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Microsoft’s Xbox 360 vs. the Sony’s Playstation 3
Microsoft has tried to catch up with some of the titans of the gaming world, such as Sony, with the release of the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 offers many new features that players will love:
Features of the Xbox 360
- Free limited subscription to online gaming: This allows players who have not been participating in online gaming a chance to see what is available at no charge.
- Live-aware: All Xbox 360s come with Live-aware, meaning you can get a friend invite or see who is online and what they are playing from your console. The button in the middle of the controller makes this very easy.
- Media features: The Xbox 360 offers great media features, including the ability to listen to music while playing games, create custom playlists, rip songs from CDs, and stream music from your MP3 player. You can also create slideshows of photos to share with friends and family.
- Wireless controller: The Xbox 360 has a wireless controller, eliminating the hassle of tripping over wires, though it can also support two wired controllers through USB ports in the front.
- Developer-friendly: The game console is not only great for gamers, but developers as well, featuring an unprecedented amount of RAM—added at the request of developers.
Challenges Faced by the Xbox 360
- Lack of Japanese third-party support: While some Japanese developers offer software for the Xbox, it pales in comparison to what they offer for Playstation.
- Battery life issues: The wireless controller consumes batteries quickly. Standard alkaline batteries only last about thirty hours, so it’s wise to invest in rechargeable batteries.
- Technical errors: During its setup in Walmart stores prior to launch, many consoles suffered from the infamous Xbox ‘360 screen of death,’ an error screen. The Xbox 360 also faced overheating issues.
- Noisy operation: Some users report that the Xbox 360 system is quite noisy when playing discs.
The Anticipation for the Playstation 3
Many people are eagerly awaiting the release of the Playstation 3, expected as soon as November of this year. The Playstation 3 has an outward feel, allowing it to stand vertically or horizontally on its own, in contrast to the Xbox 360’s inward design. It is significantly larger than the Playstation 2 and similar in size to the original Xbox. Game discs slide into the console like CDs into a car player.
Attractive Features of the Playstation 3
- Always on: The Playstation 3 is always on, enabling access from anywhere with an Internet connection.
- Media transfer: With a Playstation Portable, you can connect to your Playstation 3 and transfer media such as music and movies.
- Powerful performance: Initial reports suggest the Playstation 3 will be much more powerful than the Xbox 360, potentially twice as fast.
- Game library: Developers and publishers have announced titles for over 230 games on the Playstation 3.
Cons and Challenges of the Playstation 3
- Limited memory: The Playstation 3 comes with only 256 MB, less than the 512 MB offered by the Xbox 360.
- Underdevelopment of online services: The Playstation Network Platform (the online service) is still in development and may not be ready by the time the console is released.
- Delayed launch: The launch of the Playstation 3 has already been delayed due to disk problems.
Conclusion
Both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are incredible gaming consoles. Although the Xbox 360 was released first, many believe the best bet is still the Playstation 3. The strongest point of the Xbox 360 is its online functionality, but Sony may be working on something similar to Xbox Live. Microsoft is closing the gap with the Xbox 360 and is likely to catch up with Sony in the gaming console market. Ultimately, for some users, the choice may come down to which console is more compatible with the games they already own.
