Although the Xbox 360 hit shelves more than a year before the PS3, there is now only around £ 100 / $ 200 between the two systems. Many people have waited a year or so for both systems to drop in price and become established before making a relatively expensive purchase. The big question is, if you only go for one of the two systems, which one should you choose?
Well, keep in mind that it is very difficult to give an unbiased opinion as it will be based on personal experience and you will get different answers from everyone. However, since I was in the exact same position only a few months ago, I can give you my opinion and why I chose the system that I chose. This is not to say that one is necessarily better than the other.
In the past I had a Playstation, when this system first came out it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen and I couldn’t see how it could get any better, well that was until the PS2 came out of course. Towards the end of the life of the PS2, the Xbox came out, I resisted this as long as possible because I was afraid it was another market that Microsoft was going to take out and eventually everything in the world would be Microsoft.
Up to this point the PlayStation had some titles that were exclusive to the systems, but now all of a sudden you had the Xbox that had Halo and also Elder Scrolls are your Morrowind (although this originated from the PC). I was so impressed by Morrowind that I bought the system for that game. Additionally, PlayStation no longer had exclusive rights to the Grand Theft Auto series, although for a time it would appear on the PS about a year before its release on other systems.
On paper, the specification of the PS3 is much better, not only is it faster and has better graphics, but it also contains the next generation of DVD players, the Blu Ray. It was the fact that the PS2 had a DVD player that gave it a great selling point, especially when it came to convincing your partner that it was a worthy purchase, and not just for gaming.
However, Microsoft managed to get its next-gen system off the shelves long before Sony did, so we’ve reached a point where developers are really getting familiar with the system and producing some really outstanding games. What really changed for me (aside from a cheaper price) was the fact that Xbox had a huge and thriving online community in the form of Xbox Live, where I could play against or with friends online while talking to them through the handset. The PS3 also has an online community with a built-in 3D forum called Home, but this is still in its infancy. Of course, if you have the money, choose both, as each will contain its unique good points.