Which console should we buy for our kids? And why?
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Thanks!
PS3 has far better hardware, the games are somewhat arguable, particularly Forza VS GT5. All the FPS type games worth playing come on both platforms. Online gaming, the PS3 is free, you have to pay to use an Xbox online, this includes streaming content. Only the PS3 plays blue rays.
Books and lego. Don't go to the dark side.
bearmtnmartin wrote: Books and lego. Don't go to the dark side.
This will be my position when the time comes!
bearmtnmartin wrote: Books and lego. Don't go to the dark side.
My daughter is a voracious reader and my son probably has close to 100k Lego pieces. Trust me...we're good there! (8)
bearmtnmartin wrote: Books and lego. Don't go to the dark side.
Two things I always got for Christmas. We would actually go to Powells books in down town Portland every Christmas day. A full city block and four stories, 3 up one down. Nothing but books.
Xbox purely based on the fact Kinect is the best system for motion based gaming. Otherwise, they both do about everything else equally well.
XBL is a subscription service, and I don't think its ever been interrupted......PSN is a free service, but it has been hacked before(down for months)
FWIW, I've owned both, and still currently own the 360.
bearmtnmartin wrote: Books and lego. Don't go to the dark side.
Doesn't have to be one or the other. We've had gaming systems since the kids could walk, and they both still devour books faster than we can get them from the library and read way above their grade level. And my son has quite an impressive Lego collection, as well as many other "physical" toys. They are physically active, play multiple sports, but they also (the boy especially) love video games. It's all about balance.
As for the systems themselves, we've had the PS3 for about 4 years now, I think. It's great, does everything we want, plays Blu-rays, son can play Black Ops 2 with his buddies on line for free, etc. But we just got an Xbox 360 for Christmas. Mainly for Kinect, but also for Forza for me and Halo for the boy.
So, if I had to pick one, I'd probably say PS3 for the free online gaming and Blu-ray aspect.
Ps3 is a far better media console. It's still one of the best BR players on the market, and the interface with streaming content (netflix/Hulu) seems to work better. Additionally, as has been said- it's free to play online. HOWEVER-
The Xbox 360 is the asskicker when it comes to actual gaming. Kinect is pretty boss for dancing/motion games, the controllers are far more comfortable- though possibly slightly oversized for little hands, and the user interface for any gaming experience is more on point. It does not play blu ray, and the UI and over experience with streaming content isn't quite as good, IMO. Forza vs. GT5 was a slam dunk for Forza before GT5 got fixed. Shooters are going to be a lot more fun on the Xbox, using the stupid little joysticks on the ps3 is torture, IMO.
Personally, I own.... multiples of everything. I tend to use my ps3 for racing games, some action, fighting games, and the like. Xbox gets all the shooters, and Kinect would be my horse for motion gaming. Given what you've described as your wants, I'd say the Xbox is your horse, and it's cheaper!
I have both systems and can say that both are good. The PS3 has little big planet which is a great game that is very family friendly. The xbox is on sale for $149 (4gb) at Frys TODAY so there is that too. Get that and a cram a first gen 360 hard drive in there and you would be set for under $200. If you want media, PS3. If not, either.
We have one of each. The PS3 gets used 95% of the time and the 360 mostly just sits. Aside from Forza I get the PS3 version of the games we buy. Free online play, cheap harddrive upgrades, BlueRay, NetFlix, ect. I also like the PS3 controllers better. Something else, you can plug almost any USB device into the PS3 and it will work.
The biggest turn off for me towards the 360 is the pay-to-play, that just rubs me the wrong way.
Xbox fanboi here. But seriously, who buys a PS3 in north america?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars
Go to 7th gen. In NA, it's all about the 360, and with good reason, for actual gaming, it is a far better system.
I use my computer as a multimedia machine, and I've never been impressed with the PS3. And XBL is way better than PSN, kind of the reason you have to pay for it.
Edit- http://www.neowin.net/news/xbox-360-tops-us-console-sales-once-again-in-august
HiTempguy wrote: Xbox fanboi here. But seriously, who buys a PS3 in north america?
Lots of people, me included. I HATE HATE HATE Xbox controllers. Serious dealbreaker for me. Not happening.
HiTempguy wrote: Xbox fanboi here. But seriously, who buys a PS3 in north america? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars Go to 7th gen. In NA, it's all about the 360, and with good reason, for actual gaming, it is a far better system. I use my computer as a multimedia machine, and I've never been impressed with the PS3. And XBL is way better than PSN, kind of the reason you have to pay for it. Edit- http://www.neowin.net/news/xbox-360-tops-us-console-sales-once-again-in-august
I bought a PS3, and i live in NA. So that makes at least..... 8 of us so far in this thread.
I guess that makes us part of the 20% sales portion that represents the PS3 in the USA, and puts you in the 31% that represents the Xbox. (If you lived in the USA) I suppose the bigger question is why wouldn't you join the 49% that is the Wii?
*all figures taken from VERY out of date Wikipedia link you provided. 
I can't deal with the xbox controller, otherwise maybe i'd jump ship. But nothing has pissed me off about the PS3, other than receiving E36 M3ty Xbox ports of games that aren't even CLOSE to 720p. (Looking at you, Call of Duty.)
XBOX360 all the way (ex-PS/GT fan here even). Forza kicks the pants off of GT and the KINECT setup is actually really cool. You can stream Netflix plus a ton of other content, it's super easy to use, and it's great for all the family members.
The primary differences (as noted above):
PS3: Has BluRay player. Free online.
XBOX: Has better "motion" system.
Most of the other stuff is opinion. I think they are about the same price (the cheap XBOX does not have a hard drive)
Reading this with interest. We've got a Wii now, which our kids love, but it's having some issues. My oldest son is now 8 going on 9 years old and I think he'd like a new gaming system.
Is there a difference in the controllers between the two? One nice thing about the Wii is the controller is simplistic, which is great for my twins who are only 5 years old.
It almost seems to me that besides the ability to play Blu Ray (which I don't care about), the difference between the two is more personal preference. I may go with the less expensive option, as well as having the better second hand market (we've bought almost all our Wii games used)
Owner of a PS3 here, in North America. Also owned a 360, never will again. I don't get where people are saying the games are better on 360, since it's been the exact opposite experience for me. I've owned the same games on both systems, and the PS3 is much better. Other than that, the controllers for the 360 suck, the 360 itself is garbage, and I don't actually know anyone who hasn't had at least one break on them, myself included.
yamaha wrote: Xbox purely based on the fact Kinect is the best system for motion based gaming. Otherwise, they both do about everything else equally well.
Saying the Kinect is the best for motion based gaming isn't actually saying much. It still doesn't work very well, I've yet to see anything done with any of them that doesn't devolve into just random flailing to get the damn things to do what you want. I think Sony recognized the Motion stuff for the gimmick it is and just put out the Move, made games that were compatible with it, and then ignored it.
One thing I will say, the PS3 is the #1 streaming to tvs device for netflix and actually gets all of the streaming upgrades first. That's out of smart tvs, desktop computers, and gaming consoles. Added bonus, it also has a ton of stuff with music and videos as well. The entirety of Dr. Who is on the PSstore, but granted, anyone who pays 1.99 per episode for a show that goes back to the 60s is out of their mind.
yamaha wrote: XBL is a subscription service, and I don't think its ever been interrupted......PSN is a free service, but it has been hacked before(down for months) FWIW, I've owned both, and still currently own the 360.
It was, once, and while it was down, I spent my time racing in GT5, playing Fallout and dicking around in wrasslin and hockey. The system still worked, and I'm not going to pay extra for the privilege of playing games I just dropped 60 goddamn dollars on or so I can use streaming services I already pay for.
yamaha wrote: Xbox purely based on the fact Kinect is the best system for motion based gaming. Otherwise, they both do about everything else equally well. XBL is a subscription service, and I don't think its ever been interrupted......PSN is a free service, but it has been hacked before(down for months) FWIW, I've owned both, and still currently own the 360.
This is my stance. Also, there are plenty off Lego games available.
N Sperlo wrote: Also, there are plenty off Lego games available.
Speaking of, why hasn't Lego done something like minecrafts creative mode? Just give us free reign and a ton of bricks to play with. And for once, I would never run out of a color I needed.
I would play that so much more than batman or star wars.
Grizz wrote: Other than that, the controllers for the 360 suck, the 360 itself is garbage, and I don't actually know anyone who hasn't had at least one break on them, myself included.yamaha wrote: XBL is a subscription service, and I don't think its ever been interrupted......PSN is a free service, but it has been hacked before(down for months) FWIW, I've owned both, and still currently own the 360.It was, once, and while it was down, I spent my time racing in GT5, playing Fallout and dicking around in wrasslin and hockey. The system still worked, and I'm not going to pay extra for the privilege of playing games I just dropped 60 goddamn dollars on or so I can use streaming services I already pay for.
I lol'd, it was down for a few months, then was back up and hacked again within 12hrs.....was down another week after that. I hear you on paying to use it, thats my biggest complaint about xbox....Although, I've never had a 360 console or controller(except the one I threw through the wall one time) crap out on me.....my MW2 console is still going strong(finally did need a $20 hard drive though), and my original 360pro is still going strong with my sister playing it all the time. She absolutely loves kinect though, which I just don't get the point of it either....
Grizz wrote:N Sperlo wrote: Also, there are plenty off Lego games available.Speaking of, why hasn't Lego done something like minecrafts creative mode? Just give us free reign and a ton of bricks to play with. And for once, I would never run out of a color I needed. I would play that so much more than batman or star wars.
I think one of the Harry Potter games had a mini-mode like that. It was pretty cool. They should definitely go full scale. It could help design as well , which would sell bricks.
I have a Xbox 360 mostly cause of Forza and I like the controller on the Xbox better.
My biggest actual complaint against the 360 controller is that unless you drop more money on a rechargeable pack, it will run through batteries like crazy. Which is also true of the Wii.
Aside from that it's just clunky as hell.
yamaha wrote:Grizz wrote: Other than that, the controllers for the 360 suck, the 360 itself is garbage, and I don't actually know anyone who hasn't had at least one break on them, myself included.I lol'd, it was down for a few months, then was back up and hacked again within 12hrs.....was down another week after that. I hear you on paying to use it, thats my biggest complaint about xbox....Although, I've never had a 360 console or controller(except the one I threw through the wall one time) crap out on me.....my MW2 console is still going strong(finally did need a $20 hard drive though), and my original 360pro is still going strong with my sister playing it all the time. She absolutely loves kinect though, which I just don't get the point of it either....yamaha wrote: XBL is a subscription service, and I don't think its ever been interrupted......PSN is a free service, but it has been hacked before(down for months) FWIW, I've owned both, and still currently own the 360.It was, once, and while it was down, I spent my time racing in GT5, playing Fallout and dicking around in wrasslin and hockey. The system still worked, and I'm not going to pay extra for the privilege of playing games I just dropped 60 goddamn dollars on or so I can use streaming services I already pay for.
Just to be perfectly clear, if those same people wanted to take down XBL, they could.
That whole E36 M3show was started due to politics and Sony's less-than-savory business practices regarding "OtherOS" and console updates.
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