I looks even to me.

The PS3 is $100 more and you get a Blu-Ray player, wireless and free online play.
Games are about even going forward.

Best choice for what? If you want to play a large quantity of hardcore games at a low price, buying a $200 360 arcade and buying used and players choice games for $20-$35 is your best option.

If you're buying a console for your living room, and you intend it to be a living room centerpiece, the PS3 is far and away the best option. If you have some TV you might toss after a couple years, and you just want some great games to play in college, etc., or you already have a complete (Blu-Ray incl.) livingroom setup, a 360 might be the best option.

well i paid $500 on my ps3 and have no regrets. actually to tell the truth i am writing this post on my ps3 browser. also if you are getting a 360 don't get the $200 one. i know you said the $300 one in your post but there is no harddrive in that thing. but hey you get what you pay for.

Ok HD DVD is dead no one is going to buy that add-on plus most places sell them for cheaper then 60 dollars I've found them for 40, a better way to look at it is 360 has a 60GB hard drive, it costs like 8 dollars for a one month gold subscription, and wireless adapter costs 100, so in total 408+ with the 8 being another month every month (for a far superior online experience) PS3 is 400 with an 80GB Hard drive and built in wireless with blu-ray being a bonus, so yes you get the better deal with PS3 having 20 extra gigs and blu-ray bonus.

He got the question, but it seems that you don't want to accept it. I don't think citing the HD-DVD add on is going to help your side of the argument at all.

The 360 is cheaper than the PS3, though the PS3 can have value for those interested in it's features (built in Blu-Ray, ability to upgrade the hard drive with nearly any 2.5" hard drive, wireless, free online even if it doesn't have all the features live has).

I think we've (or at least I have) seen enough of these kinds of comparisons, it's all about how people perceive value.

The wireless adapter is so not needed. Run a cable and you will have a faster online experience. A headset is more important IMO then wireless or that HD-DVD. Honestly I wish the PS3 had a cheapo $200 version with no wireless... No hard drive.... (I would reuse the one in my old PC) and make it backward compatible.... That would leave me enough to buy 3 games before I hit the $400 mark. I would be all over that!

All that is a CHOICE,its not forced into the system to make up for a disc format,if PS3 didnt have blueray i know it wouldnt have any of those special features,Its trying to cover up the cost of the system by features.

 Well then you will want to buy a 500gb HDD for your PS3 which runs about $150 and then you need Qore for the exclusive demos and news which is another $25 annually so you would need $645 for the PS3 making it much more expensive. See I can add stupid and over-priced add-ons too.

you're forgetting the 52" 1080 HD tele. You need HD.

and the arcade is only 199.99, unless i'm mistaken.