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Poll: XBox360 or PS3 integrated into an HTPC set-up

C

chizow

Diamond Member
I'm looking into getting either an XBox360 or PS3 to use with my 24" LCD. Current PC titles are decent, but I'd like to check out the buzz surrounding these new consoles and gaming on a console with a joypad is a bit more relaxing than mouse and kb. I've also read current console games look better better than anything available on the PC currently.

I'm also very interested in HD-DVD and Blu-Ray movies. After getting an HD Cable box for my LCD, I find it very difficult to watch movies with a software player, especially since they usually don't give true 1080p even in full-screen mode (its a letter box within a letter box).

Right now, it seems like the XBox360 has more titles, but a lot of them look to be cross-platform. Gears of War will be ported to the PC eventually and XBox360 has Halo 3 exclusive. PS3 will also have its share of exclusives like FF13.

Force feedback seems to be gone from the PS3, but I'm assuming its still there with the 360? In some games I found FF to be excellent, but in others it was more of a nuisance. Do you PS3 users miss it?

For now it'll go with my HTPC set-up to my 5.1 DD/DTS receiver and my 24" LCD. I'll look to add a 1080p big screen at some point, I just don't have the room or money for one now.

Edit: Online implementation. XBox Live definitely seems to have the edge here and will be cross-functional with Windows Live when it launches. How is PS3's online implementation in terms of interface/support/functionality?
 
XBox 360 for me. I use it with my PC to stream my videos and music collection to my TV/stereo and am quite happy with it. I also really enjoy Xbox Live's service, renting/downloading HD movies/TV shows, trying out game demos, and playing the Arcade games like Worms etc.

You mentioned true 1080p but you only have a 24" TV. I don't really know of any 24" TV that even can really display true 1080p without actually down converting it to 1080i or 720p. But regardless on a screen that small would you really be able to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p anyway? Everything I have ever heard is that you can't tell a difference on anything less than like a 37" to 40".
 
xbox 360 has now matured which in consoles I think is a good idea. Microsoft to Microsoft product makes sense to me also. I like a lot of the games on the 360 I suggest waiting till the new Black quiterm HDMI and 120G HDD comes out very soon.
 
Originally posted by: AeroEngy
XBox 360 for me. I use it with my PC to stream my videos and music collection to my TV/stereo and am quite happy with it. I also really enjoy Xbox Live's service, renting/downloading HD movies/TV shows, trying out game demos, and playing the Arcade games like Worms etc.
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Interesting about the Live downloads. I knew you could download demos (PS3 allows this as well), but it also offers Cable/Satellite features like HD movies and shows On-Demand in Full HD? That's my main gripe about Comcast HD, not all of the channels are in 1080 and maybe 5% of the On Demand content is in HD.

You mentioned true 1080p but you only have a 24" TV. I don't really know of any 24" TV that even can really display true 1080p without actually down converting it to 1080i or 720p. But regardless on a screen that small would you really be able to tell the difference between 720p and 1080p anyway? Everything I have ever heard is that you can't tell a difference on anything less than like a 37" to 40".
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Its a 1920x1200 native LCD monitor with 1:1 pixel mapping so it can do Full HD with 60 horizontal bars on the top and bottom. PC games and 1080i movies from my HD box look incredible so I'm expecting nothing less from a PS3 or XBox360. 1080p BD or HD-DVD movies should look even more stunning. I'm only 2-5 feet away from it and the difference between a scaled image vs. 1:1 at any distance is pretty noticeable (similar to running non-native on any LCD).

Originally posted by: jameswhite1979
xbox 360 has now matured which in consoles I think is a good idea. Microsoft to Microsoft product makes sense to me also. I like a lot of the games on the 360 I suggest waiting till the new Black quiterm HDMI and 120G HDD comes out very soon.
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Ya I saw the latest news yesterday, but there still doesn't seem to be any firm date on the black version's release. I do like the XBox360's features overall, but the only thing holding me back is some of the hardware implementation with future exclusives a distant second. The BD on the PS3 seems far superior to the 360's HD-DVD implementation, but I could be way off.
 
Well i currently own a PS3, but i consider myself far removed from the typical Fanboy as I own an array of systems... So hopefully i can provide a little insight, especially since i owned a PS3 and an XBOX 360 w/ HD-DVD at the same time and got to compare them side by side.

What i was looking for when i bought both systems was something to integrate games, music, and movies into my home theater system. Specifically i wanted High Definition disc playback, so i was impartial to either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray as either would fit the bill for me.

As for Games, 360 definitely has the upperhand at the moment, but i wouldn't sell PS3 short. There are some promising titles on the horizon, and Motorstorm, which just came out, is a very very cool game. The few cross platform titles i've played (Fight Night Round 3), did in fact look better on the 360, but i've heard it was the case since the game was made for the 360, then ported to the PS3. I think the PS3 game outlook is gonna be a wait and see thing, at least thats what i'm doing...

As for High Def playback, I have to give the nod to the PS3. Maybe its my DLP TV (which only does a max of 1080i/720p), but Blu-Ray titles just feel crisper and brighter to me. Could even be due to the HDMI on the PS3 as opposed to the Component on the 360, but i prefer the look of the Blu-Ray discs.... Also, i really hated that i needed a separate box on the 360 for HD-DVD, just didn't comport too well with my nice entertainment center, the extra box just kinda stuck out... One downfall to Sony right now is that the bluetooth remote is NOT backlit, making it very hard to see in the dark.

As for Media Center Capability, i had two primary concerns as this was going into my living room entertainment center. 1) Looks 2) Connectivity. Unfortunately the PS3 currently has no way to view network shares, something that really concerned me at first, so it can only view/listen things directly connected to the unit (ex/External HD, Memory Card, USB stick, etc..) or stored on the internal 60gb upgradable HD. I ended up getting an external HD and hooking it up via USB, but obviously not the most convenient when I add music to my collection on my desktop upstairs... I can only hope Sony rectifies this one day, but fortunately I had a backup plan that works well for the time being. The kicker for me was Looks... As much as i loved the Connect360 software, and the 360's ability to play network shares, I just could not get over how ugly the interface was, it felt like old school windows XP. Superficial, I know, but with a sleek entertainment center, the 360 just didn't cut it for Media Playback, i was disappointed. Also, the Visualizer on the 360 was waaaay to Trippy for my tastes, it was just too much. The PS3 on the other hand handles music/photos with class and beauty... Thats the best way i can put it... Its just very sleek and smooth, especially when you do the slideshow with photos, thats just damn gorgeous... Also, it was able to handle Album Art which the 360 was unable to do. Again, superficial i know, but for me, it fit more to what i was looking for.

So i dunno, the PS3 still definitely has its faults, but for me the PS3 just fit better into what I was looking for. You may come to a different result. Hopefully future firmware updates with allow for network share, which would make me a happy camper, but if not, i can live with the current implementation for now.

Also, as for your concern with rumble, it should be available shortly for the PS3. I heard they were in a lawsuit with the creator of the rumble, but just kissed and made up, so I think it will come with time... I hope, i miss my rumble.. 🙂
 
In my case I went with what would make more sense in the long run. So I bought a PS3 because it would complement my HTPC, HDTV and sound system. I personally think blu-ray will win the format war, even if eventually both formats lose out to online download services. The games will eventually come as more people buy the console, but I'm mainly a PC gamer so that doesnt worry me as much. I dont really need a huge catalog of games right now, but I'm assuming that they will come. I also have the 360 HD DVD player and hooked it up to my HTPC, so the one thing I wanted on the 360 I have.

The PS3 just seemed like a more elegant solution. I started with the HD DVD addon, but then wanted a better solution. I figured the cost of 360 + HD addon was too close to the price of the PS3, so I put the cost of the 360 into the PS3, then just went another $200 or so for Blu-ray + console. The one positive in my mind about the 360 is the online HD rental service. My HTPC has dual HD tuners so it didnt way as heavily on my decision as it would have if I didnt have a HTPC. From the looks of things the PS3 will have a similar service, it just doenst have it now. I also play downloaded videos from my HTPC, as neither the 360 or PS3 handles this as good as a PC.

Anyways, its not like you can really make a wrong decision. 360 has lots of games right now, and does what you want it to do. PS3 does HD movies good right now, and theres potential for everything else. In time the differences between the two will shrink even further. The 360 will drop in price before the PS3, so if I made a momental mistake (if the PS3 totally tanks) it wont cost that much to correct it.

To be honest, I was probably never going to buy a 360 no matter what it did, so it was really just the PS3 now or standalone Blu-ray/HD DVD player. I passed on the 360 when Microcenter has the $100 rebate + $100 CC sign up offer, so take my comments with a grain of salt. The cost of the PS3 is pretty much fixed for the next two years, so it didnt matter if I bought it now or later, it was going to cost the same. Also, for what's its worth, I didnt return the PS3, and if I'm the type that if I'm not 100% satisfied with a Quarter Pounder I'll get my money back! There is just so much potential. I keep coming back to the word elegant. Not a bunch of tabbed UI menus, hardware addons, or "extreme" faceplates, its just all integrated very well.
 
Originally posted by: chizow
I'm looking into getting either an XBox360 or PS3 to use with my 24" LCD. Current PC titles are decent, but I'd like to check out the buzz surrounding these new consoles and gaming on a console with a joypad is a bit more relaxing than mouse and kb. I've also read current console games look better better than anything available on the PC currently.
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You might be disappointed in the graphics department. I haven't seen anything on the 360/PS3 that looks as good as recent PC games will at 1920x1200 with max detail and 4X AA/16X AF. Load up Oblivion on your PC at those settings and then look at it on the Xbox360.

 
I would say to get both if you can afford them. They are both good consoles with a life of about 5-7 years +. In the long run the price is not that big of a deal .....I mean they are still squeezing juice out of the PS2 (God of War 2)

Do wait for the New 360 Though, but if you do get the OLD hook it up via VGA rather than component. It looks better at least on my samsung Hls-6087 1080P.
For files and things like that i am actually looking toward one of the HDD based media servers. Some are small about the size of external HD enclosures.
http://www.ewaggle.com/AL_TECH_MEDIAGATE_MG_350HD_p/mg-350hd-kit.htm ---something like this. There are tons of them though so shop well.
Good for reference www.avsforum.com
 
Hmm interesting responses, especially the detailed replies from Aphex and Childs. I like the "fully integrated" approach to PS3 as well. It just seems a lot more polished and thought out on the hardware side. The 360 seems to be much more advanced though in terms of user interface and services offered. As mentioned, the PS3 can probably fill in the gaps as Sony rolls out more services, but it seems like the 360 is pretty mature out of the box.

Network sharing would be nice but not integral. I'd still do most of that stuff on my PC like you mentioned. Online game support seems to be a bigger issue though. Have you tried any titles with online support yet? Also for PS3 rumble support, I'm assuming it'll require a new controller since the rumble mechanisms aren't in the current SixAxis controllers.

Movie playback is pretty important to me as well. I simply can't justify buying any new DVDs that I want right now knowing I want to go HD in some form soon. How are movies handled in 1080p? Do the players pan and scan and crop the images and then upscale to 1080p or am I going to get a letter box in a letter box like I get with software players?

As for graphics, PC titles can certainly look better, just many don't. Also from what I've read (there was a pretty big/heated debate over in Video a while ago), nothing comes close to Gears of War as Ichigo mentioned. Idk, I'm just becoming really disappointed with PC titles lately with all the delays and lack of titles. Then a game might be released with great visuals but lacking content or polished gameplay. I've seen games typically released on the PC first and foremost start to make it to consoles first and it concerns me (Call of Duty 3, GRAW2, GoW w/ Unreal Engine 3 etc).

I won't get both. I won't play either enough to justify buying it as a console only. The only reason I would consider buying either for over $300-400 is because of the HD movie capabilities. I bought the last XBox and was pretty disappointed with it besides the Live implementation. The PS2 had more titles I was interested in, but I couldn't get over the ugly graphics. The difference this time around though again, I'm seeing more titles I would actually play being released cross-platform with many being released on consoles first.

Interesting poll results so far though and valid points from all.
 
i recently went with a 360 after not having a console since the very first playstation days ~10yrs ago. the reason being is the lack of game support for the pc. on the pc i am still playing bf2, i feel bf2142 was a joke, and coh. on the 360 it just works, which was one of the other reason i was gettig tired, plus a gpu update was becoming necessary and the 360 was about as much as i would have put into a gpu upgrade.

rb6 on the 360 looks very good as does graw2 playing on a 720p 40" lcd, but i wouldn't say it is nothing a computer with a 8800gts/gtx (rb6, graw2) couldn't do by any means. plus i get to game with 5.1 where the lcd is - not my regular headphone for my computer. for me personally the pc is becoming even more of just a tool and not a gaming platform. more than likely i will probably switch over to linux and go back to consoles. i do feel like the consoles games do get a lot more "polish" time over a pc - imo it seems that developers are selling beta games and then patching them, but with consoles, they are selling finals. even the graphics in bf2:mc looks decent and has more features than what i see on the pc version, more refined.

the live service works well in the sense that you can know when your friends are online and you can join them in a game pretty easy. nothing that you can't do on a pc, just easier on the 360 and you don't have to know what you are doing to get it to work like if you wanted to game on a pc and then also use a teamspeak server and setting up your mic and all that - kind of annoying when the 360 is just a couple button pushes away from working.

getting used to the joystick has been interesting especially for fps, but i am not doing too bad considering i have been gaming w/ keyboard/mouse for the last decade. definately a purchase i am happy with.

as far as the ps3, never tried one out because i want to game now and not in 6mos when their games are out, plus i am not to going to support sony atm with all of their rootkits and b.s. over the past years, it has just gotten old and i don't want to support that. i don't, atm use hd-dvd, figure i will wait to see if there is a winner or if someobody comes out with a standalone hd/bluray player, but currently using just a regular dvd player or the 360 to watch sd dvds and they look fine to me over component. again, i am at 40" and sit ~10' away from the display so it is not like am sitting real close.
 
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