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Should I buy the Wii, PS3 or XBox 360? (No flame wars!)

majordude

majordude

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 28, 2007
2,443
75
Hootersville
I haven't owned a console since I has the a Nintendo 64 and the original XBox.

I bought a PSP two or three years ago but sold it on eBay because I thought that the games were too dumbed down or something. It just didn't rock my world. (Maybe the games are better now?)

Anyway, we are going to buy a HDTV soon and I might as well buy a game console too. :rolleyes:

What really set me off was that Madden 2009 wasn't made for the PC this year (EA IDIOTS!). I've been playing Madden 2008 in Boot Camp and it looks and runs great.

I really like the Wii (some of their interactive games are quite interesting) but it doesn't play HD and I don't know if (but I suspect) the games for it are dumbed down from the PS3 or 360.

So, I think, I have narrowed it my selection down to the Sony or MS. Are there any big differences between the two consoles?

I know about one having Bluray and the other having the losing format so I'd give the nod to the Sony.

My favorites games are sports simulations (like Madden, NCAA football, baseball, etc.) and maybe racing games (like rally racing) but I find that hard to play without steering wheels. Also, my nieces like playing kid games (back to the Wii?).

Thanks!
 
No one is gonna be able to tell you which one YOU will like more.

You're sports games are universal, so any console will cover you there. Racing games, PS3 has GT5, Xbox 360 has Forza 2/PGR4(and some others) Wii has Mario Kart/ Excite Truck.

Kid games, all console will have some, but Wii has more, I believe. Mario Galaxy, while not just for kids, can be played by kids, is great. But Little Big Planet looks like a great game for kids as well as adults.


Honestly all 3 are worth buying. Look at the console exclusive games, and buy what console has more games you like
 
majordude said:
So Madden is the same on both platforms? No special features between the two?

Do you think one looks better on screen than another?
Click to expand...

Actually, I think the 360 version is better, 1080p is not supported on the PS3 and people have claimed it runs a little smoother (not that the PS3 one runs bad).

I'd go for a PS3 especially since you have an MBP that is quite capable for games, most good 360 exclusives are ported to the PC anyways (Bioshock, Mass Effect, Gears of War, Viva Pinata, Halo 3 will probably be ported eventually) and you can still use a 360 controller (works on Windows right out of the box) for games that work better on it while still having a mouse/keyboard for the shooters and games like Viva Pinata which benefit greatly from a mouse.

Besides the 360's has a d-pad that's worse than cancer (honestly, I've seen no-brand, get two-for-one 3$ gamepads with better d-pads) and it really affects some games (like Devil May Cry 4 and I don't even want to think about the 2D XBLA releases) so I'd go with the tried & true, SNES-inspired Dual Shock 3.

My vote goes for the PS3, even though you can't go wrong with either of the 3 consoles. The Wii is pretty great though but in my opinion it's only good for the usual Nintendo games (Zelda, Mario, Smash Bros, Metroid, Mario Kart, etc) because there's not much aside from that (there are some gems like No More Heroes, BWii and Zack & Wiki).
 
I picked the PS3 because of it's exclusives, so that's what I will talk about. I also have a Wii but that's gotten pretty old and there haven't been many decent new games.

For your new HDTV a blu-ray player would be great, and the PS3 is the best blu-ray player as of now. The PS3 also has some great games like Gran Turismo 5p (the logitech steering wheels are AMAZING), Metal Gear Solid 4, Warhawk, and Uncharted. And some sweet upcoming exclusives like LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, Motorstorm 2, SOCOM Confrontation, Killzone 2, and the full Gran Turismo 5. And then there are tons of great multi-platforms.

But there are tons of games, look at the current and upcoming exclusives for each console, then take your pick.

Oh just noticed, I really agree with Chone. 360 games being ported to PC and crappy 360 d-pad. Also something I remembered. PSN has some amazing $10 exclusives. Way better than Wiiware and XBLA.
 
I've got all 3 (none properly online, why can't console Wifi reception be as good as iPod touch reception?). The Wii is the only one I play regularly because of Brawl and Mario Kart - the 2 single most addictive console games going IMO. So much depth and funnns.

That said I'm not much of a console gamer. They're all great casual systems there's no doubt about it. But there's just been nothing much to interest me on the other systems, no gameplay that's got me addicted, no story to get me hooked, no technical stuff that my iMac can't do.

/shrugs

And yes the PSP has gotten much better. Get the M33 firmware on it and pick up LocoRoco, Monster Hunter, PoPoLoCrois, Tomb Raiders. All good stuff.

I'd probably recommend you get a DS actually. Plays GBA games (if you never played that = it was a god of a system) and has a huge library of great games.
 
I like the 360 controller much more than the PS3, I think it's more comfortable and the joysticks are way better, and honestly at this point Blu-Ray is way overrated...I've watched a number of Blu-Rays (which cost a pretty penny, mind you) on a 42" Sony TV at 1080....and it was nice but not amazing.

Forza is a great game as well (though probably way outdone by GT5), and the steering wheel for the 360 is quite good.

I've never liked the Wii at all...it just doesn't do it for me.
 
Go for a PS3. Nintendo themselves have pretty much stated that they've run out of ideas for games for the Nintendo Wii system. The X360 is not a bad choice, but the PS3 is good if your interested in Blu-Ray playback.

Madden 09' looks absolutely amazing on the PS3. Good luck with your decision! :)
 
spyker3292 said:
Well the 360 sticks are nice but I'm fine with the PS3 sticks. I just HATE the 360 d-pad ;).
Click to expand...

ditto, for all those that say d-pad doesn't matter, just wait until they get to level 12 of Devil May Cry 4, they'll be crying out loud.

Call me old-fashioned, but I need a good decent responsive d-pad, Nintendo and Sony have it but MS, sadly, doesn't and there are a lot of good 2D games available on PSN and XBLA so I think it's a disadvantage (isn't Street Figher IV coming soon?), heck, even if you only use it to browse menus and pick weapons you'll still find it annoying and cumbersome. It's reall THAT bad. :eek:

Anyways my point stands, if you have a gaming PC (your MBP) and a PS3, there's very little the 360 will have to offer.
 
Wii = Fun games you play waving your hands and body around :eek:
XB360 = lots and lots of great games, great networking (for a monthly price) :)
PS3 = Advanced machine, Blu-ray, future-proof :D

Wow, just make a decision. You can't go wrong!

(I have all 3...)
 
gkarris said:
Wii = Fun games you play waving your hands and body around :eek:
XB360 = lots and lots of great games, great networking (for a monthly price) :)
PS3 = Advanced machine, Blu-ray, future-proof :D

Wow, just make a decision. You can't go wrong!

(I have all 3...)
Click to expand...

I was going to do one of these but thought it might be set alight :D

Wii: First console in a while to feel new. Like the old days when PC's could only dream of what consoles can do, it's that kind of fresh feel. Lots of rubbish titles but the AAA titles more than make up for any mistake ever (Galaxy, Brawl, Prime 3, Kart, dare I say Wii Sports).
360: Lots and lots of high rated games in lots and lots of genres. Paid online but it's the best online console service. Just can't shake the feeling it'd rather be a PC.
PS3: Playing catchup with the 360 but is a better media centre. IMO the weakest of first party games but best 3rd party support.
 
Do your friends use consoles? For me there was not really any thought required: My friends use 360, so I also went for a 360. Apart from an HDMI issue when watching movies, it's been fine :)
 
sn00pie said:
Go for a PS3. Nintendo themselves have pretty much stated that they've run out of ideas for games for the Nintendo Wii system. The X360 is not a bad choice, but the PS3 is good if your interested in Blu-Ray playback.

Madden 09' looks absolutely amazing on the PS3. Good luck with your decision! :)
Click to expand...

Guys just ignore this guy. He obviously doesn't know anything ;). But Nintendo doesn't seem to be making many good hardcore new games. Just some cheap sequels (some good) and a few good ideas.

No flames! There aren't enough firefighters to put them out!
 
spyker3292 said:
Guys just ignore this guy. He obviously doesn't know anything ;). But Nintendo doesn't seem to be making many good hardcore new games. Just some cheap sequels (some good) and a few good ideas.

No flames! There aren't enough firefighters to put them out!
Click to expand...

This is different to last gen and the one before how?
Nintendo puts out the usual "hardcore" sequels and doesn't make new hardcore.

Sorry but I find all this "Nenintndo is destoryng gaming!" to be a load of BS. They've released a couple of first party casual titles and suddenly everything has changed? Is this taking into account the casual titles on the PS1 or 2 (hi dance mats)? Just because third party devs don't know any better.
 
From your op I would say PS3. You are getting an HDTV so a Blu-ray player is nice but the DVD upscaling on the PS3 is really fantastic (I think it looks better than the 360 upscaling plus the PS3 is quieter than the 360). The PS3 has most racing games the 360 has (with exceptions being PGR and Forza) like DiRT, Grid, Fatal Interia etc. and it has GT5 (Prologue for now... well until 2022), Motorstorm and WipeOut is coming which is one of, if not, the best futuristic racers.

The EA Sports games are supposed to be pretty much 100% the same as the 360 versions this year (unlike last year's 30 vs 60 crapola).

Every system has kid's games. Lego games, Pixar movie games, etc. are on every platform out there so games for them shouldn't be too hard.

Inferior ports on the PS3 are fading pretty quickly and the online segment is getting better with the in game xmb and such. The store is miles better than it used to be and if you're in the US you have the video store like the 360 has.
 
I would go PS3. But you may need to get some little ad-ons that make the ps3 that much better (HDMI cable). I play both (regularly) And I think that both have their pro's and cons. However, 6 of my friends an I, all have a 360 and all 6 of ours, got the red ring of death. Of course you can get them replaced if this happens, but when it does... :mad::mad: Fortunately for me I have my ps3 and they don't. My ps3 gives off better graphics in my opinion cause it's got a HDMI port in the back that I connect to my HDTV, but you need an x-box elite for the HD to plug in the console, this boosts the price right on up. Online play the xbox beats it, but seriously... 100 bucks a year! Anything free is better, and the online for the ps3 is exactly that, free easy and simple to use. Sure the xbox has halo 3, but i am so sick of it. COD 4 on my ps3 with HDMI and 7.1 surround sound on my 50" TV, :cool: I just think all round sony gives a better experience.

And this is from my point of view, yours could be way different.

I say... microsoft, I spose you can't get anything right... :p
 
Podgie said:
I would go PS3. But you may need to get some little ad-ons that make the ps3 that much better (HDMI cable). I play both (regularly) And I think that both have their pro's and cons. However, 6 of my friends an I, all have a 360 and all 6 of ours, got the red ring of death. Of course you can get them replaced if this happens, but when it does... :mad::mad: Fortunately for me I have my ps3 and they don't. My ps3 gives off better graphics in my opinion cause it's got a HDMI port in the back that I connect to my HDTV, but you need an x-box elite for the HD to plug in the console, this boosts the price right on up. Online play the xbox beats it, but seriously... 100 bucks a year! Anything free is better, and the online for the ps3 is exactly that, free easy and simple to use. Sure the xbox has halo 3, but i am so sick of it. COD 4 on my ps3 with HDMI and 7.1 surround sound on my 50" TV, :cool: I just think all round sony gives a better experience.

And this is from my point of view, yours could be way different.

I say... microsoft, I spose you can't get anything right... :p
Click to expand...

errr.... all new 360 models have HDMI input (albeit 1.2) even the Arcade pack, and xbl is $50 a year (likely more in Europa)
 
I have a Nintendo Wii and an Xbox 360. I haven't played the Wii in quite some time. That's not because I don't like it, I just haven't played it. The Zelda game for it is awesome.

I also used to own a PlayStation 3 which I traded in for the 360. I did this for several reasons. First, all of my friends have a 360 and I wanted to be able to play with them. Second, it has more games that interest me. Granted a lot of titles are on both systems but the fact that I can play those titles against my friends makes it worth it for me.

I consider the Blu-Ray issue to be a non-issue for myself. I loved my Blu-Ray movies, they were awesome. They had great quality and were a blast to watch. However, I believe that digital media is the way of the future. I think it'll take some time for it to fully catch on, but it's starting.

Xbox Live is going to undergo a re-design this fall some time with a new social type interface. You'll be able to create little characters, much like the Nintendo Mi's. They've also partnered with Netflix to allow you (and a group, for that matter) to download movies over the Xbox and stream them.

In the end the decision is up to you. As others have said, look at the titles offered on the systems and decide which ones you like best. I enjoy both my Wii (when I play it) and my 360.

I will say, however, that the thing I believe the systems lack the most (even if they are supported, you can't use them effectively) are keyboard and mouse support for certain games. I much prefer mouse and keyboard for first person shooters and RTS games such as Command & Conquer. I'm sure support for this will come eventually. Maybe.

Good luck! :)
 
To put it this way. I at one time owned the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360. I am now down to just my PS3. I sold the other two as I got extremely bored with the Wii after 2 weeks, and didn't see the point in owning a Xbox 360 as I was happy with the current and future releases for the PS3 as well as the Blu-Ray capability. I definitely am happiest with my PS3, and would suggest the same for anyone else. I love that the PS3 has Wi-Fi already built in whereas it is a $99 add-on for the 360, not to mention, in my opinion a better UI and DVD upscaling. Other than Gears of War 2, I see no reason to own a 360 over a PS3.
...this is all just my opinion of course, but I consider myself nerdy enough to throw my 2 cents in:)
 
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