I will get a few complaints out of the way right off of the bat. The price is not friendly and never has been. Sony came out of the gates with a product that cost entirely too much - one of the reasons I seldom buy a new console immediately. I love the technology - but the price tags tend to go down quite a bit with time and it allows for the library to expand too.
The ability to only be logged into one account at a time is a bummer when you're trying to play local co-op with your kid or spouse. Even the Wii allows you to bring your different Miis into Mario Kart. Then again, at least your data is saved to a specific profile such as the Xbox 360 uses.
The hardware had been flawless for me - until about a month ago when the spinner or laser reader on one of my systems went out. That said, the console is still useful because it has lots of downloaded games and wireless capability.
And that right there, is a huge win for this console over my 360. My wife has been using a PS3 in our bedroom since she broke her tailbone about a year and a half ago. Netflix works beautifully in there - and trumps both the 360 due to its wireless availability and the Wii due to the content video definition.
Sony's made up a lot of ground on the game front as well. For years it felt as though the Playstation had the weakest overall game library, but now it holds its own with the other guys I think. Exclusives like Little Big Planet, Mod Nation Racers, Uncharted, Killzone, Infamous and so many more have really turned things around. The Playstation Store has proven to be excellent as well - every bit as good as the offerings by Nintendo and Microsoft I think.
The audio and video capability are top-notch, and probably the best in class barring a tricked out PC. This holds over to dvd upscaling and bluray playback as well. We have over 60 bluray discs right now, so again this console serves as a family-wide media device. Adding to that is the way it handles music and images from media servers - I know that the 360 can do this as well, but that system has always had stumbling points for my kids, but my 9 year old daughter can fire up music through the PS3 very easily on her own, and pipe it through our sound system.
This is the only system of console that does reach every corner of our household. My wife and oldest daughter love watching movies on it and playing the occasional casual game like Peggle. My youngest loves listening to music through it and Little Big Planet is unequivocally her favorite video game of all time. Then there's my son - and I briefly touched on this with the Xbox 360 article - he can play online for free.
I traded in Modern Warfare 2 on my 360 about a year ago when my friends stopped playing it regularly. My son loved the game, but only got to play on my account because I had a gold account. He had a tough time getting friends to play with that way too. Playstation's willingness to let people play games for free has been a huge determinant over the last year for me. I've purchased my last 3 Call of Duty games, my last three fighting games and last sports game because of this feature - because my son can then play online, and that is where he spends most of his time.
For me? I love content off of all of these systems we own, but if my PSP, 360 or Wii were to break down again, I probably would not replace them. When one of my PS3's broke partially, I simply found another quality use for it and immediately set about planning to pick up a new one for our living room. The fact that our entire family uses the console, in a variety of ways in a variety of rooms has made it the one system we all most enjoy now. That's why I have to declare it my winner of this generation's console wars. It's not a perfect system - no such thing exists. However, it is a near-perfect fit for the way our family likes to spend some of their free time.
Favorite titles from this system so far:
- Heavenly Sword
- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
- Mortal Kombat
Pros:
- Free online
- Wireless connection helps foster quality online experience
- Powerhouse, multifaceted system has a little something for everyone
Cons:
- Only one account logged in locally at a time
- Most expensive (except a PC) system
- Late to the game with trophies - older games unsupported by them
I really thought the winner was going to be the Dreamcast!
ReplyDeleteWhile we own a PS3, it hasn't been used like our Wii has.
Mrs. Coffee and I both play the Wii, and she has easily put more time into the Wii than I have put into playing games on the PS3.
For me, I like the PS3 because of the free online, but I don't have a HD tv, so the HD games/movies don't matter a whole lot for me right now...but perhaps one day they will.
LOL!
ReplyDeleteMan, I loved my Dreamcast back when I had it. That system was awesome. Fighting and sports titles in particular were great.
As for the HD aspect, that's completely reasonable. For us, we have a 720p in the bedroom and a 1080p in the living room. For me, I like the games better, but it's the versatility for us that wins out - though the Wii has Netflix as well, we just never use it in favor of the PS3's.
For me, this was fun to write - I've had a lot of game systems, but this is the first time I've had all of the current gen systems in my house at the same time. I've gone back and gotten last-gen systems on discount but this generation of games has been quite different - and fun! - for me. :)
Nice post there and I had a feeling the PS3 would win. I do have a soft spot in my heart for the Dreamcast and had some great fighting and Crazy Taxi times. :)
ReplyDeleteI can certainly agree with your pros and cons especially the expense. Though it's good to see the $50 price drop as it brings it a bit closer to me getting one. I should hold off with the gift we just bought ourselves and other stuff coming up.
The other thing I just can't get past is the xbox live membership to play online. I guess they're making a boatload from it, but it rubs me the wrong way coming from my time with PC gaming.
So for the extra $50 would you recommend the 320gb version?
Yeah, the PS3 is just the most well-rounded system in terms of who plays things on it. The fact that my son and daughter can play online for free is huge since he plays things like Modern Warfare and she's in love with Little Big Planet.
ReplyDeleteOn the 360, they like to play games like Castle Crashers, Scott Pilgrim, Snoopy or Halo - and have to use my 360 account to do so, which is a bummer for them, but I don't even like shelling out $60 for my 360 account and have let it lapse twice since getting a 360 and waited until a really good deal was out there.
Kind of funny - my rumors on the PS3 price drop were accurate - don't know if people recall but I was predicting a $50 price cut about a month and a half ago when I was considering a new PS3.
Tough to say on the really large hard drive - I definitely needed more storage space - my old 40GB HD was maxed out, but the 150 seems to be more than enough for me right now. Even with me putting a ton of stuff on there, including the completely installs of Agarest War and Agarest War Zero, I still have over 60GB free, and that's enough for me personally.
Is that $60/mo or year? Wasn't sure on the gold account and their site isn't clear until you sign in. Either way, free is nice..
ReplyDeleteThat is funny and good the rumors were true. I can't remember, did you end up getting a PS3 replacement?
Thanks for the size info, certainly sounds like 160 is plenty unless I go bonkers.
(ps: tip of the day, gaming on a netbook is pretty comical. )