4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[clootie]

After years of dogged resistance, the children have finally beat me down and one of these infernal computer consoles will be coming down the chimney next month. The big question is, which to choose as I know absolutely nothing about them. I did consider a visit to a computer shop but felt they would only steer me towards the most expensive console and games. Can anyone help please?

[Paola]

Sorry no help here as we have a Nintendo Wii

[Mrs Frugal]

Both my boys have XBox360s and think they are wonderful. The games are good (or so they tell me!!) and the graphics are terrific. However, both our XBoxes have had problems and have had to be replaced under guarantee. They suffered a common problem and Microsoft have been very efficient in replacing the consoles.

[Seagazer]

We had a Xbox 360 which they boys really enjoyed playing but it broke after the warranty had expired. My big boy (OH) finally had enough and bought another one at the weekend and they're all back playing happily. ES has a playstation (one of the newer ones) and we have a Wii. I have to say that they only seem to play Guitar hero. They don't bother with it otherwise. My brother's house is the same, "Ooops, word censored!"ody plays the Wii. SIL and I were thinking of getting Wii fit though (getting desperate now).

[Geoid]

I would go for a PS3. It is the one of the cheapest blu-ray players around. It can connect to the internet wirelessly (unlike xBox). It is HD so has excellent gaming quality. You don't have to pay extra for multiplayer games (with xBox its £40 a year -not a month) and soon sony will be releasing a adapter for the PS3 which enables you to watch and record freeveiw TV.

Edited November 5, 2008 by Guest

[BarbaraJ]

my son has had a ps1,2 and now a 3! hes 19 and seems to be happy with all of them. My friend had similar problem with an x-box 360, had to return it. Never had fault with PS.

So i vote Playstation

 

by the way lucky kids i hope they have been good lol

[jess]

Xbox 360

 

More games, older and newer, great download service, cheaper, blu ray only matters if you have an hd tv which you maybe don't or are not bothered about.

[clootie]

Oh dear - confused.com !!

 

I have no idea about these things. My son is 15 in Feb and my daughter is 13 in a couple of weeks and so far, I've managed to avoid buying one. I think he's the only person "in the whole school" who doesn't have one !! Anyway, they're brilliant kids - no trouble at all so, why not. I would hate to buy something that was going to be obsolete in a year or so which means, I suppose, buying the next one? Kerrrrching !!

 

Thanks Fred, I was hoping you would come long - all knowing computer wizard but looking at the other posts, it seems purely to be down to personal choice. Keep em coming please - decision yet to be made.

 

Ehrm..... what is the difference between PS 1, 2 and 3? And, why would you still play with a PS1 if you had a PS3 which I assume has better graphics etc.?

[SarahJo]

Only my opinion - but go for the PS3, avoid the Xbox360 as its had too many problems and the PS3 is better with graphics etc.

 

We have a wii, with the Wii fit board - great fun and the boys play on their PSPs ( portable playstations - which can also go wireless to the internet, play music etc ). We also have an OLD xbox (crystal) - which is good, but if you can get a more modern version then go for that - hence a PS3 would be better than the PS2 or original playstation.

 

We have a load of xbox games now - no use for trade in, as they don't sell them 2nd hand anymore, so another consideration. We are getting a PS3 (shhhh - the boys don't know)

[Phonix]

Have a wii and love it! woo! Just want the wii fit now!

 

I would get the PS 3 between those 3 - games are really good and SINGSTAR is the best!

 

xXx

[GreenGirl]

Hi, we have just changed from having a Wii, xbox and PS3 to getting rid of the xbox as the PS3 was so much better. We have found it to be more reliable, much quieter, neater, has bluray if you are bothered about that.

 

The games i dont think are that much different from each other, most are available on both platforms (xbox and PS3 i mean). The online is better on the PS3 than the xbox live. I think a basic PS3 is better capacity-wise than a basic xbox, although retailers do deals on giving memory upgrades etc. And the PS3 was released more recently than the xbox, so less likely to be replaced in the near future than perhaps xbox?

 

Any other questions let me know, my hubby-gamefiend is home now

 

If you don't have a wii on the other hand, that is another entertainment altogether, much more family orientated and good exercise - and i think the games go across wider age groups (i love the fit ).

[moochoo]

I have a PS3 and I love it, the graphics are excellent. It's easy to go online and play opposite your friends who have the same games as you. They're very reliable and you can download loads of games directly rather than buying them on disc.

I also have a wii but OH doesn't like it as much as I do!

Go for an 80Gb PS3 if you can afford, much more memory. We've got a 60Gb one which are back compatible with old PS1 and 2 games but they're as rare as rocking horse wotsit!

[Sunshine]

My brother (he's 16) has a ps3 and loves it. He is always on it and always plays with his friends who also have the same game.

I'm not into gaming but i have to admit that the graphics are amazing-every time i go in the study it always amazes me how much they have improved.

I rented one blu-ray film and watched on the ps3 and was also very impressed with the graphics.

 

I have never seen/played on an x-box so cannot comment on which is best.

[Geoid]

Having used both I think the PS3 is much better than the xBox.

 

A PS3 is the newest version, has much better graphics than the PS2 and the PS1 (which is realllly old)

[laurmurf]

I have consulted the oracles in my house: 2x DDs and 2 x DSs, they say:

 

The good thing about the PS3 is that there is a wide range of games, many of which can be played live (which comes free as long as you have internet access). The cost of the PS3 is (apparently) higher than the xbox 360.

 

The good thing about the Xbox360 is that there is a wider range of games and there are more facilites, including movie, instant messaging. (In my opiniion the games are 'blokier' than the wii - which has a wider range of family games).

 

Massive drawback is that each user, to have their own account, on XboxLive (the online playing) then each must have their own xbox live account, which costs quite a lot per person: although my boys would say it's worth it and you only need to pay for one account and you can have up to 3 other people playing as guests to your account. Games, like Halo, include this facility.

 

both operate as a DVD players.

 

Wii is very family friendly, unique gaming experience, great if you like sports and silliness and the Wii fit looks to die for! We've got lots more games for Wii (and you can buy american games for it - lots cheaper - when you have a conversion disc) and the games are less 'shoot 'em up' types.

 

They based the comments on the fact that we have an Xbox360 Elite, a Wii, a gamecube, an old xbox, an old PS1, a couple of Nintendo DSs....

[jess]

xbox without a doubt x

[clootie]

Fantastic guys - thank you all very much indeed. I knew I'd get the pro's and con's from the forum. Looks like it's the PS3 then !! What a relief, decision made !!

 

Oh, does that mean it's all your fault if it all goes horribly wrong?!!

[rachel19]

PS3 all the way!!!! I got rid of my xbox360 as it wasn't very good. Two people in my house have xbox's and both have broken at least once and had to be sent back on warranty. The PS3 will be a better long term investment as the xbox wont be able to keep up soon enough plus it has a blu ray player which I love. Can recommend little big planet as the best game ever and suitable for everyone

[clootie]

Thank you rachel. I'll be looking for game recommendations next !!

[MattBeale]

Feel free to ask me anything you need to know, I used to work for GAME, for 4 years no less, so I like to think I'm pretty clued up on these things, if I do say so myself.

 

(This might get lengthy, so I apologise in advance)

 

This is what I always used to tell my customers.

 

If you want a pure dedicated games machine, with the best-by-far online gaming experience, you want the XBox 360. If you want the cheapest way into the blu-ray HD movie market, you need a PS3. If you can afford both, get both. The Wii, well that should never be purchased as your sole and only games console, especially not if you are the proud parents of one or more teenage boys. They will never forgive you if you do, especially if all their friends have XBoxes or PS3s!

 

The faults.

 

The XBox 360 did (note: emphasis on did) have one major problem, dubbed the "Red Ring of death", but that is pretty much non-existent in any machines manufactured beyond late 2007. If you do suffer with the problem, Microsoft do offer a 3 year replacement warranty for the particular fault.

 

It must be said, the PS3 (and the Wii) isn't free from faults either. A common problem encountered while I worked at GAME was with the slot-loading disc drive on the machine. Foreign objects can be easily pushed into the machine and make the drive unusable, causing discs to become unreadable and the machine useless.

 

Of course, if you treat both machines with the respect they require, don't put them in TV cabinets (both get very hot!), don't knock them around, keep the discs clean etc. you will have no problems. If you abuse them, they will go on strike.

 

Online features.

 

XBox Live is £40 a YEAR, not £40 a month as Fred stated. It's also worth every penny! It must be stated that it's entirely optional and not a requirement. There is a free SILVER subscription, which permits basic IM services and allows for downloadable content just the same as the Gold service, but which does not allow for online multiplayer.

 

PS3's online service is free, and does other all the same features, but it really does pale in comparison to Microsoft's effort. Sony's doesn't offer a centralised network, instead they leave it up to publishers to provide online chat, etc. which makes everything feel very disconnected. In comparison XBox Live service is a single service which works across all games and allows for chatting both while playing single player games and different online games. The old adage of "You get what you pay for" rings very true here.

 

The Games.

 

The XBox 360, obviously having been around longer, has a much larger back catalogue of new and second hand (preowned) games to choose from. Of course things will improve for the PS3, but it will never reach the sheer number of titles available for either of it's competitors.

 

As far as exclusive games go, very few of them exist this time around, simply because it pays for publishers to release their wares to as wide an audience as possible. The only time you will see exclusives are where they are developed in-house, i.e. Forza 2 for the XBox 360 vs. Gran Turismo for the PS3.

 

This does of course mean that Sony is very unlikely to repeat the success they had with the PS2, because not only are they fighting a better prepared competitor (Sega, you will be missed ... *sniff*), but they don't have the audience figures that publishers would require before choosing to make their games exclusive to either platform.

 

Prices.

 

The PS3 is available as a 80GB machine for £299.99. It comes with with a wireless controller and a basic scart lead. To be able to go HD with the PS3 you will need to purchase either a HD component or HDMI cable separately, so don't forget to buy one with the machine if you don't already have one spare.

 

The XBox 360 starts at £129.99 for the Arcade, (cheaper than a Wii!), but I would recommend passing up on that particular model and instead going with the Pro pack, which starts at £169.99. This includes a wireless controller, a 60GB HDD and comes equipped ready to hook up to either your HDTV or your regular scart socket. If your budget can stretch there is also the Elite which is £229.99, is dressed in black and comes with a 120GB HDD.

 

And I think that'll do. If you have any questions feel free to ask

 

*Phew*

[clootie]

Lordy !! Thank you Matt. I'm going to get a coffee first and then sit down to read this one !! Many, many thanks for taking the time to post such an informative comment. It is extremely helpful to an old dinosaur like me !! What's the betting the kids won't get a look in when it arrives !!

[Cinnamon]

Crikey, I am considering the X Box myself now too

 

We have the PS3 & a VERY old Nintendo 64, which I still adore (Goldeneye was one of the greatest games ever!)

 

Its the Omlet effect again - I thought I was a totally fullfilled & happy gamer until I saw Matts very knowledgable review

[Ain't Nobody Here]

No technical knowledge here (bows down to Matt ) but we bought an Xbox 360 for son's birthday in June. Been brilliant so far. Also have a PS2 which also is very good but has been overshadowed by the Xbox.

[cam1]

Well my OH would say PS3 all the way...he is drooling after one at the mo. We have a PS2 PSP an Xbox and nintendo ds's. I must admit i don't play with any of them and have no real desire to! Good luck with deciding!

Cam

mya

velma

[Geoid]

XBox Live is £40 a YEAR, not £40 a month as Fred stated

 

I though £40 a month was a bit steep! Thanks for clearing that up!