Gamers who have decided to finally - albeit 3 years late - give up their Xbox and Playstation 2 units and hop aboard the next generation of consoles have 3 options available for them: the Nintendo Wii, the Microsoft Xbox 360, and the Sony Playstation 3. The Wii, as many people say, is a console for casual gamers. It will offer a lot of innovative game mechanics, but if you grew up exploring tombs as Lara Croft or shooting aliens as Master Chief, you will crave for more conventional but highly improved video game systems.
Hence, for old fashioned gamers, the battle boils down to Xbox 360 vs PS3.
What console is better? Which is a safer investment? The battle of Xbox 360 vs PS3 will be waged in 5 fronts. Let's take a look at each and every one of them to determine what gaming console is worth your loyalty.
1. Power. When it comes to gaming rigs, it's all about the power they pack. In the battle of Xbox 360 vs PS3, which system has the advantage when it comes to raw power? Experts say that, though both consoles employ different engineering, the PS3 is the more powerful system. However, third party developers have always complained about how difficult it is to create games for the PS3 because of its maze-like infrastructure. The Xbox 360 is like a PC system, hence, easier to code for. The result: games that are released for both systems almost always look better on the Xbox 360. WINNER: Xbox 360.
2. Reliability. What good is a gaming system if it will break down in a few months, if not a few weeks, right? In the battle of Xbox 360 vs PS3 on this front, the PS3 is the runaway winner. The Xbox 360 has always been plagued with hardware problems since its release, the most notorious of which is the 3 red lights of death that will render the console useless. WINNER: Playstation 3.
3. Game library. The Xbox 360 was released a year before the PS3. Developers also say that they'd rather make games for the Xbox 360 because it is a more enjoyable system to work with. Activision, developers and distributors of the widely acclaimed Call of Duty series, has even threatened to stop developing for the PS3 out of sheer frustration. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Xbox 360 has a deeper game library and wins this round of the Xbox 360 vs PS3 fight. WINNER: Xbox 360.
4. Exclusives. Most games come out for both systems. Exclusives, however, come out for particular systems. Which console has more exclusives in its fold? The Xbox 360 has Halo, Fable, Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead and the likes. The PS3 has Killzone, Resistance, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, Little Big Planet and more. When it comes to sheer variety, the PS3 wins this aspect of the battle. WINNER: Playstation 3.
5. Online experience. Nowadays, games are judged based on their single player campaigns AS WELL AS their multiplayer options. The Xbox Live is, without a doubt, the best online gaming network today. The Playstation Network is cursed with bad engineering and it cannot provide the same gaming experience as the Xbox Live. The winner of this round of the Xbox 360 vs PS3 fight: Xbox 360.
So, the tally card has the Xbox 360 narrowly beating the Plasytation 3, 3 to 1. Take that for what it's worth in deciding on which console to purchase.