SEVENTH GENERATION CONSOLE WARS POLL

girls vs. dorks vs. bluray enthusiasts: who will reign supreme?

btw this poll is to determine whatever you want it to determine so if you vote what you think is gayest or most innovative or least innovative or most unaffordable or ungayest then that's cool, whatever boats your goat

enmity 2008

really when I saw the advertisement for animal crossing city folks or whatever I realized that I am basically no longer the target market for any of these products

kind of like laptops and phones that play music videos or whatever. I feel like I should be retiring in the next year or so, just give me a book of tough crossword puzzles and leave me alone

PS3 is the only one I don't have so voted for that.

Wii - for children, girls and casual gamers
Xbox - console equivalent of a Mac; have to pay to play online (still wtf after all this time); notoriously prone to 'sploding
PS3 - you know it will win in the end

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, May 20, 2008 1:41 PM (6 months ago)

always thought this guy was onto something

PS3 will be best ever once the fucking price comes down to a reasonable level.

hahaha ok

it's all so clear, the only problem with that console is the price

Netflix is the killer app.

yeah it's just like a cable package with the tivo except no cable and no tivo. WHO THOUGHT OF THIS THEY DESERVE A MEDAL

Tombot when you consider the 360 is plagued with faults and the Wii is a bit shit there's no choice.

i dont even have any of these bullshits, i voted xbox because who gives a fuck

EG's 360 vs. PS3 face-offs:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

i voted nintendo ds

you're fired!!

get off the stage!!

i voted xbox because who gives a fuck

i like that yr vote was inspired by the same can-do attitude MS took towards making the console

heyo!!!

i voted nintendo ds

― didactic katydid (Lamp), Tuesday, December 2, 2008 9:10 PM

PS3 will obviously win the console war. After the price comes down. And they stop hemorrhaging exclusives to the 360. And games stop looking better on the 360 than the PS3. And PS3 gets a single game that I have any interest in playing.

Oh, and when PS3 gets Catan.

When they work all that out, assuming this gen of consoles isn't over already, PS3 will obv. be the winner.

I'm kind of leaning towards the wii camp lately. It only has two major problems in my book 1. As I'm lucky enough to own a nice HDTV, I wish it could output higher quality graphics instead of slightly blurry 6th generation stuff and 2. No proper storage solution. The problem with the storage thing is that it slightly takes the shine off one of the wii's best features - its amazing library of downloadable virtual console games, which actually still may be the best reason to own a wii two years on (if you don't have those old consoles and don't want to steal the games off the net and emulate). While one wishes the virtual console releases were still coming at a more robust pace, what's on there already is a pretty amazingly endless selection. The actual library of good/great wii games is slowly growing too (I have 12, for what it's worth).

Sorry for a semi-serious answer.

Wii is fun. But doesn't have enough "serious" gamer gaming games for me.

port of catan to sony will inevitably look duller somehow
ditto worms and uno lol

the most exciting thing in the ps3 lineup to the largest number of gamers was and remains a side-scrolling platformer. however, as noted, the 360 breaks a lot, and the wii is a bit shit.

ps3 version of catan is supposedly coming out in late December, for whatever that's worth
http://www.andriasang.com/e/articles/2008/10/08/game_republic_releases_board_games

I wish the wii had more Serious Gamer Gaming Games (this is a good term btw I think it is v. descriptive without being overspecific or implying an aversion to hygiene) but as I said I'm starting to realize my time may be up for the 100+ hour fantasyland travelogues. What the Wii does best, apparently, is rule women's lives with an iron fist. Plus excite truck for when it's bro-o'clock.

Depending on your household, it seems like the Wii or the 360 probably get more time devoted to them, overall, than any other consoles in the industry's history - not heard anything like this about the PS3 and I'm really beginning to doubt I ever will.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/photos/2008/1/wii-fit-board.jpg

http://www.ubergizmo.com/photos/2008/8/ps3-kb.jpg

neither of those are my cup of tea generally but that juxtaposition kinda sums up why I think sony is standing there sucking air on this go-round

Okay I'm probably wrong about the PS3's superiority then. But I just bought fucking Sonic Unleashed for the Wii so nothing I say or think is worthwhile.

Things I don't like about the 360
1. Damn console has already died on me twice (once out of warranty (not RROD), which cost me $100.00 to fix, which I'm not sure why I bothered)
2. Pay to play online
3. LOUD
4. The library of downloadable games is better than actual releases three years on
5. Microsoft wheel is shit
6. xbots

Things I don't like about the ps3
1. Seems like every time you tun it on you have to spend 30 minutes downloading a firmware update (happened again this morning when I just wanted to play a few quick matches of Street Fighter before going to work)
2. The library of downloadable games is probably better than actual releases two years on
3. Don't give a shit about blu-ray / don't think format will last (see UMD)
4. Backwards compatibility fubar
5. Online play crapshoot due to lack of standard

Tombot otm re 100hr fantasyland travelogues. The whole reason I wanted a 360 was for Oblivion (having chucked ~300hrs into Morrowind) but five hrs in I just wanted to throw the controller at the game for being so boring.

7. Microsoft STILL can't design a D pad that works

I kinda think if it weren't for the wii being so meek and unobtrusive and iLooking there under the television I might have already gone in for a 360 by this year - but I've been spoiled by it and my tiny tiny silver ps2, I don't see why I have to settle for big gross noisy shit in my house anymore

^^ I know this makes me a big gay or whatever

The actual library of good/great wii games is slowly growing too (I have 12, for what it's worth)

i have exactly a dozen wii games as well. i have about twenty xbox games now. each system has a couple of games id like to own and each system has a number of major flaws all of which is actually pretty annoying. since the death of the dreamcast i havent had to think about which console to buy and now im caught in the consumerist dilemma - whichever console i dont have is going to seem like the one i need the most.

The noise coming from all Xboxes is inexcusable. Disc transport technology is 25 years old ffs.

i mean basically i still fuck with MY tiny silver PS2 and ive got eternal poison on tap and i still want to play 100+ hour games ft. martial 12 y.o.s and amorous witches so i feel cheated that i bought two next gen consoles and still have to buy games for my old console and DS games like why cant developers just pick one and go.

I heard that the best version of shaun white snowboarding is for the wii. and lucky me, my sister got wii fit for her birthday so I might just ask for this game for christmas.

yeah even I have to admit a vague interest in seeing what shaun wiite has to offer with the fit board

yeah it's just like a cable package with the tivo except no cable and no tivo. WHO THOUGHT OF THIS THEY DESERVE A MEDAL

Except that I have a DVR, and none of the shows I watch on it are available on Netflix, and vice versa. They don't cancel each other out at all. I love having a supply of lesser-known/older movies/TV that I can watch whenever I want.

The only games on Wii I can even imagine playing alone are Galaxy and Twilight Princess, and everything else is a party game, and I don't throw parties in my shithole apartment.

Little Big Planet is the only PS3 game I'd want to play on my own, and even that is a game I like less than the general consensus.

btw I mentioned it upthread but for those of you who haven't seen it the north american ad for wii animal crossing with the talkbox is exactly as follows:

two girls with long blonde hair sitting on their couches catching up on what they've been doing by talking to the television and deciding to go watch the fireworks together at night. their little animal crossing people go to a park and there is a fireworks animation over their heads. Animal Crossing: City Folks for the Wii by Nintendo.

yeah polyphonic my argument there is really reductive and I know it. the way I'm looking at it though is that all set-top on-demand technologies are in infancy right now and eventually I see it going towards one box handling multiple providers' content, and I have no stake (surprisingly!) in who gets there first (well, I don't want it to be sony or some wholly-owned disney sub/affiliate). If msft is smart they could turn the xbox into the evolving media platform that the "home theater pc" was never allowed to be. IF IF.

xpost

there's also one i saw tonite with a blond and brunette and they are like hey wat should we do and one is like fishing and the other is like blah and the brunette is like shopping? and they grin and u can tell that's fun and blond is intersted in a new boutique and then you see that its actually animal crossing: city folks they were talking about not their real lives at all.

they have an excellent house btw i really like the couch in that ad

4. The library of downloadable games is better than actual releases three years on

This is false. Fallout 3, Oblivion, Dead Space, Bioshock, Mass Effect, GTA IV, Fables 2, Farcry 2, Gears of War, Orange Box...

This machine is full of goodness.

yeah polyphonic my argument there is really reductive and I know it. the way I'm looking at it though is that all set-top on-demand technologies are in infancy right now and eventually I see it going towards one box handling multiple providers' content, and I have no stake (surprisingly!) in who gets there first (well, I don't want it to be sony or some wholly-owned disney sub/affiliate). If msft is smart they could turn the xbox into the evolving media platform that the "home theater pc" was never allowed to be. IF IF.

This makes total sense to me, but as someone who already has an XBOX and already has Netflix, I'm like "YAYYYYYYYYYYYY"

Xbox wins I think. Best game library, downloadable or otherwise. Netflix. A lot of the cross-platform games turn up better on the Xbox despite the PS3 having the better hardware. Apparently the PS3 is a bitch to make games for. XBL costs $, but it's superior to PSN by most accounts. The only thing that would sway me towards a PS3 would be whatever exclusives they have. I don't know what's down the line, but Little Big Planet and Metal Gear 4 aren't quite enough. The Blu-ray player is nice to have, but not much use to me at the moment.

Xbox Cons: Shit breaks pretty easily apparently BUT Microsoft does have a 3 year warranty for the red rings and the newer systems are more reliable. D-Pad does indeed suck BUT it's rarely used.

Wii's kinda cool I guess. Not enough Super Serious Gamer Games is OTM.

Never thought I'd be reppin' for a Microsoft machine, but damnit here I am.

nintendo's biggest challenge with both platforms right now is how in the hell to follow up and get all these casual ass babes and grandmas to upgrayedd - the way I see it is that you gotta make the DDS/Wiii into something more like a cell phone or clothes instead of like a computer, new one's out, gotta get the new one, throw out the old one! of course social apps like animal crossing or a really nice new treatment of sports/fit will probably do it*

*compare and contrast these titles with the graphics in galaxy or twilight princess and tell me these fools aren't totally pulling their punches so they can pull off the must-have renovation with relative ease

It seems like they figured out that their market doesn't care about graphics at all, and upgrading to better graphics will not be a major selling point for the grandmas and wii fitters.

Yeah, I'm just thinking how many families had an NES and even played the hell out of it and then never got the Super. It's going to be tricky.

The idea of getting a PS3 to avoid getting a new stick is still weird, but from what I hear PS3 is a lot more lax about the controller standard, and using regular USB inputs - for microsoft stuff they have to use MS's wireless standard so it's not as easy to get a converter. Most PS3 pads/sticks will work on PC right off the bat, I think...

yeah lamp's explanation makes sense

they just bought the ps3 version, not the ps3, to avoid getting a new stick

yeah, nhex is right, your best to get an xbox stick bcs sony are less lax about their pcbs or something

waht?

microsoft are precious about giving out the information about the pcbs in their controllers so if you want to dual-mod your joystick to work on ps3 and 360 your best bet is to get a 360 stick and mod in the ps3 psb

basically fighting game nerds make no sense

case in point?

oi

isn't it just that the sfiv audience are more likely to own a ps3 than the general audience? am i missing something?

probably that too

It's surprising because the install base is roughly 2:1 in favor of Xbox 360 vs. PS3. (Wii systems surpassed the 360 about 6 months ago, despite debuting a year behind it - the monthly sales numbers are still stomping the other two) Multiplatform titles usually reflect this - I never would have guessed that it would be roughly equal. (Also factoring in the 360's reputation for better online play, PS3 versions and ports have a slightly bad rep in general)

Re: the controllers, what I was trying to get at... (which I'm not sure I'm totally correct on) suppose you want to get a fighting stick and you want it to work on as many systems as possible - very reasonable considering the cost of these things. With previous generations it was much easier to just get an HK controller adapter for whatever system you wanted to convert to (I'm not even thinking of modding).

But from what I understand it's tougher to get a PS3 stick and get it working on 360, than it is to get a 360 stick work on PS3, since as said above PS3 is more lax about those controller standards, while MS (surprise!) uses some weird proprietary controller standard. That said this thing is coming out, so maybe it's not as issue anymore. I'm mostly concerned about this because I want to get a stick for the PC version, but also want it to be as compatible as possible if I'm going to bring it somewhere. Currently I'm considering this cheapo one.

So, as someone still sitting on the sidelines: now that 360 AND PS3 have gotten a nice price drop, what system is looking most exciting over the next 12 months?

It's a tough question. For 2010, we know the ps3 (for example) has The Last Guardian, Heavy Rain, and God of War 3, and we know xbox360 has Splinter Cell Conviction, Alan Wake and Fez for starters. In a way, I personally think the games for ps3 usually look more interesting, but at the same time, I find myself preferring the 360. It has a deeper library, a better selection of arcade games, a better selection of non-game things you can do with your console, better friend interface, and usually a better online experiences (in regards to connection quality and ease of use). Overall, I think it's really a 50/50 kind of thing, which is a drag as there are enough good reasons to own both. Pick one exclusive game you really have to play more than any other and go for that system.

does the 360 have wireless out of the box yet? do you still have to pay to play online?

wii doesn't have ethernet who knew

jeff forgot to mention tht 360 has the better versions of the multiplatform games and better DLC for them and a better online system albeit u do have to pay $30 for tht; PS3 plays blu ray and has the last guardian

apparently the new elites have wireless out of the box too

ps3 has the sexier hardware now tho; 360 cd do w/a hardware revision but I'm maybe just being greedy. internal wi-fi wd be nice, tho not essential, as wd blu ray (not gonna happen anytime soon), small form factor

u have to seriously consider whether having ur console rrod on u will annoy u cos it will happen

oops, my bad, still no wi fi out the box for xbox even on elites

pound for pound the ps3 is the cheaper console, by a long way, iirc

xbox hdd pricing is gross too, whereas u can swap out any 2.5" sata hdd u want into a PS3. I think you can even get 1TBs now right?

ps3 has valkyria chronicles and demon's souls too btw

It'll be interesting to see if these slim ps3s prove as reliable as the fatties.

I think the 360 is the better gaming console, but not by much, and the PS3 is the better multimedia hub, but not by much.

Does the new PS3 still have the 2.5" HDD bay?

Yes, you can still replace the HD yourself.

I didn't mean to exclude Wii from my question, btw - actually tbh I don't care all that much for the exclusives on PS3 or 360, the Wii has actually had all the ones I'm interested in (Galaxy, Punch-Out, TvC, NMH). But unfortunately it lacks all the killer non-exclusives that the other two have, like Rock Band, Batman, various downloadables, etc. PS3 has a couple I'm interested in (Heavy Rain, Valkyria), but Xbox has better DLC and online so it kind of cancels out.

I still use Netflix over my 360 more than I use it for any other single purpose.

there are a bunch of compelling reasons not to get any of these but irl having ur fukken xbox fail out on u is the most annoying thing of all + its like having a small outboard motor running in ur apt.

as to the specific revive qn def PS3 line up looken tight - level 5 rpg (white knight) cross edge looks pretty good too um quantum theory, demon's edge. is that yakuza game out i think thats 2009.

ps3 gives u aids

there I said it

owning one of these seems like a massive effort compared to 'plug it in and plug it into the tv'

changing hard drives? jesus

+ internet connections + subscriptions for internet + rrod + wii's stupid receiver

http://atariace.com/images/atariace.com/nintendo/images/nes_rf_adapter.jpg

admittedly less hassle than setting up wifi for your xbox tho

Splinter Cell Conviction, Alan Wake and Fez

What is this rubbish? Alan Wake? What else do we have to look forward to? Barry Davies? Arthur Frederickson? Maureen Jones?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKLPY9CZ-z8

Alright that might be pretty decent. Nice work with the puffy red jacket.

Though it pains me to jump back into this thread, another pro-point for the 360 is that it has managed to retain backwards compatibility with the vast majority of the original xbox library - some good/interesting titles there, like Panzer Dragoon Orta, Prince of Persia :SoT, Shenmue II, and Jet Set Radio Future. List is huge actually (and the game's online portions still work) http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the ability to play custom soundtracks is required across all 360 games, but up to the developer if they want to implement it on the ps3? Also, to use custom soundtracks on the ps3, you have to copy the tracks to your ps3s hard drive, while on the 360, you could just plug whatever portable music player you use right into the USB port and stream off that?

speaking of backwards compatability, be advised that some people have taken to acting very, very stupidly and trading "up" from their "older" models w/ BC to a Slim. not saying they're everywhere or anything but your chances of getting a 60 gig at Gamestop used prices will probably never be higher.

why is "older" in quotes? i get why "up" is in quotes, because you are on the internet and have opinions, but it is pretty difficult to dispute that the 60GB is older.

also, i would, and perhaps will, gladly trade my 60GB for a slim, for reasons stated elsewhere.

is that yakuza game out i think thats 2009.

it's out but Sega are being some nutsacks and not bringing any of the next-gen Yakuza games over :(

yakuza 3
yakuza kenzan
yakuza 4

none of which have been confirmed for a localisation tho u can hardly justifiably call sega nutsacks for this given how little the og yakuzas sold when westernised

why is "older" in quotes? i get why "up" is in quotes, because you are on the internet and have opinions, but it is pretty difficult to dispute that the 60GB is older.

because I am high and proofreading is obviously for suckers

also, i would, and perhaps will, gladly trade my 60GB for a slim, for reasons stated elsewhere.

well wait a few weeks until there's fewer than 423 on ebay. at the VERY least don't trade it into fkn Gamestop.

yeah, i was going to get a march on the competition but then i remembered i am pretty lazy

so hyped for this
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/61h-a8nq4CL.jpg

I love my PS3 but looooooooooooooooool

As a cost cutting exercise the new PS3 units do not have handshaking hardware that previous models have, therefore Sony cannot guarantee that 1080p will be possible on other brands of tv, i.e. tv's that are not made by Sony, alarmingly he also said that there is no intention to re-introduce this as it doesn't effect all brands. Software updates will have to be rolled out over time for each of the known tv models effected to get them working again. He then went on to say "to get the best possible experience from your PS3 we recommend that you use it in conjunction with a SONY tv" a pre indoctrinated response no doubt.

He then went on to unofficially say "just go and get an 80gb PS3 because they still have the necessary hardware to use 1080p on all sets" he also murmured "Sony are having a few problems at the moment"

Basically; if you want a 160gb (or any future models for that fact) PS3 to display in 1080p on your set then go buy a Sony tv as apparently the bravia sets already have the necessary software to do without the handshaking. If this causes problems on other brands of tv's then the "to get the best possible experience" line is being force fed to their customers.

I like the wii. I could throw a Frisbee to my wii dog all day long.

cobo i have to say im a leeeeeetle skeptical of that semi-literate forum post

1080p gives u aids too

ffs

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/11/october-npd-wii-wins-uncharted-charts

Not THAT surprising, I guess, but I still found it so - Wii immediately goes back to the #1 console after the huge system price cut month of September. X360 sales remaining in third, PS3 in second, DS still a goddamn monster (it was actually #1 overall in Sept!).

I'm guessing that means, with NSMB coming out, Wii's going to stay on top this holiday season again. Will Xbox keep sliding?

Oh wait, it does make sense - the price cut to the Wii was at the end of Sept. Durr.

For a while there it looked like ps3 was doomed, but somewhat surprisingly they managed to turn it around, by finally getting the price down to somewhat reasonable and actually putting out some compelling looking exclusives. I think it's pretty clear nobody is going to "win" this generation at this point though. Wii offers a unique experience which is why it continues to sell best, I think - while the 360 and ps3 cancel each other out a bit. I do think ps3 is set to have a really fantastic 2010 with games like the new Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo driving ps2 holdouts to finally go next gen. A further price drop next summer also seems likely. The 360 has such a large install base that I think software-wise it will continue to do monster numbers, though I think they've dropped the ball a bit... their exclusives line-up this holiday season has been pretty weak (especially compared to the other two home consoles). If natal proves to be a dud they're going to need some serious price cuts to get back out of 3rd place (console sales-wise).