Alnilam wrote:Neither, buy a proper PC you newbs.

That idea crossed my mind, but not for long. I tend to get things that are designed specifically for their intended purpose. Gaming consoles play games. Very well, I am finding out.

My colleague built a gaming PC, at no insignificant expense, I can tell you. Wonderful machine, but it still doesn't match the performance of the PS3, so far as I can see from the user experience. He built that gaming PC for several times the price I paid for the PS3.

The problem with gaming PCs is the price. Just the graphics card can cost you even double what the PS3 costs. For example, when I bought my PC, just my graphics card cost me as much as the PS3 system with 2 games... But, as I have a few things I need the card for and not just PC gaming, it's fine with me.

But, since I have the PC always doing something, I don't want to strain it with gaming; that's why I wanted the PS3. Of course at the moment don't have much time for games, but that will change during the summer.

Darkchilde wrote:As for Media Extender, you can do that with the PS3 system. Just download Tversity for the PC, and you can have files on your PC, any file and play it on the PS3. Just connect your PS3 to your router and you're ready. TVersity sees the PS3 immediately.

They didn't have a linux version of Tversity the last time I tried it.
Been using this http://code.google.com/p/ps3mediaserver/ , works on Windows/Mac/Linux and has done the job perfectly for me.

I bought the PS3 mainly for use as a media center/blu-ray player. Well, that was the excuse I gave myself for buying a gaming console.

Technically the PS3 is by far the best machine.

For gaming they are about on a par (for now but as with the Ps1 and PS2 it takes the industry about 5 years to really get to know the custom hardware and making it sing. see FF XII) but as a media machine the inclusion of Bluray leaves the 360 absolutely nowhere (FF XII comes on one BD on the PS3 and three DVDs on the 360).

Then there is the reliability issue. Quite simply put the PS3 has it and the 360 don't. A regular question for 360 owners is "has your 360 red-ringed yet?". (red-ring = a terminal failure of the 360 hardware indicated by a 3/4 ring of red lights on the front, usually caused by overheating). The percentage of failure for the 360 is simply staggering. PS3 on the other hand are extremely sturdy bits of kit. And though they do fail, incidents are like hens teeth compared to 360 failures.

In all fairness I have to report my first PS3 ( a 60g Japanese launch machine) died . Though in fairness to the PS3 I was running it 24/7 for two years under heavy load (Folding @ Home) and suffered two hot Melbourne summers during that time. If you want to put that in perspective if you used it for 3 hours a day it would have lasted you 16 years.

But those considerations aside. the PS3 and 360 have different markets. The 360 is aimed at your 19-26 yo 'Core Gamer' where as the PS3 is aimed at a wider age group who also have broader interests.

I have all three consoles (back off I'm a games artist I need them for <cough> research...) and though I like all of them the only one that gets any real use is the PS3.

So do the research. What kinda games do you want, what media abilities do you want. Figure that out and that should dictate which machine you should get.

That was quite informative, Ohnhai. Thanks. Now if I could figure a way to RPC1 the DVD player...

The_Metatron wrote:
My colleague built a gaming PC, at no insignificant expense, I can tell you. Wonderful machine, but it still doesn't match the performance of the PS3, so far as I can see from the user experience. He built that gaming PC for several times the price I paid for the PS3.

Hmmm

if that is the case he's doing something horribly wrong.

95Theses wrote:

The_Metatron wrote:
My colleague built a gaming PC, at no insignificant expense, I can tell you. Wonderful machine, but it still doesn't match the performance of the PS3, so far as I can see from the user experience. He built that gaming PC for several times the price I paid for the PS3.

Hmmm

if that is the case he's doing something horribly wrong.

I don't see how. He put together a chassis filled with top notch components and plenty of capacity. I don't have the details any more, but I know he paid more for his graphics adaptor alone than I paid for my PS3. He made a serious gaming machine.

Crysis was his game of choice, as I recall. Scanner was his name if anyone knows him or that game.

Crysis warhead is about the most demanding game currently ever made for PC, it wasn't even ported to console it is so demanding.

Assuming a rough budget of a £1k (3 times a PS3?) excluding a monitor he should be able to build a computer that can run it with enthusiast settings on a high res screen.

that really should be noticeably better than a PS3, but it's hard to compare because you can't get the game for console.

And of course it depends exactly when he built it. Don't get me wrong, consoles are great gaming (i've got an 360 myself) and are much better value for the experience you get for the money you pay, but top of the line PC gaming is ahead in raw quality terms.

95Theses wrote:Crysis warhead is about the most demanding game currently ever made for PC, it wasn't even ported to console it is so demanding.

Assuming a rough budget of a £1k (3 times a PS3?) excluding a monitor he should be able to build a computer that can run it with enthusiast settings on a high res screen.

that really should be noticeably better than a PS3, but it's hard to compare because you can't get the game for console.

And of course it depends exactly when he built it. Don't get me wrong, consoles are great gaming (i've got an 360 myself) and are much better value for the experience you get for the money you pay, but top of the line PC gaming is ahead in raw quality terms.

I think you're right.

I have a 360, mostly becasue it came out first, and was relatively cheap. And I'm glad I did get one, because so far the only games I've really wanted that were exclusive to the PS3 are Drake's Fortune and MGS4. The PS3 is more powerful and reliable but I'm still happy with my choice. Mine did only red ring once after all

PC. It's sleeker, sexier, gets you user-made content and doesn't damn well eat through your discs like a teenage girl does horrific literature.

PS3. Better exclusives (GOW3 for the win). It just plugs in and goes, no acting the bollox to get you online gaming going, built in wireless and no fees for the privilege of playing online and it's a blu-ray.

You do get the yellow triangle of death, and the melty triangle of the death, and the partially luminescient triangle of a slight discomfort,

PC.

Failing that, Xbox 360.