X360, PS3, or Wii? Which is right for me?

[Darren Dirt]

"If you are wondering which one may be best for you, here's some food for thought..."

http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/11/21/rob_enderle_on_game_consoles/


...to net it all out, Microsoft's strategy was to move early, wrap the product with an online experience (including media), gain synergy with other Microsoft platforms, and move aggressively with connected accessories. Problems were the amount of product available the first Christmas, third parties accessories vendors, who aren't getting the support they have asked for, no HDMI support, and voice possibly being more of a problem then a benefit. Arguably the most complex strategy but, after the launch problems, Microsoft executed reasonably well.



...the Sony strategy appears to surround Blu-Ray. Their desire to push it into the market in large numbers resulted in delayed shipments, a harder to use system, and some weird choices like leaving out the remote as a bundled item. Like Microsoft, the Sony Playstation is substantially cheaper than a stand alone Blu-ray deck (often selling for more than $1000) but, unlike the Microsoft solution, it is not complete as shipped. In the end, the PS3 simply feels incomplete and rushed and will probably be a much stronger offering after the core software is updated next year.



...The Nintendo Wii is emulating the successful Palm Pilot and Apple iPod strategies in staying focused and reasonable pricing. Its shortcoming is that it largely plays to a younger audience and that may limit its potential market size. This claim is not entirely accurate, because my wife, who is not a gamer, and despite the fact that I have both an Xbox 360 and a Playstation 3 wants to get a Nintendo Wii because she feels she could easily beat me in a game of virtual tennis with the motion activated controller. So, Nintendo's strategy was to stay focused on the basics, good player, good price, great controllers. I like simple strategies because they are easiest to execute and Nintendo is collecting the benefits right now.


^ above is mainly the concluding paragraph for each; there's a lot more detail in the linked article. Surprisingly balanced.

[Shayne]

Within the arstechnica review of the PS3 is this...

"The 360 wants to be a social system; it wants to get you online, talking to people, playing these fun little minigames, and going for the high score and bragging rights. It wants to bring you together and make you remember what you love about gaming."

"The Wii wants to get you off the couch, for you to be physical and to be part of this game world. Wii wants you to connect and to get your friends and family involved even if they don't like games."

"he PS3 doesn't have any grand ideas; Sony wanted something high-tech, so they started from scratch with the processor and GPU, but what does it get them? Very little so far. The controller is a mash-up of ideas from their old systems, the 360's triggers, and the Wii's motion-sensing capabilities, but once it has that tech it doesn't really know what to do with it. The Blu-ray adds cost, but adds very little to the gaming experience for the user. It's great as a media player, but for those of us who love games first and foremost, we have to look at it skeptically. The PS3 is a system with no core message, and that is what keeps it from being elegant. Will it do great things in the future? I hope so, the possibility and potential are certainly there. For now, it's power looking for a mission statement."

I pretty much agree with every single point in those 3 paragraphs. (runs off to read the article posted by Darren)

[Shayne]

Alright, Im going to address a few things...

"There was also a unique emphasis on voice which may have been a mistake - according to the experts on my gaming panel earlier this month. A lot of guys like to play women characters (it is interesting to note that, evidently, the opposite is almost never true) and voice somewhat messes up the effect. From personal experience, seeing a cute girl game character and then hearing a clearly masculine voice, is a bit disconcerting."

So having good voice communication in EVERY online game is a mistake because some men like to play as women characters and vise versa?  Real crappy argument for a feature that revolutionized online gaming (PC and Xbox1 notably).

"The anticipated new controller design got bad reviews so Sony fell back on a wireless version of the PS2 controller that is showing its age and is relatively uncomfortable when compared to the Xbox device."

I found that comment rather interesting.  For years it has been pretty much a given that the duel shock was the best controller ever created.  However after using the 360's I can find no equal it is near perfect in every way (for a "typical controller") (near because i think if they included the batteries into the controller like the PS3 and ditched the battery pack i might have a little more room for my fingers (it is by no means cramped though))

"For instance, they put in a Blu-ray drive, but this drive ran into production problems which delayed manufacturing until way too late. The end result is Sony had to postpone European launch and didn't have enough to even cover first day demand repeating the Xbox 360 launch mistake. The Blu-ray drive also pushed the cost of the fully featured system $200 higher than the comparable Xbox 360 and over 2x what the Nintendo Wii is."

This could very well be its undoing, however in 2,3,4 years if/when Sony gets its 60M consoles sold, that is a heck of a lot of people with an HD Blu-Ray player in their living room.  Perhaps enough to sway the HD format war to the Sony side (totally a time will tell type argument).

"The system itself has HDMI support for the HD experience and this is unmatched by either Nintendo or Microsoft. It also has an internal power supply which makes it easer to set up but also appears to make it run hotter. Of the three, it is the easiest to initially set up (when hooked up to a current generation High Definition TV)."

The system does not come with HDMI or Component cables in the box.  Its a near instant out of pocket expense.  A bleeding edge HD device with cables from the 80s packed inside.

"So, Nintendo's strategy was to stay focused on the basics, good player, good price, great controllers. I like simple strategies because they are easiest to execute and Nintendo is collecting the benefits right now."

While this is nice to see, and I bet they execute well, the lack of a substantial online system I think is a rather large oversight.  My fellow Xbox 360 owners and I always comeback to what XBL gives the players.  An excellent system both for social aspects, gaming aspects, downloading.  The achievement system has extended my playtime on many games.  Sony I'm sure will mirror most of XBL functionality in the months to come, I hope Nintendo does the same.

"The Microsoft Xbox 360 currently provides the richest overall gaming and media experience thanks largely to a robust platform and having a year launch lead. The Nintendo Wii provides the best individual, aerobic, gaming experience and will likely be the most popular with parents (and wives) as a result. The Sony PS3 simply doesn't feel finished, but, given the ability to download updates many of these shortcomings should be addressed next year."

Couldn't agree more.

"If I were buying a system for myself or for someone into High Definition programming, I'd favor the Xbox, as a gift for kids I'd favor the Nintendo (assuming I could find it) and, with the Sony, I'd stick with the PSP (arguably the best portable player and both more affordable and more available this year) until the PS3 matures a little more and drops out of the Ebay nose bleed pricing phase."

OH!! And the author loses ALL credibility in a single sentence.

Not bad, Author should have touched on Software though and upcoming titles as this should be the NUMBER 1 reason to purchase the system of your choice.

[Tom]

the lack of a substantial online system I think is a rather large oversight.

It took MS over a year to get it fully online did it not? Give Nintendo some time. It already has WiConnect24 and the Virtual Arcade, I can see a ton more being added in the future. Just take a look at the ui with all those extra "channel" spots available.

[Thorin]

I'll completely agree with the statements about the Wii enabling previous-non-gamers to get in on the deal...  CowGirl's talking about getting one now, too, and she never plays on the GameCube (an arguably easy console to play with).

Interesting, though.  Hardcore gamers like Shayne want an online system, part-time gamers like me couldn't care less.  Newbie gamers like CowGirl want something that's entirely easy to figure out (and as simple as online play may seem to those that already do it lots, it can still be daunting to someone new to the scene).  Obviously, different players like different systems because they provide different features/levels of ease of use.

Not picking on you there, Shayne   You're just a good example of a hardcore gamer - someone who spends a decent amount of time playing and reading about games, the gaming scene, and new technology.

So far, though, I see no reason to buy the PS3.  If I wanted a hi-def game console, the Xbox360 makes way more sense - it's cheaper, it's more established, there are more games, oh, and you can actually find one in a store.

[Darren Dirt]

G4TV's X-Play apparently a bit critical of the PS3...

IMDB thread "Save the PS3". A *long* IMDB thread.

[Shayne]

Bugmenot has an imdb login thankfully: http://www.bugmenot.com/view/www.imdb.com

[Darren Dirt]

food for thought: Why PS2 Succeeded, and Why PS3 Will Fail

(especially pinpoints why the inclusion of Blu-Ray is *not* comparable to the PS2's inclusion of a DVD player)


Still, it's not a guaranteed waste-of-$ to get a PS3; as Thorin said: "Obviously, different players like different systems because they provide different features/levels of ease of use."

[Shayne]

I think shipments could help them fall behind.  Analysts at the reputable Bloomberg think Sony will ship 200K PS3s TOTAL by the end of the year, where as Nintendo could sell 4,000K and I guess its anybody's guess how many Microsoft will move, they say 10M total consoles in homes by year's end.

[Lazybones]

According to nexgen wars sony is over 200K already, but who is to say how accurate thier numbers are.

[Shayne]

The 200K number at bloomberg is US numbers I think.  Takes a while to get enough consoles to fill a boat and then ship them on over.  Easier to ship consoles to the country they were built in Im guessing.

[Cova]

I found that comment rather interesting.  For years it has been pretty much a given that the duel shock was the best controller ever created.  However after using the 360's I can find no equal it is near perfect in every way (for a "typical controller") (near because i think if they included the batteries into the controller like the PS3 and ditched the battery pack i might have a little more room for my fingers (it is by no means cramped though))

Have you tried the wired 360 controller?  I have 1 wired one and 3 wireless, and I almost always use the wired one.  It never runs out of battery mid-game, never needs charging, is way lighter than the wireless controllers, and doesn't have the battery-pack thing sticking out the bottom of it.  The only downside - being wired - really isn't an issue.  My couch is close enough anyways or the play'n'charge kits wouldn't reach, and I've gotten used to dealing with the cable with every other console I've used over the years.

Interesting, though.  Hardcore gamers like Shayne want an online system, part-time gamers like me couldn't care less.  Newbie gamers like CowGirl want something that's entirely easy to figure out (and as simple as online play may seem to those that already do it lots, it can still be daunting to someone new to the scene).  Obviously, different players like different systems because they provide different features/levels of ease of use.

What about hard-core gamers like me that aren't interested in online play at all.  If I want to be online meeting people and stuff, I'll play an MMO on my PC.  I don't want to play online on my console.

[Shayne]

Have you tried the wired 360 controller?  I have 1 wired one and 3 wireless, and I almost always use the wired one.  It never runs out of battery mid-game, never needs charging, is way lighter than the wireless controllers, and doesn't have the battery-pack thing sticking out the bottom of it.  The only downside - being wired - really isn't an issue.  My couch is close enough anyways or the play'n'charge kits wouldn't reach, and I've gotten used to dealing with the cable with every other console I've used over the years.

What about hard-core gamers like me that aren't interested in online play at all.  If I want to be online meeting people and stuff, I'll play an MMO on my PC.  I don't want to play online on my console.

I have tried it, and while i like the shape a little better I prefer the weight of the the Wireless and I also prefer the wireless aspect.  I leave my controllers on the end tables and when I want to play i just grab it and play no wires running anywhere no wrapping them up out of the way, etc.  The battery charging isn't a big deal to me.  I have 3 batteries, they last a dozen hours, and the quick charger does 2 batteries in 2 hours.  If you have to switch batteries in the middle of gaming the game pauses automatically when the profile controller goes MIA.

Online rules!  Co-Op with my brother who lives 30 minutes away, NFL rivalry with my dad who lives 8 hours away, in either case its a much needed addition to the console industry.

[TheDruid]

Im with Shayne on the wireless controllers. The greatest feature of the 360 IMO. I have two, so if the batteries die, i just pick up the second controller and hook the dead one up to the play-n-charge. However 12 Hr battery life is awesome and batteries are Never an issue for me. I like the fact that i can just leave the controller on my coffee table, pick it up and any time and jump into a game all without having to get up.

I often lay on the couch with a blanket over me with my controller under the covers, which would be a little awkward with a wire, especially if its stretched to the max. The only annoyance i have is *sometimes* i wish i could stretch my fingers a little under the controller but the battery is in the way, slightly annoying, but no big deal.