by James Shimoda

Created on: August 23, 2008   Last Updated: December 24, 2011

The video game industry started small with the familiar name of Nintendo. There were other companies that were added or dropped like PlayStation, Sega, Xbox, etc. We have entered a seventh generation of consoles where it's between the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Nintendo Wii. One of the big questions that has popped up constantly is "Which one is better? The PS3 or the Xbox 360?" I tend to perfer the PS3 for personal and other reasons. I will not say that the Xbox 360 is a hunk of junk because in terms of sales, it's beating all the other systems. I respect the system, but unfortunately there are some who have to brag that the Xbox 360 is the best system and vice versa. but I'll avoid that as much as possible.

The PS 3 is actually one of the most impressive pieces of technology. it has wi-fi, Bluetooth, wireless controllers. it doesn't seem that much different from the xbox 360 except there is a distinct factor the PS3 has. The PS3 has the capability to read Blu-Ray discs, discs that have 5 times the amount of storage compared to a regular DVD. So theoretically, the PS3 games should have an impressive amount of graphics and gameplay. The Xbox 360 used the HD format by Toshiba (now defunct) and so they're back to using a DVD format. Even if the graphics of Xbox 360 games are at the same level of the PS 3, you'll have to change disc frequently because the memory is not that big. The Blu-Ray is a great feature to have.

Since there's no way to avoid this, another good point about the PS3 is the reliability. I have never heard of any major technical problems from this system. for an 80 gigabyte model at $500, it better not have any. Joking, anyway it's reliability has been good. Unfortunately for the Xbox 360, there have been numerous reports about some major technical problems. There are the RROD and scratched discs. When the Xbox 360 overheats, it's power changes from green to red and flashes three times. That has been dubbed as the red ring of death because it means your system is overheated and you have probably lost your hard drive. It's a very horrible problem to have. The scratched discs occur when you tilt or move the console. considering games are averaging about $45 dollars, it's economically draining.

The controller is another strong point because it hasn't changed much. other than losing the vibration unit and going cordless, the PS controller hasn't changed that much. The Xbox controller has gone through some changes, but because of its unusual shape, I probably could never get used to it. it varies for people, but I prefer having something small and able to fit in my hand nicely.

The point that I do give the Xbox 360 is the wider selection of titles. The PS 3 hasn't been out as long as the Xbox 360 so there aren't too many titles out yet. with the years to come, this will change. I'm hoping that as the developers familiarize themselves with the graphic engine, the games will be better and quicker.

In the end it's up to you, the consumer. If anything, just remember how long the PS 2 has been around and the number of titles it's had in it's run.

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