The entertainment industry has always flourished during harsh economic times because people want to escape reality which has changed from the general goal of gaining a promotion, to the struggle of keeping one’s job. It seems ironic that people would place one of their priorities on something that they can live without when they have a limited income. Videogames have skyrocketed above music and movies as a new medium of expression for developers that can be appreciated through the interaction of its users, or in other words—a new form of art. This collection of ideas is best expressed on the current generation of consoles: the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 because both systems are packed with the best graphic capabilities to date (unless you want to pay $1,000 for a fully upgraded PC rig). So if you are limited on cash and you want one system in order to play some of the best games on the market—which console is the best to buy? I will compare and contrast the consoles through categories that include price with features, graphic capabilities, performance, games, and online service. The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have different prices, but that does not necessarily mean that price equals quality. For example, the Playstation 3 costs $300 for its cheapest model. In that package you receive: the system, free online service, a Blu-Ray DVD player, 60 GB hard drive, and a controller. The system is reliable with a very low failure rate that is near two or three percent, but keep in mind that you are basically paying $120 more for a system that offers mostly the same games at sometimes a “worse” level of quality animation. In a way that sounds bad but the Xbox 360 is not perfect either. When you pay your $180 for the cheapest model, you receive: the system, no online service (requires a $50 fee each year), a regular DVD player, no hard drive, and a controller. The failure rate is ridiculous on this system; at one point it was as high as 66%--meaning for every 3 consoles purchased, 2 would break. The graphics on both systems look nearly identical when comparing the same games. There are minor differences because the Xbox 360 was easier to develop games for and as a result to cut down costs, developers make their game for the Xbox 360 and copy it over to the Playstation 3 (or in other words port). This copy ends up looking slightly worse as a result. But Sony made sure to spend millions so that games made exclusively for their console through 1st party developers (companies that they own) look slightly better than the best looking games on the Xbox 360. The Playstation 3 has a higher peak performance but it takes a long time to make a game on that system because of its complex architecture. The Xbox 360 breaks a lot more than the Playstation 3. The Xbox 360 has even gained an infamous nickname for the disappointment given to so many people. This name is the Red Rings of Death (RRoD). When the system breaks down, the failure is displayed by three red rings in the power circle. This issue was so big Microsoft spent 2 billion dollars giving gamers a 3 year warranty after the purchase of the system—meaning if it breaks: call customer service, ship the broken system to Microsoft, and you will have three weeks of isolation from gaming. If this process sounds too inconvenient for you, then you might as well consider shelling out the extra dough for a Playstation 3. One of the main reasons that the Xbox 360 is the best choice for hardcore gamers is because of its game selection. There is not much better in my mind than having to choose between Gears of War 1 and 2, Fable 2, Halo 3, Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead, Lost Planet, and Dead Rising only on the Xbox 360. The Playstation 3 has only three big exclusives that can make Xbox 360 owners jealous: Little Big Planet, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Killzone 2. Two of those games won several “Game of the Year” awards last year from several review sources. Killzone 2 just recently came out and is claimed by many that is has the best graphics to date. When it comes to games, the Playsation 3 has a few amazing games, which is different from the Xbox 360, which has many great games. The online service for both systems allows you to communicate with other people and download extra stuff like movies, game content, and game demos. Microsoft charges $50 to play games each year with other people. The service is very high quality so it is a worthy investment, except Sony offers the ability to play with other people in games for free. The advantages to paying this amount each year for the Xbox 360 are that you can talk and compete with people around the world, you get access to exclusive content to buy for certain games, and with a Netflix subscription you can actually stream movies on demand to your Xbox 360 for free ( by free I mean without additional costs). You can also create a profile with a customizable avatar to present yourself to the world, kind of like Facebook and MySpace, except it’s packaged in with playing games. The Playstation 3 online service has nearly every feature the Xbox 360 has with the exclusion of several games and being able to stream movies from Netflix. Both systems combined offer the perfect gaming combination, but if you can only afford one of them: get the system that appeals to what you like. The Playstation 3 is best for people who want to show off their high definition television by having a Blu-Ray player and a reliable game machine that plays some of the best looking games. If you are outside of this category—like most people; get an Xbox 360 for the great software titles, cheap price, and the best online service. I will admit that I am an Xbox 360 fanboy and my personal biases may have interfeared from the truth but this is the best comparison that I could write. Are there things that I should add when trying to inform people which system is the best one to buy?
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