Taking the leap to console gaming, most likely PS3 but need advice.

[ixelion]

My recent PC upgrade will be my last one, I will most likely move to consoles within a year or so. I am thinking of getting the PS3 mostly for God of War 3 and Grand Tourismo 5.

However it's very important I get a realistic sim racer, I thought GT4 was pretty realistic but how does Forza 3 compare? Online play is also very important, there must be a "no collision" or ghost mode, because I hate bumper cars.

Most likely I will end up with a PS3 because the Xbox wheel is rather poor IMHO, and I can use my existing Logitech DFGT. But if Forza 3 has better multiplayer and a no-collision mode then this would out weigh any benefits of the GT5.

On a related note do online games in Forza 3 force driving assists or this entirely driver side? There's no point in playing a sim if I have to play with driving assists.

 

[WinGeek]

I would go with the PS3. Especially because it has the bluray player. The Xbox360 had the ability to use HDDVD but they no longer make them.

 

[Lotheron]

My recent PC upgrade will be my last one, I will most likely move to consoles within a year or so. I am thinking of getting the PS3 mostly for God of War 3 and Grand Tourismo 5.

However it's very important I get a realistic sim racer, I thought GT4 was pretty realistic but how does Forza 3 compare? Online play is also very important, there must be a "no collision" or ghost mode, because I hate bumper cars.

There is no comparison between GT4 and Forza 3. Forza 3 is leaps and bounds ahead of GT4 as far as both Graphics and realism is concerned. GT5 of course is a different story but will not be released for quite a bit longer (but almost vaporware). There are all sorts of options regarding collisions. They can be turned on, off, minimal, ghosting, etc.

Most likely I will end up with a PS3 because the Xbox wheel is rather poor IMHO, and I can use my existing Logitech DFGT. But if Forza 3 has better multiplayer and a no-collision mode then this would out weigh any benefits of the GT5.

On a related note do online games in Forza 3 force driving assists or this entirely driver side? There's no point in playing a sim if I have to play with driving assists.

All of these are completely customizable in FM3. You have a choice to turn off/on ABS, traction control, stability management. Also manual/auto transmission and manual clutch on/off. There are also breaking / racing lines options.


I'm obviously biased for XBOX for games like FM3 and we have a really good AT racing community, but I understand about the wheel issue. I actually don't mind the XBOX wheel, you get used to it and it works pretty good for the price.

In the end it's what you want to do. Both have good games, although I would say that the xbox exclusives are better IMHO of course. I wouldn't buy a PS3 just because it makes a good blu-ray player, I would choose depending on the games you want and would like to play . You can get a blu-ray player for $100 now so that's no longer an issue IMO.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Buy a platform based on the games you want to play. Also, if you intend on playing online multiplayer games, you might want to also consider which consoles your friends have.

I have all 3 of the current consoles. I personally think the PS3 is the best deal but that is also my newest console so I only have a couple of games for it (God of War collection and Assassin's Creed). The Xbox 360 was my first and I have about 20 games (give or take) for it, but most of them are multi-platform games and I was tired of dealing with hardware failures, which is why I intend on buying most new games for the PS3. The newer 360s are supposedly much more reliable, but unfortunately, neither of my 360s are the newest revision.

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

It really is a hard decision. I bought a 360 first but the PS3 has some really good exclusives that I wanted to play.

I'd say I actually play my 360 more, and I'll always buy for 360 if it is an online game. Forza 3 is great. The GT5 issue is perplexing. I think they delayed it again because they saw how good Forza 3 is but that's just my guess.

Glad I bought a PS3 though. Demon's Souls and Uncharted series make it worth it alone.

 

[ixelion]

All of these are completely customizable in FM3. You have a choice to turn off/on ABS, traction control, stability management. Also manual/auto transmission and manual clutch on/off. There are also breaking / racing lines options.

So these are entirely driver side? one cannot create a game that forces all players to use abs, or disables racing line for all drivers regardless of their personal settings?

My problem isn't so much which console to buy, but which one offers a better online sim racing experience, TBH I think I would be happy with either console if I wasn't so concerned with online racing.

Even though GT5 isn't out, should one expect a robust online experience with a significant online user base with that game? Did Prologue have an online mode? was it any good?

 

[Queasy]

Yeah, I think the biggest problem is that nobody has a clue when GT5 is getting released. It was supposed to be March, then Summer, and now maybe this Fall.

So...<shrug>

At least God of War III is definitely getting released in two weeks.

 

[tdawg]

So these are entirely driver side? one cannot create a game that forces all players to use abs, or disables racing line for all drivers regardless of their personal settings?

My problem isn't so much which console to buy, but which one offers a better online sim racing experience, TBH I think I would be happy with either console if I wasn't so concerned with online racing.

Even though GT5 isn't out, should one expect a robust online experience with a significant online user base with that game? Did Prologue have an online mode? was it any good?

Not to derail the conversation here, but it sounds like you are looking for a "hardcore" racing sim. Have you tried iRacing.com yet? It's a subscription service, but very realistic. Wheel and pedal set are required and there are absolutely no assists. Graphically it's not great, but it's sufficient and the best part is I can run it on my laptop for a more "portable" racing experience.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> I will most likely move to consoles within a year or so.

You might ask this again when you're ready to buy. Prices might be lower, GT5 might be out, there may be other racing sims to consider on both platforms.

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

So these are entirely driver side? one cannot create a game that forces all players to use abs, or disables racing line for all drivers regardless of their personal settings?

My problem isn't so much which console to buy, but which one offers a better online sim racing experience, TBH I think I would be happy with either console if I wasn't so concerned with online racing.

Even though GT5 isn't out, should one expect a robust online experience with a significant online user base with that game? Did Prologue have an online mode? was it any good?

It can be forced by the host or the host can leave it up to driver side. It is very customizable.

 

[ixelion]

It can be forced by the host or the host can leave it up to driver side. It is very customizable.

This is good news, I guess console games have come a long way since the Dreamcast XD

You might ask this again when you're ready to buy. Prices might be lower, GT5 might be out, there may be other racing sims to consider on both platforms.

Yeah I definitely won't be doing it anytime soon, perhaps some better wheels will come out for the 360 by then as well.

Not to derail the conversation here, but it sounds like you are looking for a "hardcore" racing sim. Have you tried iRacing.com yet? It's a subscription service, but very realistic. Wheel and pedal set are required and there are absolutely no assists. Graphically it's not great, but it's sufficient and the best part is I can run it on my laptop for a more "portable" racing experience.

If I am going to pay monthly I might as well get Xbox live and play all 360 games online. I found GT4 to be realistic enough to keep me hooked (to demonstrate the only good sim rally since Colin Mcrae 2005 was the rally mode in GT4, so the series more than satisfies my sim cravings). Obviously I don't expect the same level of realism as in GTR2 or Race 07 - but since NFS Shift, I have learned to lower my expectations. Also, graphics are a big reason why I plan to do most of my racing on the consoles.

Forza 3 sounds very customizable, as a PC gamer this is a BIG bonus but I guess we will have to wait and see if GT5 will be the same.

 

[Lotheron]

This is good news, I guess console games have come a long way since the Dreamcast XD



Yeah I definitely won't be doing it anytime soon, perhaps some better wheels will come out for the 360 by then as well.



If I am going to pay monthly I might as well get Xbox live and play all 360 games online. I found GT4 to be realistic enough to keep me hooked (to demonstrate the only good sim rally since Colin Mcrae 2005 was the rally mode in GT4, so the series more than satisfies my sim cravings). Obviously I don't expect the same level of realism as in GTR2 or Race 07 - but since NFS Shift, I have learned to lower my expectations. Also, graphics are a big reason why I plan to do most of my racing on the consoles.

Forza 3 sounds very customizable, as a PC gamer this is a BIG bonus but I guess we will have to wait and see if GT5 will be the same.

XBOX live isn't as bad as you think. You can get prepaid cards for 12 months for $30 - $35 regularly. FM3 is leaps and bounds ahead of ANYTHING on the console right now as far as RACING is concerned. It's not a complete SIM, but it's very close. If you're main focus is racing and you want to do it on a console, you're not going to find a better alternative.

 

[Imp]

Ah, good luck with that. I said that I was never going to upgrade my computer again when I got my PS3 about 2 years ago, but here we are... (Just got a new i5 750, P183 and 5770).

I'm not a driving sim fan, but I'd still go with the Xbox 360 for the online community and higher popularity. A Blu-ray player can be had for $150 now, so don't base your decision on that either. Honestly, you can't go wrong with either nowadays. And there really is no reason you can't get both, especially since both consoles are still half the price of a new mid-high end system. Good luck/enjoy.

 

[ivan2]

if u don't like bumper cars you can forget about forza 3 online, unless you have a group of friends to play with you and they too hate bumper cars. because all public rooms have semi collusion enabled and some has full damage but none with ghost, you can only adjust private rooms with no collusion.

i am a bit more serious on FM3, but i still do my casual gaming on PS3, currently playing uncharted 1 and MW2, but if i have choice, i won't be buying any game for PS3, i don't feel good toward it's controller.

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

There is a really good wheel for the 360 with a shifter but it'll cost more than the 360 itself.

I actually don't have any issues with the MS wheel though.

 

[Kabob]

Even though GT5 isn't out, should one expect a robust online experience with a significant online user base with that game? Did Prologue have an online mode? was it any good?

When Prologue came out the biggest complaint is that it too was like massive bumper cars. Any time you play in a public room on any game the average racer doesn't mind bumping you. With FM3 there's a huge online community who takes the game more seriously (Forzacentral.com, FM.net, etc). Also, the RWD rooms are MUCH cleaner typically.

It can be forced by the host or the host can leave it up to driver side. It is very customizable.

The majority of public races leave it up to the driver.

 

[Dumac]

If you have a decent gaming PC, I would recommend a PS3 over the 360.

 

[Lotheron]

If you have a decent gaming PC, I would recommend a PS3 over the 360.

Not that I don't disagree with you, but can you explain why?

 

[Terzo]

Not that I don't disagree with you, but can you explain why?

My guess (at least, this was played a small part in my decision) is that xbox exclusives may eventually may make it to the PC courtesy of microsoft. This is probably not as true as I'd like though. Off the top of my head I can only think of Halo 1,2 and Gears of War. And I'm pretty sure I've heard those ports are terrible, saddled with Games for Windows Live, and the sequels haven't been done.

Left for Dead too, although I suppose that was multiplatform rather than exclusive.