Well the main reason why PS3 has installs instead of multiple discs is because disc size is not the issue they are facing. In fact most PS3 games could be made to fit on a DVD if needed (MGS4 would need a lot of work). The actual reason is because the disc read speed of a Blu-ray disc is too slow for gaming. So if I owned a PS3 I would prefer the installs because the in-game performance issues would be really bad.

So the OP is not really stating the trade-offs that are at issue with a PS3 install vs 360 no-install.

Cartridges FTW....

@Snesboy, the only downfall to cartidges were the cost. They offer the most supperior access speeds, read/write speeds and bandwidth.

@OP, I think you should really clarify your question because a cartridge (or even a type of flash card) would be superior to both options.

Both the PS3 and 360 read the data at about equal speeds overall, but some parts the PS3 is faster and at some parts it is slower. But the Blu-ray drive speeds can be increased, if the 360 drive goes any faster i think it damage the disc and the insides of the system.

 And thats where crack/fixes step in aka no-cd fix

I prefer installs, it would do my head in if i am on me bed playing a game thn it says please insert next disk, or whatever it is.
I would probably smash the console to bits

Disk swapping easily

I'll go with the disc swapping

You guys really want to get up from the couch to swap discs? okaaayyy. I definitely prefer installs. "please insert disc 2" always drives me crazy, even when I'm on a computer. I'd go nuts if my console made me do that. Also, all the guys saying BD isn't fast enough, you're wrong. a 12x DVD can do a maximum data transfer rate of ~100mbps and a 2x BD can do 72 mbps. However, the DVD can only get 100mbps for the very outside of the disc. (in other words, for the first 200MB-1GB of data) after that, it drops down to below 70mbps. A BD 's data transfer rate drops much slower compared to a DVD because of the way the discs are read. (and the fact it's 6x bigger than a DVD helps too) So the massive installs are just the devs getting lazy, not because BD isn't fast enough. And maybe it isn't fast enough, but if it isn't neither is DVD. Either way, it's not out of the realm of possibility that sony will upgrade the BD drive of the PS3 with a FW update. (you can reprogram a device driver you know) I wonder what people will say about a 6x BD drive with 216mbps transfer rate....