You forgot to mention one little small fact, the 360 is a very poorly built machine. The 33% failure should scream RECALL but no, you get an “extension” because your machine will fail, there’s doubting that. It’s a shame really, MS have sacrificed so much with the 360 just to be the first on the market and it’s showing. Bad bad job Microsoft but hey what do you expect? it is Microsoft after all.

What do you mean the 360 doesn't try anything new? First off it came out a year before PS3 and still is blowing Sony out of the water. Second, the xbox live community is untouchable. Sony can never beat the 360 with online play. I mean come on all the PS3 'exclusives' are coming to 360 so they are obviously doing something right. Now for the Wii, there is a big regretable mistake happening all over the world involving gaming. It's becoming more public so now everyone wants graphics. Woooo, graphics aren't everything people and the Wii is one of the most fun systems you can get. If I were you I'd get a 360 and a Wii, which equals the price of one PS3, and you can have all the fun you want.

Your first comments on the Xbox 360's graphics are wholly inaccurate.

"Although it launched a full year ahead of Sony’s PlayStation 3, it can match the competition in graphics and just about anything else."

The Xbox 360 graphics are better than the Wii, but it is unable to match the graphics capabilities of the Playstation 3 in pixel smoothing, shading, rendering, or physics based graphics animation. When writing an article you should be careful to be accurate and not write such an obvious mistake (this is one easily identified had you really done your homework on the abilities of both systems). One of the best examples of the Xbox 360's limited graphics abilities have been the Halo 3 demos looking like a mid 90's game or Gears of War to see its limits at the top end.

Playstation 3 is also the most inexpensive console vis-a-vis the xbox 360 when compared with similar accessories with the xbox.

It is also irresponsible to have not even mentioned the severe defective problems of this gaming console. Over a 30% defect rate globally making it the worst quality electronics product release in the history of a globally launched product. Shameful that you did not warn anyone in your Big Flaw for the Xbox 360 - How was it even possible for you to not warn people?

Surprisingly, the wii is selling like pancakes, and will sell more that a hundred million units...

You mean the 60GB version is $499 - No More Draw

I am curious as to why the home theater section is doing a review on game consoles. The very name implies that gaming is its core purpose, not a dvd or hd player. Basically what you're doing is going to Wendy's, BurgerKing and McDonalds to judge them based on their seafood offerings.

Sure, the PS3 makes for a cheap Blu-ray player for now, but in less than a year, we'll start seeing units that play both blu-ray and hd-dvd in one unit for nearly the same price as a PS3. Why rush to te inferior technology, as most first gen optical devices are limited and not to the fullest possible quality. Anyone who is designing or expanding their home theater would be foolish to buy a videogame system for the sake of having a first generation high definition disc player. My advice to those of you contemplating this route: wait until next year's offerings are out, you'll be a lot happier with your future purchase than  a current one.

Now, if you're looking for a current gen gaming platform, the sales numbers truly represent the order of gaming quality:

The Wii takes the top spot, as it is a system that everyone in the room can get into. If you like live competition or party games, the Wii is great. The whole system is based on a wireless motion sensing controller. Why press a button to swing a bat, when you can swing your remote in the same way?

The XBox 360 has more photorealism in ints graphics, solid online play, and boasts a large library with good developer support. If you liked the last generation of gaming, the 360 is for you.

The PS3 has been taking a beating from the other two mentioned systems. It has the best graphics, and the fastest technology, but the price is too expensive for the average gamer. The sales have been very poor in comparison to the Wii, which is making more and more developers limit their support for the PS3. This will make for a limited library of games over the next year or 2. While the games that do come out are impressive, the price has people taking a wait and see attitude.

Lastly, remember one thing. Game systems make for terrible multimedia devices in comparison to units designed specifically for multimedia. Don't make your home studio look cheap and shoddy. You wouldn't put Ikea furniture in a mansion, would you?

Sondun, thanks for that price reminder. I updated the post. That should give PS3 some nice value.

What's funny is I agree with most of your comments. But first, it's a blog post, written now, not a novel detailing every spec written when BD/HD DVD players have come down in price.

I disagree with one thing mentioned in comments here. It's premature to put a number on the percent of defective Xbox 360 units.

I have certainly reported on this serious problem with Xbox 360 in the past. Depending on the source the number seems to range wildly. %30 was a popular throw around due to a blog post awhile back that quoted an EB Games employee who guestimated that number of his own inventory was bad. Hardly reliable.

Since microsoft started there gaming machine secotor they have recieved ONE PENNY of proffet, just loads and loads of loss!!

but i guess its not like microsoft are strapped for cash.

Does anyone buy ps3? Why?

I think you should include the failure rate for the 360. It is around the 30% range but even if you don't mention a number you should mention that it has a higher failure rate of any console to date. You should also mention that they will pay for problems as well as to not just being showing one side.

Since this article is more economical I shall say which is the better value.

Home theater wise PS3 is it. Blu ray and HDMI 1.3 right out of the box for $500. To get that in a 360 its $680 (Elite w/HDMI 1.2 and the HD DVD add on). You save $180.

Gaming wise. PS3 w/Wifi is $500. Xbox is $450 (Xbox plus cost of online service for one year) If you want a WiFi its an extra $100. Xbox online is better but PS3 is catching up. There are more games out on the 360 and it's really a matter of what games you want. Halo 3 vs Metal Gear Solid 4, Bioshock vs Uncharted, Gran Turismo 5 vs Forza 2, etc. It's really a tie for games since if you have a 360 there are only a few games you will miss out on and vise versa.

I have all 3 systems and I put them in order of PS3, 360, Wii. Welll simply because the PS3 gives me everything right out of the box. I don't have to buy any add on's, pay for online or worry about it breaking. Based on cost the PS3 is the best value. Based on gaming it's 360 right now, PS3 next year. Simply because even if Blu Ray loses the war (which it seems they are not) its built into the PS3 so developers can still use the extra room for games. If  HD DVD fails all the HD DVD add ons are worthless then. You can't play games on them. Game developers are (such as Rockstar) using more room than a DVD has so the Blu Ray disc for games is a great option. Most people overlook this fact.

Biggest things missed:

1)

Games have to be released for lowest common denominator on a platform, so Xbox 360 games can't assume that the system has a hard disk, or a HD-DVD Player. Bottom line is that games will have to fit on a DVD (8.5 GB).

All PS3s have BR players, supporting 50 GB - for those who can't count, thats LOTS MORE!  And it will be used.  All PS3s also have hard drives, another useful feature for game developers.

2) - Blu-Ray has won the high def format war...

Havn't you heard?

Now don't get me wrong, I loath Sony for the PS3 *** up, lack of support of PS2 games in Europe is disgusting, as it the price being nearly twice what is charged in the US.  But it will win the concole wars, no question!

The article is correct in saying that 360's graphics are as good as any.  Gamespot has shown multiple comparisons of the graphics on shared games with the PS3.  Most of the time the 360's graphics are better, not worse.

As for failure rates, most sources range from 3 to 10% for the harware failures.  Microsoft's financial charge showed they expect approximately 10% of their consoles to fail according to Forbes.  While that may seem steep, they also supply a 3 year warranty, and upgrade the defective systems with a new heatsink and cooling compound.  New 360s will soon have a 65nm chip that should eliminate the problem altogether.  

The elite has a more robust cooling system straight out of the box if you're especially worried.  It should have much lower failure rates.  As a "3 red lights" victim myself I know these things.  In case you're wondering, having had an extra year of next gen gaming experience, and having access to excellent exclusives that are significantly better than what's available on the next gen competition I would count my self satisified.  

One other error though, the PS3 requires an expensive cable to allow HD support, the 360 comes with an HD component cable.  I am much happier to have a cable than a wireless adapter that is made unnecessary by moving your router next to the TV, where it likely is anyway.

As for the Wii.. it's hardly next gen.  It is more like a PS2 or gamecube with a cool remote and a few retro nintendo games.  It's not hard to see why it is so profitable.  I simply hope that the repetitive unnatural wrist action encouraged in the Wii documentation does not cause carpal tunnel in millions of kids.  I have played the system and feel similar wrist stress after a long session of wii tennis or Zelda.

You're clearly biased here. These are "Game Consoles" as you put them, yet you're judging them ultimately on how great they would perform in an entertainment center. These are gaming systems first and foremost (except the PS3 due to its relatively low cost compared to other Blu-Ray players). And by the way, the Wii and PS3 came out within two days of each other, yet the Wii has been a runaway success and has some fairly decent games out for it. It's not because the PS3 is a newly launched console that it lacks a good library but because developers don't want to take the risk making games for a system that's been doing so poorly because of its price.

Since this article is geared toward building a home theater system around the video game system I would say there are a couple of key elements left out.

The main advantage of the Xbox 360 is its ability to act as a Media Center Extender for anyone using Windows Media Center (XP or Vista) on their computer. This allows you to stream HD content from your computer that you have recorded in addition to any you may have created. Also notable, the Xbox 360 doesn't have an included HD drive, but you can download movies from the Xbox Live Video Market place. Admittedly there aren't many titles and not all of them are in HD, but it is an option.

I don't own a PS3 but the main reason I would prefer one is because it runs virtually silent. The Xbox 360 has a huge fan in the power supply that can get quite annoying. The PS3 also looks better with its sleek black casing.

If I was bigger on HD movies I would have bought the PS3. I'm sold on the Xbox 360 by Xbox Live and the Media Center Extender Functions, but I'm still slightly annoyed by that fan sometimes. If you're not interested in HD-DVD or BluRay the Xbox 360 then the 360 is better buy.    

It's no secret that Microsoft makes money selling Windows and MS Office. Then it is trying to innovate (or compete) in many other fronts: IE vs Netscape; Zune vs iPod; XBox vs PS; MS Money vs Quicken; Live Search vs Google... it is even making GPS for laptop that has no practical merits other than endangering a driver. Any of those enterprises are profitable for Microsoft? If not why bother? Why can't it just be the first to come up with something not even hi-tech like iPod or iPhone for that matter?

ps3 rules 360 good wii sucks...

and ya ps3 has loads of exclusives

killzone 2 resistance fall of man 1 2 and 3 final fantasy 13 and versus kingdom, hearts three motor storm and oh ya

MGS4

360 has

halo and gears of war.

What I find interesting is that everyone I know who has a PS3, especially some of the newer owners, say that they adore the system now that they have it and say overall it is by far the best of the current round of consoles.

I'm no fanboy, in fact, I proudly own all three, but I must say the PS3 is a fine machine, it does so much, it is so well made and feels like it is worth every penny. And I got mine shortly after launch!

Price is the obstacle, it seems, but as far as quality is concerned, PS3 is without question the winner here.

Wait for Smash Bros Brawl.  The Wii will dominate the charts even more after this game comes out.  Wii awesome, 360 pretty good, PS3 blows

This is all so funny to me. I have been a loyal Sony fan for years, TV, DVD/home theater system, car stero, digital camera all Sony. I was the first person I knew that had a playstation when it came out at 299.99 (if you remember the original release price of a PS1). But even I have to admit they dropped the ball. No rumble, no real exclusive titles, MGS4 btw is coming out for 360 two months after PS3. This whole nonsense of "the PS3 gives you wi fi and blue ray and hdmi right out the box" really reminds me of something from a few years back. When the original Xbox had a hard drive and all that jazz right out the box, but everyone still wanted a PS2.

Its all about the games and nothing else.

This article sucks.  If it was based on the premise of building a good home entertainment, then why was the Wii even included in the first place?  

Its a gaming machine.  And that is just absurd to say "Ouch" on it not being able to play DVDs.  Its 2007...who doesn't have a DVD player?

How about Playstation Home? How about the Playstation 3's wireless/wired networking capabilities? What about Bluetooth support? How about the ability to install your own OS and use the PS3 as a PC? Keep talking trash about the price tag but this machine pays for itself.

Microsoft has released that their failure rates are in excess of 25%. XBox live does dominate, but it also isn't free. Gears of War and Halo are amazing games, but so are Motorstorm and Resistance. I love my 360, when it works.

The Wii is a novelty item. I bought one at launch and haven't played much since. It's fun for awhile, but that wears quick. What online community?

I own all three consoles. Each has their perks, each has their downfalls. I hate to see people compare them without taking everything into account.

I must chime in here.  XBOX 360 Does have amazing graphics and compared to the PS3, the average and even above average gamer wouldn't notice much difference even without the HDMI port.  HD and 1080p graphics don't rely on the HDMI port although that is the best way to go for graphics unquestionably.

PS3 is the way to go for the gambler for sure.  The hardware is great but lets not forget some other key points on the games.  Most game developers don't know what to do with the extra hardware.  When I think about games that are amazing to look at and amazing to play they are not always the same game.  Gears of War is fantastic to look at for instance and the single player mode is great but the multiplayer and the controls suck.  My favorite games lately are XBOX arcade games actually and the graphics there can usually match that of, I dunno, Super Nintendo?  I can't see how buying the PS3 is worth it when they will only ever have a handful of games that have good game play AND take advantage of the hardware.  The same is true of the 360 but at least they have loads of fun games and no one is arguing even from the PS3 side of the argument that they don't have the best online experience.

People say PS3 is by far the better platform but that would just be to save face for having wasted the money on it when the 360 is cheaper and more developed.  Hardware amounts to nothing.

Sure the XBOX hardware is problematic but they just extended the warranty for 3 years and already have a version of the XBOX that includes HDMI, a larger hard drive, a less problem plagued DVD reader and an HDMI port.

MS has been quietly adding features like HD Movie download/rentals as well as TV shows that you can purchase and keep.  The license agreements all mention a 'roaming xbox' console.. perhaps plans to let you store the movies on the Zune?  Why they don't promote the fact that they have hundreds of movies that you can download makes me curious.  The current selection is limited so perhaps that is why.  they must figure it's better to be found as an extra goodie when you browse their marketplace rather then get blasted for trying to compete with upcoming IPTV services and download/streaming services offered by Netflix already..

Also, as far as the 360 not being innovative.. the innovation is in the software.  What other gaming system lets you chat online with anyone on a PC using messaging? I think it's poor marketing but Microsoft has always been an innovator.  Even ideas they didn't come up with directly they made damn sure to bring it to the masses.  Starting with the second mouse button, then the third, then the scroll wheel, tilt wheel.  Who first had wireless controllers as a standard?  Wireless mic's (although shitty ones)?  That is just a few hardware innovations that we get to use thanks to MS innovations and like I said most of the innovations have been in the software.  XBOX is no different.

Well if its all about games don't you want the system that can do this best. Blu ray offers the storage that game makers want and need.Rockstar complained the 360 didn't have a standard HDD and not enough room on DVD. They said its limiting them. So now GTA4 can't be the greatest game it can be since they have to think about the lowest common denominator which is the 360.

It is about games and PS3 has them and more coming up.

PS3                        360

Gran Turismo 5             Bioshock

LAIR                       Halo 3

Heavenly Sword             Mass Effect

Uncharted                  Too Human

Time Crisis 4              Blue Dragon

Ratchet & Clank            Halo Wars

Warhawk                    Gears of War 2

MGS4                       Banjo Kazooie 3

Final Fantasy 13

These are games that are coming out that are coming for both systems. I have not included ones that are coming out on both or timed exclusives.

Sorry Leo but MGS4 is not coming to Xbox 360. Maybe way later in future it might and if it does it will not be good since the MGS team will not port it over. That means Konami will have to have someone else port it over. The maker Hideo said that its a PS3 exclusive at E3 just to put rumors to bed. As for rumble in PS3 controller wait till august when the touch sense controllers come out. Next thing you know 360 will be coming out with a 3Sixty Axis controller.

I look at next generation gaming like this, I want the best hardware and visual eye candy (360 produces a resolution of 1080i, just a tad short of the 1080p capable Sony product) a system can offer to me right out of the box. With that said, the PS3 has all the bells and whistles right out of the box, built-in WiFi adapter, Cell Processor, HD, oh yeah and that expensive BluRay player (which will win the HD DVD battle for sure), HDMI for those glorious HD resolution which the Wii is not even capable of producing.

What is lacking though for the PS3 right now is the games...I think with due time though, more games will be released for the fine tuned machine. MGS4, Gran Turismo (Best sim racing game created) to list a couple. To be honest I haven't spilled the money yet...I'm waiting for the games, but when they arrive and they will arrive I'll be ponying up for the BEST console around, the PS3 hands down.

Maybe I'm biased but I think the Sony console is the best choice overall. The Wii is for children with lack luster graphics, some folks might disagree, but for me it has to make my eyes pop out of my head when I view the game play...the Wii doesn't do that. 360 elite might not be a bad choice but again, with lack of true HD support and inferior hardware, I'd have to go with the PS3.

Just my opinion, coming from someone that truly embraces "real" HD content.

I am no fanboy and own none of the three consoles and am proud of it.

For a video review you should point out that for the same cost as one of the big consoles you could buy a Sony BDP-S300 Blu-Ray DVD Player from Best Buy and a Wii.

That is a much better deal, both for movie watching and for game playing.

I hate to say this, and maybe show my ignorance, but if we're going to talk about "the average gamer" (as the comments have degraded past "home entertainment systems"); how many of the average gamer even have HDTV's?  As far as the power gamer goes, then I'd have to agree that the PS3 is the way to go, mostly because of the space available on a Blue-Ray disk as opposed to the standard DVD disks that the 360 can read without the external drive.  Also, I have a feeling that Blue-Ray will win the format wars, making the PS3 a tad bit more cost effective for those who don't want to wait until a better player has been developed (and will probably buy one then).

Personally, tho, the 360 and my computer are enough for me.  By the way - the 360 controllers (wired) come with drivers  for the PC right out of the box.

shove that "real" HD comtent up your ass.  Wii60 for life ***!

XBox 360 - great for hard-core gamer loyal to the titles available on that platform for a user willing to risk the 33% failure rate.

PS3 - great for hard-core gamer loyal to the Playstation platform willing to risk spending big $ for a machine with lots of promise but little truly delivered.

Wii - great for gamers seeking "fun" without needing the latest high res graphics.  Innovative game play that brings people who aren't hard-core gamers into the gaming fold.  Even XBox 360 and PS2/3 owners are adding the Wii to their collections as a fun machine for family, friends, party's, etc.  

As for value, considering you can add a DVD player to any home theater starting at around $40 so I just don't get the point of this article.

Also, while Sony won't be updating the cell graphics any time soon, Nintendo has left room to upgrade the graphics when those prices go down perform an upgrade on the hardware, keeping their innovative game play while offering a newer level of graphics.

Why invest in a game machine to do the job of a high-end component?  Why not get the components that do the job best for *what* they do?

Wii is the most fun.

How much paid Sony for this article ??

i mean.. lots of people choosed Wii... and you insist in recomend a Playstation or PS3 for multimedia capability ?  i mean we are talking about VideoGames! , no HD player capable to play games..

Just exactly what two games do you get free with Xbox 360? Is this article even accurate?

The title says "game console" review.  Reading the review itself you would think it's a "media player" review.

If you want to have fun then buy a Wii.

If you want the most games mixed with power then get an Xbox.

If you're an idiot then buy a PS3.  Just kidding...the Blu-ray is nice but they really need to come out with more games.  It's ALL about the games for Sony at this point.  And it doesn't look like they'll beat Microsoft when it comes to titles or exclusivity.

It's all about the games.  When a good game comes out on PC.  I end up buying it and upgrading my computer.  If a good game comes out on a certain console, then I usually buy that game and console.  Right now the only system with games that I like is the 360.  When PS3 or Wii come out with a game that I must have, then I will get the console.  However, I am still waiting for that game on either console.  Gears Of War is an amazing game both campaign and online multiplayer...bottomline that is why I own a 360.  No PS3 or Wii game yet has come close.  

Wow.  Just wow.  How can you be so stupid?  You're talking about VIDEO GAME systems here - NOT entertainment consoles.  If you want a huge multifuctioning monster, buy a PC!  If you want to talk video game consoles, though, let's get something straight:

Microsoft and Sony are BOTH selling consoles at a loss.  Sony has NO great games for it, and Microsoft has few.  They're also both overpriced because they're TRYING to do the multimedia thing, but their control interface for it sucks so badly that a computer would be a far better choice.

Wii, on the other hand, has outsold PS3 more than 2 to 1, and is only 2 million shy of 360's numbers, which was released a year earlier.

Aside from that, it's the only console out there with truely epic games.  Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Pokemon (yes, perhaps a bit more immature, but still a proven franchise), Fire Emblem, etc.  Top that with the fact that it has expanded the gaming market to previously untouched facets (my girlfriend ASKED to play Mario Party 8; I don't know the last time a girl (at least a girly-girl type) asked to play a PS3 or 360).

Let's be honest: if you want to compare video game systems, Wii wins out of sheer popularity and profit, hands down.  If you want to compare multimedia systems, you bring your PS3 or 360 and I'll bring the PC I just built.  I promise mine can do more.

Next time GizmoCafe, have an honest, fair debate.  Your logic sounds like it came from Bush's administration.

ya know, it's so funny to read all of these fan boys...

All the consols are good in there own way.  the fact that the 360 breaks really doesn't matter, the send you a new one or fix it really fast (I know, I bought a broken one from wholesaler and had it fixed in less than 2 weeks).

The PS3 is a more powerfull system.

the Wii is really fun, especially for "non-gamer" types.

It all comes down to the games really, why bash a console...

I personally plan to own all three (eventually).  I got a 360 for Gears of War and for Halo.  I'll get a PS3 when there's a game I want to play, and same with the Wii...

Just enjoy the console you have, stop hating on the ones someone else has

Uh I hate to tell you but Wii isn't about graphics. It's two Gamecubes taped together. I would like to point out that the Wii started out as an add on for the Gamecube. Nintendo decided due to the success of the DS and not not outstanding reaction to the Gamecube they would bring it out as its own system. They make a profit on every Wii since the Hardware is basically a reskinned Gamecube. The Wii is very cool and I have one but it is the same games just with some type of motion with it. They are called innovative but motion capture has been done before (Eye Toy for example) and the power pad..uh I mean Wii Fit sounds kinda like something from our past.

Wii is cool but name one game that isn't just another game with motion added to it?

Remember PS2 has sold 120 million inits, Xbox 25 million plus units and even gamecube 24 million units. Wii is cool but does it have the lasting power of even these three consoles? I don't think so. First time someone plays Wii they think its really cool and they go out and buy one and like 3 to 4 months in it sits collecting dust waiting for something new for a reason to turn it on. I pretty sure there are exceptions to the rule though.

My Wii only turns on when people are over. Wii is a great people system. PS3 and 360 have yet to get this. Wii can get a group of people who don't play games to play together but The software attachment rate will go down for the wii in time.

Once again the Wii is cool but it is not in the same league as 360 and PS3. PS3 and 360 will be around longer than the Wii as the Wii is limited as to what the hardware can do. In the history of gaming add ons are not popular (Sega CD, PS2 HDD,etc)

first off the 360 is way ahead of both consols on the sheer fact that it has media center extender built into based on this fact alone i have saved close to if not at least $1000 dollars on cable bills and movie rentals and although the failure rate is high with them its not as common as everyone thinks and Microsoft will send u a brand new 360 when u return urs for being defective.  I have been a sony man since they first came out but nothing can hold a candle to the 360 it does everything i want and more

p.s. Transcode 360 is sent strait from GOD

I agree with all the Xbox360 lovers around the world. Microsoft should have no competition in the game console market just like the PC market, so we can all get screwed over with over priced hard drives, (120bucks for a 20 gig hard drive, come on) and 100 dollar wireless adapters. Yea, the PS3 SUCKS! Not to mention 10 dollars for stupid game add ons that would be given out for free by the game developers if it wasn't for the XboX live Microsoft policy that nothing is free.

Yea, sounds good to me. Microsoft operates on a loss for 6 years but soon as they beat the competition they can go about giving a inferior product that's much cheaper and watch the profits rise. Can't wait till that day. Without competition we all know how much "better" vista is compared to XP, but we are forced to upgrade sooner or later, or else none of our programs or games we use will work. (even though they could work if Microsoft wanted them too) Sounds great to me.  Xbox 360 RULES!

first of for home entertainment system you cant beat the 360 i download all my tv shows and all my movies and they all play to my xbox through the lan we have set up not to mention the fact that i can play my music through it while im playing games on the 360

Everyone is going to be blown away when PS3 has more exclusive and better games that 360

I think it may be hard to appreciate the PS3 until you've actually used one for at least a short amount of time.  No one can dispute that the games aren't there yet (but playing 32 or 40 online player maps on Resistance is absolute insanity at times).  As a media center, though, its top notch.  Its upconversion of DVD's is considered to be very good, and the BD quality is also excellent; its good enough that many AV enthusiasts even use it in their home theater setups.  That said, while I never once watched a DVD on my PS2, the PS3 has replaced my upconverting DVD player as the main DVD player in the house.

Additionally, the PS3 (after FW 1.8) instantly recognized my Maxtor Mediashare networked hard drive.  What this means is that for steaming music, pictures, and video files in the proper codec, I don't need a PC running to store my streaming media.  No need for TVersity, Nero Media Server (or whatever its called), etc.

As I will be purchasing a 360 shortly, I'm looking forward to comparing the PS3 to the capabilities of the 360 for media sharing(although I'm pretty sure both will hold up nicely against each other in this regard).

Since when did Ric Ramero review gaming consoles?  Honestly, this review focused on the wrong things, home theatre, not gaming.  The Wii didn't get a fair shake.

I don't understand why some of you are blaming this review for the fact that Wii lacks the abilities to compete on a multimedia system level.

It is true that this is a gaming console review, but if it got extras why not mention it.

In all cases thanks to your comments guys, i'm now heading to buy my new PS3

matter of the fact is, all ps3 fanboys stand on the defect of the x360, when the matter of the fact is it has the best warranty of any gaming machine out there.  the x360 graphics compared to ps3 arn't as good, but its to advanced of a system, you won't even see it outshine the x360 before the next line of game systems come out.  and for all the wii ppl, its 2007, its STANDARD to come with a dvd player, like come'on, that just shows us how cheap ur little box is, not to mention the redundant controller movements, this is a childs toy, enjoy ur little tikes toys wii fans.  and finally, read a comment about the 360 losing money, in fact, it does make money on each console sold, so don't know where u got that from, the wii makes the most, cause its basically a 5 y/o computer with a touch of pixie dust, but it is in fact the ps3 that is already losing money, and they still arn't close to the price point.  the matter of the fact is ps3 and x360 are gaming systems that offer much more, and the price should be higher, in fact, going by wii standards, the ps3 would be sold for 2 grand, the wii's hardware and system is so cheaply built that they make a killing off it.  in 2 years, the wii will have nothing but the nestalgic feel of the nes

Are you a strict thumb pusher or do you like to roll your hand on top of your controller to use your

Hey john doe

To clear up the Xbox losing money thing. The xbox division was 6 billion dollars in debt from the original Xbox. When the 360 came out at first it wasn't making any money but then they retooled it and it was making a profit on every system sold based on just the 360 alone. The xbox gaming division still is in debt even including the profit from the 360. When Microsoft annouced the retroactive warranty it suddenly made the 360 no longer a profit making machine. The 360 alone now is in debt since the billion dollar write off. The xbox division is now in more debt due to this. That's why some people say Microsoft will never make money on any gaming machines ever. Sony is making money on the PS2 hand over foot and not any money on the PS3 but they made so much with the PS1 and just so much with the PS2 that the PS3 could completely fail and their game division would still be making a profit. We know the PS3 won't fail though.

Also I do agree that Microsoft has a great warranty but the best? Nah. One thing no one is reporting on really is that Microsoft is only covering the Red Rings of Death. IF you system is scraching discs you have to pay and they will not replace your game. If anything happens to your 360 that is not RROD you have to pay to get it fixed. Trust me I called MS. It's a $100 plus shipping to get your 360 fixed for scrathing discs.

As for anyone dissing the Wii cuz it doesn't have a DVD. It's only $250. You get what you pay for. Gamecube 1.5 with a Wii mote. It's not bad but ports and first party titles can't just cut it this time. Wii needs killer third party apps and developers who want to step out of the box. Wii fans stop telling me how revolutionary the Wii is when it's the same games with motion cap added to it. I have a Wii and I like it.

I'm not a PS3 fanboy so the defect is not the only thing I stand on when it comes to 360. You guys will have Halo 3 and then........... oh yeah where are the blockbuster titles that will sell alot that don't have Halo or Gears in the name? Maybe thats why every 360 owner is begging for MGS4 for the 360. Which is not coming to the 360. Sorry guys.  Gran Turismo 5, Final Fantasy 13, God of War 3, are going to be big sellers I mean huge. Halo 3 will be your exclusive big seller and then nothing till Gears 2 then Halo Wars and then Gears 3. Yeah Bioshock, Blue dragon and others will do well but so will LAIR, Uncharted, etc. I'm talking about games that make people want to buy a console and you have Halo and Gears and that's it. You have one game with over 2 million sold (Gears about 3.7 million) and PS3 has one (Resistance about 2.1 million)

Oh yeah Media Extender enables you to access your desktop from...gasp! your PS3 as well. Thank you Wifi.

i think wii is much better even though they dont have hd or a dvd player because i really dont care about hd or the dvd player. another reason is that wii is the first and only console that has motion sensitive gameplay. And that wii keeps makes so many controller like the wii mote nunchuck wii zapper and more while the ps3 has the old boring controller. Everytime nintendo brings a new console its always a different controller which is great.

I got to say that i get shivers going down my spine after thinking that i might be playing a game hours on end for days and suddenly i might have to restart the piece of *** because its at the xbox repair shop.

SINCE blockbuster has announced that blu ray is the way forward the majority of human being on this planet are can only afford one console therefore game console with built in HIdef. player is the way forward.

Hey Consoleless

No doubt it's a shocker having to send your game to the shop. It really hurt. I was in the middle of a great Need for Speed Underground or UGII or whatever it was. I was halfway through when this one race I had to finish never would finish because I'd get a red circle.

I could restart Xbox360 and everything seemed fine, I could even reload the game. But when I got to that same race, Xbox360 would break at the same place every time. When my Xbox 360 came back I never could resume the enthusiasm for that game again, today it sits uncompleted.

But one thing you should know. Microsoft was very good at returning my console quickly. I wasn't without it more than five days. You don't even need to send them the hard drive from your Xbox 360, there is nothing about it that actually goes wrong. So, everything saved was still saved when I got it back.

Don't worry about having to restart a game. Generally speaking it shouldn't be necessary when the classic red circle of death occurs. Please, someone correct me if I'm wrong, I only had one unit go bad on me.

@ Nintendo

The reason why 360 and PS3 have the same controllers is because that is what the people want. They want the same controller just with more added. Sony tried to bring out this boomerang controller for the PS3 and people just panned it. So they came out with the sixaxis controller that has motion sensitive gameplay (I.E. Lair) so Wii is not the only one.

@ Consoleless but looking

I would say wait as long as you can. MS i having issues with the 360 and I can't recommend anyone buying it. With that said they should be pushing the new 360's through with the 65nm chips and heat sinks added in. That way you can look at the PS3, Wii, and 360 a little more equal.

Is consumer product “fanboyism” taking over? Or is fanboyism just a vocal minority of trolls causing

I have both an Xbox 360 and PS3. I'm running my PS3 with an HDMI cord and my 360 with components. Both attached to a 42" Samsung LCD. I used to be bias about my 360 b/c it was the first system I got out of the two. But, after recently getting my PS3, I actually prefer the graphics of the PS3 over my 360. I love both systems but I think it's more or less about personal preference. In my opinion, the 360 graphics have a bit of a cleaner look. While the PS3 graphics are more atmospheric. But i'm quite sure the graphics will get even better when the devs stop being lazy. Each system has it perks.

In my opinion, the PS3 and 360 stack up pretty evenly.

Guys can you recommend good games for the PS3?

I have to completely agree with this review.  It takes into account both the video game and media functions for each console, and as someone whose spent time with each system, the points are accurate.

Granted, the Wii ain't about graphics.  But, graphics impact gameplay a great deal, and in a few years' time that could make all the difference in which console draws the most fans (and the most development).

Love it or hate it, the Xbox 360 best straddles the line between media functionality and video game goodness.

Hey Blackthorne, good to see you back on the GizmoBoards. Drop me a line via email sometime, let me know you're still alive.

What's this about a redone 360? When is it gonna be released?

yu guyz jus cheap yu say xbox betta tha ps3 ps3 iz wai betta i hav bth and i find tht wen yu ply tha same game 4 bth tha ps3 totllay dominates xbox haz betta gaems 4now juscuz it older but after a 1year ps3 guna hav wai betta games

It's an English language thing, sonnu. You wouldn't understand.

Giocare poker online. Oggi.

PingBack from http://xbox.x7g.net/2007/10/30/gizmo-cafe-blog-xbox-360-wii-ps3-%e2%80%93-three-game-console-profiles/

PingBack from http://xbox.x7g.net/2007/10/30/gizmo-cafe-blog-xbox-360-wii-ps3-%e2%80%93-three-game-console-profiles-2/