Ask Engadget HD: Best gaming / movie console: Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3?
By Darren Murph 
posted November 12th 2008 12:00PM
posted November 12th 2008 12:00PM
"Now that the Xbox 360 is the cheapest console out and can stream HD Netflix titles [not to mention play HD DVDs - Ed.], I'm beginning to question my to-be PlayStation 3 purchase. I realize that the PS3 can also play Blu-ray Discs and stream all sorts of media, but I'm really torn between the two. Which would you recommend for someone who will use the machine for half movies and half gaming? And yes, price is an issue, so obviously I favor the Xbox 360 in that area."
We can't imagine that Jonas is alone in this one. The whole HD Netflix announcement was a huge win for Microsoft, and while we know it's coming to other devices soon, there's been no direct announcement made regarding the PS3. Let the debate begin!
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I own a PS3. I looked very closely at both when I made the purchase, and feel that the price was worth the extra money. If you purchase an Xbox 360, it will not play blu-Ray movies, so if you're looking at HD movies, then you will still need to purchase a Blu-Ray disc player. At that point, you are going to be over the price of a PS3. Personally, I prefer the PS3 controllers, because I find the Xbox ones to be too bulky, but that is just me. I have played them both, and graphically they are quite comprable. The other nice feature is that with the firmware updates from Sony, the PS3 can be updated to handle the newest Blu-Ray features, as well. Most of the lower-priced Blu-Ray players do not have this functionality on them. I hope this helps.
As a movie player, PS3 all the way with no compitition.
As a game console, you need to ensure the games you want to buy are available on the console you pick. If the answer is the 360(because it has a much larger game library), then you have to decide if the Blu-Ray playback is more important then the titles you won't have access to.
For me, I went with the PS3 because its the best Blu-Ray player and all the games I want are available on both systems.
We've got both consoles (as well as many others) in my household. While I do enjoy the Blu-Ray, I am regularly satisfied with DVDs I get from netflix. The BIGGEST annoyance I have with the PS3 is that it has no IR receiver so you either need to use the controller or get a separate blutooth remote, which is really disappointing because I love using my logitech harmony remote for all my devices (except I can't for PS3). I think a big dependency is what kind of games you like to play. I would say multiplayer is still miles better for the xbox than it is for the PS3.
Nyko BlueWave Remote/IR receiver for the PS3...works like a f'in champ!
Sure it does... unless you actually like to use your remote to turn on your BR-D player. Which most of us do. Duh.
You can't go wrong with the Xbox 360.
With the NXE coming in days, the multitudes of AAA titles out, media streaming from Zune, Windows Media Player 11, Windows Media Center and soon Netflix, and even though many PS3 fanboys complain of Xbox Live Gold not being FREE, I have never paid the full $50 a year, even now they have a deal you can't pass up, "Xbox 360 Live 12-Month Subscription Messenger Gold Pack with Chatpad and Project Gotham Racing 4 @ Buy.com for $53.99" http://x2theg.blogspot.com/2008/11/x2theg-deal-of-week.html
Pick up a cheap HD-DVD player add on and it will up convert your DVD movies nicely, no need to buy pricey Blu-Ray movies with movies looking almost as good. I said almost!
Personally, I'd get a 360 and a Black Friday Blu-Ray player. For $500 you'll have the best of both worlds.
Also if you can wait a little bit for Blu-Ray, prices should fall even more in the new year.
I said the same thing until i went here: www.ir2bt.com it works for me!
i bought one of these...http://www.schmartstuff.com/sony-ps3-ir-upgrad.html
works great
Isn't there anyone manufacturing an IR receiver for old-fashioned remotes like yours? Just wondering. I can only wish that bluetooth could become a standard, but, oh well, there's money in creating another standard next year, so...
I own both, and although the Netflix functionality for the 360 will be heavily utilized by my family, I would still give the edge to the PS3. Not just for it's BluRay functionality but for the compatibility with a wide variety of video formats without the need for Windows Media Center.
For the average Joe who's still running XP Home or has a Mac and would like to stream content, the PS3 would be the best choice. Not to mention it is a great DVD player (for a game console) and a great BluRay player as stated by another commenter.
Actually, with Media Player 11, you don't need Vista or even Mediacenter to stream video and music to the Xbox.
And I have had better luck streaming things to the Xbox than the PS3 because I have 80gb of MP3's and the PS3 times out when trying to read the directory.
I have both systems and my experience has been that the 360 streams video over a network much better than the PS3. I've tried a couple 720p mp4 movies - the playback is choppy on the PS3 over the network - perfect on the 360. The 360 also seems to have a wider support for divx/xvid. I've come across a number of xvid tv shows I d/l'd from bittorrent that aren't supported on the PS3, while they play fine on the 360.
@Wizzer
WMP11 doesn't help Mac users. Also, WMP11 is restrictive when it comes to importing certain video files into the media library for sharing.
Luckily, there are other options like TVersity.
Err - i just use Winamp to stream vids, pics, and music to my PS3 - works great.....
mac users can stream to a 360 just fine using connect360.
I like them both but please take into consideration how many people have experienced that lovely ring of death. Does anyone know of a major faulty issue with the PS3?
I’m in the same spot as you. I would buy the XBOX and a stand alone Sony Blu-Ray player. (Sony BDPS350) That way I can use the XBOX as a media center extender and gaming, as well as have a full Blu-Ray 2.0 player for less that what a PS3 would cost. I believe this would give you the most options and best features over all.
I can’t confirm this, but doesn’t the PS3 take like 30sec to load a Blu-Ray disk? Most new Blu-Ray players, like the one I mentioned above, will load the same disk in like 6 – 12 sec. That might not mean anything to you, but it’s a big selling point for me.
Hope that helps.
--Deamion
Unless you require bluray the 360 is the way to go.... the 360 is the better games machine and I think netflix (and more specifically its HD streaming) will go a very long way to eliminate the bluray advantage. and not because of what it is today.... its all about what it will become and i see far more potential in netflix streaming than bluray.
I have both, so obviously my suggestion would be to get both. It will save you a lot of future decision-making (well, not "videogames or women?"). If you only get one, you can't go wrong with either one, unless there are some console exclusives you absolutely HAVE to play. But I imagine that people who only own one of these two consoles are too busy enjoying great content to worry about what they are missing out on because they don't have the other.
As a movie player you have to say PS3 has the upper hand since it is a blu-ray player out of the box. Both have such simular abilities with streaming and the PS3 can be updated profile wise. If it's game wise I have to say that the 360 has the upper hand. LIVE is very nice and the game library is great since you can get great deals on older games for cheap to catch up on. Plus LIVE will be growing/changing in a few days too.
IMO I have to say that I prefer stand alone decks for movies and consoles for games.
Said like a true champion,I also prefer my consoles for game playing and watching movies on a seperate machine
I have had a 360 for a few years now and purchased a PS3 yesterday for the sole purpose of BluRay functionality. The reason being that I have restarted my Netflix membership to take advantage of the HD streaming on the Xbox, but at the same time I didn't want to get regular DVD's in the mail so I made the jump to BluRay via the PS3 becuase the firmware can be updated just as Daniel posted before me. Sad that it takes two consoles to get the best of each.
I am a huge MS and Xbox fan, but if you are looking for a 50/50 split between games and movies and it is your fist nextgen console, I say go with the PS3. Aside from MS Exclusives like Halo, almost every other game is also on the PS3. And I am sure Sony will have some On-Demand movie streaming at some point in the future.
Paul, Sony does have an On-Demand movie streaming system in place via the PlayStation Store. From there you can either rent or purchase movies and TV shows for immediate playback on the PS3. They are always updating it with new movies and shows and HD is available for on select movies and shows. Pricing seems to be the same as all of the other comparable services out there.
I've had both, and my PS3 is definitely my favorite. The 360 just doesn't have everything I need. I prefer the PS3's blu ray capability, its XMB, the fact that it can use any 2.5" SATA hdd, and I prefer the controllers. Also, while the 360 does have HDMI, it is only on the $350 dollar model, the Elite. Every PS3 has HDMI. The only reason I would prefer a 360 is because of it's great selection of RPGs, but the PS3 has plenty for me now.
Sorry, that's not true anymore - all the new XBOX 360's have HDMI.
Wow, these are the most level-headed "XB360 vs. PS3" comments I've ever read. Did only the grown-ups get online today?
Not one flame, and I like it.
After a lot of consideration I decided to purchase the xbox only. After last generation's problems I didn't trust either console as a DVD/Blu-Ray player. I would much rather have a stand alone player made specifically for disc. But, I do have to say that I love the idea of streaming movies and have used the live marketplace to do so. As a Netflix subscriber I am anxious for the update. For me as a gamer, the decision came down to what games I wanted to play and the online functionality. Live is still a little ahead of PSN, so I went with xbox.
ps3 blows, are you happy?
I have both. I use the 360 exclusively for gaming and the PS3 exclusively for media. For gaming, the 360 library plus xbox live can't really be beat at this point. For movies, however, it sounds like a jet engine and detracts from the experience. The PS3 has blu-ray, more options for streaming, and upscales regular DVDs really well and is silent to boot. Sucks that I need two machines but it seems to be the only way to get the best of both worlds for now.
When I was looking at this, the Blu-ray for the PS3 almost pushed me over the edge, but the lack of IR at the time was the deal breaker.
So you are trying to say that the absence of IR support is the reason why you didn't buy a PS3!!?
No one care about the IR function when you have a bluetooth connection which is way better not only for its range but for a whole other reasons as well.
Now if someone is lost about which game console he/she should get, then the only answer is what kind of games you like! if you like a lot Heavenly sword, Resistance, MGS4, KZ2, Home or uncharted then you don't have a choice else than buying a PS3, if you like Halo and Gears of War then the only console that can satisfy you is the 360. Graphics are equal on both consoles so no talks about that.
As some would worry about the price, the cheapest 360 cost 200 euros while the PS3 cost 400 euros. Buying the cheapest hardware is not always the best choice especially when considering that the 360 doesn't sport a built-in wireless adapter, HD dvd nor a hard disk. Since you are going to use the console to watch HD movies, this means you will need a hard disk, and since the only way to watch HD movies is by downloading them from the internet, you will have to buy the wireless adapter. Now the cheapest hard disk together with the adapter will cost you not less than a 100 euros this without having the HD dvd drive. the 360 controllers works with normal batteries but this is also an extra cost considering that you will need to buy new batteries from time to time.
The PS3 on the other hand offers you an 80GB hard drive with a built-in wireless adapter and a blue ray drive. On top of that the controllers are rechargeable with no needs for batteries. High definition movies can be either downloaded or bought from the nearby shop. Wisely talking the 360 with all the hardware additions won't cost you less than a PS3 considering that a hard disk and a wireless adapter are nowadays a must. I hope this is clear for everyone. Of course the none-core machines comes with a hard disk but their cost is higher. The message is: "don't worry about the price difference" unless you don't have money and you don't care about Hard disk and internet.
Playing games online is another cost for the 360 where you will have to pay at least 50 euros while the PS3 online play is free of charge. I hope this is enough now to convince you that 360 is not really cheaper.
HD format is dead now since the Blue ray won the war, which means you can only buy a blue ray (to watch movies) and not an HD dvd.
Now the only think is which console are you going to choose!!
As far as Netflix is concerned - get the PlayOn Media Server and you can Netflix Watch Now on your PS3 - so there goes that advantage - PS3 any day!!
Not in HD.
and the 360 as a Media Center Extender that can stream live TV and operate with a whole house DVR certainly gives it an edge.
PS3 for movies.
360 for games.
But when the NXE is released next week, I'll be using Netflix on the 360 all the time.
People forget that you can stream your Netflix movies and other media over the PS3 (available with PlayNow) I love mine and use it all the time to do everything from surf the web to watch blu-rays...oh yeah and there are some great games too.(wish I had Fable 2 though)
I prefer the 360 because of the Media Center Extender functionality.
I have an HTPC in my living room to record and watch television - I also use the MyMovies application [http://www.mymovies.dk/] to access many of my [legally owned] movies that are ripped to my hard drive.
In each bedroom I have a Linksys Media Center Extender, and the 360 in my gaming room/office.
With this setup I can access the same television, movies, music, and photos from each of the rooms. This is really the killer app for my setup - Combined with a Windows Home Server I have over 4 TB of space for television and movies.
I am greatly looking forward to the Netflix functionality, but I am not really sure at this time how much I will use it.
First of all I own a xbox 360 and was a once owner of both, but sold the PS3 due to lack of games at the time (this was before MGS4).
Honestly when it comes to down to it the best gaming/movie console the PS3 is the better choice due to the built in blu-ray player. Plus who says that Netflix won't eventually let sony pimp out their services, it would make sense to get their product out to as many people as possible. They have already started equipping standalone blu-ray players with netflix streaming (though not HD...yet). At one time the PS3 didn't have much for gaming, but since MGS4 the game library for the PS3 has gotten better quality not just quantity.
Now I bet you are wondering why I don't have a PS3....
The xbox could be better if the HD Streaming from netflix works out (meaning large library and the streaming isn't a huge hassle), but the HD-DVD part of it is only good for a limited number of movies and the only way to still rent those movies is through blockbuster (which would eliminate netflix unless you just used both). The main reason I use a 360 is the media extender capabilities. I have a HTPC (Home Theater PC) located in the house with a blu-ray player in it, and I can pretty much stream anything from that to the 360 (some stuff takes serious work, so mainly recoded tv and archived dvds). When it comes to the gaming experience as a whole I'd have to go with the 360. More quality games and much more organized online play. The online does cost $50 a year, but you definitely get your monies worth when you compare the two. So really it just comes down to how the streaming turns out (for now). I just kind of worry about how my mediocre bandwidth (i live in a small town) will handle the streaming.
Joe makes a good point. Most peoples internet connections will not contain enough bandwidth to allow for HD streaming.
Xbox 360 wins every single comparo you could toss at the two, except HD disc based movies. If Xbox 360 played Blu-ray, this would be a no-contest. That said, look at all the HD movies in the Marketplace, Netflix streaming coming in 7 days (to include HD). I own both, but the PS3 doesn't do anything better than the 360, period. No Mediacenter, just media server (which 360 can do too), which is just glorified network share access.
TexRob: you make some good points, however, i think you're still a bit ignorant on the PS3. Other than the fact it plays blu-ray out of the box here's somethings to look at.
PlayOn!
http://www.themediamall.com/playon - A beta for streaming netflix content.
Got your own HD content you say? want to stream it over the network?
Answer: MediaLink from NullRiver. It's $20, one time fee.
I can foresee more VOD coming to PS3 (with it's FW support that recently came out: DivX VOD).
Gaming: you win, but it's all relative. I'm not a big gamer like i use to be, but when I do get online, here's what I like about the PS3 multiplayer........ ...... it's FREE.
If I was into exclusive titles on 360, the 360 would be my 'ultimate gaming choice'
As far as HD content goes, 360 is NOT a 'clear' winner. *shakes head and finger at you* ;)
I also forgot to mention one more thing. If you aren't big on external drives and want to upgrade the internal drive of the console. PS3 wins again. I paid 58 bucks to get a 160 gig drive a year ago...
"Oh you were done, well then allow me to retort!"
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You say: PlayOn! http://www.themediamall.com/playon - A beta for streaming netflix content.
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Well, that is fine, but HD content is Xbox 360 exclusive to start, and the streaming is officially supported by Microsoft. To me, that's a short term win.
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You say: Got your own HD content you say? want to stream it over the network?
Answer: MediaLink from NullRiver. It's $20, one time fee.
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Free on both Mac and PC, same functionality and to me, better integration on the 360. No special software needed for PC, software is freeware on Mac. Then there is the biggie, Windows Media Center extender support on the 360.
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You say: I can foresee more VOD coming to PS3 (with it's FW support that recently came out: DivX VOD).
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I can also forsee the world coming to an end, doesn't mean it's something I am willing to count on anytime soon ;) DIVX is supported on the 360, not sure what Divx VOD is.
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You say: Gaming: you win, but it's all relative. I'm not a big gamer like i use to be, but when I do get online, here's what I like about the PS3 multiplayer........ ...... it's FREE.
If I was into exclusive titles on 360, the 360 would be my 'ultimate gaming choice'
As far as HD content goes, 360 is NOT a 'clear' winner. *shakes head and finger at you* ;)
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It's funny, Sony used to be the king of exclusive content, but it has shifted to the 360. So, we are in agreement here. Very few games left that make the PS3 a must have. Heck, Last Remanant (Square Enix RPG) is coming to 360 BEFORE the PS3. Wipeout and Gran Turismo are the only real titles I can think of that have any kind of cult following. Gran Turismo is why I had to get PS2. Forza 2 has bridged the gap. I will play GT5, and love it, but once upon a time this series was THE reason to own a Playstation in my opinion, for racing fans at least.
Media streaming easier than PS3? are you joking? The media server is two clicks away on PS3. I realize 360 media extender sharing setup is not rocket science but to say it's integration is better is hard to bargain with. I've used the 'free' programs on both, i find MediaLink to be the best, even better than a M$ + M$ xbox 360 media sharing integration ;)
DivX VOD = DivX Video on Demand
360 = divx support
PS3 = Divx certified hardware + divx support (more codec profile support)
PS3 Gaming
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Again i didn't make this a big landslide victory, but there are some decent RPG games, as well as exclusive shooting games (Resistance 1 & 2) strategy (MGS4). I won't argue the library doesn't hold a candle to 360, but the library for PS3 is a library i'm content with, and no, i'm not a racing game fan :)
I agree with most on here that the PS3 is better if you want a gaming console for watching movies. However, for actually gaming you have to have a 360. Better game library, can stream media, and best online gaming experience. Plus, I'm not sure your tastes, but Gears of War 2 is fantastic and dare I say better than any PS3 exclusive. I say buy a 360 and then wait till black Friday to get a blu ray player. Besides, the PS3 is about as energy efficient as a refrigerator, so you pay more in the end.
All this said, I still think the PS3 is an excellent blu ray player, but not much else.
I also own both and I agree that for movies its the PS3, I use mine all the time to watch Blu-rays and I have no complaints, I do read on the net from time to time that the PS3 is too loud for watching movies but I disagree and think its almost unnoticable, plus with the new flash update its able to watch hulu videos streams and more flash websites for streaming since it has a built in web browser which the xbox doesnt. The only thing it doesnt have is netflix, but with the way netflix has been liscensing its software to companies lately I would roughly say that netflix will probably be on the PS3 in 2009. As far as gaming both systems are nice and the PS3's online gameplay compares well with the Xbox's with the excepetions of more people who actually speak and have a mic on the Xbox, and since Xbox live is an actual service the experience is more stream lined, meaning your friends list are the same across the board and the ability to send game invites to friends on your list. so thats my 2 cents.
For both movies and games, the PS3 is better. Netflix will be a nice advantage but I still feel blu-ray is superior. Also remember that with the xbox you need to buy a $100 wifi adapter if you need wifi and subscribe to xbox live gold ($50 / year). The PS3 ends up with the cost savings.
Also, If i am correct I think you must buy at least the $300 xbox to use netflix, i could be wrong though.
Yes, you're wrong, you can use Netflix with any model XBox.
Yes, you're right, I just found out where I got that impression. The new xbox dashboard, which will run the netflix app requires the hard drive or a memory unit but I guess Microsoft is giving those who don't have hard drives, external memory units for free to install the new dashboard.
I've had both and actually bought the PS3 for Bluray and took it back. Bluray is nice, but I have one in my PC and I hate the PS3 controller for games. I am excited about the possibilities of Netflix HD Streaming and think that will negate the Bluray advantage. The PS3 overall is a good device, but in my opinion the 360 is better for gaming with LIVE and the controller is better to me, also like I said the Netflix option is huge!