360, ps3? or pc?

[killyou400p]

Hey people of Tom's Hardware. I got a little problem. I am really bored these days and wanted something to keep me company. When Cod5 WaW comes out, I am planning to get one of these beauties. A 1000$ PC, (already have many games, cod4, crysis warhead, etc), PS3, (no Games), and 360. I'm having a real tough time choosing. I dont want any 360 is better than ps3 and crap. I want suggestions and what you think.
By the way I play all kinds of games. Sports - Action - Adventure - RPG's - Shooters. If you need to know i usually play shooters and sports. Thanks.

 

[purplerat]

If you're looking for companionship get a dog or a hooker. If you're looking for gaming I would recommend either the PC if you have the cash up front to make a worthwhile machine or the XBox if you're looking for cheap and easy. That's not necessarily to say that PC gaming is more expensive, just that the upfront initial cost might hit a little harder. In my opinion the PS3 is in the dead man's land between PC and XBox. You're still spending a lot of money but not getting as much as you could from either of the alternatives.

 

[killyou400p]

Rofl. I meant after all the activities and crap. Um k thanks. So far PC -1.

 

[Heyyou27]

Hey people of Tom's Hardware. I got a little problem. I am really bored these days and wanted something to keep me company. When Cod5 WaW comes out, I am planning to get one of these beauties. A 1000$ PC, (already have many games, cod4, crysis warhead, etc), PS3, (no Games), and 360. I'm having a real tough time choosing. I dont want any 360 is better than ps3 and crap. I want suggestions and what you think.
By the way I play all kinds of games. Sports - Action - Adventure - RPG's - Shooters. If you need to know i usually play shooters and sports. Thanks.

I wouldn't say the PS3 has no games (Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, Resistance 2, Little Big Planet, Killzone 2, Heavy Rain, God of War III, and more) won't be showing up on the Xbox360 or PC. Instead of spending $1000 on a PC, you could buy BOTH the Xbox360 and PS3, and be able to play almost EVERY game coming out this year and next. PC gaming is in a pretty bad place right now, so unless you're an enthusiast you're probably better off with the PS3 or Xbox360.

 

[killyou400p]

I meant i had NO PS3 GAMES. Lol okay, so if it came down to ps3 or 360, which should i choose?
I read some "things" and it showed that PC is way cheaper in the "long" run than both of the systems. It is just that PC you have to pay a lot infront.

 

[VoidNull]

PC gaming is in a pretty bad place right now, so unless you're an enthusiast you're probably better off with the PS3 or Xbox360.

Oh really?

Because we didn't get GoW2?

You can Keep GoW2, I will be over here happy and content with my Crysis, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Farcry 2, Warhammer Online, Red Alert 3, Dawn of War 2, Fallout 3, Call of Duty, Left4Dead, Mirror's Edge, Silent Hill Homecoming, Dragon Age, Sims 3 or any of the host of PC Exclusive or Upgraded Graphic/Performance, or highly modable versions that we have.

Pfft... PC gaming has been "In bad shape" since "Don't copy that floppy" Yet that has not seemed to stop the dazzling array of PC titles from flooding the shelves.

 

[tallguy1618]

Far Cry 2, Red Alert 3, Call of Duty, and Left for Dead are NOT PC exclusives, not sure about the others.

I would recommend getting the Xbox 360. The games are MUCH better, in most cases the graphics are better, the controller is way better, and it's much cheaper. It's hard to recommend a PC for the genres you listed. Sports, Action, and Adventure games are not that great on the PC. The main thing the PC is good for are strategy and FPS, but if you get a 360 then you get GoW2 and Halo 3, both are excellent shooters for the consoles. I don't think the PS3 has any good shooters available exclusively to itself.

 

[Heyyou27]

I meant i had NO PS3 GAMES. Lol okay, so if it came down to ps3 or 360, which should i choose?
I read some "things" and it showed that PC is way cheaper in the "long" run than both of the systems. It is just that PC you have to pay a lot infront.

You have to ask yourself what games interest you the most and what features you want to use. Xbox Live offers a great service if you're willing to pay $50 a year and have a lot of friends with Xbox360s. On the PS3 I like how the system is quieter, supports Blu-ray, has built in Wi-fi, free online play, routine firmware updates with added features, good exclusive titles, HDD can be upgraded with any 2.5" laptop SATA drive, and things are only getting better. I own both systems, and have had both break on me; with my Elite I got the RRoD and my PS3's Blu-ray drive stopped reading discs. Both systems were repaired under warranty, but my 360 took almost an entire month longer to get back to me than my PS3 did. Now this isn't necessarily indicative of Sony and Microsoft's service all the time as results do vary, but it was something that I personally experienced.

Live definitely does offer some features that PSN does not currently offer, but I myself have gotten tired of paying for Gold so I can't use a lot of those features anyways. There are also quite a few full downloadable games on the PSN if you'd prefer that to a tangible version and no need for a disc, one being larger than 9GB which is larger than will fit on an Xbox360 dual layer DVD disc, and MUCH larger than Microsoft allows on Xbox Live. Both systems offer a video store which allows you to rent movies(PS3 also lets you purchase movies), buy shows, and the Xbox360 will soon be supporting netflix. The "New Xbox Experience" will be launching in November and should improve the currently dated interface, as well as add Mii-like "Avatars". Sony also has Home launching soon which should add a new online component to the PS3 but whether it'll revolutionize gaming, or flop is unknown.

If I could only own one, my personal choice would be the PS3, but the 360 would be a pretty good pick as well. Anyways, you should really think about what features and games you're interested in as well as what systems your friends have. You also should consider what kind display and sound system you will be using. The PS3 has more titles that support 1080p than the 360 does, and all PS3 games support 7.1 surround sound, where the 360 only supports 5.1 surround. Now if you're using a TV with a resolution lower than 1080p and don't have 7.1 surround obviously this is a useless advantage, but you should at least think about it.

PC gaming is in a pretty bad place right now, so unless you're an enthusiast you're probably better off with the PS3 or Xbox360.

Oh really?

Because we didn't get GoW2?

You can Keep GoW2, I will be over here happy and content with my Crysis, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Farcry 2, Warhammer Online, Red Alert 3, Dawn of War 2, Fallout 3, Call of Duty, Left4Dead, Mirror's Edge, Silent Hill Homecoming, Dragon Age, Sims 3 or any of the host of PC Exclusive or Upgraded Graphic/Performance, or highly modable versions that we have.

Pfft... PC gaming has been "In bad shape" since "Don't copy that floppy" Yet that has not seemed to stop the dazzling array of PC titles from flooding the shelves.

At the enthusiast level, gaming on the PC cannot be matched. However, if you look closely most of the titles worth playing on the PC this year and next year will be on either the PS3, 360, or both as well. I'm not saying we should all give up on PC gaming, as I still love playing games on my somewhat dated rig with an 8800GTX, but I have expanded my library to the Wii, PS3, and 360 as well.

Far Cry 2, Red Alert 3, Call of Duty, and Left for Dead are NOT PC exclusives, not sure about the others.

I would recommend getting the Xbox 360. The games are MUCH better, in most cases the graphics are better, the controller is way better, and it's much cheaper. It's hard to recommend a PC for the genres you listed. Sports, Action, and Adventure games are not that great on the PC. The main thing the PC is good for are strategy and FPS, but if you get a 360 then you get GoW2 and Halo 3, both are excellent shooters for the consoles. I don't think the PS3 has any good shooters available exclusively to itself.

The PS3 has Uncharted: Drakes Fortune which plays similar to Gears of War, has platforming elements as well as more advanced melee combat, better graphics/physics/animations, but is only single player. Metal Gear Solid 4 is basically stealth/shooter, Resistance 2 is coming out, and Killzone 2 as well. Halo 3 and Gears of War are great games though, and I'll definitely be picking up Gears 2 November 7th.

 

[killyou400p]

Well thanks for the all the responses. I still got a month or so to choose. Well i might HAVE to get the PC because i might have to give this one away. But for PC im looking to play Diablo 3 and SC2 which wont be out for Ps3. But i do really like sports games a lot so im looking for that too. Its really hard to choose as i play variety. I might even have to get both if i really have too. Ill sell my ps2 or wii to get money for a 360 or ps3.

 

[tallguy1618]

You can get a 360 for 200 dollars in the states, cheaper than even the Wii. If you want sports games, I would not recommend the computer unless you hook up a controller to it, but that may be just my preference. Microsoft has fixed most of the problems with the 360, they don't die as much. Even if they do, it comes with 3 year warranty for free replacements. $200, better games, better for sports in particular, and less problems with a 3 year warranty, I highly recommend the 360.

 

[San Pedro]

I would get a PC and a wireless 360 controller for it, especially for sports games, and you will be all set. For a grand, you'll have a sweet PC.

Between the 360 and PS3, I'd the PS3, but that's mainly because it's a good blu-ray player too.

 

[arlandi]

how about the price of the games?
which usually has the cheapest price, PC, 360 or PS3?

killyou400p, you may want to consider this factor too, since console makers usually charge some amount to each game sold for their hardware.

 

[Heyyou27]

how about the price of the games?
which usually has the cheapest price, PC, 360 or PS3?

killyou400p, you may want to consider this factor too, since console makers usually charge some amount to each game sold for their hardware.

PC games are almost always cheaper than PS3 / 360 games which usually retail at $59.99. For the 360, subscription based Xbox Live Gold is required to play games online, so in a sense playing the actual games on the 360 could be considered even more expensive. I recently started playing the new Crysis and have been very impressed with the performance improvements over the original.

 

[cafuddled]

I have all three and I think the one I am using just now the most is the PC, I do however use my PS3 a lot for streaming movies and TV shows off my PC hard disks as it has every codec I could ever think of. There is also a game, Overlord, that I want to buy for the PS3 but I think the best one for games will be the 360 as I am looking forward to Fable 2 and Fallout 3 but to be honest if Fallout 3 is coming for the PC I would rather play it on that.
So really the choice is yours, for games and fun and flexibility you’re best going with the PC, for just pure senseless good gaming with no flexibility at all (really crappy at being a media center as does not even play DivX or others, just WMV & WMA), a monthly fee to play games online & the fact that it will have a near 100% chance of breaking and needing an RMA (my one broke 3 times already) then get a 360.
And if you have a small PC and want a good gaming experience but don’t mind losing out on a small number of Xbox360 exclusives in return for much better hardware and an excellent media extender with built in wireless then get the PS3.
By the way if it’s your one and only games platform I would defiantly recommend the PC.

 

[will_chellam]

Interestingly, my xbox 360 works just fine while streaming all the media ive tried from my pc - including xvid divx mpg ts etc.

Its besides the point because the original poster states his intention is for gaming not anything else, and there is an almost unilateral opinion that the xbox is better than the ps3 in terms of quality and quantity of games not-to-mention it costs only half as much.

I dont have anything against the ps3 per-se, if i wanted a blu-ray player id certainly buy one, but the hi-def streaming output from my xbox is flawless so i dont.

 

[itech]

This is an absolute no brainer. PC everytime.

The graphics are 10 times better than that of the PS3 or 360. Games are half the price and can be updated with fixes, patches and expansion packs. Online play is better. Choice of any controller including PS3 or XBOX 360. Easy and cheap to upgrade any component to take it to the next generation of gaming whereas with a console you have to buy a whole new one.

 

[Heyyou27]

Interestingly, my xbox 360 works just fine while streaming all the media ive tried from my pc - including xvid divx mpg ts etc.

Its besides the point because the original poster states his intention is for gaming not anything else, and there is an almost unilateral opinion that the xbox is better than the ps3 in terms of quality and quantity of games not-to-mention it costs only half as much.

I dont have anything against the ps3 per-se, if i wanted a blu-ray player id certainly buy one, but the hi-def streaming output from my xbox is flawless so i dont.

I think he must be using the Media Center Extender. I've noticed that when using Media Center on my 360 it won't play a lot of video formats, but they can be played from my PC no problem on the dashboard. Also, last night's firmware update 2.50 for the PS3 added flash9 support so sites like Hulu can now be used on the web browser, but I haven't tested it much so I can't say how well it really works.

Maybe last year the Xbox360 had more high quality games, but this year the PS3 does. The highest rated exclusive on the 360 this year that isn't a Live Arcade game was Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise which has an 82 on metacritic, vs a 94 for Metal Gear Solid 4 and a current 96 for Little Big Planet.
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/vivapinatatroubleinparadise
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/metalgearsolid4gunsofthepatriots?q=Metal%20Gear%20Solid%204
http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/littlebigplanet

If price is a major issue, no doubt the 360 can't be beat at $199. The PS3 however offers a lot of features that the 360 does not currently support, and many of them won't be in the new Xbox experience either. I like my PS3 more than my 360, but I don't play games online a lot and it's the better system for media(both the interface and the fact that the system is silent). If you want to use your Xbox for gaming only, and plan on playing online a lot the 360 is obviously the better choice. Whatever he does though, he will be missing out on either Gears of War 2, Little Big Planet, Resistance 2, or possibly all of those titles with the PC. (along with Resident Evil 5!) Honestly though, it's a shame he can't get them all because the Xbox360, PS3, and PC all have something more than worthwhile to offer.

 

[will_chellam]

+1 to that

probably the most reasoned comment ive read and completely free of any fanboism!

I like my 360, it does everything i want it to at a price that was extremely decent (and it plays games as well!)

I like the way i can control the dashboard with my universal remote, use msn messenger and i like the way i can download demos for free - all good things.

If i was richer im sure id have got a ps3, then again im sure id have a bigger house, a dedicated home cinema room and a projector, and a 360, anda pc and wii and a nice car

 

[dhitchner]

I have an Xbox 360 and a high quality PC gaming machine. I still play the Xbox more often when it comes to multi-player games on Xbox Live, and I usually use my PC for single player games. If I had to choose between the two I'd have to choice my Xbox 360 (but I'm much more proud of my PC which I built myself).

 

[VoidNull]

Far Cry 2, Red Alert 3, Call of Duty, and Left for Dead are NOT PC exclusives, not sure about the others.

I never said they were.

or any of the host of PC Exclusive or Upgraded Graphic/Performance, or highly modable versions that we have.

The PC has a lot of exclusive titles, but even those that appear on PC and Console will normal have better graphics, more options and greater customization on the PC than with the console version which is why I continue to be an avid PC gamer.

Oblivion for example, is not even 1/8th of the game on that it is on the PC, if nothing else than for the mods.

If the question is "What will be the better gaming experience" then its PC hands down every time.

Better Graphics, Better Framerates, More Options, Easy customization, Better Multiplayer and access to a host of games that Consoles are either incapable of, or provide a 2nd rate gaming experience such as MMO's, RPG's, FPS, RTS & Simulation style games.

And those games that do not play so well without a control pad? Just plug in a 360 controller and your ready to go.

If you can't afford the buy in price for a decent gaming rig, then consoles are a good alternative, but for the price point of $1000 you should be able to build yourself a fairly decent rig that will wipe the floor with both the 360 & PS3 if you shop carefully.

Case: Rosewill R5604-BK 0.8mm Japanese Cold Rolled Steel Dual 120mm Fans Screw-Less design ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $54.99

Combo:
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache

Motherboard: EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

Price: $369.98

RAM: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $69.99 ($44.99 w/MIR)

GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-N891-AR GeForce 9800 GX2 - $279.99

PSU: Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1000 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready - $179.99

Tri-SLI Motherboard, 3 Ghz Dualcore with 6mb cache, 4 gigs of RAM, 1000W PSU, a 9800GX2 and the ability to add a 2nd one with Ease for Quad SLI for only $270 more.

$930 for the system as is.
$1210 for a Quad SLI System (2x9800X2)

Will rip apart a 360 or PS3.

You could find a cheaper Motherboard and PSU, but the idea was to give you the best starting point for your system.

Later on down the line you can get a Quadcore, Tri SLI 280's or whatever the latest and greatest GPU is, and use the best that the current Gen has to offer.

 

[aziraphale]

PC. All the way.

 

[Hellboy]

PC. All the way.

Depends...


PC ... Universally the best choice - loads of games - some good cheap stuff too... best multiplayer experience.. also free multiplayer too. Online Role playing games. Loads of applications, does letters, emails surfs web easy, watch porn, etc etc
Fastest platform, can have blu-ray. Runs on own monitor - wife can watch soaps at same time.. - ( worth for that alone )
online shopping etc etc

Xbox 360 - loads of games, some not cheap tho. Resonable multiplayer - cheap to buy- best choice for cheap gamer.
uses telly (needs hd tv to get best out of it)

PS3 - highest spec console, not as good as pc, games not that good at moment. Multiplayer worst in bunch..Got a blu-ray as standard. Dearest console, - uses telly ( needs hd tv to get best out of it) - does surf internet but its crap..

 

[tallguy1618]

Bottom line: If you can afford it, the PC is the best although you will probably need a 360 controller for racing and sports games. The 360 is the best of the consoles for its cheap price and infinitely superior games. Don't believe what the PS3 fanboys say: The 360 does not fail nearly as much as it used to. Now, it's slightly above average, but not that much more than a PS3 or Wii. Microsoft also gives a free 3 year warranty in case it fails. So basically, it generally does not fail more than a PS3 or Wii but yet you still get the 3 year warranty. The PS3 is stuck as the unhappy median. It's not as good or powerful as a PC, yet it still costs a lot more than the 360. It tries to offer the same features as a PC, but it is still lower quality than a PC. The games as a whole are not as good as 360 games, and games released for both are generally better on the 360. The only reason why you would buy a PS3 is for the blu-ray player, which is a big bonus. In all: PC if you have the money, 360 for a cheaper solution but still good, and a PS3 for a good blu-ray player that can also play games.

 

[Heyyou27]

Bottom line: If you can afford it, the PC is the best although you will probably need a 360 controller for racing and sports games. The 360 is the best of the consoles for its cheap price and infinitely superior games. Don't believe what the PS3 fanboys say: The 360 does not fail nearly as much as it used to. Now, it's slightly above average, but not that much more than a PS3 or Wii. Microsoft also gives a free 3 year warranty in case it fails. So basically, it generally does not fail more than a PS3 or Wii but yet you still get the 3 year warranty. The PS3 is stuck as the unhappy median. It's not as good or powerful as a PC, yet it still costs a lot more than the 360. It tries to offer the same features as a PC, but it is still lower quality than a PC. The games as a whole are not as good as 360 games, and games released for both are generally better on the 360. The only reason why you would buy a PS3 is for the blu-ray player, which is a big bonus. In all: PC if you have the money, 360 for a cheaper solution but still good, and a PS3 for a good blu-ray player that can also play games.

You say "don't believe what the PS3 fanboys say" and in the next breath say that the PS3 and Wii are as likely to fail as the Xbox 360.

You also say the Xbox 360 has infinitely superior games, but the highest rated Xbox 360 exclusive to come out this year is Fable 2 and it only has a 89 on metacritic, vs the 94 for Metal Gear Solid 4 and a 95 for Little Big Planet. Most games are multi-platform these days, and owning both consoles the difference between the two is very small. I use to pick up for multi-platform titles for the 360, but have switched to the PS3 because the 360 is so f*cking loud, any difference in quality is very minor. Also, Microsoft's 3 year warranty only covers the RRoD, while everything else is only covered by a 1 year warranty. One of my friends had his disc drive break on his 360, scratching his copy of Gears of War very badly in the process. Luckily, Microsoft does replace scratched discs and he had an extended warranty at best buy. Now if you plan on only using your game console for online gaming with your friends the 360 is definitely the better console, but when it comes to extra non-gaming features, the PS3 is the better system.

PS3
Much quieter
Upgradable hard drive
Blu-ray
Free Online
7.1 surround sound support, as well as better 1080p support
Full titles available for download on PSN
Built in Web Browser
Folding@home
Built in Wi-Fi
Controllers have rechargeable batteries built in
PSP connectivity support
No region locking
Officially supports Linux

360
A lot cheaper
Xbox Live (if you're willing to pay)
Netflix support in New Xbox Experience
Media Center Extender
Upscales everything to selected resolution
No required game installs
Larger game library
Achievements (technically the PS3 has a similar system now, but it's not supported nearly as much as the 360's setup yet)

 

[AdioKIP]

I've got all 3 systems. I spend the most time on the PC, but thats because it does alot more then gaming. As far as gaming goes, the best order I've found is Xbox 360, PC, PS3.

Xbox 360 is a great system. Microsoft paid attention and made a good operating system that functions well and gives the 360 great capabilities. The majority of titles that are released on multiple platforms play better on the 360 then the PS3 and the number of quality games on the 360 is much higher then on the PS3.

The PC is great if you want to get more hands on, dont mind tweaking, and can build a descent PC. I had stepped away from heavy pc gaming until I built my new dual core rig back in Dec. PC definitely has the best graphics and some of the most in depth games, but its not as simple as the 360.

The PS3, honestly I wouldnt even consider it an option against the other two. In the 19 months that I've had mine i've gotten all of 6 games, compared to about 30+ for my 360 in just over 2 years and probably about 5 pc games since building my dual core rig. (Only reason there arent more pc are that I had already played all the good games on Xbox (Bioshock, COD4, Orange Box, Devil May Cry 4, Oblivion, Gears of War, Ghost Recon 2). While the PS3 has some good exclusives (Uncharted was done in full DTS sound, still the best sounding game I have ever heard) the number of exclusives and other quality games pales in comparison to either of the other systems.

One thing I will mention in all fairness... I'm on my 4th Xbox 360. Microsoft has taken care of it each time but its still rather annoying. About a month ago was my third time sending it in. I sent it on a Friday, the next thursday UPS dropped it back off on my door step so I think they went ahead and sent me a new one this time. Its ALOT quieter then my old xbox, the dvd drive sounds much smoother now and havent had any issues but its only been about a month....