PS3 or Xbox 360?

[2mickeys1minnie]

Which system is better or is there really no difference? DH wants to get one for our son's upcoming birthday. We just got the Wii so I really don't see the point LOL but I think he wants it too We also already have PS2 so my thinking is if we got the PS3 would we be able to play the PS2 games on it? Thanks!

 

[Cindy B]

Depends on how old the son is. I would do a 360 over the PS3. I've been hearing that most people are using the PS3 is just used as a BluRay instead of a gaming system.

360 has Xbox Live which is something my son really likes and enjoys. We also have an older first gen Xbox though.

 

[2mickeys1minnie]

Depends on how old the son is. I would do a 360 over the PS3. I've been hearing that most people are using the PS3 is just used as a BluRay instead of a gaming system.

360 has Xbox Live which is something my son really likes and enjoys. We also have an older first gen Xbox though.

He is turning 11.....I don't want him playing online with people we don't know though...doesn't Xbox have that?

 

[Scurvy]

If you buy a new PS3 you will probably not be able to play PS2 games on it. The ones currently for sale are not backward compatible. You might be able to find a backward compatible one for sale used, though. The PS3 is a very good Blu-Ray player if you are interested in that.

The XBox 360 does play many older XBox games, but not all.

As for which is better, it really depends on the games. Fans of each will usually say theirs is better. Some people will point out that there have been some hardware issues with the 360 but I think those have mostly been resolved (and Microsoft has been very good about repairing/replacing faulty consoles). Other people will say that there are fewer games for the PS3, which is true - but they are coming out with more all the time.

You do have to pay a monthly or yearly fee to play online with the 360 and you don't with the PS3 - though so far I personally prefer Microsoft's online service.

If you are going to get one or the other, I would suggest looking at the games that are exclusive to each system and decide which ones you would prefer. Each has some good exclusive titles but most games are available on them both.

Good luck with the decision!

 

[harleyquinn]

Well, my advice is always buy the system with the games that your family wants to play.

The PS3 has very few exclusives that you can't just get on the 360, which is the cheaper of the two systems.

If you don't already have a blu-ray player you should consider the PS3 for that, though I do my best to never use my gaming systems as DVD players since it has been shown to reduce the life of the system (especially Xboxs).

I looove Sony and was very much a PS2 girl. I also dislike Microsoft quite a lot. But we ended up with a 360 for the price, game selection and because all of ours friends have them and we can all play together, which is a blast.

So go for the games. And one more point. I have about 5 different backwards compatible systems that I almost NEVER EVER play old games on. So I honestly would not let that influence your decision unless you are sure you would need to unhook the old system and that you would definitely play the old games.

And be very careful if backwards compatibility is an issue--not all of the PS3 options are backwards compatible. The cheaper ones do not include the emulator you need to play old games.

 

[harleyquinn]

He is turning 11.....I don't want him playing online with people we don't know though...doesn't Xbox have that?

Both systems have online play, but it's very easy to block access. And honestly? if you don't have him using the mic, I can't see how any other player could be a bad influence. Now with a mic, I do see that issue, but a lot of the games we play with friends or strangers, we never use mics for.

 

[KigerKat]

DH would say that he likes that games much better on the XBox, but if this is for your son then you might want to find out from other parents which one their children prefer. As for the Xbox...I'm sure you're husband might want to push that one a little more.

One big pro for the PS3 is that it has a Blu-Ray player built in, and those are around $250-$300 on their own.

 

[Cindy B]

He is turning 11.....I don't want him playing online with people we don't know though...doesn't Xbox have that?

There is a family setting where I can only check who he is playing with.

 

[umaangel00]

We got a PS3 and I will never look back. To me the picture if far superior than to the XBOX 360. Also PS3 has a Blu-Ray player which is a HUGE bonus for that system. It's also newer than 360. Also its from a less evil company which can never hurt lol.

 

[melancholywings]

I don't understand how Sony is less evil than Microsoft Do they eat different babies or something?

I agree with the other posters that it comes down to what games you want to play. The libraries for both are very different than what you'll find on the Wii. And it sounds like your DH may already have an idea of which one he'd like, but I always suggest the 360 over PS3 for the things mentioned in this article (it's an old article and some of it was off ie. HD-dvd but some of it is well thought out):

http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-348-1.htm

 

[memy26]

Well I truely have no experience with one over the other. However my ds who just turned 12 took his birthday and Christmas money and bought an Xbox360 over the PS3

Oh and for what its worth we too have the Wii and 2 PS2's yet ds still wanted the Xbox

 

[smylie1]

We love our 360. Eventhough we have delt with the "3 red lights of doom". For game selection, it's awesome. We aslo have a Wii and feel like after the novelty of it wore off, it's been a waste of money. The 360 has stood the test of time in our house. So much so that we are going to buy another one so my sons can team up together on Xbox Live.