Upgrade / PS3 / Xbox

[Broin]

So I was thinking the other day about upgrading my system, but then thought you know it's going to be about 6-12 months before we really get into any hard core gaming... So then I was thinking should I get a PS3 or Xbox or what...  

I have netflix so I wouldn't mind having either the PS or Xbox to stream the on demand stuff from netflix.  

Trying to figure out all the plus and minus for each system, but I'm not all that up on them all I know for sure is that the PS has the blue ray player

Anyway throw your two cents in on the pros and cons of each and help me decide whether to

UPGRADE MY PC / BUY A PS3 / BUY A XBOX360 / OR SOMETHING ELSE

[Subb]

It depends on what kind of games you wish to have, Broin. I can vouch for the PS3 due to its free online gameplay, smooth interface and bluray. The only complaint I have is that Xbox does have some very good exclusive games, but so does the PS3 (Uncharted, MGS4 etc.). Also, the Xbox360 does not have wireless internet and no motion control unlike the PS3.

All in all, I think it depends on what games you wish to play. If you can get all the ones you want for PC then upgrade the balls off your rig. Hope this helps somewhat.

[Ragnarok]

I have both and I love them both. I mean with a great live experience on xbox. Then you have games like mag for the ps3 with 256 player maps and a persistent war, almost forgot no lag in mag. Though it depends what you are looking for. To clear up on what subb said about 360 not having wireless internet it doesn't have internet browser but can use wireless internet for live.

[Fuse]

I love my 360, but if you're a movie buff I'd get the ps3 just for the BR player.

[Eroz]

(Uncharted, MGS4 etc.).

What are the etc? Those are the only two good ones that I've ever heard listed.

Also, the Xbox360 does not have wireless internet and no motion control unlike the PS3.

Not completely true, Xbox does have wireless it just cost $100 more. But I find this point moot if the Xbox is within wired ranged of a connection. And "no motion control", as in six-axis?

[Tbone]

Upgrade your PC.

If you haven't done much console gaming, you're going to feel like you've got two left feet trying to play games with a controller - especially FPSs. Every time I play Halo with my brother, I feel like it's my first time ever even seeing a game. The auto aim and the joysticks just make the whole thing seem random and stupid. Although, if I spent months working on it, I could probably get decent at it (I owned Goldeneye back in the day).

With the video editing, gaming, surfing, etc. you do on your PC, it'll always be worth it to upgrade. I just use my PC as my multimedia hub. I watch TV, DVDs, etc. all from my 24in screen. I haven't even owned a TV in years, nonetheless a DVD player, and I assume you have those things already and would only want the console for additional gaming.

A part of me just doesn't want to lose another PC gaming friend to the console world. Whenever a new Xbox360 game comes out, we don't see half our guild for like two months...lol. Also, there's a ton of cool PC games about to release plus a lot of really good ones that are fairly new, and I can get them for you for free.

[Subb]

(Uncharted, MGS4 etc.).

What are the etc? Those are the only two good ones that I've ever heard listed.

Heavenly Sword, Haze, Killzone 2, Heavy Rain (coming out soon), infamous, Grand Turismoand uhhh... Time Crisis 4. Those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.

Also, the Xbox360 does not have wireless internet and no motion control unlike the PS3.

Not completely true, Xbox does have wireless it just cost $100 more. But I find this point moot if the Xbox is within wired ranged of a connection. And "no motion control", as in six-axis?

Yes, I meant sixaxis and the new upcoming one that's TBA. Still... it's $100 more; PS3 has free internet/Live isn't free and PS3 has wireless included/Xbox doesn't. Still I'm going to buy a 360 Elite (hopefully) next weekend for ME2 if my grades are good tomorrow

[Lithium]

Consoles are stupid. The last console I owned was an N64. Back in the day they made sense when computers were $3000+ and it couldn't do what a $200 Nintendo could do. Now consoles are as expensive as a computer and are basically a computer in disguise. And then your input device is a stupid controller. The only console that makes sense to me anymore is the Wii because of it's innovations, but even that becomes boring fast.

Video quality still is suffering on consoles. From what I hear most games don't go above 720p? And there is probably limited AA and AF. I can easily do 1080p on my desktop that is 4 years old and has a cheapo $70 video card in it.

If people didn't waist money on consoles, then developers would not make console specific games, they'd release for PC.

[Subb]

Consoles aren't stupid. At least I only have to spend £300 for games and a console that'll last me years instead of having to pay so much here and there for new memory, Mobo, GFX card, whatever so I can play the latest games with top notch graphics. MGS4 was amazing (it runs at 1080p along with quite a few other games, Assassin's Creed was beautiful and Modern Warfare 2... well whoa. Not only that but Crysis 2 is confirmed to be on the Ps3.

I can surf the internet, (built in wifi and bluetooth aswell) install windows as an OS, take out the HDD without voiding the warrenty and I can even use a keyboard and mouse combo. What isn't there to like?

[ArchNemesis]

I'd say just upgrade the PC. The options you have with a PC are just too grand to even compare to a console (which as the years go by are OBVIOUSLY trying to have more and more versatility)

I remember when a console was just for games. As lith said, Consoles are now just dumbed down pc's. Hell, even most games for 360 come out for PC anyway. The only thing you'd really be missing out on would be the PS3 exclusives.

[Fuse]

The people who have consoles love them. Those without don't. Chicken or the Egg concept, perhaps...
My 360 is a really nice break away from the keyboard - which I use to be exclusively tied to for all things gaming related.

[Lithium]

At least I only have to spend £300

For $483.48 (£300) I could build one hell of a system, with parts that *I* want. And since I can keep my case and power supply and even drives I could build a system that blows any XBOX out of the water. Yeah I might not get free games but I can get games cheaper.

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/12-reasons-pc-gaming-is-better-than-consoles-485178?src=rss&attr=all

[Tecknik]

PS3:
Pros
  - Blu-ray player
  - Built-in WiFi
  - PlayStation Network
  - PlayStation Store
  - Some good exclusive games
  - Built-in rechargeable battery packs for controllers
  - Hard drive can be replaced with any 2.5" laptop hard drive
Cons
  - Can't think of any.  Doesn't mean there aren't any.

Xbox:
Pros
  - Xbox Live
  - Some good exclusive games
Cons
  - WiFi adapter is $70 (A/B/G), $80 (A/B/G/N)
  - Controllers use AA batteries
  - Rechargeable battery packs are $20 each
  - Largest hard drive that you can buy is 120GB, unless you buy the Modern Warfare 2 Special Edition which has a 250GB drive
  - Xbox Live is $50 for 12 months
  - You need Xbox Live to play online
  - You need Xbox Live to use Netflix

PC:
Pros
  - Games can be found for free
  - Has more purpose than just gaming or watching movies
  - Can stream Netflix, just like the PS3 and Xbox
Cons
  - Any part you buy now, will be outdated in 6 months


It really comes down to personal choice.  If you've never been a console gamer, you may like it or you may not.  Definitely test drive someone else's before buying your own.  Most stores have display models set up that you can do a little playing around with.

If you're going to go the PC upgrade route, I'd wait until you really feel you need an upgraded system.  Right now, DirectX 11 is just hitting the market, and I believe only ATI has cards out that support it.  Intel is also supposed to be releasing another round of i7/i5/i3 processors that you may want to look into.

[Ash]

Broin,

I think you should seriously look into console gaming.  Others have given you excellent examples of the benefits of each system so I wont bother going into them here but I did want to touch on a reason that hasn't received much discussion and that would be your T.C.O. (total cost of ownership).

The up front cost of a console compared to a new PC is widely known so I wont go into that.  What I'm really talking about is the cost of playing console games compared to playing PC games over time.

Let's say you buy both a gaming console and you buy one game for $60.00 at the same time.  Then a year goes by and you buy your 2nd game for another $60.00.  Yet another year goes by and you buy a 3rd game for another $60.00.   As of right now this is really no different than if you were to buy those games for a PC, granted there are many PC games that are cheaper than $60.00 but if we assume you're only buying brand new games as soon as they come out then on average you're spending about the same.  

Okay so here's my point.... When you buy a PC you pay top dollar for parts that have a rough shelf life of about 6 months (as stated by Tek earlier).  Six months from now there is no guarantee that a game you buy will work perfectly with the computer you have.  Maybe this new game takes advantage of more memory, or better graphics or even needs a faster processor.  Of course you'll be sure to look at the recommended spec's on the game before you buy it, and if it's a really cool game then odds are you'll probably buy it just to see if your computer can handle it.  Sooner or later you come to a game that just doesn't look right, too much lag or the graphics just suck. So your first thought is "what can I upgrade on my PC?"  Next thing you know you've spent several hundred dollars more on that $2,000.00 computer just to play a game which may or may not satisfy your needs for gaming for the next month or so.

Back to the console and your 3 games for a second... Now it's been 3 years since you bought your console and your 3 games are still playing just as beautifully as the day you bought them.  Your new PC games however are slow and problematic and the lag is getting you killed every time you play.  
 
Bottom Line... When you buy a PC game that has just hit the market you run the chance of having parts of your computer not having the capability to handle it. Cyris1 is a prime example of this type of scenario.But as long as you own a console you can rest assured that any game you buy for it, now, or in the future will work just as well as those first three.

Broin, I'll be honest you have the worst luck out of any person I know when it comes to keeping a computer up and running for any length of time.  I think you've gone through 3 computers and 40 power supplies in the time I've known you and God only knows how much you've spent over these last few years in upgrading and maintaining them.  So if for no other reason than to save yourself some money I would highly recommend you buy a gaming console.

[Lithium]

Okay so here's my point.... When you buy a PC you pay top dollar for parts that have a rough shelf life of about 6 months (as stated by Tek earlier).  Six months from now there is no guarantee that a game you buy will work perfectly with the computer you have.
 
Bottom Line... When you buy a PC game that has just hit the market you run the chance of having parts of your computer not having the capability to handle it. Cyris1 is a prime example of this type of scenario.But as long as you own a console you can rest assured that any game you buy for it, now, or in the future will work just as well as those first three.

I'd have to say this is an extremely false statement. I'm running a desktop with hardware that is 2-4 years old. An AMD 4800+ (2005), gigabye board (2006), 2gb of cheapo ram, and an 8800GT (2007). I just installed Cryris the other day and it ran perfectly, GTA4 run perfectly, and these are at settings that are higher than console gaming. I could pick up this hardware for probably $200.