Too late for a PS3?

[Gromit]

I'm considering purchasing a PS3 in lieu of upgrading my computer rig.  Basically, it' a cheaper option at this point.  I can comfortably drop $350 right now, but not $1350.  I haven't really kept up on any new console developments so I'm not sure if a PS3 purchase is a wise move if there's something else in the channel soon.

Is a PS3 purchase a good move this far into its life?

[KC]

It all depends on which games you want to play.  If you are really into the PS3 exclusives, go ahead and get a PS3.  If you are into multiplatform titles, I would get an Xbox 360.

[stimpy]

No....please go ahead and purchase a PS3, so they can finally announce the PS4 I've been waiting on......

[metallicorphan]

there is a rumoured price cut in August,so maybe wait awhile see if it happens

http://www.1up.com/news/ps3-price-drop-announced-august

[MonkeyFinger]

There doesn't seem to be any new version of either console coming any kind of soon... unless you count rumors of an XBox720 being announced next year.

[leo8877]

Heck no, there's tons of great games for the PS3, go for it!

[Turtle]

Both companies are working on their next gen systems. But those are 2-3 years away.

The good thing about buying this late is that you get a lot of great titles for cheap, and then if you liked those you get the third sequels later.

[morlac]

Heck no, there's tons of great games for the PS3, go for it!

Agreed.  I just got mine about 6 months ago.  It's a helluva good machine.  use mine for Blueray/DVD, media streaming and games.  I just loaded up on older games at the B2 get 1 free deal at Gamestop.  More than I know what to do with now.

[Bullwinkle]

Microsoft just this week said they thought the 360 was halfway through it's life cycle.   

Of course, that could be smoke and mirrors.

[TiLT]

Microsoft just this week said they thought the 360 was halfway through it's life cycle.   

Of course, that could be smoke and mirrors.

If they keep up what they've been doing for the last two E3's, the 360 will be completely irrelevant in a few years. Even GameTrailers (which seems to give the 360 higher scores just for being the 360) made fun of Microsoft's lackluster E3 presentation this year.

[metallicorphan]

Microsoft just this week said they thought the 360 was halfway through it's life cycle.   

Of course, that could be smoke and mirrors.

it wouldn't surprise me,still doesn't mean the next Xbox will wait until then,kinda like when the PS3 was released the PS2 went on for a good few years(is it still going?)....i would expect MS to kill off the 360 half way through the 720/nextbox/xbox3 life if we are talking another 6 years,as i think they have learnt after killing off Xbox 1 prematurely(IMO)

[Purge]

Microsoft just this week said they thought the 360 was halfway through it's life cycle.   

Of course, that could be smoke and mirrors.

If they keep up what they've been doing for the last two E3's, the 360 will be completely irrelevant in a few years. Even GameTrailers (which seems to give the 360 higher scores just for being the 360) made fun of Microsoft's lackluster E3 presentation this year.

Frankly, E3 wasn't very exciting this year. Hell, I'm going to start a thread about it.

[Bullwinkle]

Microsoft just this week said they thought the 360 was halfway through it's life cycle.   

Of course, that could be smoke and mirrors.

it wouldn't surprise me,still doesn't mean the next Xbox will wait until then,kinda like when the PS3 was released the PS2 went on for a good few years(is it still going?)....i would expect MS to kill off the 360 half way through the 720/nextbox/xbox3 life if we are talking another 6 years,as i think they have learnt after killing off Xbox 1 prematurely(IMO)

That's a good point, mo.  I hadn't thought of it that way.

[PR_GMR]

Both companies are working on their next gen systems. But those are 2-3 years away.

The good thing about buying this late is that you get a lot of great titles for cheap, and then if you liked those you get the third sequels later.

My thoughts, exactly! I finally got a next-gen (well, current gen) console last Thanksgiving. Picked up the PS3. Don't regret my purchase. I was never much of a fan of Xbox exclusives like 'Halo', 'Fable' and 'Gears of War'. Many of my favorite franchises from the PS2 are carried over to the PS3. The new franchises seem very fun (Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, inFamous) and I'm now just starting with the first entry in those series. Just picked 'inFamous' for free from PSN.. and I'm tracking down the first 'Uncharted'. When it was first launched, I didn't pick up a PS3 because it just didn't have the library of games, but it does now. Tons of fun to be had. And with new entries of well-developed franchises coming this fall (Uncharted 3, Assassin's Creed 3: Revelations, Skirim, and others) it just seems like the right time to jump in. And don't forget about re-releases of PS2 classics in HD, like 'Ico', 'Shadow Of The Colossus', the 'Metal Gear' and 'Zone of Ender' games. Go for it!!

[Purge]

PR_GMR, your statement implies Assassin's Creed is a PS3 exclusive. Just to clarify: it is not.

[PR_GMR]

PR_GMR, your statement implies Assassin's Creed is a PS3 exclusive. Just to clarify: it is not.

Yeah, it's not. But, correct me if Im wrong, but the only XBox exclusives are 'Fable', 'Gears Of War' and 'Halo' games. I think that's the bottom line. If you care for those franchises, get the Xbox. If you don't, everything else is on the PS3.

[Purge]

PR_GMR, your statement implies Assassin's Creed is a PS3 exclusive. Just to clarify: it is not.

Yeah, it's not. But, correct me if Im wrong, but the only XBox exclusives are 'Fable', 'Gears Of War' and 'Halo' games. I think that's the bottom line. If you care for those franchises, get the Xbox. If you don't, everything else is on the PS3.

Console exclusives are pretty thin on both sides of the fence, IMHO. You've left out some big names like Forza and PGR, as well as Crackdown (2 was kind of short-lived fun, although the MP is still worth playing).

To see a complete list, head over to Wikipedia.

and FWIW, I prefer Kinect to Move, period. They haven't exploited it fully, and I think (just like back before Halo) that a decent set of common "controls" hasn't been developed for certain game genres. After Halo for XB1 came out, everyone and their dog used the same control scheme. Before that FPS's seemed to experiment a whole lot.

Familiar and expected result is more important in gaining market adoption than new-and-innovative. This is the only reason why the Move has been moving IMHO - fact is, it's an HD WiiMote.

As for pure console gaming, the experience on Live has always been better than PSN, and Microsoft has yet to give away my information. 

[Rumpy]

I did just that myself instead of upgrading my computer, a few months ago. Considering it's behind in quite a few generations, I'd have to replace nearly everything making it too expensive, so I chose the PS3. Personally, I find the PS3 exclusives are better and there's more of a variety of them.

[Purge]

I concur that the exclusives list is better variety - but overall there are titles I enjoy on both.

If you plan on streaming video without having to jump through hoops, go PS3.

[Morgul]

Personally, I find the PS3 exclusives are better and there's more of a variety of them.

yep, same here. 

I cant imagine not being able to play God of War.

[Scraper]

Personally, I find the PS3 exclusives are better and there's more of a variety of them.

yep, same here.  

I cant imagine not being able to play God of War.

For me it's God of War, Ratchet and Clank, Motorstorm, Resistance, Killzone, the upcoming team Ico game, and the upcoming Sly Cooper game. Those are the exclusive I like the most. I would trade Halo away for most of those. Not to mention Atlus seams to release their better games on the PS3, probably because they are Japanese imports only being developed for the PS3.

[Purge]

There have also been some fantastic XBLA exclusives too. (timed, most are available everywhere).

IIRC, Castle Crashers was an XBLA only title for a while.

[leo8877]

Personally, I find the PS3 exclusives are better and there's more of a variety of them.

yep, same here.  

I cant imagine not being able to play God of War.

For me it's God of War, Ratchet and Clank, Motorstorm, Resistance, Killzone, the upcoming team Ico game, and the upcoming Sly Cooper game. Those are the exclusive I like the most. I would trade Halo away for most of those. Not to mention Atlus seams to release their better games on the PS3, probably because they are Japanese imports only being developed for the PS3.

Not Uncharted!??!

[Morgul]

Personally, I find the PS3 exclusives are better and there's more of a variety of them.

yep, same here.  

I cant imagine not being able to play God of War.

For me it's God of War, Ratchet and Clank, Motorstorm, Resistance, Killzone, the upcoming team Ico game, and the upcoming Sly Cooper game. Those are the exclusive I like the most. I would trade Halo away for most of those. Not to mention Atlus seams to release their better games on the PS3, probably because they are Japanese imports only being developed for the PS3.

Not Uncharted!??!

Uncharted1 and 2 were great, and we have had a blast on little big planet 1 + 2..

But my son and I have a giant poster of Kratos over the TV set... 

Playstation 3 has the throne at my house.

[Purge]

I love infamous (oddly enough, I just played through the first one as part of the welcome back/oops we gave away your info package). I've finished GOW1 and am 1/2 through GOW2 and just stalled out.

Uncharted never entertained me much. Something about bullet-proof wife-beaters and putting two clips of ammo into someone just annoyed me.

[Scraper]

Personally, I find the PS3 exclusives are better and there's more of a variety of them.

yep, same here.  

I cant imagine not being able to play God of War.

For me it's God of War, Ratchet and Clank, Motorstorm, Resistance, Killzone, the upcoming team Ico game, and the upcoming Sly Cooper game. Those are the exclusive I like the most. I would trade Halo away for most of those. Not to mention Atlus seams to release their better games on the PS3, probably because they are Japanese imports only being developed for the PS3.

Not Uncharted!??!

Wow, Can't believe I forgot that series. But yes definitely Uncharted. I Also forgot MLB The Show. Just goes to show you how good Sony's exclusives are.

[kronovan]

Microsoft just this week said they thought the 360 was halfway through it's life cycle.   

Of course, that could be smoke and mirrors.

it wouldn't surprise me,still doesn't mean the next Xbox will wait until then,kinda like when the PS3 was released the PS2 went on for a good few years(is it still going?)....i would expect MS to kill off the 360 half way through the 720/nextbox/xbox3 life if we are talking another 6 years,as i think they have learnt after killing off Xbox 1 prematurely(IMO)

That's a good point, mo.  I hadn't thought of it that way.

Yup, I didn't buy my PS2 until Fall 2005 and there's still games for it I want to play, but haven't yet. If you consider the PS2 was the weaker of the 3 consoles spec-wise last gen yet had enough legs to stroll into the next gen, the PS3 should run that much farther. I'm still pissed about MS's aggresive deep-sixing of the Xbox1 after just 4 years. I agree that it looks like MS learned something from that foolishness.

[Purge]

Microsoft just this week said they thought the 360 was halfway through it's life cycle.    

Of course, that could be smoke and mirrors.

it wouldn't surprise me,still doesn't mean the next Xbox will wait until then,kinda like when the PS3 was released the PS2 went on for a good few years(is it still going?)....i would expect MS to kill off the 360 half way through the 720/nextbox/xbox3 life if we are talking another 6 years,as i think they have learnt after killing off Xbox 1 prematurely(IMO)

That's a good point, mo.  I hadn't thought of it that way.

Yup, I didn't buy my PS2 until Fall 2005 and there's still games for it I want to play, but haven't yet. If you consider the PS2 was the weaker of the 3 consoles spec-wise last gen yet had enough legs to stroll into the next gen, the PS3 should run that much farther. I'm still pissed about MS's aggresive deep-sixing of the Xbox1 after just 4 years. I agree that it looks like MS learned something from that foolishness.

Not to stray too far off topic, but MS put a whole lot of effort to work around the hardware limitations they were put under due to the whole Nvidia fiasco. I don't think they wanted to "Deep-Six" the Xbox. Simply put, they needed to move their product developers to the new platform since Nvidia stopped producing units mid-2005 (there was a very big lawsuit - Nvidia was holding MS over a barrel, as it were, and MS won the suit).

What would you have done? As it stands, MS maintains that the 360 will be current and supported into 2015 (at the earliest). Given that they no longer are under the same constraints, I doubt we'll see the backwards compatibility issues that was a major bump in the Xbox/360 transition.

Also, any PS3s made in the past 3 years are not capable playing PS2 games, so it's kind of a moot point.

(only the original 20/60s did it w. hardware, and only the first run 80GB mfgr'd before Aug 2008 did software emulation)

If the system is for multimedia streaming, I'd go PS3 all the way. If it is for games, both systems play most games well. If it's for online play, I'd swing 360. For controllers, both have rumble, both have decent D pads. The PS3 needs those addons to make the L2/R2 better, but other than that, it's all personal preference.

The PS3 exclusive titles are less in number, but higher grade in more cases. If you like racing, then I'd be looking for Forza over GT5 (esp. with a new title coming out later this year).

If its shooters, games like Killzone and Haze aren't compelling, and Socom has never been MY cup'o'tea. The Halo franchise needs to stop playing the same damned tune though - there have been incremental advancements, but it is no longer "Combat Evolved", it is "Combat Status Quo".

R&C doesn't compel me, and I'd rather play a Wii title like Kirby's Epic Yarn over LBP.

Over system stability, we've had the PS3 compromised by both hackers and bugs (remember the clock issue?). The older 360 had heat issues.

It's a 50/50 split,but the OP asked about PS3 over PC.

Frankly, I'd go PC over either console except if the PC is good enough EXCEPT for games.

[TiLT]

The PS3 exclusive titles are less in number, but higher grade in more cases.

Unless you're counting XBLA games (which really shouldn't count for the most part, with a few rare exceptions), that's simply not true. The PS3 has more exclusives than the 360, and they are more varied too. It seems that Microsoft isn't willing to gamble on anything that isn't completely mainstream (Kinect notwithstanding), which means most of their exclusives are pretty basic shooters.

[kronovan]

What would you have done?

Not have been so inept in the 1st place when they designed the console and planned its life cycle. Come on, we're talking about MS here, 1 of the richest company, if not the, at that the time. If they got themselves into a totally screwed up situation with one of their major component manufacturers (Nvidia) IMO they have nothing but themselves to blame. At that time the industry had already gone through 3 console gen's since Ninty's industry reboot, so it's not like there wasn't proven business models. As well, it wasn't so much that MS stopped making the  Xbox1, but that they actually launched a campaign to dissuade dev studios from continuing coding for already under development Xbox1 games. Sorry, but you can't convince me that's an honorable approach to your fan-base.

[Edit] Back on topic. Sony proved with the PS2 that even a meager console can have good legs, and proved MS wrong in the process. So on that note - by all means get a PS3 now, there's still likely lots of good games to come.

[Purge]

You do realize what Nvidia was doing was in direct breach of contract? When your landlord starts stealing your cash register, it's time to move even if it inconveniences some of your customers. Given the work they put in to get backwards compatibility in, as a customer of both platforms I am satisfied. If you are not, we're going to have to agree to disagree on that point.


Excluding a range of games based on disk vs download is a bit silly, no? Exclusive is exclusive. Some of the games I've played on XBLA blow away full-title games by a country mile. TBH, there are some fantastic exclusive titles on PSN as well (including Flower). Also, timed exclusive matter during their period. For instance, if Skyrim was exclusive like Oblivion for a long period, would that not sway you?

Explain to me how 3 in each series is "varied"? Did you look at the list of titles in the link I provided above? I'd put forth that MS has done much more experimenting, whereas PS3's devs have done more refinement and have produced better quality. Perhaps you missed that- it's a compliment - I'm pointing out where your argument is flawed, not that the 360 is necessarily better.

I am counting games based on platform.  I pulled the list of games in the wiki into a spreadsheet, and even without shrinking games down to "Series" instead of individual instances, the numbers are 194 (360) vs 100 (PS3). Those are retail titles, not PSN / XBLA to the best of my knowledge. Almost a 2:1 ratio. I don't see any way around the numbers.

Considering that most 1st party titles on either system are surpassed by, or at least easily replaced with, cross-platform games, it's not like you're missing a ton of gaming either way you go.

[Purge]

Yes, enough of this.


as I stated above:

Frankly, I'd go PC over a console except where the PC is good enough for all other tasks EXCEPT games.

[Darren8r]

Get a PS3. I've never regretted my decision. 

[Rumpy]

The PS3 exclusive titles are less in number, but higher grade in more cases.

Unless you're counting XBLA games (which really shouldn't count for the most part, with a few rare exceptions), that's simply not true. The PS3 has more exclusives than the 360, and they are more varied too. It seems that Microsoft isn't willing to gamble on anything that isn't completely mainstream (Kinect notwithstanding), which means most of their exclusives are pretty basic shooters.

Yeah, the feeling I get from the X-Box exclusives is that most look and feel like generic shooters, which is fine if that's what you like, but if someone likes more variety in their exclusives, then the PS3 is where it's at. I think Uncharted 2 for instance is more original than any of the X-Box exclusives.

And what's with the GT5 hate? It was one of my first games I got for my PS3 and I love it.

[Purge]

It isn't hate. I just didn't enjoy it as much as other racing games (including multi-platform games). Admittedly, I am not a sim-driving junkie. I still miss Rallisport Challenge (esp. the ice racing - as a Winnipeger I rocked at those races).   

[Dante Rising]

Kmart currently has the 160GB version on sale for $100 off. There is absolutely no reason to miss an opportunity like that if you don't own a PS3.

[Purge]

Kmart currently has the 160GB version on sale for $100 off. There is absolutely no reason to miss an opportunity like that if you don't own a PS3.

I concur.