360 Pros

Backwards Compatibility
Forza Motorsport 2
Halo 3
Lost Odyssey
Fable 2
Mass Effect*
Gears of War (1* & 2)
Ninja Gaiden II
Halo Wars
Left 4 Dead*

PS3 Pros

Blu-Ray
Killzone 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Uncharted
Resistance (1 & 2)
Valkyria Chronicles
LittleBigPlanet
God of War 3
Gran Turismo 5
Free Wi-Fi
Free online
FFvXIII

360 Cons

Loud!
pay for online

PS3 Cons

Higher energy consumption
price
newer PS3s don't come with backwards compatibility

Debated

Quality of PS3 multiplats (Many say that the 360's look better/play better)
Ps3 has Mandatory Installs (I don't mind but some people do)
RRoD (Seems like an issue that has been dealt with, not sure though)

Personally I bought a 360 for GeOW, then it released on PC a year later. This angered me...I would rather play games on a PC than anything else. I barely use the 360. I suggest Ps3 (If you're willing to part with more $$).

*PC version also released

Don't buy a PS3 until the price drop, or I guarantee you'll regret it.

The 360 is definitely the "safer" purchase. Chances are you're interested in a video game console, not a Bluray player. Don't listen to those who say "if you have the money, get a PS3." That extra $200 can be put to better use if you don't need all the features.

Anyway, just a few questions you have to ask yourself:

Do you prefer one console's library over another?
The PS3/360 seem to be more or less even in this department. Most gamers would probably lean toward the 360 library atm, but Sony seems to have a stronger "future lineup." Either way, I suggest looking up the exclusives of each console. Know that the 360 isn't just a shooterbox, that's just nonsense fanboys cling to.

Is money an issue? (or, Do you want a Bluray player?)
The 360 blows the PS3 away in this catagory. Unless you're in real need for wifi, a bluray player and years of online play, the 360 is far cheaper. I'm not sure if Canada is like the US, but games tend to be cheaper on the 360 here. There are also plenty of great older games that are very cheap now, and you can build up a very impressive library with the 360 before you even reach the initial cost of the PS3.

Do your friends own either console?
This can be a deal breaker. If you want to play online games with your friends, you'll want the same console. If Canada is like the US, 360 is the safe bet, as its install base is over twice is large. On the other hand, if you don't care about multiplayer, maybe you can buy the opposite console and trade with your friend when you want to play the other system's exclusives...

Do you have a gaming PC?
Yeah, here's a major 360 weakness. If you have a gaming PC, know that most of the 360 exclusives go *poof,* since you can just enjoy them on your PC.

That's pretty much it. Reliability is a non-issue, as long as you're buying new. Enjoy whichever you end up with.

Depends what genre you like, but the 360 will most likely win regardless of what genre you say. Also it's cheaper.

I appreciate your effort since most people have just sided with 1 system or other. Couple things: all PS3s are backwards compatible with PS1 games, some multiplats run better on PS3, and not many games require mandatory installs. That said, I'm obviously biased since I own a PS3 and don't own a 360, so I've already made the decision.

For all those comparing $200 to $400 for the price of systems: that's a joke, and you know it. There are far too many features you can't use without a HD. If a person isn't going to play online (and pay for live) or download any demos, games, rock band songs, or anything else, then sure, it's $200. It's a better deal than the Wii, though, because that doesn't have a HD, either, but the 360 lets you do a lot more with the system so it's a waste not to have a HD.

I will say that Sony needs to lower the price of the PS3, even if it's worth it to me to get Blu-ray, a built in HD, wireless, and great stability (which some of you say MS fixed on 360, but it was never a problem on PS3).

Hello. I have the same question as in the topic - which one should I buy?

I don't really care about blu-ray, I don't have a HD TV (shame), I like RPG's and FPS's and I guess it all means that I should buy a X0. But I want to buy a console which will live longer and which have smaller hardware issues (I know it's hard to tell right now, but I think PS3 is more reliable in this case)... My question is... which one have a better controler - x0 or ps3? It may sound strange, but it's a very important factor for me. I am PC gamer for 10 years and I've never had a console yet and I don't know which controler is better, more convenient...

@ Sylvain316 :
Which one you have bought? Why?

At least people here give a argumented response.  You have said in another thread you are a PS3 hater, so I guess your reasoning is quite clear on this one.

@ Szahh:  Have you tried going to a store and holding the controllers?  Or don't you have a friend that has one of the consoles, so you can try them out?

FPS and RPG's are currently more common on the Xbox, so that would indeed be a safer choice.  An argument against that would be that several of those would also be on the PC, making an xbox less of a "must-have", but many fps and rpg's don't make it to the PC, so that argument is partially valid.  I suggest you head to a store and try holding the controllers yourself.

360

1. Exclusives:
JRPGs: Tales of Vesperia, Star Ocean 4, Lost Odyssey
WRPGs: Mass Effect, Fable
Shooters: Gears 1+2, Halo, Left 4 Dead

2. Usually better quality multiplatform games

3. Exclusive DLC GTA+Fallout

4. Cheaper (but online isn't free)

5. Latest models haven't seen much reliability issues

6. 80% backwards compatible with Xbox

7. Optional installs (not mandatory as on some PS3 games)


PS3

1. BluRay

2. Exclusives
Sony games: Uncharted, Killzone 2, Resistance 1+2, LBP, GT5 (!), Motorstorm, God of War
JRPGs: Valkyria Chronicles, WKC, Final Fantasy VS XIII
Metal Gear Solid 4

3. More reliable

4. Free online

5. No BC with PS2, but fully BC with PS1 (=JRPG heaven)

6. WiFi and wired internet connection standard (360 has no WiFi)

@papflesje:
I have already tried holding both xbox's and ps3's controlers, but doing it for 5 minutes is not enough for me to say which one is more comfortable in gaming (especialy RPG's and FPS's ^^)...