31st August 2009 - With the announcements recently of the PS3 Slim and its reduced price over the previous version of the PS3 and Microsoft’s 360 price drop announcement, does the 360 have enough quality exclusives to persuade new console buyers to go for the 360 over the awesome value that the PS3 Slim now possesses for gamers?
Lets first look at the “VALUE” factor. In Australia, the Playstation 3 Slim will sell for $499 AUD when it hits the shelves in a few days time. The Xbox 360 Elite will sell for $449 AUD beginning September 22.
One of the main arguments for quite some time now for people buying the 360 over the PS3 has been price. The 360 has always been a lot cheaper than the PS3. Granted cheaper does not necessarily mean better value, but when it comes time for someone to put down the cash for something, price is usually more of a factor than value. Come September 22 when the 360 Elite is only $50 AUD cheaper than the PS3 Slim, the value that each console gives you should be more scrutinized than ever before when making a purchase decision.
What you get in the PS3 Slim package is a PS3 console with a 120GB hard drive that includes a built in Wireless internet option to connect your console online and the ability to play Blu-ray movies out of the box and the ability to play your games online for free. What you get in the 360 Elite package is a 360 console with a 120GB hard drive with NO wireless internet option as that is an additional extra you have to buy and there is no ability to play Blu-ray movies. You also have to pay for a gold Xbox Live membership to play games online. Yes, you do get Halo 3:ODST for free for a limited time, but for only $50 less, unless you really prefer Microsoft’s exclusives over Sony’s, the clear “VALUE” winner now becomes the PS3. Sure, there is still the arcade model of the 360, but with the cost of buying a 360 hard drive separately, which is really a must for your 360 gaming experience, the arcade model is pretty poor value and should probably be scrapped as it is useless for most gamers.
I know 360 fans out there will argue that Xbox Live is better and that the movies on demand and Netflix is just as good as Blu-ray, but the truth is, the Playstation Network is fast becoming just as good as Xbox Live and it is FREE and while movies on demand and Netflix (for those that actually get it) are good, if you don’t have a good internet connection or prefer having an actual tangible disk, the PS3 more than combats what the 360 offers.
Now that we have established that the PS3 Slim is better value than the 360, the question still remains; does the 360 have enough quality “exclusives” to keep people buying 360’s over PS3’s?
Well the more notable 360 exclusives coming in the next 3-6 months are as follows:
1. Halo 3: ODST
2. Forza Motorsport 3
3. Mass Effect 2
4. Left 4 Dead 2
In contrast, the more notable PS3 exclusives in the next 3-6 months are:
1. Gran Turismo 5
2. Uncharted 2
3. God of War 3
4. M.A.G.
By looking at the above exclusives, while there are arguments to say that one list is better than the other, for those looking to buy either a 360 or PS3, you really couldn’t go wrong with either of these exclusive lists. Therefore, with the value for money that the PS3 Slim gives you and the fact that you really couldn’t go wrong with the exclusives that Sony are offering compared to Microsoft, the choice for which console to purchase this holiday season is strikingly clear, the Playstation 3. This holiday season could prove decisive in this generation’s so called “console war” between Sony and Microsoft. It is up to Microsoft to convince people that the 360 still has a lot to offer and it will be interesting to see how they will do that.
Article by Craig Cirillo