Console Wars VI

[DrSpike]

It's quite sexy though.

[Asher]

If you say so. Opinions are mixed.

I think it looks cheap and square. The new power/eject buttons are pretty hideous compared to the nice touch-sensitive ones on the original unit.

[DrSpike]

You are just bitter that you have an ugly old school PS3.

[Asher]

Mine is shiny and still full-featured, none of this stripped-down **** that the new PS3s have. The 60GB PS3 is a valuable commodity.

[DrSpike]

It pains me to see a man in such denial.

[Asher]

I say again, mine is shiny.

[asleepathewheel]

I agree that the buttons look extremely cheap, as does the matte finish.

I'll likely pick one up, I need another blu-ray player anyway and it wont see another pricecut for a year at least.

[Asher]

Now available in Canada for $329CDN (~$304 USD):

Xbox 360 Elite + Wireless Adapter + Halo 3



That's an awesome bundle. Rumour has it once the current Elite/Pro stocks are depleted, the $299USD pricepoint will be replaced with this bundle, at least for a while.

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=XBOX360_Consoles&product=5815522

[Zero]

meh i dont like the wireless included in the package. thats one thing i actually liked about 360 as a console.

one of the reasons why i liked 360 online is because you expect most players to be plugged thru wires, unless they go out and buy wireless themselves. It actually forces majority of populations to be on a more reliable connection.

one of my friend who has the router right next to his ps3, but doesnt want to use ethenet cord cause it 'clutters up his deskspace with wires'. he kept complaingin about online lag in street fighter 4 until i forced him to use a ethernet cord and BAM no lag.

it's a mystery as to why his wireless connection is so goddamn unreliable, but my ps3 pretty good. Regarless, all this could have been avoided if he wasn't a mouth breathing idiot and ps3 not enable him to make a dumb choice.

Now multiply that but millions of morons in the world and you can see why ps3 online has reputation for being **** tastic.

[Asher]

That's one of the dumbest things I've read in quite some time.

The problem with the PS3's online play is simple. There's no standard headset, so most people don't have any and all and those that do all have varying sound quality and volume levels. It is also not one large fully connected service.

Wireless has **** all to do with it...seriously.

[Asher]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/08/microsoft-responds-to-ps3-price-cut-hardware-update-coming.ars

Microsoft responds to PS3 price cut, hardware update coming

Sony enjoyed the lion's share of news coverage last week, but now it's Microsoft's turn to try to steal some thunder by downplaying the importance of the new hardware and, most importantly, giving away more storage with the 360.



Sony enjoyed a flood of press last week with the announcement of the newly redesigned—and less expensive—PlayStation 3. Directly after the announcement executives were conducting interviews, the gaming blogs were desperate for any and all news, and in a masterstroke Sony sent production units of the hardware to some news sites; the unboxing videos were online hours after the announcement. "We expect a material and substantial increase in sales and purchase intent," Sony's John Koller told us in rather blunt fashion.

With a lower price and excitement around the hardware, one question remained: what will Microsoft do?

Ars Technica reached out to Microsoft for comment on the news. "A smaller console size does not necessarily mean more value for consumers," Ars was told. "Starting at $199, Xbox 360 offers the best gaming and entertainment experience at the most consumer-friendly price on the market." Microsoft expects the 360 to be the "entertainment center" into the next decade, and the platform will be "constantly evolving." They also pointed out that Natal will provide gamers with new ways to play games.

The statement was somewhat snarky, but mostly by the numbers: it says the 360 is still better, it will continue to be, and the fight will be won on hardware and software. In North America, the 360 has outsold the PS3 consistently, and in fact Microsoft has the only system that has shown year-to-date growth from 2008; even Nintendo can't match its lofty numbers from last year. Sony doesn't have to just show some growth, it has to catch up with its competitors.

We've also long known that the PS3 Slim would launch right around the time that Microsoft drops the price on the 360 Elite, and scans from store circulars are beginning to materialize showing a $300 Elite coming August 30. The company isn't willing to give up the value game to Sony.

Let's move the $300 Elite from the "rumor" file into "fact." It's coming. It's also worth pointing out that it's much more of a hardware update than a price drop; you're simply getting more storage space for your money. That's a good thing—Microsoft wants you to buy TV shows and movies and Games on Demand—but it's not actually cheaper. A better value, surely. But not cheaper. Microsoft has enjoyed large margins by overcharging for its hard drives, making this price drop a painless one in terms of hardware cost. While the $200 Arcade model is still the least expensive option, without a hard drive the system isn't suitable for anyone but the most casual gamers.

This puts Microsoft and Sony on a level playing field in the US: both systems come with 120GB hard drives standard, and both sell for $300. While the press and the fanboys will be watching this month's NPD numbers with great expectation, the gamers win: both systems are either less expensive, or give you more bang for your buck. That's a good thing, no matter how you want to slice it.

[Nikolai]

The new PS3 will be more expensive. In Norway that is. We have had a price war going on between the shops Sony tells us, so that our prices are getting lower before the rest of the world. Therefore the price on PS3 Slim will be higher when it comes here Sep 1st than before.

The price we have now btw, which is so low according to Sony, is ~380 USD.

[asleepathewheel]

bought a ps3 slim. underwhelmed thus far. really dislike the controller compared to the 360's. bought uncharted, underwhelmed as well after listening to sony fanboy talk about it. it is quite small compared to the previous version and is silent.

probably this machine will be blu-ray/psn only games, I can't see me getting any multi plat games for it due to friends list/controller.

[Asher]

If you think the controller is bad, you should see the Sixaxis...

The worst part of the PS3 controller (aside from the battery life) is the integrated battery. It loses its charge after about a couple weeks, and it comes with a 3 foot long or so mini-USB charging cable. So if you don't play for months at a time (as I usually do), and you want to go play you gotta ****ing charge the thing point-blank for a while before you can play. Then if you've got more than 1 person, it's more of a ***** to charge.

Plus it feels flimsy and oldschool.

[asleepathewheel]

yeah, I've used a friend's sixaxis before, and it was far worse, cheap plastic, no substance or weight whatsoever. I too prefer buying double-a's or rechargeables, do not like tethering.