versions end up been cheaper.

A really well written article that thankfully avoids direct comparisons. The only comment I have is about the price difference between the 360 and PS3 which I feel is confusing for consumers especially parents looking to treat their kids to a nice surprise come Xmas day. I'm lucky in that we have a PS3 and I won an Xbox 360 so we have both consoles in our household.

To quote this article the "£120 price difference" is very misleading because most households don't have ethernet piped into the living room so there is an extra £60 for the wireless adaptor, then over the life of the console you have the AA batteries to replace or additional cost of the play-and-charge pack (£15), and finally there is the annual on-line cost of £40 for Xbox Live (yes I know you can get that discounted if you shop around but will parents know that) and so for a family with two children that can be £80 straight away (assuming they go annual and not monthly of course).

Suddenly the premium price point of the PS3 isn't so premium and over a period of years it is by far the cheaper console. Lastly, I think the final choice can largely depend on what your friends have because nobody wants to be left out in the cold while all their mates are playing on-line co-op together.

Stuart Andrews, you prefer the 360?, and that your opinion.
you only listed a few games, and for the multi platform games you choosen the Xbox 360 may i ask why.

where is

LittleBigPlanet

WipEout HD,

Motorstorm Pacific Rift,

Valkyria Chronicles,

Resistance 2,

Metal gear solid 4,

Siren blood curse.

360 has good line up, 2 games Gears 2 and fable 2, but the Ps3 has better line up and more variety of games from Racing, RPG, FPS, TPS, to horror games....

that my opinion. and i will say go for the ps3..

You've been digged!

I agree with this article 100%. I am glad you guys surprised me and added the DS and PSP in the article.

Funny how people thought the DS would fall and now nothing could be further from the truth. I guess Nintendo was smart enough to realize software matters more than hardware.

It's for that reason that I have decided to purchase a XBOX 360 now! I never wanted one before (have a Wii and love it) but since there are so many killer titles available (plus the $199 price point sure helps!) I fell like I'm missing out.

I'll need to get a good HDTV first; Boxing Day cannot come fast enough!

Damn it TR you've done it again! ;)

@ahlanalo

360 has a much stronger line-up in every genre. Plus many of the multi-platform games are developed for the 360 and ported to the PS3 (in previous generations, the PlayStation was always the lead platform but this is no longer the case).

The PS3 has some good games, whereas the 360 has a ridiculous amount of quality games and plenty of underrated gems such as Condemned (the original). Plus there's plenty more to look forward too with Alan Wake being the 360's most anticipated title of the last few years.

...."Playing on Xbox live against a bunch of friends with a headset on beats any PC online gaming experience."

lol, yeah right, on a friday nite try getting 7 PC mates round with all their hardware, sleeping bags, get pizza dude etc on speeddial, get a chat server going and see if u get any sleep over the weekend.....

Done this with a total of 8 of us, its mazing how many u can cram into even a small place.....Its totally worth the hassle, take ur breaks for pizza, chats, booze etc and tell me it aint good.

Yes i know not everyone has the room, yes i know karting ur PC round is a pain, but for all the pains, having all ur mates in one place for a mass social cant be beat. Just to see everyone pasing out on their keyboards after a marathon session, priceless, lol.

Highly recommeneded ! Get it done ! No excuses :-)

LAN parties will always be the birthplace of social gaming, but considering how lazy we all are these days, and the fact we can just applications like Ventrilo and Hamachi to create a VPN and a chatroom in a matter of minutes, people just don't bother anymore.

@ahlanalo

That list is so mediocre compared to the 360.

LBP - so creative that any homage level you make for your favourite game/movie/TV show has 99.9% chance of being wiped out by phony.

MGS4 - Hardly a game, more hiding in ridiculous cardboard boxes and lengthy movie scenes with a script written by David Icke.

The rest of the list well why bother...

Also phony's Blu Ray breadbin has been outpriced in its own format war by cheaper players if movies are to be scored. Almost dead already even the losers Microsoft don't want to integrate it.

Shoddy ports of 360 games, the inferior but FREE PSN compared to Xbox Live.

To buy a phony it must be dedication to the brand, it's a sign of value desperation when a game from the 90's gets a mention Wipeout HD.

Now to the WII - this cannot be classed as a console anymore with the mass of shovelware available it has a category of its own... Family Amusement Box / Dust Magnet.

WII Music ok let's stop there...

So it leaves the 360 unreliable but that will stop with the NXE on November 19th HDD installs no overheating, and if the unit does go bust from my own recent trouble, a one week turnaround and a new 360.

Games to many to list here.

TR probably hate this but Microsoft OWN right now.

Handhelds - im surprised TR didn't plop for the Iphone but watching a show off on the train yesterday shaking the Iphone to play games is seriously uncool, you get strange looks the DS is accepted by all and any DS owner must check out Professor Layton.

Now that the conversation has descended into XBOX 360 vs PS3 vs PC, I thought I'd point out that the article made it clear that different user profiles have different needs, some of them not focused on gaming.

I bought a PS3 back in February despite not being much of a game player. It's 1080p video was perfect for my new HDTV and its (continually upgradable) Blu-Ray drive sold it to me. I still don't play many games on it, although I have recently downloaded WipeOut HD but for viewing photographs and watching High Definition movies it is ideal for me.

@RichGtB

I used to do that when I had the time to lug PC's around to friends places. Just don't have the time these days. The 360 is just too convenient. Switch it on, meet up with my mates and get straight into a game. Job done!

I'd love a PS3 but mainly for blu-ray and the odd game you can't get on 360. I resented paying for Live at first but its more than worth the money. I've tried PSN at a mate's and it doesn't compare.

The PS3 spanks it hardware wise. Blu-ray, better quality, much more reliable, silent, looks. But when it comes to software and value for money I just can't justify one yet.

@JayC

Maybe I'm unusual but my router's in the living room where my main phone socket is. Its about as close to my TV as possible. Obviously WiFi would be nice to have but etehernet's much more solid, especially when streaming media centre content.

As a PC Gamer, I am tempted by the XBox 360. I did own a Wii but never used it - the good thing though was that it kept its resale value when I eventually sold it.

Also, with the new NXE interface, I think the 360 will become more accessible to casual gamers. The only bad thing I've heard about it is the drone of the DVD drive can be quite loud, although this has improved, I believe, with the NXE's ability to load games onto the internal Hard-drive.

Wowser, where to begin??
IMO not one is better than the other, they all have their own perks and downfalls. In our case, we use them as follows:

PC: Work, web surfing and occasional gaming
Wii: Parties round our place, or when family comes over all the times
PS3: To watch Blu-ray films essentially
360: Gaming mostly

We do not justify buying ever changing upgrades on our PC to keep up with the latest games even if it makes the said game shinier.
We have tried a fair amount of games on the PS3, though, the choice isn't really there. The download speed on the PSN is ridiculous (compared to a few minutes on Live), took days to complete our download of Wipeout HD (By the way, this is a beauty of a racer). When it comes to cross platforms, we tend to go for the 360 versions because of the achievements (we know about trophies, but what do they do beside sitting there on your XMB?) and 7 times out of ten, games will run smoother and look nicer on the 360.
Although, one real annoyance in the 360 is that bloody fan, feels like the console is taking off everytime, that said, have you heard how much noise the PS3 does when it overheats?
As for the Wii, well, this little console is the joy of everyone at home when we got people around, the console is directly accessible and a true laugh.
Games we love at the moment: Fallout 3, Gears 2, Wipeout HD, Buzz, WiiFit, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 5, Dead Space, Scene it Box Office Smash and Siren.
Games we hate at the moment: Little Big Planet, GT Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4 and GTA4.
I have nothing against the PS3 besides from lacking the genius and potential that PS1 & 2 combined had, I just thought I'd mention that since all the games we dislike happen to be on the PS3.

Like TR have highlighted in their spread, you should consider buying the system that best suits your profile or the profile of the ones you are buying for.

In our case the 360 has won our heart for its accessibility, game choice, online features and price.

@Andy

"TR probably hate this but Microsoft OWN right now"

Haha i knew that would draw you out, it is about competition, without it things would be unhealthy as it's stereotypical audience.

Without competition between these big companies, standards would drop if either Sony or Microsoft had their own market, shovelware production would hit the roof. Nintendo have avoided the hardcore gamers but as a result the old "core" audience now feels betrayed with the family friendly minigames AKA shovelware they allow. If the new market Ninty have looked garner stays loyal we will not know till their new product sees release.

Wilfried sums up the PS3 vs Xbox 360 debate that will never go away to save page space on another hank read. I see little difference in cross platform games, PSN being free has its drawbacks it means the actual game publishers can shut down the online servers as they see fit to do so. If anything I am angry with Sony and the complacence they have showed in the PS3 - a recent example is LBP created content is it too much to ask for Sony to display disclaimers on intelletual property before the customer sees his creative hard work wiped from PSN or even work to find a solution to this problem, something they should have seen coming before product release.

In short

Family with kids under 10 - Buy A Wii.

Movie Buff Occasional Gamer with HDTV - Buy A PS3.

Gamer or SD movies - Buy A 360.

"Not at all, we are habitually characterised as Microsoft loving, Apple haters; Apple loving, Microsoft haters; Samsung loving, Sony haters; Sony loving, Samsung haters - whatever is the flavour of the month really! ;) All we really like are good products. :)"

It irks me to type this but I do agree which is why this site is a daily read although my flattery will get me no product samples :)

You're all a bunch of bloody heathens- the Dreamcast is ten years old on the 27th of November, show some reeespeck'!

Well, that took about nine posts before it turned into a PS3 vs X360 pissing contest, I didn’t even realise that primary schools had internet access.

To summaries: PS3LOL - RRODLOL

I've only got the time to indulge my gaming with one console and the X360 has by far and away the most games that I wish to play. Also for everyone one of my gamer mates that owns a PS3, another five own an X360 so if I want to play online it has to be on the X360. For me, it's all about the games first, the technology second and the lifestyle fifth.

In conclusion I would like to say that Macs are for gayers and my dad is bigger than yours.

Laughing at "PS3 vs X360 pissing contest" followed by "X360 has by far the best games"

"LOL AT YOU GUYS COMPARING, MY OPINION IS BEST!"

@Darfuria - I'd hate to see what happens if this story reaches the magic 40 diggs mark, hits the front page of Digg, and we get some Angry Internet Men posting. [Off-topic].

Well done Darfuria, I actually said "the X360 has by far and away the most games that I wish to play". If I desperately wanted to play WipeOut HD, Uncharted and MGS4 and didn't give a tinker's cuss for Halo, Gears of War and PGR; I would have bought a PS3. I don't so I didn't. I didn't say that one has better games or better technology just that one had more games that I want to play.

But why let accurate quoting get in the way of a point, after all- it does say in your post "I'm Darfuria and I download pictures of Lemur bottoms for my own sexual gratification." Misquoting is fun!

Let's remain polite there Vivid, everyone is allowed their own opinions.

PC: Work, web surfing and occasional gaming
Wii: Very good for kids or when family comes over all the times
PS3: Gaming and watch Blu-ray films
360: Gaming mostly

Well that was me failing to read at work, and for that I apologise.

Leave the Lemur bums alone though.

Hi,

I have collected all 3 consoles over the last 3 years. There is very little between the 360 and PS3 from my experience...just the Blu-Ray. That may change over time. The back catalogue for the 360 is amazing and something that would tempt me now if I had to make a choice. Little Big Planet is awesome, as is GOW2 and Super Mario Galaxy....I think its about time we chose our consoles based on the games not on the hardware...

If I had to give them all back and keep one...I would keep the PS3, but only because I played Little Big Planet recently...

Hmm, Can't I just have a console that:
- Runs as quiety, has the the build quality and the Blu-Ray player of the PS3 ,
- Has the the price tag, games colletion, controller and the HD-DVD add on Drive of the Xbox 360, - Has the Wii-mote/nunchuck motion sensor add on of the Wii for when I want to have a laugh infront of the TV with my mates?

Id call it the Micro-Nin-ony PS-360-ii

Seriously, as mentioned before this article is very good because it shows why each console has addvantages over the other consoles, Ive owened all 3 of the cosnoles over the years and ive settles on the xbox 360 because it has the games collection that appeals to me, and because it is CHEAP! But that may not be as important to someone else....

i am completely new to this and only in the last 2 days have i decided i "need" a console in my life. i have no preconceived ideas and whilst i've had a go on a wii, and even though i've young children, i favour the ps3 purely because of gt5p. which is probably the wrong choice as i've no hdtv (yet) and little time to watch movies. this review is very well balanced, i'm not quite sure what category of player i fall into. Definitely i will play only occasionally and can;t imagine i'd amass a large game collection. But online play is a big + i feel.

Interesting article. Would have preferred scores out of ten as in some catagories it is very close between the consoles and in others there is a clear winner.

Also, with a £40 annual Xbox live subscription fee it doesn't take long before the PS3 is cheaper. This should be stated more clearly when discussing price differences.

@boomerang2

Check Forza2 out on the XBOX360 I was a Gran Turismo fan till this came along. Virtually going for free nowadays, not sure if a sequel is soon arriving but Forza2 is a petrolheads dream in terms of things to do.

@hank

Forza 2 is a great racing game, but it will never reach the quality of the physics and the visuals that GranTurismo prologue 5 have, and its confirmed that "the full game" GranTurismo 5 will have very realistic damege, and Kazunori Yamauci said in a recent interview that Gran Turismo 5 will be out earlier than expected.


@boomerang2

GranTurismo 5 is ONE of the main reason i got a ps3.

@Steve/Darfuria

Too true, get home from work, hit sofa, hit the go button and your away.

Anyway, while all these consoles and PC hardware are all great, I still love my dusty amiga1200 with mui and opus megellen.... :-D

RitchGtb: "lol, yeah right, on a friday nite try getting 7 PC mates round with all their hardware, sleeping bags, get pizza dude etc on speeddial, get a chat server going and see if u get any sleep over the weekend....."

Have you no life? Have you heard of girls?

I own a PSP for use on the train/plane/beach/toilet, a PS3 for FIFA 09 & GT5 with housemates ahnd the undoubted king of all - a Wii.

The Wii wins hands down - I can get boys and girls over to the house, get drunk and play bowling and boxing all evening before heading out to a bar. If I had to buy one of the consoles, it would be the Wii - every single time and I haven't even needed to buy a game for it.