Community Debate #1

Excal · Post by **Excal** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:00 pm

Things have been kinda slow here lately, so I thought I'd stimulate some activity by posting this thread. It's a bit different from what would normally be posted in this forum, but I think I can make an exception for this one.

Okay, its pretty simple. Just have a friendly, mature debate on the following (gasp!) topic:

Who will win the next-gen console war?

It's a hot topic around this time of year.. and I'd like to know what you guys think.

Debate!

Excal · Post by **Excal** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:04 pm

Here's what I think...

PS3 doesn't have much of a strong line up coming out from the jump and it's only putting out 400,000 units for launch... which is low for such a major system. X360 already has a decent jump on PS3 with a year under its belt and Gears of War hogging all the media attention. And PS3's price tag doesn't help either. I'm sure they'll sell out within the first week off of the PS cult following alone, but I'm not too sure they'll do good during the holiday season.

If some guy wants to buy a new game console for their relative, chances are they'll pick up a Wii because of its low tag and availability (something like 4 million for launch). In the long run, I think the 360 will have the majority of the market share with PS3 and Wii sharing the other percentage of the market. I could go on for hours but I don't want to type it all...

fishface617 · Post by **fishface617** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:11 pm

I think the 360 will stay on top. Even with the PSs's amazing specs, the price tag and availibility, as you said, wont help at all. And the Wii doesnt stand a chance. I read somewhere in popular science that it has 75% worse graphics than the xbox 360, which is still worse than the PS3. And beside, Nintendo said that the Wii is more for "recreation" like web surfing and these things called Wii channels.

Xbox 360>PS3>Wii

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:21 pm

My thoughts:

Your right about the PS3, but I disagree that the Xbox 360 will win the market in that respect.

The PS3:

The PS3 is screwed in so many ways, but it has an edge and it is a very powerful edge. It has Playstation fan boys who I'm sure are in the millions and would try to put the PS3 in a favorable light in any way.

The Wii:

The Wii, like the PS3, has a huge fanbase and to add to that it has a cheap price tag. While the games it offers aren't different from the old style and old school games like Mario and Zelda, people still enjoy them and putting a new spin on them (stories, characters, adventures, challenges, etc) and giving them a more appealing look will definitely appeal not only to the fanboys but also to a lot of people that are either looking for a nice present for their gamer pal or husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend or even just a person that has never been in games and would like to start. I mean who doesn't want to claim that the first game they ever played was a classic like Mario? I know it was my second game (first was Aladdin on the SNES) and I think to remember something so insignificant says something. I'm not saying that I'm going to buy to Wii (if anything I'm buying the Xbox 360), but it definitely has a lot of pros.

The Xbox 360:

The 360 even from a technical point of view is a great console. It had an extremely rocky start and is still in-debting its creator(s). It has Gears of War, but really, like Mario or Zelda, the trademark game for the Xbox 360 (like with the Xbox) will be Halo 3 and the many features that it offers other than eye candy. I could go on and on about the 360's specs but I won't because I don't want to research the other consoles specs or even their prices (knowing that the PS3 is higher in price for about 50-100 and the Wii is about 100 or 200 less than the 360 is good enough for me), which is why I suggest you take all of this with a lot of salt.

Rallos · Post by **Rallos** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:29 pm

I will.

But actually, I think it will be the PS3 ahead of the 360, but not a very big gap. The Wii will be in last.

Grunt Rebel · Post by **Grunt Rebel** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:32 pm

metkillerjoe wrote: The PS3:

The PS3 is screwed in so many ways, but it has an edge and it is a very powerful edge. It has Playstation fan boys who I'm sure are in the millions and would try to put the PS3 in a favorable light in any way.

I agree.

Im not so sure about the Wii yet.

By far my fav in this race is the 360. I really enjoy the private chat feature. Plus Live is only gonna get better.

metkillerjoe · Post by **metkillerjoe** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:59 pm

Grunt Rebel wrote:
metkillerjoe wrote: The PS3:

The PS3 is screwed in so many ways, but it has an edge and it is a very powerful edge. It has Playstation fan boys who I'm sure are in the millions and would try to put the PS3 in a favorable light in any way.
I agree.

Im not so sure about the Wii yet.

By far my fav in this race is the 360. I really enjoy the private chat feature. Plus Live is only gonna get better.

I can already see that this will be an unbalanced discussions because most of us are 360 fan boys. Then again, the Wii just came out and the PS3 is too expensive and it will be in limited supply.

RaVNzCRoFT · Post by **RaVNzCRoFT** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:14 pm

Attack the crab's weak spot for massive damage.

My view on the PS3.

Cuda · Post by **Cuda** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:01 pm

PS3 will overrun this year's holiday market. closely followed by the Wii. XBox 360 is just flat out tainted. with no real strong software in succession(GOW is one, but theres no other strong counterpart to it.)

PS3 has built anticipation, and remember, the consumer is stupid. They will buy into every rumor, and TV commercial.

For Example: My school. I got into a discussion with a Varsity Football player, Some random prep kid, and the soft spoken kid in my class. They were all talking about how they have reserved consoles already. The Football player and the Prep were pumped up by the release of the PS3, from what they saw on TV commercials and random exclusives showing demos, trailers, and in game footage completely threw them off from the price tag, and availability. They have gone out of their way to purchase it. From the wide spread from a C- Football star to the A student Prep kid, they were both fooled by the perception of the PS3. The soft spoken kid however wants to get the Wii, due to the fact that people want the PS3, and Wii will be overshadowed. An easy buy. Not to mention the parent's stigma, that it's cheap, and available and "Next-Gen". Not to mention, It will be a major hit with a younger audience.

My Holiday Line-up:
1.) Playstation 3
2.) Nintendo Wii
3.) Super Nintendo

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:06 pm

Besides the usual brandboys (I'm tired of the term fanboy, so I've created a new one), I see each company targeting different types of customers.

All Companies

Nostalgia. All three companies are attacking our (well, older gamers anyway) weakness for games we played many years ago. The Xbox Live Arcade, Wii Virtual Console, and Sony's offering all aim to bring back classics that we will fall right into buying again. It should be noted, however, that only Sony is attacking our weak points for massive damage with real-time weapon change.
Multimedia connoisseur. It's not just about games anymore; each company has added a far share of multimedia features to their consoles. All consoles can play back music and display photos. Microsoft offers Xbox Live Video Marketplace and Sony offers media card ports and online video as well. Nintendo is trying to appeal to the Swiss Army Knife niche far less than Microsoft and Sony, but have managed to make the Wii more than solely a gaming console.

Microsoft with the Xbox 360

Online-centric gamers who want a unified ID, love ranks and stats, and want unified communication (text / voice chat and invites in-game or through the dashboard).
Eye candy loving gamers should also feel at home as the Xbox 360 carries some seriously powerful hardware and is relatively easy to develop for, according to many developers.
The casual gamer can find refuge in the Xbox Live Arcade. While there are plenty of retro titles, many casual game remakes and brand new games have made and will continue to make their way to the Arcade.
Gamers seeking options have no better console to turn to. The Xbox 360 does not force upon you technology that you may not want or need. If you want an HD-DVD player, WiFi adapter, hard drive (incl. w/ Premium), wireless controller (incl. w/ Premium), memory cards, or online multiplayer (all gamers get free Xbox Live Silver - demos, trailers, downloadable content, etc), you can purchase those amenities separately, or not.

Nintendo with the Wii

The younger gamer (and the older gamer). Nintendo has a ton of great franchises that appeal to younger audiences. Ironically, these are the same franchises from 20 years ago, so these games targeted towards children appeal greatly to older gamers as well.
The motion sensing maniacs. Those who want to stand up and dance around while playing a game should be very at home with the Wii. A new experience is offered with the Wiimote and it's an experience that should, logically, offer further immersion as your body somewhat becomes the input device.
The economy gamer. Not everybody can drop $400-$600 for a device designed only to entertain; the Wii comes in as a less expensive alternative for those who still want to have fun, but cannot afford the alternatives.

Sony with the PlayStation 3

Entry-level BluRay users. Currently, standalone BluRay players cost near $1,000. Why pay such a high price for a device that only plays BluRay movies when another device costs half as much and plays videogames as well? The video playback quality might not be as good as standalone players, but it is better than not having anything to make use of your new 50" HDTV.
Graphics loving gamers. Like the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 packs some powerful hardware. Though it is not as easy to program for as the Xbox 360, developers will learn to push the system and get some very amazing results.
The semi-lazy motion sensing maniacs. Not a full motion sensing solution like the Wii, the PlayStation 3's SIXAXIS controller keeps you mostly stationary but allows you a few more degrees of movement for input. The in-game difference this motion sensing will make is sure to be more subtle than what has been demonstrated for Wii titles, but it will allot game designers room to add some nice touches.
The cheap Linux user. With the PlayStation 3, it has been reported that you can boot up any distribution of Linux that will work on the PowerPC architecture. This makes it a very cheap and powerful computer system for those satisfied with the Linux operating system.

Personally, I own an Xbox 360 and I am very satisfied with it and I have a Wii on pre-order. I could go on for a very long while why I think the Xbox 360 is a superior system to the PlayStation 3, but it really comes down to picking while console best satisfies your individual desires. If you fit into more categories than what one console offers, you can buy a supplemental console if you wish.

Nick

VoYdE · Post by **VoYdE** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:54 pm

Xbox 360,

Xbox 360 Is Proven more powerful over the playstation 3, However in my personal view, what made Xbox 360 so well, well not the hardware, the games. Sure PS3 has some great titles. However the xbox 360 is not only (hardware amazing) but software amazing, Which I think is the most important. Xbox live growing Halo3 on its way. Xbox is the way to go.

Or by some strange bizzare completely out of this world. The Nintendo Wii will take the cake lol. It would be the biggest Kick in the ass to Sony and MS ever!

tanimax · Post by **tanimax** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:40 am

I like Wii. I'm a Nintendo fanboy. And I have proof. i always said that a games ocnsole should be a games ocnsole, and complained at xbox. Now that nintendo follows that street, I think it's cool :S.

Xbox 360 is ok, PS3 is... bear expensive. And Wii is awsome. Online chat? You can go on msn! Theres the msn web messenger.

Patrickssj6 · Post by **Patrickssj6** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:31 pm

PS3 is gonna fail,badly.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:40 pm

Heres the lineup of wins.

1st is 360
2nd is Wii
3rd is PS3

360 wins because it has amazing graphics and power, and it generally has better games.
Wii cause.... its better than the ps3
PS3 because they are blowing too much money into useless crap and most of the PS games suck.

Excal · Post by **Excal** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:43 pm

PS3 might come out on top in the long run... but they're definitely going to have a bad launch. Blu-Ray might play a factor in the long run since it will probably emerge as the new medium for HD movies. But until the PS3 price drops, it isn't worth buying. Plus they don't have many good games coming out this year... 2007 is going to decide it all for the console war. Remember, you really can't determine who's gonna win this one simply over a bad launch and whatnot... it takes years to figure out whos going to come out on top. My vote still goes for 360, though.

As for the Wii... it'll probably do good, but it's a bit unfair to include them in the next gen roster with the bigger boys. They're sort of in their own little category now so I'll leave them out of it for now. They'll probably end up picking up the mess MS and Sony leave behind anyway.

Darco · Post by **Darco** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:50 pm

I was talking to a manager at my work today (target) and as we were making fun of the people who were camping out he mentioned that next week the ps3's will be recalled due to the laser causing problems with the discs after a while. I'm not positive this is truly going to happen, although i hope it does but i don't think buying a ps3 right away is a good idea anyway. The xbox 360 had its fair share of bugs, and so will the ps3.

I'm for the wii due to mostly nostalgia and wanting to try something new.

Originally the xbox 360 core system was going to go on sale on blackfriday, so I was going to buy one before and get a price exchange, but since the price is still so high I'm not really interested in it currently.

So, IMO Wii wins. I just hope it doesn't have a lot of bugs like the other two will/had.

RaVNzCRoFT · Post by **RaVNzCRoFT** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 2:12 pm

My brother stood on line outside of a Target to buy the Playstation 3. Somebody offered him $800 to take his spot, but my brother refused. He got a PS3, and he hopes to sell it for over $2000.

JK-47 · Post by **JK-47** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 2:44 pm

RaVNzCRoFT wrote:My brother stood on line outside of a Target to buy the Playstation 3. Somebody offered him $800 to take his spot, but my brother refused. He got a PS3, and he hopes to sell it for over $2000.

Why the hell would you stand in line for a whole freaking day and sell the system? It's not like anyones going to actually buy it for 2000 anyways when they can just wait for the next shipment and pay 700.
If I had to stand in line for a day for something, I'd keep it. But the PS3 sucks so I'd probably give it to a friend or brother or something, but I'd most likely smash it to pieces and feed it to my 360.

RaVNzCRoFT · Post by **RaVNzCRoFT** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 3:13 pm

My brother would stand in line for a few hours and then sell it because that's just what he does.

Demosthenes wrote:It's not like anyones going to actually buy it for 2000

Wrong.

gh0570fchurch · Post by **gh0570fchurch** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 4:32 pm

fishface617 wrote:Xbox 360>PS3>Wii

You can't just put them in order like that. Each console has its own advantage in its own way, and this all depends on how they are used.

PS3:
Has an advantage of sheer power, but the price tag is a real killer.

Wii:
Very innovative, and a low price tag.

Xbox 360:
A little combination of both.