It does not matter how much marketing research companies do or what "professional analysis" they come up with, the truth consumers know is that owning a PlayStation 3 is cheaper in the long run than owning an Xbox 360. For years, the low cost of Micorsoft's console and the bundled items it came with lured gamers to invest in their side of the next-generation platform war. A single box containing a 250 GB hard drive, two free games, a headset, and even the disgraceful Kinect for cheaper than Sony's PS3 counterpart, was too irresistible for consumers to pass up. Unfortunately, those same consumers are now stuck wondering why they chose the green over the red.
As gamers, we all know that online competition via the PlayStation Network is free, while that same functionality costs $5 per month on Xbox Live. Let's ignore that extra cost because frankly, you get what you pay for. The Xbox Live system is faster, smoother, easier to navigate, and has a chat system that is superior to Sony's online counterpart, but it had better be because the amount of money Microsoft has been raking in over the past seven years on Gold memberships alone is undoubtedly a staggering number. It's a shame that PlayStation delayed the Plus program as long as they did because ever since its inception, PSN has been moving in the right direction. It's amazing what added revenue will do.
Aside from these online subscription fees, there are two major reasons it is cheaper to own a PlayStation versus an Xbox: Console reliability and game costs. Xbox 360 owners who have been faithful since its beginning would be lying to you if they claimed to have the same console for the last seven years. In fact, many would still be lying if they said they were only on their second. Personally, I am on my fourth console and have found that every two years I need to throw one away and replace it with a new one. No, I'm not going to be the millionth writer to scream about the Red Ring of Death because I've only lost one to that plague. The other three needed disc drive replacements, which is a common issue that does not seem to get the same amount of press (notice, I said 'only lost one' to RROD... first sign there's an issue). On the other side of the spectrum, I bought a PlayStation 3 on its first day of release and have only bought one more since... and that was to upgrade my hard drive capacity. This is not to say that PS3 owners have not seen their set of problems, but it is well known that Sony has created a more reliable product that Microsoft.
Game cost is a discrepancy that is not usually discussed when talking about which console makes more sense to own. Most people simply look at release day costs, which are notoriously $60 per game for each console, and assume that the value drops the same for each over time. Wrong. In most cases, retailers have to stagger the cost of the same game for each console based on the demand. For example, GameSpot's
GameMarket has many games listed at several dollars cheaper for PlayStation 3 than the exact same games for Xbox 360. Missed Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and want to play it before getting Revelations? It will cost you over $5 more to buy it for Xbox. How about the classic LA Noire? Hopefully you saved a couple bucks on parking because that's how much extra it will cost 360 owners.
GameStop stores price their games the same way and rely on consumer demand to determine pricing for each individual title. There are no fingers to point or companies to blame, because this is just a simple case of a successful business model. Still not convinced? Visit
eBay to compare prices and you will see first-hand the difference in people buying habits.
In the end, the evidence has been clearly defined over the past several years that from a financial standpoint, the PlayStation 3 is a more sound investment than an Xbox 360. That is not to say, however, that one is better than the other. Obviously, millions of people have decided that Microsoft's exclusives and online service are worth the extra cash, and that's great that have found a console they are content with. With that purchase, however, those same people can no longer claim to have saved more money than their PlayStation owner counterparts based solely on console sale prices. Similar to a new car, there are always underlying costs that are poised to jump up at a moments notice.
' Lesinski°
