that's not such a wise thing to do,,,if his cousin jumps off the clif ,should he do it aswell?

he has a choice and beside his cousin might get the PS3 after he gets one,,,so that argument is not much to go buy.

he should do a good research to see which one suits his needs the best .

How about: a PC!

For $600 you can build a PC that:

• Has a Blu-Ray Drive, for you to watch the movies.
• Has full BC with PS1, and with PS2 (limited BC, but only for now).
• Has graphics better than PS3/360 could ever make.
• Has NHL 09, FIFA 09, COD4/5.
• Has much more quality games than PS3/360.
• Games are cheaper and drop price much faster.
• Allows you access to Netflix.
• Has all the versatility and features only a PC can give.

Seriously, give it a thought. More and more people are putting their PCs in their living room, and rightfully so: PC is the perfect entertainment hub for your HDTV (if you have one).

Some of us live with WOMEN in our houses too, who will not put up with 30 foot cables running through the house. It's pretty unsightly anyway you look at it.

And, no, everything else is not accessible with a Silver account. You have to wait an extra week to download everything off of the XBLA and you CANNOT stream Netflix if you don't pay for a Gold account either.

this guy owns both ,you can watch it if you like,,,,,he gives you a better idea regarding the pro and cons of both consoles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3T6joC_Tv0

I think the PS3 is a way better all-rounder.The game libraries are pretty even in my opinion ,even if we admit the 360 has a slight edge its not something you will notice unless you are buying 40 games with the system.

And aside from that the 360 has nothing on the PS3 ,while the PS3 has an excellent Blu Ray player that makes you profit from your HDTV for movies ,free online gaming ,built in Wifi ,built in HDD ,the controller doesnt use batteries ,it has a web browser for seeing Internet on your HDTV ,great multimedia possibilities ,doesnt have technical issues like the RROD ,and if you buy a 80Gb machine you have backwards compatibility with the PS1 and PS2 games library ,and if you have or will have a PSP it has a lot of possibilities to exploit the conection between the two.

So ,PS3 FTW.

1) Do you have a PC that plays games like Mass Effect and Gears of War?
2) Do you buys movies or tend to rent them?

Those, in my opinion, are the two key questions now.

As tempting as this sounds, it doesn't leave you with a lot of room to buy games and accessories.  Also 360 Arcade, stay away from.  You want one with a hard drive, preferrable the 60GB version.  But your question is a tough one.  Here are my points.

1) 360 has been out longer so there are presently more total games.

2) Both console have multi-platform games.  The quality between the two are a give and take.  For now, it's practically a moot point.  But you might want to consider that more and more 3rd party developers are developing with the PS3 as their lead console.

3) Both have their share of 3rd party exclusives.

4) Do you like Microsoft's 1st/2nd party games more?  Do you like SONY's 1st/2nd party games more?

5) No Wifi out of the box for the 360.  Wifi out of the box with the PS3.

6) HDMI/component cable included with "HD" 360.  PS3, HDMI/component cable sold separately.

7) Headset comes with the 360.  Separate Bluetooth headset not included, you can choose one of your choice outside of the box.

8) No optical HD movie playback on the 360 (and HD-DVD doesn't count because its very limited if not dead.  PS3 have Blu-ray playback for viewing and collectors.

9) Yearly $50 for Live (Gold account), guaranteed options for online play.  PSN is free, options for online play are dependent on the game developer.

10) Netflix service via Xbox Live (Gold account) in the near future.  PlayStation Network (PSN) digital downloads rentals now.

11) RROD reduced from previous models.  PS3, more relaible/stable hardware.

12) Hard drive upgrade via proprietary 360 harddrive.  Any non-proprietary 2.5" SATA internal hard drive upgrade compatible for the PS3.

There are other points, but I felt that these are more of the high points.

I chose the PS3 as my primary console for a number of reasons.  When I look back at my PS2 collection of games, over 25% of my games were SONY 1st/2nd party.  That was a no-brainer form me that to play SONY 1st/2nd party next gen (now this gen) games, I needed a PS3 of course.  And with their PS3 games I own now, that alone had justified the console.  This is not considering upcoming 1st/2nd party releases and the games I've yet to buy.  This is also not counting the 3rd party support out there.

Having a "full" HD 1080p television, the Blu-ray playback option helps justify my television more since the only viable 1080p option I had was Blu-ray.  But now with the PSN digital downloads, I have both the option of optical disc as well as digital.

When I eventually change IP services, I'll be going Wifi, already built into the PS3 hardware.

Because of the versitility of the PS3, I've turned it into a media center. I'm looking into upgrading the PS3 relatively soon.  I can buy a 350GB internal hard drive for less that a $100, shipped.  This will save me money in the long run.  And because I'm relying on the PS3 as a media center, hardware reliability/stability is a strong plus for me.

Hopefully, these point will help you decide on what you want to do both short term and long term while determining your HD console of choice.  Good Luck.

If you decide on a 360, you better get this deal before its over.

Elite + 2 games for $300!!

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/XBOX_360/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A1295214

Damn,  that is a good deal!

You are obvoisly leaning towards the 360, but posted in case someone can argue merits of the PS3 you overlooked. Both PS3 and 360 are good consoles, it depends what you are looking for.
Based on what you said, 360 is definatly the way to go. If you want to play now and don't cae about downloading tons and tons of content (but can still download plenty) get the $300 20GB. Otherwise, wait a month or two and get the $300 60GB 360. I got the 20GB a few weeks ago because all I want on live is BK, Vigilante 8, Geometry Wars 1 and 2, Pac Man championship, and Oblivion DLC.