Comments on: The Xbox 360 should win this console war

The console's price cut will propel Microsoft to the top of this generation's console war. Will Nintendo have something to say about that?

[eezing]

Comparatively speaking, 360 is not a better value than PS3.

This is a cost comparison for both system being equal out of the box.


XBOX 360 60GB (No Blue-Ray) - 300

1 yr Live Gold Membership - 50 (+ 50 per year)

WiFi network adapter - 100

Rechargeable battery add-on for controller - 20

Total - $470 (with Separate Blue Ray Player - $770)



Playstation 3 80GB - 400

Online Service - included

WiFi network Adapter - built-in

Rechargeable controller battery - built-in

HDMI Cable - 20

Total - $420 (Blue Ray Player - built-in)


From this costs run down, we can clearly conclude that the XBOX 360 is not a better value; in fact, if you were to include Blue Ray, one would have to spend almost twice as much in order to retain the same functionality.

So please, don't be an idiot.

Thank you

[dd13reis]

First off, hold the lame insults for your buddies at the LAN party. This is supposed to be a forum for intelligent people to have intelligent conversations.

Secondly, can we all stop with this faulty "value" argument? No one has a gun to your head to get all those extras. You're clinging to the faulty hope that value will win out over all the other advantages MSFT has. It won't.

-Don

[danielgrant612]

I agree with Don.

[thebuda]

Price cuts don't happen over night. Taking credit for it happening the day after you -state the obvious- is ridiculous.

[dd13reis]

Try to find me an article that said what I was saying around the same time. I'm not trying to take credit for it all. All I'm saying is that I had an inkling and it turned out that I was on the same page with Microsoft.

-Don

[Waam]

Sure Microsoft will sell a few more 360s this year and a whole bunch more come Christmas, but it's hard to not see thats it's already peaked or passing it right now. The price reduction I think comes at the right time to sustain sales to those who have always wanted one, or is looking to get something cheap, but it is not going to steal Sony or Nintendo's thunder in the long haul.

As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft's one year head start was a good gamble, but in the end it actually works against now because they have the system that looks dated and now totally under hyped.

[mgrotty]

now see i dont like how people say console war i mean it sounds so exagerated and also i think there shouldn't be anyone saying this console is better then that its pointless because all people do is complain about the console they didn't get to people who have it i mean they already bought the console so whats the point. i mean people treat it like there is a real war when really its more like a big show of yo mamma but nobody gets any prize and anyway there is no winnner i mean the only people who win are microsoft, sony, and nintendo. I miss the good old days of the 5th genoration there were no console wars people talking about their own console games and treating evryone the some but now its a battleground of people talking bad words against everyone else treating all other consoles like dirt. its not like the people who have a different console killed your family and friends. I mean i think everyone fighting about the console consoles are just ignorent or predjudice i mean we learned that treating someone by their race or what they do is bad dring kindergarden so why should we treat people who get a different console differently so yeah i can on and on about this but i wont so i hope you learn that no one can win this so called war and that there are only losers and those are the ones who always spend to much time saying their console is the best an not enough time doing what your supposed to do with your console play games.

and also i thought this article was alright and that maybe the people who want to just play some hardcore games like halo or gears with their friends maybe even t would be good for offline gamers but yeah i guess that the people who get to decide are the buyers.

[RMarch]

I agree that the 360 will most likely end up winning the war (and most definitely beat out the PS3). To paraphrase an old Bill Clinton line - It's the price, Stupid (he said economy). Volume, volume, volume.

I hear the comments about how everyone is talking about getting a bluray player and it is going to be a ps3, etc. But this is not where you sell literally millions of consoles. Think about that for a second. They sell millions of all these consoles. Piture millions of consoles. These are sold around the world and volumes like that are diven by economics.

Sure you need a good product, but the Xbox 360 is a great product, with almost no discernable difference in game quality. It streams HD movies so who needs an old school disc. Great online experience, better 3rd party support, arcade, a brand new dashboard for a mid life refresh, etc. It has got it all and in a sub 200 dollar package, it will bound ahead of the PS3 just when the PS3 thought it might have been gaining ground the past few months. And so the cycle will continue. The PS3 will gain ground and wham, Xbox gets a $25 to $50 price cut.

Even having said all this, the one big point for the PS3 is always - but it has bluray. Hate to break it to you, but bluray is getting "old" too. Players are now sub $200 and have nearly the pwer and flexibility of a PS3. It is not the days when the PS3 was literally the cheapest bluray player. By next year, the players will be $125 and no one will think twice before picking up a standalone bluray player.

This is not about a fanboy war, it is simple economics.

The Wii on the other hand is very hard to predict so I will not try.

[ssean227]

How can u download a movie if you don't have a hard drive in your 200$ xbox?

[archaicforest]

I believe the Wii will be the victor for one simple reason: it has added a tremendous fan-base. They have installed in homes that previously would not have considered purchasing a game system. Should Nintendo follow up the Wii with a more advanced system, keeping with the similar remote control and all those things people will get used to, they will be more apt to follow up with the new Nintendo system. The only thing killing the system right now is the lack of "hard-core" games.

[RavenWolfx_]

They are gaining casual fan base and losing core fanbase. A core gamer will buy 5-10+ games a year, a casual gamer... maybe 3.

[stickshaka]

The PS3's extra power amounts to nothing because 3rd party game makers aren't pandering to sony because it doesn't have market share like it did with the PS2. As a result they make games for and to the capability of the Xbox (& even Wii sometimes) and the PS3 gets a port over version.

Blu-ray, so fu**ing what. Have you seen the movies available on blu-ray? 95% of that garbage was worth making in the first place, who cares that it's now in HD. As for the games using blu-ray discs, well games like GTA IV & Bioshock are only 3.5gb & 5gb in size anyway.

Remember Sony planned on the PS3 making Blu-ray the winner in the HD format. It failed to sell enough to do so and then they had to buy the studios loyalty. A cost that they then passed on to the customers in higher pricing of the HD movies.

Right now where I am the PS3 is twice the price of the 360 ($350 vs $700) and it is simply not worth that in comparison when they seem to share most of the good games. I don't expect Sony to sell it for the same price, but until they make it more affordable and more importantly start bringing out games that show off it's graphical superiority. Then they are just being arrogant.

[RMarch]

Not sure how you people keep saying the 360 "looks dated". I guess you don't "look" at the games! Check out this link...

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/21388

In real gameplay there is simply almost no difference between the 360 and the PS3. So how does that make the 360 look dated. This supposed peaking of a console is relative. It is extremely difficult to benchmark the cell processor vs the 360 architecture. The only way to tell is the games and they are identical in almost all repects except that you get a better online experience on the xbox. Does not sound dated to me.

If you are refering to the bluray player making the 360 look dated, maybe to people reading this, but not to the people at Wallmart buying them.

Also you are once again ignoring the fact that it is driven by economics. Once a console "peaks" (even though I think this is not a valid way to think about it), that is exactly when the sales number kick in! They can not wait until these things "peak". Volumes go way up and profits start rolling in. The trick is to ride the wave as long as you can but not too long as to lose the next round.

The number one selling console is the PS2! It is always discarded as "last gen" but that is where all the volume and profits are right now. The 360 is about to end Sony's cash cow (the PS2) by bringing a next gen console in price competition with the last gen. The PS2 only has 12 - 18 months life cycle left. all the sales will move the the 360 - and eventually to the PS3 as well.

[thrum]

Don is it your job to write something you have no idea about so we will comment? in that case you did well, because i think you are totally lost.

the playstation 3 is a beautiful hardware in many ways. period.
forgotten my *$%#. with metal gear solid 4 boosting sales, and same is expected for resistance 2, and god of war 3, Sony is just warming up. shut your trash.

[dd13reis]

Please. Your baseless comments aren't welcome in this forum. This should be a place where intelligent ideas are passed back and forth, not somewhere people will try to make comments questioning knowledge because of their own bias.

Either have something worthwhile to say or move along.

-Don

[Cryptic-Eagle]

Microsoft is on its way out of this console generation. I think that in the end the PS3 will win the console war. The PS3 has got a greater value than the Xbox. Why do developers need to "scale down" games originally made for the PS3 in order to port them to the Xbox.

[RavenWolfx_]

Actually, if you check out games like Call of Duty 4, Infinity Ward stated they had to "scale down" the version for the Playstation 3, not the 360. Please check out some facts before believing the ignorant masses.

[RavenWolfx_]

I've stated this many times in different comments at different sites/forums, but here we go again:

The Wii is for casual gamers, period. Nothing for the core gamers. I had a Wii for a couple months around launch time and I sold it because I never played it.

Playstation 3 could be a great machine, but with a poor design (argue all you want, the developers all say that it is a ***** to work with), high price, and decent-at-best online, it just isn't worth the price. Especially since Final Fantasy XIII is going to be on the Xbox 360 as well. Yes, Blu-Ray is awesome and I am envious, I wish the 360 had it. Does the PS3 have better graphics? Yes and no. In some areas, it does have better graphics, but only on the games that are developed specifically for the PS3. And even then only if the developers use the time and money to do it. On multi-platform games, the graphics aren't any better than the 360.

The Xbox 360. I'll admit that I love it. But first, reasons not to get it. The Red Ring of Death is F'ING INFURIATING. I've had this THREE TIMES. The newer designed consoles are better, but they don't send out new 360s for the RRoD, they send out Refurbished 360s with manufacture date of 2006. Stupid. Next, the cost of Xbox Live, at minimum, is $50 (if you buy a year at a time). At most, $96 if you pay $7.99 a month. I wouldn't mind the cost as much if they cost wasn't so high for the marketplace. Example: Rockband 2 isn't even out, but they are already selling songs for it. ***. Lastly, the DVD doesn't have nearly as much room as the Blu-Ray, especially since they can now do a 25-layer Blu-Ray holding over 500 gb. I don't know if the PS3 can read those discs, but they are out there. Pros! The 360 controller is the best designed controller of all time. The Xbox Live online play is almost always amazing with consistant updates. If you have a multi-platform game online, it is ALWAYS better on the 360. The exclusive games are also amazing. Halo (I actually hate this one), Gears of War, Fable II just to name a few.

I do want to mention that I thing the 360 will have an amazing run, but I think that they will probably need to made another Xbox using Blu-Ray to truly succeed. The PS3 has the Blu-Ray, but the graphics/RAM memory/processer are too far out of date already to really be competive four or five years from now. Microsoft already knows this is true with the 360, so hence the further development.

And Nintendo should stick to handhelds.

[archaicforest]

Since you have discarded your Wii, several "core" titles have been released, including a Resident Evil, and several others. Nintendo can, does, and will continue to have third party support, well matched to what the others have. Most titles that don't make it to the Wii are specifically designed for one system or the other.

[xxzachlxx]

this is THE WORST article i've read in my life.... This is obviously (and i didn't know they existed in the news world) xbox fanboy. Wow the PS3 will never be forgotten and is a far superior machine compared to the 360 and they've had PLENTY of price cuts lately, not to mention the 360 is more expensive after all the online and dvd and charging kit crap. Xbox is that ones who gota worry, ps3 has outsold them for the past 7 or 8 months (look it up fanboys :) ). so **** u homoo asssss :)

[dd13reis]

And this is a prime example of the worst of the worst in this business. Your comment is not only sad (please learn grammar), but it's the exact kind of thing we're trying to get away from in this forum.

Unless you have something intelligent to say and something that's not so offending like your last sentence, don't come here and ruin it for everyone else.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

-Don

[hiei3432]

Wow you are stupid. This is a pretty dull and non persuasive article. How many people you sleep with to get this job you clearly don't deserve.

[dd13reis]

Wow, nice one, Champ. We're trying to have an intelligent debate and you come here and feel the need to act like a fool so your buddies will pat you on the back in the forum you came here from. Learn how to make intelligent comments here or never come back. You wasted all our time.

-Don

[d--keller]

Hey Don, who will have the price advantage in 3 years when MS releases their new console? PS3 is just now getting going. Heck, the PS2 is still nipping at the 360's heels.

BTW, do you remember writing an article a month ago about how MS needs to make online free? Yeah? Well that's a reason in addition to the blu ray to justify an additional $100 for a PS3.

You're back Don! And crazier than ever!

[twinstronglord]

Fanboi tripe.
Now I understand why this guy got booted from Ars Technica.

"Don?s articles obvious inspire strong feelings, and we hear from people who both really like and really dislike his work. We talked with Don a few months ago and told him we?d give it a couple of months and see how the reaction went. While the articles do well in some metrics, they are not so much a fit for us."

Garbage like this makes me never want to come back to any Cnet site.

[superduper3000]

I agree with the commentator that the entire concept of 'winning' the current generation of console wars is archaic, and one that only Microsoft and Sony (alongside their legion of dedicated and propriety fans) seem bent on waging. The rest of the world, however, has moved onward.

If price alone was a factor in a gaming console's success, than it'd be easy to agree with the premise that the Xbox 360 would have a distinct advantage - but dig just a bit deeper and you'll see how this idea was never properly explored in this example of shoddy journalism. The pricing of gaming consoles isn't apples to apples, but rather a far more complex (and subsequently less sexy) mechanism that would have required the writer to explore the vast potential of the subject. To be fair, I disagree with the PlayStation fans here stating that the PlayStation 3 is automatically a 'better value' than the Xbox 360, despite being featured-packed from the onset.

By pricing the Xbox 360 Arcade console at $200 as a direct competitor to the Nintendo Wii, Microsoft has effectively cut their consumer base into two distinct pieces, one eyeing the casual market that Nintendo currently dominates, and their most traditional demographic, the core gamer. The $200 version lacks a hard drive, which is so essential to the overall experience Microsoft has been touting as the 'real Xbox' experience for so long. Without it, much of the value of the platform (as its marketed) is gone - no downloading movies, no DLC, no software upgrades past the miniscule, and not much in the way of demoing games. These require some serious storage solutions, which would require a relatively expensive upgrade to even the least expensive hard drive ($99 minimum).

Nintendo has never shared this problem, as they download solution (while inelegant) has been designed for the console's miniscule storage solution. The company claims to be working on a solution, but the argument stands that their singular model of the console means a unified platform and thus the overall experience of every Wii owner possible without need for extra purchases (unless you count those extra waggle-remotes!). Free online play, while anemic, ensures those with wireless internet can jump online with select titles.

Sony seems to have the best configuration, as it adopts the download abilities of Microsoft's platform, yet retains the overall free license and online capabilities of Nintendo's ambition without requiring further purchase. Also, no extra hardware or software is needed (extra HD and online subscription) as every console is equipped from the start with everything required.

But again we come to price-points vs. quality of service. There's no doubt that for the 'core gamer', the Xbox 360 provides plenty of bang for the buck. Even without Blu-ray (whose worth has yet to be proven outside tech-geeks), the technically 'lesser' of the two more powerful consoles has outperformed in technical prowess and delivering more bang for the buck. Sure it may not have built-in WiFi (a mistake!) and a cumbersome controller, but easy - if lazy - development means more software and its unified online experience, while a paid service, means a reliable and competant experience for just about anyone.

The Nintendo Wii has yet to prove itself the 'it' platform for the core gamer, but as with all things that very definition is evolving. The author disregards the oncoming legion of new gamers that Nintendo has brought into the fold, and instead has taken the standard and unenlightened position that tech-types rule the roost. They don't, and haven't for some time. While current core-gamer titles like Grand Theft Auto and Halo 3 may rule the publicity routes, they've got million-dollar campaigns behind them and that rather insignificant titles (from a marketing perspective) like Mario Kart Wii and Carnival Games can outsell many better-publicizied product prove this correct. For all the noise of Bioshock and Gears of War, they were handedly outsold by Mario and Sonic at the Olympics and others.

And what of Wii Sports, the phenomenon that just won't die? Helping sell tens of millions of Nintendo Wii consoles at record paces, those who play (outside the Xbox and PS3 crowds) love the thing and I'd argue are far more 'hardcore' than their bretheren. Halo and Gears may share lan parties, but when was the last time you saw them at raves, dance clubs, or embedded in cereal commercials? The elite tech crowds may scoff, but remember that for all the Apple iPod's technical 'inferiority', its resourcefulness and ease of use hasn't just dominated the portable music market; it re-engineered it.

So in effect, the Xbox 360 no sooner deserves to 'win' this manufactured war than it does deserve to 'lose' it. If only the editors of CNet and other blogs were competent enough to accurately and fairly judge the merits of this industry outside specs and price, than we'd really have something worth talking about! Unfortunately, its probably back to fanboy-baiting articles like this about a parallel universe where myopic thinking leads to success.

[Mr Jordan]

The Wii is not cheep, I believe it is the most expensive console out today. If you get a Wii and want to play a single game you need to buy $100 in controllers; $200 if you have 2 kids and need two sets of clubs, bats, rackets, and wheals ... add a gun and a fit board and you are just getting started for $700 total... throw in a guitar and some drums and your can call it an even G. I have never in my life been $1000 into a system and only owned 4 games (no people? the stupid Wii sports does not count as 5 games) Let the 360 reign.

[Limanima]

It's unbelievable the number of articles that are on the internet defending the XBox and atacking the PS3. I wonder why is that?
It's obvious that this "journalist" is not very well informed. He obviously doesn't own a PS3 and never has been on the PSN.
The Wii will be safe with this price drop. People buy the Wii for it's games and controller, not for it's price. Has for the PS3 vs XBox, they will continue to be shoulder on shoulder until the end of this generation and it will be a technical tie.
But because the guy who wrote this is a XBox fanboy, he would like to see the PS3 die.
This article name should be "I Would Love to See the Xbox 360 win this console war" subtitled "Because I'm a XBox fanboy".

[Farthing Haypenny]

There's nothing like one of these love-fests to make me realize how glad I am to play my games on the PC. It's better with far more games, and the games themselves are a good deal cheaper than console titles. The only difference is that I have to buy a slightly better graphics card for the computer that I would own in any event.

[xXThe_RemedyXx]

He Don,

I would quote your whole article and cut/paste your response to my comment, it would look like this:

"Oh please. This is the most common complaint from anti-Sony zealots like yourself. Do a little research into me and you'll find that I beat up on Sony just as much as any other company.

Think before you write something that doesn't make sense.

-Don"