I didn't read most of the thread so what I say may have already been covered.

I have both systems and I would honestly choose the one most of your friends have. Sometimes it's cool to be the friend with something different but you will more than likely be left out of co-op & multiplayer games with your friends. I buy almost every multiplat for the 360 for the reason that I can play with others I know. An extreme case for me at least is that I even have both 360 & PC versions of Left 4 Dead reserved so I can play it with friends.

The only other consideration I would make would be the one Gebx's suggested above.

A lot of people will give you fanboy reasons to try and justify their purchase by pushing you onto their console of choice. The simple fact is to buy the system that you will enjoy with others and has the game you'll like. Nothing else much matters IMO.

Neither one is head and shoulders above the other (unless you own a gaming PC, then I would buy the PS3) so, like the poster above me said, go for the system most of your friends own (if you game online, that is).

If you don't game online, flip a coin. If budget is a concern, the 360 is probably slightly favored. It's cheaper and has a larger selection of older games available.

I think the key is look at each systems exclusive list, what your friends have, what do you need wireless adapter, Hard drive size ect?

Do you need blu ray?

As previously mentioned what are your friends playing on or buying for systems, cause with the same system you can share games, controllers, and play multi player.

You will get many fanboy answers both systems are great and most of the best games are multi platform

i think that the only people that should answer this question are those who have both systems.

personally, i think its hard to tell because there both so good.
but if i were only allowed to keep one, it would be the ps3.
maybe that could help.

That's a good question, and I'll tell you what I decided after much clamouring over the topic. I ended up buying a PS3 for a few reasons, one of them being LBP ; ) I also liked the fact that the PS3 happens to also be a top rate Blu-Ray player. Also, I was a little hesitant about purchasing an Xbox360 based on the issues a fellow friend of mine had with the infamous red rings. (5 systems went to the wayside) The biggest reason though was the games.
I happen to not really be a big fan of FPS's or sports games. Both systems have thier share of them, don't get me wrong, but it seems as though the PS3 has the edge as far as "other" games are concerned, i.e. Little Big Planet. I almost did buy a 360, but now that I possess a PS3, I'm very happy with my purchase. I will probably end up buying a 360 anyways, just so I'm not left out of any gaming goodness.

Listen, If you are looking for a sexy black box that has Home coming out, free online, the better graphics (Killlzone2), a ton of great games(many exclusive), can play beautiful Blu Ray, has a built in Wireless adaptor, is the most future proof and has an unmatched lineup of games in 09 (Killlzone2, Heavy Rain, GoW3, GT5, MAG-256 plyr online)..........then buy a PS3

If you are looking for a more unreliable, cute n curvy console, with great online, a ton of great games, good graphics, plays HD DVD's which are cheap to buy on amazon and comes without a Wireless adaptor, and is less powerful, cheaper ........then buy a 360

First, you need to ask yourself some questions:

1) How much do you care about Blu-ray movies? Whether or not Blu-ray is really "that spectacular" is a matter of opinion. I consider it a videophile format - basically, if you're a movie fanatic and care a lot about picture quality, then Blu-ray will be a big deal to you. If you're not, it really won't matter much. In any case, if you don't have a Blu-ray player and decide you want one, PS3 is the way to go.

2) Do you have a high-end gaming PC? The 360 has quite a few high-quality "console exclusives" - 360/PC multiplatform games. If you don't have a high-end gaming PC and don't plan to get one in the near future, 360 is probably the way to go.

3) If you don't care about the Blu-ray functionality of the PS3 and have a high-end gaming PC, then it mainly comes down to the true exclusives and the price. Exclusives is all personal preference; you'll have to figure out for yourself which games interest you most. As for price, the 360 will probably be cheaper. However, if you need wireless network access, the adapter is expensive for the 360. That alone can erase the 360's price advantage.

Both consoles have plenty of 3rd support, and they all have their 3rd party exclusives. In regards to the quality comparisons of the multi-platform 3rd party games, both are rather equal to each other. It was common to have a slightly inferior PS3 version to a 360 version earlier in the PS3’s life. Later, it because more of a give and take between the two versions as developers got a better handle on the PS3’s architecture. But with developers still backing the PS3 while more and more of them are using the PS3 as the lead platform, slightly inferior PS3 versions are becoming a rarity.

In regards to 3rd party multi-platform support, there really isn’t an issue anymore. With 3rd party exclusive support, you really need to look into which games you really want.

Like 3rd party exclusive support, you really need to look into 1st/2nd party support for both consoles. I’ve been very impressed with the efforts and quality coming from SONY. They are pushing themselves to be a formidable 1st/2nd party developer/publisher and have really grown from their PSOne 3rd party dependent days. So far, SONY has mainly concentrated on newer IP’s which helps keep the market fresh, hardly falling back on their many successful IP’s in the past. Hopefully, that will come in the foreseeable future as more potentially quality offerings you can only get on the PS3. Because of SONY 1st/2nd party efforts, this reason is the ace for owning a PS3 over a 360.

Don’t let anyone fool you over the “RROD fixed” and $200 360 Arcade vs. $400 PS3 price tag. The non-arcade 360 SKU’s are outfitted with the newer chipset to help prevent the RROD, but the $200 Arcade not so much. So to compare the $200 360 Arcade to the $400 PS3 is unfair since there are currently three different 360 SKU’s. And the prevention of the RROD in newer models has yet to be proven. So be careful.

So as a gaming machine, the PS3 has more that its own to offer quality and quantity software. So the bonus I see is that the PS3 serves as a very nice media center (photos, music, movies, and online). The best way I can describe this is with an analogy. Imaging you’re shopping for a new car, and you happen to come across a luxury car that’s priced high, but you can still afford it. The obvious question is that is this luxury car worth the price so you take it for a test drive. And when you do, you get a hands-on experience of something very nice and pleasing that can only be understood when experienced. The PS3 is the first console that I’ve bought that feels like it's more of an integrated a/v component than just a console. And even with the initial higher price tag, I think the PS3 will save me money in the long run since I see myself effectively using it longer than the average console lifespan (5 years). I say this because I just recent upgraded my original 60GB hard drive with a 320 Western Digital Scorpio for under $90, and that’s just one example. Another awesome thing about the PS3 is that the peripherals you can buy to expand the PS3 are non-proprietary. Bluetooth and USB mouse, keyboard, headset, external hard drives, and even printers fall into this category. So you can get want you want at a price you can afford without having to buy something “official” unless it’s your preference.

Let us know what you are going to so, but I really feel that you will be very impressed the PS3 and will be very satisfied with its purchase.

Both are close in all ways. Demo the controller on a display at WalMart or GameStop and see which feels better in your hands. See if you can actually hold it at GameStop. Personally, I hate the weight of the PS3 controller, it is way too light and the thumb sticks are not comfortable to me.

Also sounded like you would be the only one of your friends that had a PS3. If you wanted to be first alright, but if you wanted to hang out on live with your friends then I would get a 360.

I say 360, but it is your money to spend, not mine.

As a Wii-only owner, I think 360 has a better game lineup at a lower price, but PS3 is nice if you want a Blu-ray player. Of course it has some good games too, but I just don't think it stacks up to 360's selection.