Amateur Hour

Here is an unbiased comparison of the two leading consoles.

MEMORY

360

• Comes with 120GB HDD (external)
• 512MB Memory Card ($29.99)
• 60GB HDD (external) [$99.99]

PS3

• Comes with 120GB HDD (internal)
• System allows for attachment of other types of hard drives and memory units

ONLINE GAMEPLAY & COMMUNITY

360

• Has a community of over 30 million members
• Xbox Live Silver membership is free
• Xbox Live Gold membership costs $49.99/yr
• Xbox Live allows you to connect with any of your friends through text and voice messages and voice chat
• Ability to easily invite other members into online games
• Library of over 1,000 Xbox Live Arcade games

PS3

• Community of over 30 million members
• The PlayStation Network service is free
• Library of hundreds of PlayStation network games
• Connect with friends via text or voice message and voice chat
• Invite other members to online games

NOTABLE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT & FEATURES

360

Exclusive Games

• Left 4 Dead (1 & 2) [Available for PC as well]
• Mass Effect (1 & 2)
• The Halo series
• The downloadable content for most of the sequel games

Features

• Facebook
• Last.fm
• Twitter
• 1 vs. 100
• Xbox Live Arcade
• Ability to play over 300+ Xbox (original) games

PS3

Exclusive Games

• Demon’s Souls
• Grand Turismo 5
• Kill Zone 2
• The Ratchet and Clank series
• Uncharted (1 & 2)
• Little Big Planet

Features

• PlayStation Network
• Built-in Blu-ray player
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• Built-in Bluetooth

OUT OF BOX ACCESSORIES

360

• Xbox Live headset (black)
• Standard AV cables
• 120GB HDD
• Xbox Live Silver Membership + 1 Month Xbox Live Gold
• Wireless Xbox 360 controller (black)
• LEGO Batman & Pure*

PS3

• Wireless DUALSHOCK 3 controller
• HDMI AV cables
• PlayStation Network membership

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

360

• Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller ($49.99)
• Microsoft Xbox Live 12-Month Subscription ($49.99)
• Microsoft HDMI AV cables ($49.99)
• Microsoft Wireless Headset ($59.99)

PS3

• Sony Blu-ray Remote ($24.99)
• Sony DUALSHOCK 3 controller ($54.99)
• Sony Bluetooth headset ($49.99)

PERFORMANCE

360

• E74 error or “Red Ring of Death” (also occasionally called the “Black Screen of Death”)
• If you install a game onto your HDD, you will have a shorter loading screen when you play
• AV Cable malfunctions (glitchy screen)

PS3

• “Yellow Light of Death” (happens in about 10% of consoles)
• Disc read errors
• Component cable errors

MULTIMEDIA COMPATIBILITY

360

• Plug in any USB keyboard
• Plug in any Zune / iPod (except Touch & iPhone) with a USB cord
• Play music/videos/slideshows from your computer
• Windows Media Center compatibility
• Play HD DVDs and CDs

PS3

• Plug in any USB keyboard
• Plug in any USB mouse
• Play HD DVDs, CDs, and Blu-ray DVDs
• Ability to transfer music from you iPod to PS3 HDD
• Wirelessly stream music from your laptop through Windows Media Player

PACKAGE VALUE

360

• Price: $299.99
• Memory: 120GB (Not available for individual sale)
• Package: LEGO Batman + Pure (Approx. $40 value)

PS3

• Price: $299.99
• Memory: 120GB (External USB Hard drive = < $100)
• Package: None

THE WINNER:

It's up to YOU. Every gamer likes something different.

So, who'd you choose as the winner? And which console(s) do you own?