XBox PS3 Game availability comparison

[Izzo]

So I'm trying to decide if I should get a 360 or PS3. (own thread hijack - is there a clearcut winner thus far or is it still dependent on what the user wants?)

Is there a website that will tell me what games are console specific? I play mostly sports games, but want to make sure I can play as many can't miss titles that I can in the future. Good to see that FO3 is on both. I don't follow console gaming too closely, so please enlighten me on which franchises and games belong to one console or the other.

Side note: why is MLB the Show only on PS3? That is the best baseball game out there, but it's not on Xbox...

What other factors should I weigh in making my decision? I don't need Blu-Ray or care much about online play. I read the FAQ above and the only one that jumped out at me was game selection. So I'm hoping to address that here. What about Xbox hardware failure...is that still a problem now, or was that limited to the earlier models?

 

[S h o o B i E x]

This may not be as specific as you need. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorynly-platform_software

 

[purbeast0]

if you play mainly sports games, personally i would go with PS3 simply because of the controller. I like playing sports games with the d-pad and the d-pad on the ps3 controller is way better than the 360 one.

also MLB the show is published by SCEE, so you won't be seeing that on xbox ... ever heh.

the majority of sports games are multiplatform, and the majority of them are going to be pretty identical (starting this year heh).

but keep in mind, on 360, xbox live is more streamlined than the PS3 online interface is, so if online gaming is a concern of yours, you should do some research on the online aspects of the sports games on either console.

i have both consoles, and the way I pretty much play my games out is on Xbox360, I tend to play the racers/fps there, whereas on PS3 I'm mainly playing it for the adventure/action games.

 

[mugs]

If you're primarily interested in sports games, get whichever system has the controller. The game selection is pretty much the same, as long as you're talking about the major sports games. MLB 08: The Show is a notable exception; it's developed by Sony, so obviously it won't come out on the 360. If you're into racing games, the selection is much different on the two systems. You could go over to Gamerankings and filter on the sports you want for the two systems and see how they compare.

If you don't care about online play, you probably wouldn't want to pay $40/year for it. Thus you wouldn't get XBL Gold, and you would never play online on the 360. If you got a PS3, you'd at least have the opportunity to play for free if you want to, even if the experience isn't as good as XBL Gold.

RRoD is still a problem; I don't believe the Falcon boards fixed it, although they probably helped. Jasper may help some more, and it's due out in a couple of months I think. If you do decide on the Xbox 360, wait to see what happens with the prices/lineup next week.

Other factors -
Do you need wifi? PS3 has it built in, Xbox 360 requires external adapter ($$$).
The biggest factor for me is the controller. If you haven't played with both, you should. As purbeast0 noted, the PS3's D-pads are superior. Xbox 360 controller has some other advantages (at least in the minds of most people).

 

[DaveSimmons]

I don't need Blu-Ray or care much about online play.

That nullifies the signature features of both the PS3 and xbox (Live)

What about Xbox hardware failure...is that still a problem now, or was that limited to the earlier models?

No one has real numbers but the xbox is rumored to still have a higher failure rate. If you can wait a couple of months the new "Jasper" revision will be out that shrinks the graphics chip down to run cooler, solving the main cause of failures.

Do you have a PS2? If not, one reason to consider the 80 GB version of the PS3 is that it plays ~80% of all PS2 & PS1 games. There are piles of Japanese RPGs like the Final Fantasy series you could buy. (The 40 GB model only plays PS1 games not PS2.)

Of course you could instead buy a 360 and a PS2 Slim.

 

[RandomFool]

There's no real winner right now. I'm a 360 guy myself, mainly because it has a larger selection of games I'm interested in and I like the controller better. Those are really the two things you should focus on when getting a new system.

RROD is still around but the falcons seem to have mostly fixed the problem.

I usually pick up at least one sports game a generation but I've yet to get one yet. Either way I'd wait until after E3 to decide, there is likely going to be a 360 price drop and who knows what from Sony.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

I don't need Blu-Ray or care much about online play.

That nullifies the signature features of both the PS3 and xbox (Live)

What about Xbox hardware failure...is that still a problem now, or was that limited to the earlier models?

No one has real numbers but the xbox is rumored to still have a higher failure rate. If you can wait a couple of months the new "Jasper" revision will be out that shrinks the graphics chip down to run cooler, solving the main cause of failures.

The current failure rate for the Falcons is estimated to be around 10% or less. Not as high as the original boards but much better. Since Jasper will be shrinking the major cause of the failures...the GPU...the failure rate on the upcoming 360s should be within normal expectations.

 

[purbeast0]

oh yea and btw, the xbox360 is going to $300 next week for the model that includes the 20gb hdd.

 

[oznerol]

I'm a big sports gamer - Madden in particular, but also the NHL games and the occasional NBA game (they've been lousy on all next-gen consoles as of late).

The 360 has been the primary development platform for EA sports games as of late, though the PS3 is supposed to be an equal this year. You said you don't care much about online play, but ironically, the majority of new features in sports games these days are focusing on the online aspect of the game. NCAA and Madden will (finally) have online leagues, the NHL games have a solid online community, etc. It's something to look into, and definitely gives the game more life and makes things more competitive. I would say the 360 is also better in this aspect, if for nothing else the standard voice chat in games.

The controller is a personal preference - I played a ton of Madden on the PS2 so the Sony controller was very familiar, but when I moved to the 360 controller I can't imagine going back. Sticks are more responsive, triggers feel better, and the controller vibration is excellent. The D-pad is weak, but the new Madden controls have actually been redesigned with the 360 controller in mind (which the PS3 controls have since inherited), instead of using the traditional PS2 standard which was set ~Madden 2000 - so the D-pad is actually utilized less. The same goes for the EA NHL games (though not the 2k games).

Aside from that, "can't miss titles" is completely relative. A fairly stereotypical view is if you enjoy more western games, the 360 is better. If you enjoy more eastern games, the PS3 is better.

 

[derdrache]

PS3 seems more open all around for doing things other than just gaming and is well on the way to becoming a very central media hub with lots of possibilities.

360 is a bit more locked down but is really focused on gaming aspect, especially with LIVE and the in game controls for personal audio and communication with LIVE.

In game XMB is nice on PS3 but xbox seems to have a better handle on limiting their ui in game to just what you really need to get to.

PS3 is a power hog but im not sure what the compare is to 360.

PS3 has standard rechargeable controllers and wifi built in the system. 360 is $20 for battery packs and $99 for wifi adapter. Wifi adapter does work really nicely though and fits in with console design.

I have a great gaming computer so most of the 360 exclusives seem to also come out for PC, the same is not true with the PS3 exclusives. GoW3, MGS4, FF13, Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted, Motorstorm 1 and 2, Resistance Fall of Man 1 and 2 and games like that.

My suggestion is you chummy up with a friend who has one of them and borrow it for a week, that is the best way to make a decision. I did that with 360 and PS3 and chose the PS3 over the 360. I now have access to both via a roomate but I stick with my decision between the two. I mostly picked it for the all in one package it offered being the only thing I had to buy was a video cable as it only came with standard 3 color connectors (cheapos).

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: derdrache
PS3 seems more open all around for doing things other than just gaming and is well on the way to becoming a very central media hub with lots of possibilities.

360 is a bit more locked down but is really focused on gaming aspect, especially with LIVE and the in game controls for personal audio and communication with LIVE.

The 360 can stream xvid, divx, wmv, and other video and music formats as well as pictures. You can do so via PCs with Windows XP or Vista or even Macs. They also offer movie rentals and TV purchases through Live marketplace.

Sony is supposed to be coming out with a video store for the PS3 this summer.

PS3 is a power hog but im not sure what the compare is to 360.

The Falcon 360 has a 175watt draw. The upcoming chipset change will have less.
The 40GB PS3 has a 135watt draw. The 80GB PS has a 200watt draw (unless these moved down to the 65nm process already)

PS3 has standard rechargeable controllers and wifi built in the system. 360 is $20 for battery packs and $99 for wifi adapter. Wifi adapter does work really nicely though and fits in with console design.

You can use regular AA batteries, rechargeable AA batteries, or buy the battery packs for the 360 controllers. The play and charge kits can be had for less than $20. The battery packs by themselves or even less than that.

The 360 WiFi adapter is not required. There are other options as detailed in the FAQ

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Queasy
You can use regular AA batteries, rechargeable AA batteries, or buy the battery packs for the 360 controllers. The play and charge kits can be had for less than $20. The battery packs by themselves or even less than that.

The 360 WiFi adapter is not required. There are other options as detailed in the FAQ

Yeah, rechargeable AAs are really the way to go. Much cheaper, much more versatile. I say this even though I have a charger and two 360 rechargeable batteries... I only have them because one of them came with my Costco bundle, and I wanted an external charger (which came with another battery). I don't like plugging in my controller to charge it, especially in the middle of a game. I just keep one battery on the charger and swap them when the one I'm using dies.

The batteries go for about $10 individually, but the street price of the Xbox 360 controller is $15 less than the street price of the Dualshock 3, so that's a wash.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Queasy
You can use regular AA batteries, rechargeable AA batteries, or buy the battery packs for the 360 controllers. The play and charge kits can be had for less than $20. The battery packs by themselves or even less than that.

The 360 WiFi adapter is not required. There are other options as detailed in the FAQ

Yeah, rechargeable AAs are really the way to go. Much cheaper, much more versatile. I say this even though I have a charger and two 360 rechargeable batteries... I only have them because one of them came with my Costco bundle, and I wanted an external charger (which came with another battery). I don't like plugging in my controller to charge it, especially in the middle of a game. I just keep one battery on the charger and swap them when the one I'm using dies.

Yeah, I actually started out using rechargeable AAs and a play and charge kit for my three controllers. But the rechargeable AAs kept getting raided for batteries for kid's toys so I broke down and got the Nyko rechargeable station (comes with battery pack) and one more battery pack all at a discount. Now I don't have to worry about hunting for AAs anymore.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Queasy
You can use regular AA batteries, rechargeable AA batteries, or buy the battery packs for the 360 controllers. The play and charge kits can be had for less than $20. The battery packs by themselves or even less than that.

The 360 WiFi adapter is not required. There are other options as detailed in the FAQ

Yeah, rechargeable AAs are really the way to go. Much cheaper, much more versatile. I say this even though I have a charger and two 360 rechargeable batteries... I only have them because one of them came with my Costco bundle, and I wanted an external charger (which came with another battery). I don't like plugging in my controller to charge it, especially in the middle of a game. I just keep one battery on the charger and swap them when the one I'm using dies.

Yeah, I actually started out using rechargeable AAs and a play and charge kit for my three controllers. But the rechargeable AAs kept getting raided for batteries for kid's toys so I broke down and got the Nyko rechargeable station (comes with battery pack) and one more battery pack all at a discount. Now I don't have to worry about hunting for AAs anymore.

Glad you had good luck with your Nyko batteries... mine caused my controller to act screwy. I put one in while I was playing Bioshock, and as soon as I unpaused it decided to empty a whole magazine at the ceiling. I was pretty pissed, because ammo can be hard to come by early on in Bioshock (at least it was for me, since the last console FPS I really played was Goldeneye). I found some Amazon.com reviews that reported similar occurrences.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: mugs
Glad you had good luck with your Nyko batteries... mine caused my controller to act screwy. I put one in while I was playing Bioshock, and as soon as I unpaused it decided to empty a whole magazine at the ceiling. I was pretty pissed, because ammo can be hard to come by early on in Bioshock (at least it was for me, since the last console FPS I really played was Goldeneye). I found some Amazon.com reviews that reported similar occurrences.

I haven't had any issues with my controllers using the Nyko battery packs. Though, I may have to start using that excuse for Forza Game Night.

 

[derdrache]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: mugs
Glad you had good luck with your Nyko batteries... mine caused my controller to act screwy. I put one in while I was playing Bioshock, and as soon as I unpaused it decided to empty a whole magazine at the ceiling. I was pretty pissed, because ammo can be hard to come by early on in Bioshock (at least it was for me, since the last console FPS I really played was Goldeneye). I found some Amazon.com reviews that reported similar occurrences.

I haven't had any issues with my controllers using the Nyko battery packs. Though, I may have to start using that excuse for Forza Game Night.

Just thought id mention this project. Seems to have some grounding though it has been in development for a while now.

http://goldeneyesource.com/

 

[Dari]

Rechargeable batteries are overrated. They lose their power much, much quicker than regular batteries. I went back to regular batteries and now have a bunch of rechargeables and their power source lying here doing nothing. Worst buy of 2007.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Dari
Rechargeable batteries are overrated. They lose their power much, much quicker than regular batteries. I went back to regular batteries and now have a bunch of rechargeables and their power source lying here doing nothing. Worst buy of 2007.

Depends on what kind of rechargeable batteries you're talking about, and what you mean by lose their power more quickly.

Top of the line NiMh batteries have about 2700 mAh capacity. A standard alkaline has around half that. For high drain applications (i.e. a camera flash), standard NiMh batteries are much better than alkalines. But standard NiMh cells will discharge themselves in about a month. But now there are a lot of low self-discharge batteries on the market. Sanyo is the best brand for NiMh batteries, and their low self-discharge line is called Eneloop. Rayovac has their Hybrid line, and Kodak also has low self-discharge batteries. I'm sure there are others by now. They have a capacity around 2000 mAh (still higher than alkalines), but they'll retain 85% of their charge after 1 year and 50% after 2 years of non-use.

Then there are lithium ion batteries like the one in the PS3 controller. They also discharge slowly.

When buying rechargeable batteries, be sure to buy quality batteries. Sanyo is great, but they're expensive.

Here are some comparisons:
NiMh
Alkaline

 

[DirtMcGirt]

Originally posted by: derdrache
I have a great gaming computer so most of the 360 exclusives seem to also come out for PC, the same is not true with the PS3 exclusives. GoW3, MGS4, FF13, Ratchet and Clank, Uncharted, Motorstorm 1 and 2, Resistance Fall of Man 1 and 2 and games like that.

Just what I was about to say. Play your FPS/RTS/MMO on the PC and play your sports games, racers, fighters, platformers, exclusive titles (like the ones mentioned above) on the PS3. Don't get me wrong though, if you primarily game on consoles and use your PC for general/work related tasks then by all means, get the 360 as it offers a deeper library of games that represents 80-90% of the PS3's library. I've had all three systems since launch and it's now that I've come to realize how identical the 360's "exclusives" are to the PC's.