Just like
expected, Microsoft is busting out their
Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on for a mere $199.99 in the US, while they're shipping the drive for €199.99 in Europe and £129.99 in the UK. The drive will also be bundled with
Peter Jackson's King Kong and the Xbox 360 Universal Remote. The combined price of an Xbox 360 and HD DVD drive in each region adds up to basically the same price as a PlayStation 3, which doesn't give Microsoft much of an edge for console buyers who haven't bought a next-gen console just yet, but gives them quite the price advantage for current Xbox 360 owners. It looks like Japan FTW on this one, since they're
getting their drive for roughly $170, and have a solid November 17th release date, while Microsoft is targeting mid-November for the US and Europe.
posted Sep 27th 2006 2:25PM
Where's the love in your reporting for Europe (and the rest of the globe?)? I'm fairly sure there's a world outside the US and UK...
In fact, you're getting a better deal buying the lower end Playstation 3, which will now have HDMI. That will cost $500 including HDMI, Blu-Ray, and a 20gb hard drive. Don't compare the higher end models, compare on features.
So it's the same money as the higher end PS3, but then on that you also get a larger hard drive and wireless. If you want both a game system and a next gen player, PS3 is clearly the better value.
err...seems MS is trying its hardest to sell the 360 in japan, altho they ll never beat sony or nintendo in japan.
How is this going to connect to the xbox? USB?
Will this drive work with a PC? It is just a USB 2.0 external optical device.
Sega 32x
Somehow the $500 PS3 just got a whole lot more appealing.
It's certainly a good deal for current 360 owners... At lets be honest, the PS3 isn't on store shelves yet and it's going to go for a *mint* on ebay through the holidays.
Right now it seems HD-DVD has a slight advantage in the format war (I still am hoping for Blu-Ray). So you're only out $200 if HD-DVD goes to pot. HDMI would be nice, certainly, but most people couldn't tell the difference between HDMI and component HD - honesetly.
I'll stick to HD cable and 480p until this whole mess subsides.
And people talk about how Sony's F***'d up; for anyone without a Xbox 360, the PS3 is looking even better.
I was thinking more like anyone with a 360, spending money on the PS3 looks wasteful.
Gee...now correct me if I;m wrong on this...
XBOX360 (core) + HD-DVD Player = $600
-or-
High End PS3 (doesn't need any atatchments to play HD) = $600
...also...
XBOX360 (core) + HD-DVD Player = $600
-or-
Low End PS3 (still doesn't need any atatchments to play HD) = $500
Now what are all you XBOTs gonna flame SONY for now, huh?
Good counting there slick.
Uh... you're wrong
Xbox 360 (Core) + HD-DVD drive = $500
The Premium with the HD-DVD drive = $600
While $200 is pretty cheap for the whole enchilada, I have to agree: If you want to get into both the gen DVD format and a next gen console, the PS3 is the better bet. If you are looking for just gaming, X360 will get you in cheaper. Instead of dominating the price/performance holiday sales, Microsoft just made this interesting.
Good thing I'm a DS guy. Cheap, fun games and bluray really shines on those dual screens :-)
It's a great deal for people who already own a 360 and you won't be able to walk into a store and buy a PS3 until sometime next year
Sweet Ill get the remote that is now missing from the Premium. Combine this with the more than likely price drop and Ill be golden. Three new Halo games to go along with it. Still sounds like the better option to me. Oh and if BR takes off, they can ship one of those too. What happens when BR fails? Is sony gonna ship an add on HD-DVD player???
You are wrong, the Core 360 is $300 not $400 so a 360(core) and the HD-DVD drive is $500 not $600.
Now I don't know about everyone else but I have a HDTV for gaming not movies, If I want to watch a movie I will see it in theaters so the PS3's Blu-ray drive is useless to me and that means I can use the $100 I saved getting a 360 on games.
@Jon Graft
You forgot to add:
XBOX360 (core) = $299
XBOX360 Premium = $399
What IF you don't want to invest into a format war for movies? Xbox gives you that choice, Playstation doesn't.
@radon
Okay so if your trying to say they will cost the same for low end, lets compare xbox 360 core + hd-dvd and low end PS3. Which one comes with a hard drive?
For the same price?
Which one is ready out of the box?
Which one doesnt need a duct-taped backpack addon to play the additional format?
The answer to that will be the same answer to which one will be sitting in my living room on launch day.
Oh, right, PS3. STFU XBOX fanboys you just got PWNED!
Funkbass,
I'm still at a loss to all this hoopla over HDMI. Great, it's a digital connection... now how many people will actually notice the difference vs. compononent? I'm betting not many. In fact, I can't even figure out why they totally ditched DVI. Whoop dee doo.. I get audio and Content Restriction with HDMI.
People who own HDTVs/high end players also own nice A/V recievers. We already run our sound through that, not some stupid HDMI cable to some crappy TV speakers. That leaves us with Content Restriction.. and like sheep, people like you are willing to just embrace it.
Even so, in this generation of video game systems and for the next few 5 years, no major studio will enforce content restriction on HD-DVD/Blu-Ray discs. The studios have even admitted to this. So what is the advantage of HDMI again? Maybe in the next generation of systems it will matter, but not this one.
It won't matter too much, unless there are those content restrictions. You're missing the point of my post, however. It was to just show that there were uneven comparisons between the price of the Xbox 360 with this attachment and the PS3.
My point was that the Core Xbox + Add on is for the same amount as the core PS3 by itself, only the core PS3 has the features of the Premium Xbox. So in order to really compare features to features, you'd have to compare the Premium Xbox 360 to the Core PS3, given that they both have 20gb hard drives, etc. Comparing the high end SKUs is also inaccurate because the higher end PS3 contains a larger hard drive, wireless, etc. Mentioning the HDMI was an aside.
By the way, you can just directly reply to my message now.
"how many people will actually notice the difference vs. compononent?"
HDMI looks much better when viewing HD content. SD content looks about the same, but that's a null point.
it's nearly the same difference as using VGA or DVI. if you cannot see the difference, great. save yourself a buck on cables. but there IS an easily discernible and measurable difference in picture quality.
HDMI is essentially DVI, i dont really know why they didn't just use DVI either, but whatever. (i think HDCP can be enforced though DVI as well... maybe not)
$200 seems like a pretty reasonable price, but I'll wait until the HD/Blu battle results look more solidified. With HD DVD edging out in the lead at the moment - see DVD Wars...
http://www.thedvdwars.com/index.cfm
I'd lean towards this add-on (not having an HDMI compatible TV yet), but then again, I won my X360 from a radio contest, so it's almost a no-brainer from me.
I think most of you are forgetting that the whole idea is to be able to pick and chose what you want. Why would you want to be forced to buy a format that might lose the war? If you have enough money to not care, just buy both and stop complaining.
just saw this blurb on macworld.... apparently you'll need to use the 360's VGA cable to get 1080p out of a HD-DVD.... othwerwise the constraint forces 1080i max out of the component cables. WTF? lame.
http://gadgets.macworld.com/games/the_lowdown_on_the_360s_high_d.php
You only need the VGA cables for 1080P when watching movies. You will be able to get 1080P via component cables for games. This is because of restrictions set by the HD-DVD/BR. Technically even VGA is suppose to only display up to 1080i via the same rules but M$ somehow got passed that.
Either way it is lame. M$ really messed up with not including HDMI.
"Now I don't know about everyone else but I have a HDTV for gaming not movies, If I want to watch a movie I will see it in theaters"
Wow, so you have never, ever seen a movie made before you were of the age that you could buy a movie ticket, or that you just plain missed when it was in theaters? Talk about some narrow horizons...
"What IF you don't want to invest into a format war for movies? Xbox gives you that choice, Playstation doesn't."
Sure, there's a choice. Buy or don't buy.
Seriously. I mean let's be realistic here. You're going to buy either HD-DVD or BD eventually. Deny it all you want; a lot of people said VHS was good enough for them a few years ago too, and now you can't even buy VHS tapes at Wal-Mart anymore (well, maybe you can, but it's getting harder to find them). DVD will go that route in a few years time too, and you'll be buying BD or HD-DVD.
The only question is going to be whether you want to stay stuck in the technological stone ages, and assuming not, which format you want to go with. At which point it *is* a question of spending basically the same amount of money.
Now, you can argue that a 360 lets you buy in to gaming now and upgrade to HD-DVD later, which the PS3 doesn't. Fair enough. But what if you buy a 360 now, HD-DVD folds and you *have* to buy BD (or nothing) if you want high-def movies? So now, not only did you have to spend $300 on a 360, you *also* have to spend probably $400 on a BD player. And you've got two boxes and two sets of wires going out to your TV set (believe me, this gets out of hand after a while when you start adding unnecessary components to your system).
In that case, you've actually come out significantly *behind* going the Xbox 360 route, in several ways.
Now, BD could fold just as easily as HD-DVD, in which case the reverse would be true. But I'm just saying it's basically a wash. Neither side can really claim a cost advantage here.
In order for 360 backers to claim that, you would have to assume that you will *never* want any high-def disc format. Otherwise, you're looking at 50/50 odds that buying either system will be more cost effective, so it's not an argument you can make.
Personally, I think you're getting more for the money with the PS3 - you're getting more power (however much more you think it is, it's still more), you're getting HDMI output, you're getting a 20GB drive even in the lower-end model, and you're getting a single box and a single set of wires for both games and BD. For me, not trying to delude myself that I will never have any need or desire for HD movies (in fact, I have a need and desire *right now*), the PS3 is in fact a much better value than the Xbox 360+HD-DVD.
"In that case, you've actually come out significantly *behind* going the Xbox 360 route, in several ways."
I confused *myself* with this when I read it back - I meant you've come out behind *by* going the Xbox 360 route, vs. the PS3 route.
My 50 inch LCD project has DVI. Not HDMI.
there are hdmi to dvi transiters
yea, HDMI is basically DVI with added wires for sound and whatnot... so you can slap an adapter on it.
If you want to play GAMES, get a Wii. It's $250.
If you want to play HD DVDs with gaming on the side, XBox 360.
If you want to play Blu-Ray discs with gaming on the side, PS3.
It's that simple. Also, no matter how many people go "LAWL XBOX SUX" or "LAWL PS3 FTW" or "LAWL XBOX IS DA BEST", it won't really change anyone's opinion unless playing movies with a gaming system is of utter importance.
Actually if you live, in or near Columbus, OH Microcenter has the Xbox 360 core or premium $100 off for 2 weeks, so I imagine this is just a sign the price is going to drop $100.
Microcenter Xbox 360 Promotion Link:
http://cps7.britemoon.com/ccps/ui/images/498/content_load/106/enews.09.24.online.html
@andidyus
your an idiot, "XBOX fanboys you just got PWNED!" Who will get PWNED once HD-DVD wins? Your sorry-arse!
M$ is taking the conservative approach to next gen consoles and Hi-Def DVDs. Whether you like the 360 or not, it gives you the option. Want HD-DVD then buy the drive, want wireless then buy the adapter. Sony is forcing Blue Ray down our throats. Personally I prefer HD-DVD (regardless of the 360).
The only things $ony has advantage is on HDMI, backwards compatiblity (emulation). M$ will eventually come out with HDMI and xbox compatibility is lacking. Now we only heard promises from Sony on backwards compatibilty, we need to see it in action.
The PS3 has a bigger hard drive but that doesn't play a big role in things. It would be nice to have a bigger drive for things to download (videos and demos) but honestly how long do you plan to watch the same video over and over again. For demos, you play it and if you like it then buy the game then delete it. If you don't like the demo then you'll delete it anyway. I would be happy with a larger HD but it isn't a huge deal.
Minus HDMI, I am very happy with M$ approach to the next gen console. Now M$ needs to ramp up the software available for the 360.
Here is my XBOX fanboy remark
The PS3 interface for their "Live" looks lame. it doesn't give the impression of everything at your finger-tips. Live does, IMHO.
BTW, have you played the PS3? Didn't think so, I have and wasn't that impressed. So STFU andidyus!
Oh and good luck renting or sharing games on the PS3 because you can't.
bu dud Ps3 does pwn. yea the 360 wit the hdd makes it about the same as the ps3 but the 360 is still left with the obsolete dvd9 format. you can only put so much stuff on it and if they choose to use the HD addon for gaming they have to design the 360 and/or the hd to allow it which is bad for the games cause they gotta do more stuff plus not everyone will get one. its like segas 32x addon.
11 to 1 sales this last month... ya hddvd is winning lol
up from last month that was 8 to 1 sales
And the fact is this rocks for current 360 owners... its a great price rather than a standalone system....
And for new 360 owners and people that want games they can get in nice and cheap with a core or a pro unit without any hddvd... since most wont want it anyway... and if down the road they decide they want hddvd they cna go out and pick up a hddvd addon its a simple as that
IT COMES DOWN TO CHOICE... something aparently sony has never heard of
Dont forget the other 360 reasons
GTAIV exclusive content (hours of downloadable episodeic content)
Halo 3
Gears of War
Army of Two
Bioshock
Forza 2 (with 300 cars ON THE DISK)
PGR4
SC5
Hell even viva pinata
just to name a few of the exclusives
Why would you want the HD add-on for the 360? It can't be used for games, only to play movies. If MS can make and sell an HD player for $199, surely there will stand-alone players around that price shortly.
The PS3 can utilize BlueRay for game data as well as movie playing, which is smart, but do games really need that much space?
As most have already said, I just want to play games on my game system. Shiny trinkets won't sway me.
still waiting to see what titles are out by then....
Not to mention MS could just as easily add a BR drive if needed. Oh and for actually gaming, its not a bad choice either, 3 halo titles, exclusive Splinter Cell 5, and they don't strip online content from games a la sony and their latest anouncements.
Who says we have to buy a BD or HD DVD player in the future?
I want direct HD downloads!
Crap i also forgot to say...
Tony Hawk and Virtua Tennis
No they arent exclusive, BUT ATLEAST THE 360 VERSION HAS MULTIPLAYER
Alright.. I'll bring arguments for and against Sony.
If you are going to COMPARE the Xbox 360, you have to compare the Premium unit. The Premium unit is equal to the basic PS3, just without next-gen DVD format. So you can't compare a Core Xbox 360 to a basic PS3, unless you buy a separate 20GB hard drive and add it on (which makes it the Premium unit anyways). Which makes the Sony a better deal, because not only is it $99 cheaper, but it has HDMI. HDMI > VGA any day. But you get the same hard drive space.
Now here is the kicker.....
Say if you want to compare a comparable Xbox 360 to the Premium PS3...
this is what you get...
Xbox Premium (only 20GB hard drive) $399
HD DVD drive $199
WiFi adapter $99
That makes a COMPARABLE Xbox 360 $697. $98 more expensive than the Premium PlayStation 3. Plus you are getting a hard drive with 40GB less. This is not even counting the memory card reader either.
So that makes the PlayStation 3 a better deal FOR WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR MONEY.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Now the big problem with the PlayStation 3.
IT IS BLU-RAY!!!
The data is written so shallowly on the disc. A simple scratch will trash it and render it useless. You can't repair it via DVD Doctor, because the data layer is almost basically at the surface.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/blu-ray-6.gif
Durabis is a brand name for a clear polymer coating developed by the TDK Corporation. The need for a protective polymer arose due to the fact that Blu-Ray discs write much closer to the readable portion of a disc than do other disc formats, including HD DVD. One of its principal applications at first will be for scratch resistance in Blu-ray and other optical discs. It is claimed to be tough enough to resist screwdriver damage and make scratched optical discs (CDs and DVDs) a thing of the past.
In order to meet Blu-ray's specifications, TDK's coating had to be less than 0.1 mm thick, be hard enough to resist considerable damage and yet be transparent enough to be easily read. According to a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the process essentially spin coats two layers onto discs. One is for protection against scratches and the other protects against stains and oils.
It should be noted that the Durabis coating is not required for Blu-ray or any other optical disc, and both Sony and Panasonic have their own independent hard coating technologies that are primarily in use on Blu-ray pre-recorded discs.
A TDK spokesman says the present protective layer represents "the first generation" of the coating and that the company has been refining the technology to better suit Blu-ray Discs. Although it might seem possible to adapt the polymer to other uses in LCD, CRT, and plasma screens, TDK plans to target the DVD market for now, because scratches are so common on DVDs that in the rental market, they may only last about 12 to 13 rentals on average.
"Seriously. I mean let's be realistic here. You're going to buy either HD-DVD or BD eventually. Deny it all you want; a lot of people said VHS was good enough for them a few years ago too, and now you can't even buy VHS tapes at Wal-Mart anymore (well, maybe you can, but it's getting harder to find them). DVD will go that route in a few years time too, and you'll be buying BD or HD-DVD."
Err...uhh...No. This is nothing like the trasition from VHS to DVD(Which took more then five years, btw)
This transition is more like the CD transiting to SACD(That's Super Audio CDs) or DVD-A(DVD Audio).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Audio_CD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Audio
It's just not going to happen.
Two formats NOBODY really cares about, because CD are good enough. And both sides are pretty much giving away the audio formats with regular CDS these days....
Funny thing is Sony was behind SACD....
iTunes has a better chance of taking over for DVD then these formats do.
iTunes is not better, it takes up a lot of HDD space and CDs do not... blu-ray more content in 1 cd, IF BD dies, however, the PS3 will not, if not the movies, the games will still be there and produced
Nice copy and paste job.
But that doesn't necessarily mean that a simple scratch can't hinder the disc. Which scratching will always occur at some point. Even with that kind of protection it is nothing compared to that coating on a disc of a regular depth of a DVD.. Sure it will help, but it will still have damage. It is still a relatively thin layer.
I don't think I said iTunes was better, I said that ti has a better chance of taking over from DVD then then HD DVD or Blu Ray does.
"IF BD dies, however, the PS3 will not, if not the movies, the games will still be there and produced"
Yeah just like the PSP, but that doesn't matter, I was disputing this:
"You're going to buy either HD-DVD or BD eventually."
I was behind the change, but after seeing this war unfold, I lost intrest in both, because they aren't actually offering anything that is different from what DVD can do, besides 1080P~!!!!!
Which my TV doesn't do, which is the same with about 95% of those who buy DVDs now. Your going to have to prove to them that buying Jurassic Park for the third time will be worth it in....
If you want to compare do it right.
Xbox 360 $300
HD-DVD $200
HDD add on $100
VGA cables $40
Tax $45
Total = $685
PS3 $500
TAX = $30
Total = $530
**Add to $50 for those w/o HDMI cable**
vga cables cost 40 dollars, interesting. actually it's more like xbox 360 premium $400 and HD-DVD $200, so it's the price of a high end PS3. Not very favorable to the Xbox. But I would still get the Xbox because I'm not forced to buy a Blu ray drive as well. I think a dedicated player is a much better idea than using game systems.
(and DVD's are still good enough. I don't even have an HDTV, and a majority of Americans don't either.)
You people who are bashing the $200 HD-DVD drive for the 360 saying the PS3 is a "better value" are forgetting the fact that the HD-DVD drive for the 360 is OPTIONAL. If you don't want it (which I don't) you don't have to get it. Whereas with a PS3 I have no choice but to spend the extra money for the blu ray drive, which I don't want.
The argument is directed towards people who will buy the add on with the 360. If you are definitely not going to buy the add on nor want a next gen movie player, then buy an Xbox 360. However, for those that do want one, getting a PS3 is a better deal that an Xbox 360 and the add on.
Lots of fanboy braggadocio here, but allow me to remind you all that neither Microsoft nor Sony have the best track record when it comes to movie replay-by-game system.
Too many DVDs look awfully scratchy coming out of those drives for me to invest part-and-parcel in a game system as my primary movie playback unit. Especially on first-generation units.
How's this for strategy?:
1. When you go to buy a next-gen system, decide which one has the better playing games.
2. Buy that one.
3. Repeat as necessary.
The Xbox 360 is still a better choice. I personally do not yet need the ability for HD movie playback. I have an HDTV but Ill probably wait a year or two until HD movies are more prevalent, for this reason I would rather not spend an extra $200 on a PS3 with a Blu-Ray drive that may go obsolete, and I really dont want right now in the first place. Ill probably wait until the Xbox HD-DVD attachment fall to about $100.
If this $200 device can be modded somehow to work with a PC, they will fly off the shelf and Beta-Ray is finished.
Guys, guys, guys, and girl... Come on, remember now you're also getting Peter Jackson's King Kong and the Xbox 360 Universal Remote! lolz
Why don't people just buy the damn console they want and get it over with.. hell, buy both if you can afford it. Why not throw in the Wii for a really good time.
At least then we can shut the hell up about which one is better - in ALL respects.
Having a HiDef drive already seems ludicrous to me anyway - as the format war has barely even started.
ps. BluRay is the dumbest name for a disc I have ever heard (just to start debate, haha)
PS3 looks like more of a bargain and the 360 looks more like an unfinished product.
You guys arguing about which consoles are going to be better based off of hardware are hilarious.
The same crap was said with XBox vs. PS2 vs. Gamecube and it didn't matter. When you're talking about gaming systems, it's about the games. I remember everyone making it a huge point that GC didn't support playing DVDs. Turned out to be a HUGE factor. Cough.
I mean seriously, how many of you guys actually use an Xbox or PS2 to watch your DVDs?
And like the other dude said, the HD formats are roughly equivalents of SACD and DVD-A. Why would I want to trade the ability to back up my DVDs and not have to deal with / support DRM-infested crap, and then get to pay 500 bucks for the honor? For some extra resolution? No. DVDs look fine on my HD projector at 106". HD looks better, but not better enough to justify the insane costs. The kicker is that since Bluray and HDDVD are having a format war, you could spend all of this money and eventually not even be able to buy more movies for your player.
This isn't even to mention the fact that after six or seven years of DVD, the best we can do now is less than ten times the space, yet it costs an obnoxious amount and only gets me higher resolutions. No thanks. Physical media is getting antiquated anyhow. Fatter pipes, cheap storage, and good HD codecs will lead to more downloading / OnDemand type stuff.
But to get back on track, come on. I actually like that Microsoft doesn't bundle the drive by defaulte, since it means that I don't have to pay money for HDDVD, which I don't want (at least not yet - not worth it for the extra cost).
And no, this isn't 32X. I believe MS has said they're not going to make games that use the HDDVD drive explicitly. It's just add on functionality that leverages the processing power in the 360. Personally I think it's tacky to play movies through consoles, but then again I'm an AV snob. I wouldn't buy the thing.
i was looking to purchase an upscaling dvd player and forget this whole entire blu ray hddvd fight but already owning a 360 200 bucks for a hddvd/ upscalling dvd player sounds great to me !!!!
I agree with others in that I like the choice.. HD-DVD is ahead at this point.. What if HDDVD wins out and BluRay goes the way of Laser Disc, BetaMax, MiniDisc, UMD, etc.? Then if you buy a PS3, you're still going to have to buy an HDDVD player, and the price for BluRay discs for PS3 games won't come down as Sony is expecting..
I own a 360, so getting this is a no brainer, but the ability for MS to, in the future, do a Blu Ray add on is intriguing..
Also, for those calling this Sega32X, that's ridiculous on many levels.. It might be like SegaCD if you had to have it to play games, but you won't. This is would be more like if they added on a DVD player to the Sega Dreamcast for nothing more than watching DVD's.. And releasing it a 40% of the cheapest DVD player on the market.. Try to make some better comparisons..
eric
Why don't they pack a Zune with it.
I may be a little confused here but i want to play games on my X360 like many other people. I also dont own a HD TV (something on my shopping list after christmas) but when i do get one i can wait to see who wins the format wars and microsoft can provide me with a reader for that format.
Dont you have to buy some cables for your PS3 to have access to HD resolutions as HDMI or component are not included in box? am i right or maybe ive just read too much fanbox B$ to know whats right or wrong....
"Steven @ Sep 27th 2006 3:58PM
...the 360 is still left with the obsolete dvd9 format..."
Is the DVD Video obsolete? as far as i know i can go to the store and buy on of thousands of DVDs. Surely the only that will be going obsolete any time soon will be Blu-Ray or HD-DVD.
Just my 8 pence
whatever happened to a console being just a console? if you wanna watch movies get a DVD player for that, oh wait, get a Wii.
Comparing Xbox360 and PS3, which one would have a bigger game library? The answer is obvious isn't it? Don't give me the Gears of War and Halo 3 crap, PS3 has more good franchise (final fantasy, mana, resident evil, devil may cry, tales, fire emblems, winning elevens, just to name a few) than MS will ever come up with. Please note that I'm talking about franchise that withstood the test of time. I know it's not a fair comparison b/c sony has been in the console market much longer than MS, but that doesn't affect most people's buying decision.
And of course there is always wii. :)
PS3 ... Wii
What a joke.
Xbox 360 is the clear winner in my pockets.
Is it me or is connecting this and anything else M$fT adds to the 360 (Camera, wired controlers, Wireless wi-fi adapter, etcs.) starts to look ugly? Unless you get a USB hub, The 360 starts to run out of connection ports quickly. I already have the Wifi adapter hooked up on the back, and now I'm suppost to add the HD-DVD player..to the front ports? If your system is one of the center points of your home theater package, have wires hanging out of everywhere doesn't look next-gen. M$fT should have added more ports or connections in the back. Unfortunatley, the PS3 has the upper hand on this argument for connectivity.
Abs- first of all, the hd-dvd add on has a usb on the back of it for the wifi adapter. second- the 360 is a much better buy. if u dont want to spend 200 more to watch better dvds, dont. sony isnt giving you the option - theyre forcing u to buy the gay blu-ray add on which a lot of people wont use because they dont have and hdtv with an hdmi port
What does the $500 PS3 lack that the $600 one has?
$600 has WiFi and 60GB hardrive vs 20GB and ethernet port on the basic.
The HDDVD Drive will be a great buy if you already have a 360, its a no brainer, HDDVD, remote, and I have heard that King Kong HDDVD will also be in the box, and HDDVD has twice as many titles and twice as many announced titles, yes Blu Ray has more studios but thus far they havent delivered, this could change of course. By year end there should be about 2 million PS3 and 10 million Xbox units, if 1 out 5 360 owners get this drive there will be the same number HD drives in gaming consoles for both sides, and you have to remember, every 360 owner with an HDDVD drive is getting it for HD, not true for the Sony, some will still just be playing games with no HD TV. Now if your a new customer, the PS3 is a good deal, for $500 you get Blu-Ray, 20GBHD, wireless controller with charger vs a HDDVD and 360 Core, no harddrive no wireless. At $600 you get 60GBHD, WiFi, wireless controller with charger, Blu-Ray vs $720 for a Xbox premium, WiFI apdaptor, Wireless controller, charge kit, HDDVD, and headset.
$600 has WiFi and 60GB hardrive vs 20GB and ethernet port on the basic.
The HDDVD Drive will be a great buy if you already have a 360, its a no brainer, HDDVD, remote, and I have heard that King Kong HDDVD will also be in the box, and HDDVD has twice as many titles and twice as many announced titles, yes Blu Ray has more studios but thus far they havent delivered, this could change of course. Also there will be far more 360 gaming titles for some time. By year end there should be about 2 million PS3 and 10 million Xbox units, if 1 out 5 360 owners get this drive there will be the same number HD drives in gaming consoles for both sides, and you have to remember, every 360 owner with an HDDVD drive is getting it for HD, not true for the Sony, some will still just be playing games with no HD TV. Now if your a new customer, the PS3 is a good deal, for $500 you get Blu-Ray w HDMI , 20GBHD, wireless controller with charger vs a HDDVD and 360 Core (I also dont know if the component cables will come with the HDVD drive as they dont with the core system), no harddrive no wireless. At $600 you get 60GBHD, WiFi, wireless controller with charger, Blu-Ray w HDMI vs $720 for a Xbox premium, WiFI apdaptor, Wireless controller, charge kit, HDDVD w component cable, and headset.
The PS3 is a smoking deal, but at the moment there is not alot of support for Blu-Ray of PS3 gaming titles, this could and should change, but in the 360s defence I expect a 360 price drop start of November, I know they have denied it, but thats because you simply dont pre announce a price drop, its bad business if they told you systems were taking a price drop of $100 or more would you buy one today or wait the extra month, if there is a price drop I expect it to be a day of all at once announcement.
One more thing to talk about, HDMI. Yes its nice in the PS3 and I use it from my Toshiba HDDVD and will use it from my Sony Blu Ray player. But I really dont think its a big deal, I have a 1080p TV and unless your tv can do 1080p/24fps and if the PS3 can do this you will get benefit besides that its a moot point as 1080p/60fps looks the same as 1080i/60fps, and HDMI gives you Dolby TrueHD vs DDigital Plus, I have used both on my toshiba, you cant hear all that much of a difference and I have a $25000 home theater system.
Just as a note for those who dont know, 1080p/24 is better because movies are encoded at 24fps and not 60fps by keeping everything at 24fps and 1080p you avoid all video processing but at 60 frames which most tvs are, you need to bump the 1080p/24 to 60 frames, so if 1080i is a half frame, you get 60 half frames per second, giving you 30 full frames, covering the full 1080p/24 frames. This is why the Samsung Blu ray looks the same on 1080p and 10080i because it works on 60fps.
Cheers All
So umm, hypothetical situation. Lets just say for a moment that BluRay fails, crazy I know. I mean, whats not to trust from the company that brought us such long lived formats as Betamax, MiniDisc, Video8, MicroMV, HiFD and most recently UMD, not to mention a few others. So in this hypothetical situation in which BluRay fails, where does that leave all the people that got raped by Sony on the price of the PS3 due to the inclusion of a BluRay player "they" decided everyone had to own. If I buy a 360 "addon", then that's me making a choice to pick a side in the format war and putting my money on the line, not some arrogant company making that choice for me. Me for one, I appreciate that choice being left to me. Am I a M$ fanboy? Dunno, maybe. But if so.... Sony made me into one.
Why are you guys trying to defend Sony!? its so damn sad that you have to protect it.
And some guys defending 360 are just as bad.