Its pretty lame almost everyone on the lower half of the thread using RROD as an excuse.... RROD has been resolved in the newer consoles.

it's funny, i did consider a a 360 last year in june but i ended up buying a 60gb ps3. i came damn close to buying one but

- i was worried about hardware reliability
- i like online play but am not willing to pay monthly for it

had it not been for those 2 factors i'd be a x360 owner today.

No it hasn't. If it had, MS would spend 10-50 million telling everyone.

I don't own any of the consoles yet, but I will probably pick up a PS3 once some games I actually want come out (GTA4 will be the first).

The GTA4 exclusive DLC is the only thing that would attract me to a 360 at the moment, but for me to seriously consider giving my cash to microshaft, Tekken would have to go multi-platform, and Pete Molyneux would have to release a next-gen version of Syndicate for 360 only and swear on his mother's grave that it would never come to PC (then again, given his history, even swearing on his mother's grave wouldn't be enough to convince me he was telling the truth).

@ ironmanDX
The RROD issue has most definitely NOT been resolved. I know someone that sold their old 360 to get one with the falcon chip and then had it die on them. They haven't yet been in the retail chain long enough to get a good enough picture of their overall failure rates, but that can't be a good sign.

Lol, thanks for the shout-out.

Essentially the 360's great advantage now is it's games library.  As Rocketpig pointed out, Microsoft appears to have made excellent headway (finally, I know) fixing Rrod, as it is extremely rare to hear about cases or reports of recently purchased 360's dying, which wasn't the case this time last year.  Of course if you want Blu-Ray then the 360 isn't the option for you (not yet, but the rumours of an add-on are getting stronger, not weaker).  Of course if your happy to download HD titles for rent, the 360 has a far stronger service.

But what the 360 is amazing for is it's formidable library and line-up of games.

The 360 IS the next-generation JRPG platform and the only game that could possibly change this in the forseeable future is Final Fantasy XIII:

-Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata (supposedely a PS3 version is on the way, but it seems to have disappeared), and (in the future) Tales, Cry On, Last Remnant, Infinite Undiscovery, Operation Darkness and more (PM stickball for a fuller list I think).

Now Final Fantasy is huge and I don't see the main installment hitting the 360.  So if you simply must play it and cannot afford two consoles, wait until it comes out and then buy a PS3.  However beyond that be under no illusions, if the PS3 ever reclaims the JRPG crown from the 360, it will be at least TWO years from now, and even then it wont have the back-catalogue of the 360.  Microsoft seems VERY committed to buying these games.  With the PS2, it took FF growing the console's JRPG base before more JRPG's were developed, so we are talking a long time before the PS3 sees another major commitment, and even that makes the assumption that FF will expand the userbase significantly in a country (Japan) that already seems to have chosen another console this generation.

Shooters: 

-People should be more aware of the fullness of this category for the 360.  There are all the multiplatform games and then there is the big ones, Halo and Gears of War.  So far all the PS3 has is Resistence, which by most accounts is a decent game, but it cannot touch either of the titles I just mentioned.  Gears of War 2 will be out this year and it will be amazing.  That said, Resistence 2 is looking very promising, but don't make the mistake of believing Killzone 2 will be any better than the horrible original.  You simply cannot go wrong buying a 360 for shooters, but if you want to wait, we should have a better idea of how good Gears 2 and R 2 will be, how much K2 will suck, and how far away a true Perfect Dark sequel is after E3.  Note one thing though.  IT is possible Microsoft will hold off on this title till there next consoles, but when it comes, a true Perfect Dark sequel is simply the epitomy of console shooting, and it will not be on the Playstation platform.  Although you must pay for it, it should be understood that shooters these days lean heavily on the online component and in this area the PS3 doesn't hold a candle to the 360, and due to entrenched mistakes, it is unlikely Sony can change that until PS4.

WRPG's:

The 360 is the destination for Western RPG lovers, just as it is the destination for Japanese RPG lovers.  The difference here is that there is no reason to feel that Microsoft will lose this crown this generation period (unlike the FFXIII situation above).  There is not the vast number of good WRPG's out this generation that we had last generation, however the 360 is the place to be if you want to play any.  There are the two major multiplatform ones, Oblivion and the future Fallout 3.  But on the 360 exclusive side there is Two Worlds which after the patch is above-average but not excellent, followed by the simply AMAZING Mass Effect. This year, Fable 2 is coming, and it is looking like it will redefine RPG gaming.  You can play co-op the entire way through the game in such a way that your partner can take something back to their game (rewards, experience etc.).  It will have a very powerful AI-controlled dog that acts as a guide/supporter to traditional tools like mini-maps.  There is simply nothing existing or planned, that is comparable on the PS3.  And of course beyond this year, there is Mass Effect 2 in 2009, with every indication being that Microsoft traded PC publishing rights for ME1 (and some cash) to keep the series exclusive.  There was also strong Jade Empire 2 exclusive to 360 rumours a few months ago, but with EA buying Bioware I wouldn't put that as anywhere near guarenteed at this point.

Racers:

The 360 has some very well scoring racers in PGR3, PGR4 and Forza 2.  The first and last of these sold gangbusters, however the second, whilst a hit with critics, was a disappointment at retail.  If you simply cannot live without GT, then as with FF, you must buy a PS3.  But if your a massive racing fan in general, get a 360 as well.  IT is likely we can expect Forza 3 next year. 

Platformers:

The ultimate platforming console this generation is the Wii obviously, but I believe the 360 will finish the generation in second place.  The PS3 has Rachet, and by most accounts the most recent leaned more towards shooting than platforming.  The 360 has the refreshingly wonderful Viva Pinata and Kameo (which was very fun), but we also have the third installment of the second best platforming series in history coming this year in Banjo Kazooie 3.  This title is being developed by the original team, and development is led by the series creator.  Add to that Kameo 2 in 2009, and you have an awesome little group of platformers.

GTAIV:

If you simply have to have this title, which console you buy for it is a no-brainer.  The 360 has exclusive downloadable episodes and what has been called the "definitive" version by Rockstar themselves.  The 360 also has the excellent exclusives Saint's Row and Crackdown, and the PS3 has nothing worthy of comparison. 

At the end of the day, any console purchase has to be made for games that you want.  Theres a reason to by a PS3 other than games in Blu-Ray.  However in terms of games, the only reason why you would choose a PS3 to the exclusion of a 360 is if you absolutely cannot live without GT, MGS (this one will probably turn up on 360 in a year) or FF.  Other than those three titles, the 360 has it over the PS3 in almost every gaming genre, and will continue too for at LEAST two years.  At that point, even if the 360's game library is usurped by the PS3's, the PS3 will be far cheaper to purchase.

The 360 is excellent, buy it if you like games. 

I purchased my 360 for the library. I had a Wii for six months and had half a dozen games, but the console for my anyway was a wasteland of nothing I really wanted. I really had expected a repeat of the 64, but with Rare gone and Nintendo shifting attention between two markets I felt like I was holding a empty sack.

I think you will find that the 360 has two real detractors. The hardware reliability which is only getting better with time now. The problem with the machine basically was that is was so overpowered that it was tearing itself apart. With every less energy intensive component they add into subsequent models the problem should wane and in the end disappear entirely. Once the newer models demonstrate their greater reliability that will stop being a valid concern.

The second problem is the Live price point. Merely being matched in online play is not enough even if the system was very competently done. Many consumers expect more for a fifty dollar service especially if they do not play online constantly. Microsoft needs to spice up the offering. Giving three free decent games would help a couple free movies would help even more. A little more value in the offering would help greatly.

No... unreliable hardware and not enough interesting games are the reasons. I don't like WRPG and the JRPG's being released are going to release on the PS3 as well, from which are interesing.

i am a huge hardcore wii owner and i own a 360 and plan on getting a ps3 when i can

Wii owner here - well, technically it's my son's but anyway. We have definately strongly considered getting a 360 or PS3 but the 360 has FAR more games we're interested in (WPRGs for me, Crackdown, GTAIV, GoW, Halo 3, Etc. for him) than PS3 (umm... no exclusives of interest at all currently).

However several factors have prevented a purchase:
Price
RRoD
Having to pay for online
For me the fact that all the WRPGs will come to PC anyway
I don't have enough time to even play though the Wii/PC games I have now.
Noisy (especially with a cooling fan).
Ugly (seriously, I don't want to look at it all day)
Too many jerk-off kids online
No HDtv

But I have many of the some problems with PS3 including reliability issues. My brother has one and crashes if it gets too hot and the load times are awful. I'm not impressed with it at all.

No. Only Wii for me.