Since the two consoles hit living rooms and bedrooms across America in 2005 and 2006 (The 360 was released first), there has been an ongoing battle of epic proportions to decide which system is the more superior console.  In this blog I will cover the facts like such things as Performance, Game Selection, and Price.  I will also include opinions from various employees here at FireFold.  Hopefully, this will educate those who have not chosen which system they will obtain.

The beloved Xbox 360 burst onto the scene in November of 2005.  If you wanted this glorious machine, you would have to pay either $299 or $399 (depending on which version you got).  The following year, its nemesis the Playstation 3 was released.  This wonderful console would have cost you either $399 or $499.  For all you penny pinchers and bargain shoppers out there, buying the 360 would be the rational choice, saving about a hundred bucks.  But on the other hand, there are many extremely dedicated Sony fans out there that will gladly dish out half a grand for a great machine.  In today’s market, you can get the Xbox Arcade with a smaller hard drive for $199 and the Elite for $299.  The new Playstation 3 Slim will cost $299 as well.  So right now there’s no advantage for either system when considering price, unless you wanted to get the 360 Arcade because you’re not that hardcore of a gamer.Another subject that has segregated fans of the two systems is game selection.  While the two consoles both have incredible exclusive games, I’m not sure how they stack up side by side.  Although Sony’s Playstation 3 has more exclusive titles (like God of War III, Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and the Uncharted series) than the Xbox 360, I’m not sure that they stand equally against the extreme popularity of 360′s exclusive titles (including but not limited to the Crackdown series, the Fable series, Gears of War, Halo 3, Left 4 Dead, and Mass Effect).  I mean, how can you compete with Halo?  Even some Playstation  users agree that it’s one of the greatest video game sagas ever created!  I can’t give Xbox all of the points though, as LittleBigPlanet is one of the most revolutionary and creative games on the market right now.  Overall, Xbox 360 does have a slight advantage when it comes to game selection.

When considering performance, you hear a lot of those “Hands down, Xbox 360 is way better than the Playstation 3,” kinds of statements.  Hold on chief, I’m not so sure about that.  While the Xbox 360 is an incredible machine of fantastical wonder, the Red Ring of Death is extremely hard to swallow.  I’ve even heard of people getting it two to three times!  This is a pretty big disadvantage for the Xbox 360.  Despite the Red Ring of Death, Microsoft did an amazing job with Xbox Live, which would explain why you must pay for it.  FireFold Web and Graphic Designer William Wine states, “Xbox Live was already a well established gaming network before Sony even got online”.  Even though you do have to pay for it, 50 bucks for the entire year isn’t a bad deal at all.  The Playstation Network is still a pretty good way to play online (especially if you have a really good internet connection to begin with), although it tends to lag every once in a while and occasionally kicks you offline, but hey, its FREE!  So you can either pay 50 bucks to have a really good way to play online and not have to worry about it being faulty, or you can play online for free and ignore the random kickoffs.  Sounds like the Xbox gets a point in the online connectivity category.

Now let’s talk about hardware.  Joe Sansone, FireFold PC Tech and fellow video gamer states, “The Playstation 3 doesn’t use a conventional processor.  It actually uses what’s called a Cell processor.  Cell processors, which use multiple cores, or Synergistic Processing Elements (SPEs) allow for a much more powerful central processing element.  This alone sets the PS3 far ahead of other gaming systems.”  Also, the really awesome thing about Sony’s Playstation 3 (which everyone already knows) is that it comes stocked with a Blu Ray Disc player.  How great is that?  There are a lot of discussions on how people would just buy the Blu Ray player separately, but why not buy a video game system and a Blu Ray player bundled into one awesome contraption!?  Plus, the Blu Ray disc can hold more information than the normal digital video disc.  For example, when the much anticipated Final Fantasy XIII comes out on both systems, it will come on 3 DVD’s for the Xbox 360 and 1 Blu Ray disc for the PS3.  I would have to say that’s a strong selling point for the PS3.

Now that I have expressed my feelings for both wonderful systems, I will have to say that here at FireFold, we love both consoles!  I guess you can say we just love to play video games (as well as provide you with the latest and greatest audio/video, home theater, and networking solutions of course).  With these facts and opinions being said, I guess it’s up to you to decide for yourself which system you like better or which one you are going to invest in.  Good luck, and keep checking back for more upcoming video game reviews by the staff here at FireFold!