The 9800GTX+ is mid-high end now, but in a year or two it's going to be low end; just imagine where it'll be in 2012. However, you cannot predict the future, so you're better off making sure the games that are out and coming out for each platform are really the games you want to play. The PS3 could end up being just like the PS2 and having tons of titles to play in it's future, or it could end up like the Gamecube with a few great titles, but ultimately not the best platform if you can only afford one.

djszkoda - This decision should really rest on one key aspect, what platform has more of the games you'd like to play? PC or ps3? Some other things to think about are whether or not you're interested in the ps3 as a blu-ray player, and if that's not important to you (or you don't have an HD display) then you should really consider how expensive the ps3 is, still, for a gaming machine and the longevity of PC's. Any PC you buy/build now with those specs should be able to handle any game for the next year or so, although you might not be able to run some titles at their highest settings. PC gear advances at a much faster rate than consoles, which for me is the greatest strength of the consoles ... you won't have to update your hardware every year.

I'm a little confused by your game classification, you like shooters, action, and fps games? When you say shooters do you mean something like Ikaruga? What do you consider to be an action game? Just curious. The only other thing to really think about is whether or not the PC games you want to play will run on your system. That system seems good enough, but I would strongly recommend getting a faster processor, something that is at least 3 ghz for a dual core or 2.5 ghz for a quad core. Have fun!

While it was impressive to see the 360 outsell the PS3 in Japan at all, it was from a weekly sales chart published by Gamasutra, not monthly, so the PS3 is still more likely to outsell the Xbox360 in Japan for the month of August. According to the NPD the PS3 has outsold the 360 every month so far in 2008, and the PS3 has already beat the 360's lifetime sales in Europe despite the fact that the 360 came out December 2, 2005 and the PS3 was launched in Europe March 23, 2007.

First person shooters definitely control best on the PC with a mouse and keyboard, but some console shooters have shown it can be done quite well. Lan is a hit and miss for me; on the one hand, lan parties kick ass if you can go to them enough, but it can be a hassle moving all of the equipment. Consoles have been getting better with lan as well; Warhawk on the PS3 offers up to 4 players per console for lan, as does Halo 3 on the Xbox360 and it's a very easy setup.

Owning all 3 consoles, I'd say the Wii is the one I'm least likely to recommend. Sure, Wii Sports is fun, but there aren't that many titles really worth playing, and the system is so dated on a technical level in comparison to the Xbox360 and PS3.

The exclusive argument is a bit silly; not only does it appear that the PS3 has more big name exclusives coming out in 2008 & 2009, but most of the "exclusives" on the 360 end up on the PC anyways, not that it really matters.

Cost is an issue; OP, how much are you going to spend upgrading your PC?

This, and the fact that there haven't really been any good PC exclusives this year are driving me away from the platform. I'd get rid of my 8800GTX and upgrade to the GTX 280 or a 4870X2 if there were new titles worth playing on the PC that weren't coming out on anything else.

Cheating does happen in console games occasionally, but it is a lot more difficult to do on a closed platform, as well as developers / Microsoft / Sony seem to monitor it a lot more. On the Xbox360, if you get caught cheating they ban your console's serial number from connecting to Xbox Live.

Thanks for all the information, and let me clear myself up:

I will be spending $1000 CAD on PC parts,
or buying a 80GB PS3 with MGS4.

To elaborate on the types of games I play:
Shooters, by that I mean FPS/3rd Person games such as BioShock, Counter Strike Source, HL2, FarCry, Crysis, etc.
Action games: The Bourne Conspiracy (console exclusive), the upcoming Mirror's Edge, Silent Hill, etc.

I'm leaning towards PS3 now; I don't want to constantly upgrade. I was hoping of buying a nice Quad Core rig and lasting atleast 2-3 years on high settings on 1280x1024.

For a $1000, I can get a q6600, Asus P5Q Mobo, OCZ Platinum XTC 2GB DDR2800, a videocard of my choice ($200 is the max I'll probably spend), a new case, and a new PSU, OCZ GameXStream 600W.

That comes to about $950 for me, plus $100 in rebates afterwords.
The PS3 will cost me $500 + taxes.

EDIT: I'll be satisfied with a 9800GTX+ or a HD 4850 for now, because I only play games at 1280x1024. I like the mouse/keyboard combo better than a gamepad.

Give me a reason to get a PS3, then.
I frankly still can't decide, and I have to make a decision this week.

So, if I bought the rig I'm planning on buying, and then wait for DX11 with a 9800GTX+/4850, can I atleast play DX9/DX10 on mostly high, 1240x1024?

See, it's this new info that I get constantly that really confuses me and my decision, hahah.

PC gaming has this funny reputation of needing constant expensive upgrades to run games. It simply isn't true, unless you have your rig running on huge monitors with super high resolutions.

If you just have a 19" monitor with a native 1280x1040 or whatever the hell it is, you do not need a fancy rig to play most games, you just don't. You just need a decent video card and enough RAM.

I've got what is considered to be an ancient single core 3700+ running at just 2.2Ghz. Hardcore fanboyz laugh me out of the park at that, but with two gigs of Ram and an 8800GT, there isn't a single game I haven't been able to play at decent framerates. Including Crysis. Most games I can even turn the eye candy almost all the way up at this resolution. Crysis had the important stuff on high and other stuff on medium. It looked frikken fantastic and played smooth. Bioshock and COD4 ran like butter. No hiccups. No slowdown. Fast and fun.

My buddy has a PS3 and I play at his place. It's fun, but honestly, my little rig has better graphics. PC game graphics can be tweaked easily to make the most out of any system and as you turn up the candy, you reach a point of diminishing returns. You have to take screenshots and examine them like a frikken detective to see the diff between high and very high settings.

Consoles are great for playing with friends on a big TV, but when I really want to get into a game, I'd still rather play on my PC.

I still have my Athlon XP box running, its nearly 6 years old

I only replaced it last Christmas.

You can certainly get a lot of mileage out of PCs - I just think that generally the multiplayer component of consoles is more fun/better unless you're playing RTS.

I do NOT own a 360. Don't have the slightest ambition to do so, either.

On the other hand, I do own a Wii.

A PS3 would be fun - but PC is always where I've played most of my games from a young age.

I'm still on the fence.
I have to make my decision by Saturday.

I'll probably get the PC system than.

I do have an HDTV capable of 1080i.

But, if graphics will be lacking on PS3, what's wrong with a good strong PC?
I can still hook it up through HDMI.

Heyyou27, so you're argument would be to get a PS3?

How long do you reckon it will last?

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend a gaming PC as your only platform as the PC gaming market is in quite a bit of a slump. Most titles are being developed for the Xbox360 and PS3 primarily now, and the PC version is sort of afterthought. Pair that with the fact that the PS3 is going to have a very strong lineup of exclusive titles, as well as titles that are multi-platform, but not announced for the PC like Resident Evil 5, or the Force Unleashed. I own the PS3, Xbox360, Wii, and a decent PC with an 8800GTX and feel that the best way to game is having every platform available. For the 360, it was Gears of War and Halo 3, for the PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted, and Blu-ray, and the Wii with Super Mario Galaxy, Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Brothers. The PC is getting Stalker: Clear Skies, but it seems like it'll be awhile before we get our hands on Starcraft 2 or Diablo 3.

I'd try and get a PS3 and then work towards upgrading your PC as well, as you'll find yourself with a greater set of gaming choices.

Edit: as Robotman3000 says, if you only need a videocard, that's maybe $200; do that and you can start saving for a PS3. Even if you got the PS3 and found it wasn't for you, there is still plenty of time left in it's life cycle to sell it and get a good bit of cash back.

Oh the PS3 will be around for at least another 4 to 5 years. Possibly longer. Chances are that there will be fewer and fewer exclusive titles as time goes on though.

No doubt the PS3 would last longer before you need an upgrade.

Robotman3000, that is completely true, but I must fare with this.

I have a suitable rig for the games and the things I do on my PC.

The only games I play are CSS or Quake 4, whereas on PS3 I have a plethora of great titles. Apart from gaming, all I do is music production. There is no need for a quad core with the strongest video card possible for this.

And, well, the blu-ray is just a treat.