The Xbox360 vs PS3 war. Hidden costs for Xbox??

Willow147

Conor wrote: »

Plus you get a 3 year guarantee on general hardware faults with the 360.

I thought the 3 year guarantee addressed specifically the general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights on the console and rest of the console was covered by a general one year console warranty.

Sponge

Agreed. The extend 3 year warranty does not cover the console as a whole, it's just covers you for the "3 flashing red lights" issue.

I for one do not think the OP was "fanboy" in the slightest and thank them for their effort in posting.

I thought it was a sensible comparison between the 2 consoles with (as near as possible) equivalent specifications. And if I wanted all those features then I may well have considered the (on the face of it) more expensive PS3. (Truth is, I would never buy a PS, but that's a different story.)

However, I don't need all the features of the PS3. So the modular nature of the 360 makes it cheaper and therefore the console I bought. I am a little annoyed that MS couldn't include Wi-Fi. I really don't think it would have been that hard. It wasn't enough to put me off as I can hardwire it, but it's an oversight in mu opinion.

I also think Live could be cheaper, but then friends that have been using it for a long time say it's definitely worth it and is value for money. So chances are I'll be paying for that too. :rolleyes:

PS FAO the OP - you will find this forum full of very critical people that find it very easy to 'comment' on others. So please stick around and try to ignore them.

wolfman

Sponge wrote: »

I am a little annoyed that MS couldn't include Wi-Fi. I really don't think it would have been that hard. It wasn't enough to put me off as I can hardwire it, but it's an oversight in mu opinion.

I also think Live could be cheaper, but then friends that have been using it for a long time say it's definitely worth it and is value for money. So chances are I'll be paying for that too. :rolleyes:

I know what you mean, although wifi can be a bit awkward when you're gaming online, especially if you want the most from your connection. I did buy the £55 adapter though, and yeah I was a bit annoyed at the price. Given the chance though I'd always pick cable over wireless.

I've not bothered with XBox Live at the moment. You can find deals, £10-20 for a full year, so it's not so bad.

custardy

was reading an interesting online article re HD DVD v's blueray the other day.
not the usual pick a side and this will win but saying both formats may lose out because neither is pulling ahead and that a whole new format may appear and relegate both.
also raising the point its unlikely people will use the large format dics for home storage given how cheap hard drives are becoming.

motorguy

robmaytum wrote: »

:mad:

I thought that I'd put an honest perspective online, so that people who may not have looked into the full specs of machines, but wanted to have HD and wireless gaming, etc would at least see the potential costs they might incur over time. The Xbox 360 is boasted as being wirless and HD capable, I was merely pointing out the costs to achieve.

The key phrase there is 'might occur over time'. it will suit a lot of people to buy the modular add ons if and when it suits them.

robmaytum wrote: »

So to get comments that I'm being a fanboy is slightly disappointing and pretty childish to be honest.

One person calls you fanboy and you're throwing your toys about? The angle you took with your original post is exactly how Sony would want the machines compared. Hence the conclusion of you being a ps3 fan. Microsoft would go for the exact opposite route, saying how cheap their machine can be bought for.

For the record i have both. i dont use the ps3 to watch blueray movies, and i dont connect either to the internet. i play games on them.

Games consoles are about playing games. you can be up and running playing games on a 360 for a lot less than on a ps3.

Thats the bottom line.

D.K.

Conor wrote: »

Just a little...



Exactly. Plus you get a 3 year guarantee on general hardware faults with the
360.

I also have a vgm cable and an old crt monitor and the graphics are MUCH better than TV ...I use wires too.
Pity I'm not a M$ fan

smillie-world

If you're serious about HD video (whatever the format) I wouldn't buy a console based on the fact it can play HD video. A serious user would be better off buying a dedicated player, and getting the benefits of a device that dedicates itself to doing a single job properly. In these terms then, you could ignore the cost of HD DVD for the Xbox, saving money here (ignoring the fact you've shelled out for a dedicated player - as this is not being compared).
However, it is worth remembering that the Xbox HD DVD will connect to a PC via USB offering a cheap HD DVD solution for the PC (the last I read, a few months ago this was THE cheapest method of getting HD video on your PC). Also the 360 controllers can be connected to the PC and used for PC games etc. I'm not sure if the same is true for the PS3, but it is something to consider if you want to get the most out of your technology. MS have also ensured that Windows will pretty much plug and play with the 360 to offer media streaming capabilities.
Another consideration is the Xbox is not limited to HD DVD, there is always the chance a Blu-Ray drive could be made available, although MS have said they will not do it. The PS3 is fixed with Blu-Ray, unless there is some way it can accept additional drives. On the other hand Blu-Ray holds more than a standard DVD and therefore could offer bigger and better games, whether the Xbox will have the ability to read games from the external drive remains to be seen.
Also worth considering is the support for HD DVD and Blu-Ray. I think the majority of the movie industry back Blu-Ray, but HD DVD discs are cheaper.
Personally if I was interested in HD video I wouldn't consider either console for the purpose, the fact that they can play HD video is just an added bonus.
Consoles should be primarily considered for the purpose they were designed for, playing games. Therefore such comparisons should largely be based on the quality of the games available, the range of games available and the cost of the games available.
I don't think the cost of basic outlay can be used as a fair comparison, it's like putting two cars side by side and just considering them based on the price. There is so much to consider technically that will and should be the basis of your decision.

superscaper

smillie-world wrote: »

Another consideration is the Xbox is not limited to HD DVD, there is always the chance a Blu-Ray drive could be made available, although MS have said they will not do it.

Even if MS wanted to release a Blu Ray drive I don't think Sony would let them. And MS have already commited themselves fully to the DVD consortium. Remember Sony is the main partner and inventor of Blu Ray, why would they license it to their main competitor? I think it highly unlikely.

Brainfish

robmaytum wrote: »

You can apply the same logic to the 360 Premium console too, package bundle with two games costs £280, but then you pay an extra £60-£120 for the hard drive (20GB & 120GB respectively).

The premium includes the 20Gb hard drive. The elite includes the 120Gb hard drive. It's only the Core version that has no hard drive and the Core is about £160 pre-owned.

smillie-world

superscaper wrote: »

Even if MS wanted to release a Blu Ray drive I don't think Sony would let them. And MS have already commited themselves fully to the DVD consortium. Remember Sony is the main partner and inventor of Blu Ray, why would they license it to their main competitor? I think it highly unlikely.

Sony don't have sole rights to the patents of Blu-Ray (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association) and therefore I suspect it would be a vote to see whether MS would be allowed to license the technology. However MS are firmly behind HD-DVD, so its not in their interests.

However, regardless of who has license rights, it could be a third party manufacturer that develops such a drive, and without knowing the Xbox intimately it depends whether its current OS would recognise such a device.