PS3 vs Xbox 360 - Tom's take

By Tom Bramwell Published 17 May, 2005

The next gen war is on. Tom's gloves are off.

Last Thursday night, I spent the best part of eight hours sat at my PC watching Xbox 360 launch, continually gossiping with some of you about the various rumours doing the rounds, getting excited about leaks, scans and previously unseen details, and eventually erupting with delight as the whole picture became clear and I had J Allard marching around my desktop waving his disco fingers and telling me that everything I'd thought was true for weeks and months was, in fact, true.

I woke up the following morning very excited. I wanted an Xbox 360. A lot. But I was a little wary. It definitely wasn't a mainstream console. It felt a bit like a console gunning for a subset of a subset - effectively legalising the "chipped" Xbox's finest features, slapping in what PJ McNealy rather astutely labelled a "broadband cash register", and making the whole thing so fully featured, customisable and comprehensive for Xbox Live users that the hardcore Xbox following rightly woke up with me thinking "that's exactly what I was after".

But for all Microsoft's crowing about the "HD era" and dragging the console toward the mainstream, the company has made a pretty substantial HD error; it hasn't actually given us the next generation of gaming technology. Despite supporting virtually everything we could want, it doesn't do it all out of the box and to a high enough standard. Having sat through Sony's exhausting and meticulously detailed conference in LA's Culver City this afternoon, I can tell you with some certainty that PlayStation 3 does these things.

Microsoft was right; this next generation is about high definition, but Sony's going to be the standard bearer. PS3 is ridiculously powerful. It supports progressive scan up to 1080p - significantly better than the Xbox 360's top-end 1080 interlaced resolution - and can do it on two screens at once. It can do things graphically that PCs cannot do, let alone Xbox 360. And things that PCs won't be able to do at least until after the console launches next spring. Xbox 360 games look like high-end PC games; gorgeous, but like games. EA was standing at the PS3 conference talking about dumping status indicators in its Fight Night boxing game because you won't need to look anywhere but the other guy's face to tell what the score is. And we could see the truth of that. When games look so realistic that you don't need status bars, the average person who has no idea about them is likely to have their interest piqued.

Equally thanks to its utterly comprehensive support of every conceivable format, form of media playback and more. The new IP camera will basically let you whack up live video streams wherever you are. It's compatible with everything: PS1 games, PS2 games, EyeToy, PSP (and, as Rob suggested to me earlier, you wouldn't bet against PS3 wirelessly streaming video to the PSP as a kind of remote video handset), Memory Stick, wireless networks, and so on. Xbox 360 does things like this, but it's "ready" to do most of them, rather than doing them out of the box. The only wildcard is online gaming; Sony screwed that up with PS2 Online, which is a woeful service next to Live, and will need to make serious amends with PS3. But when everything else seems so right, it's hard to imagine them letting that slip twice.

But the real reason PlayStation 3 is now far and away the console I'm most looking forward to of these two is simply the games. I didn't wake up last Friday and think "I can't wait to play Xbox 360"; I woke up wanting to own one. Preferably with a Eurogamer faceplate on it. I will wake up tomorrow (or later today for those of you reading this in the UK) wanting to PlayStation 3. And half the stuff I want is brand new; MotorStorm is making my head spin and Eyedentity could be extraordinary. And I honestly want to play Killzone most of all, despite Killzone on PS2 being a game I find soul destroying to even watch someone else play.

Perhaps the biggest blow for Microsoft though isn't that PlayStation 3 is absurdly powerful by comparison, or that it seems to do everything Xbox 360 is talking about as its USPs without those features even making the first page of the press release, or that it seems to have the support of every major company to a far greater degree, or that it has an enormous software line-up already, or that it... Well you get the picture. A console can win through that with decent direction and software; hence PS2 winning the last round.

What's going to be a huge blow is that having spent at least the last couple of years watching its share of the multi-platform market grow and Nintendo's dwindle and Sony's erode slightly, as Xbox proved the best platform for most of those titles, PS3 is not only going to be the platform most developers pin their banner to first in the next generation; the games are actually going to look better this time too. And with that, it's hard to take seriously Microsoft's assertion that it can be number one in this generation. You know what? Frankly, going on what I've seen so far, I'm not even convinced Xbox 360 and PS3 are the same generation.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (89) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • Genji #1 7 years ago

    /waits for fanboy melee

  • ssuellid #2 7 years ago

    I'll beleive it when I see it. Until then the graphical brilliance sounds like unrealistic hype - again.

  • bivith #3 7 years ago

    Oh, please. Can you get Sony off your cock now?

    There's a lot of hyperbole in that article!

  • indotoonster #4 7 years ago

    A triple-core 3.2GHz machine with 512MB RAM, 20GB HD for £100 by the end of this year? Yes, please... then just wait 'til the hackers get Linux onto it, and have the world's cheapest general-purpose supercomputer, courtesy of BillG's wallet. How deliciously ironic :-)

  • joephish #5 7 years ago

    indotoonster - yup! This generation has to be the most easily hackable yet!? Removable hard disks, USB, ethernet - what more could the Linux people ask for in order to hack it?!

  • Markusdragon #6 7 years ago

    The games on PS3 haven't interested me, although I'm very tempted by those hardware specs...

  • smelly #7 7 years ago

    "There's a lot of hyperbole in that article! "

    Have you been reading the same 2 press releases as i've read? Even the biggest xbox fanboy can surely see the reality here?

    I'm a nintendo fanboy through and through.. but the ps3 looks bloody impressive to me!

  • zErOb_cOOl #8 7 years ago

    Different class. Simple as that.

  • drumbaby #9 7 years ago

    Yep. Xbox 360 looks like a bit of a snazzy tart-up of the old Xbox.

    PS3 looks the true quantum leap, and I'm prepared to wait for it, while enjoying what the current gen' still has to offer.

  • eurisko2k #10 7 years ago

    and well graphics and power have never made better games.....

  • bivith #11 7 years ago

    Yes, I've been reading the same press.

    What exactly is so special about the PS3 specs?

    Sorry, but the "reality synthesiser" nonsense rings so many alarm bells in my head.

    I'm not saying the PS3 isn't a lot more powerful, but I get the impression that Eurogamer doesn't really understand why it is, and the hyperbole they are using reeks of Sony PR.

    The so called footage I've seen of the PS3 games so far, have looked hand animated, and pre-rendered. It was too choreographed looking. Especially the Killzone footage.

    Sony pulled the exact same stunt with the PS2, and it seems to be working again.

    Without mentioning "terraflops", explain why the PS3 is *that* much more powerful?
    Edited by bivith at 17/05/05 @ 11:05

  • drumbaby #12 7 years ago

    Or explain why it isn't?

  • redd #13 7 years ago

    so are you finally going to control missiles with this one?

  • smelly #14 7 years ago

    "Without mentioning "terraflops", explain why the PS3 is *that* much more powerful? "

    Reet... 3 simple ones for you..

    Cpu more then double the power (that's where terraflops come in)
    Ditto for graphics processor
    The discs can hold 8 times more data

    Do you want it explaining any simpler?

  • kflarsen #15 7 years ago

    How utterly lame to fall for Sony's hype all over again. Remember all the "Emotion Engine" crap? In the end the PS2 was only just better than the Dreamcast. But it ran Sega into the ground anyway because people believed the hype, just like they seem to do now.
    Edited by kflarsen at 17/05/05 @ 11:25

  • [dsr.vincent] #16 7 years ago

    /considering sony`s pr stunts in the past

    grain of salt? ... damn, forgot to buy salt again
    Edited by [dsr.vincent] at 17/05/05 @ 11:28

  • Salvia #17 7 years ago

    "In the end the PS2 was only just better than the Dreamcast."

    Ridiculous statement.

  • IronGiant #18 7 years ago

    LOL hilarious you lot are.. Sony appear to have learnt from their mistakes with the PS2, are you really so surprised that they're hellbent to keep hold of their dominance within the gaming industry? Apart from music and movies divisions it's only gaming that makes them money these days! Funny how folks dribbled over the XBox360 then question the PS3 specs and performance. Sony are doing to MS what MS did to the PS2, this was bound to happen.. with the PS2, PSP and PS3 Sony are in a bloody strong position. The gloves are off.

  • [dsr.vincent] #19 7 years ago

    /remembering scarface: "Say hello to my little friend" ... yes, they gloves seem to be off :) ... oh... he died. Ah well.

  • bivith #20 7 years ago

    "Cpu more then double the power (that's where terraflops come in)
    Ditto for graphics processor "

    Bzzzt. you mentioned terraflops.

    You're just regurgitating the hype.

  • bivith #21 7 years ago

    "In the end the PS2 was only just better than the Dreamcast."

    "Ridiculous statement. "

    Yes, ridiculous. Dead or Alive 2 looked *much* better on the Dreamcast.

  • kflarsen #22 7 years ago

    " "In the end the PS2 was only just better than the Dreamcast."

    Ridiculous statement. "

    What's so ridiculous about it? I own and enjoy both consoles, and the PS2 doesn't offer that much of a superior experience, especially if you look at the games that were developed back when the Dreamcast was still alive. You can argue that games for the PS2 got better as developers started exploring the hardware, but I can argue that the same thing would have happened on the Dreamcast had it had a longer life.

    In the end I am not blaming Sony for doing what they can to sell their console, but it pisses me off when games journalists write drivel like this article just to please Sony.

  • Mashum #23 7 years ago

    ---
    Cpu more then double the power (that's where terraflops come in)
    Ditto for graphics processor
    The discs can hold 8 times more data
    ---
    You are a marketing persons wet dream mate, go and spread the message to your loved ones. I'll believe all this when I see it.

    Who did the benchmarks for your precious terraflops?
    Were they done under comparible conditions?
    How will the difference in CPU arch. and the PS3's already limited video ram impact the comparison between the machines?
    What happens when you find the ridiculous P3 controller doesn't come out of your arse as easily as it slipped up there?

    All questions still unanswered...
    Edited by Mashum at 17/05/05 @ 11:58

  • silver-jon #24 7 years ago

    "And I honestly want to play Killzone most of all, despite Killzone on PS2 being a game I find soul destroying to even watch someone else play"
    Well, you see, therein lies the rub. Isn't it ? Hmmm ? Yes it *looks* astonishing. But will they iron out the annoyances that frequently culminate in a pretty game being frustrating to play ?

  • smelly #25 7 years ago

    "Bzzzt. you mentioned terraflops.
    You're just regurgitating the hype."

    erm.. nope.. I'm a computer scientist graduate.. that's not hype that is a well recognised way of determine a processors power.

    How many floating point operations can it do in a second.. The higher the number, the faster the processor is. See? It's not THAT hard to understand is it?

    That's not hype.. That's a recognised way of measuring performance.

  • smelly #26 7 years ago

    I dont understand why the fanboys are getting upset? Just because you're a fanboy of the xbox/ps2 now.. doesnt mean you HAVE to get that machine next time, and so be upset when one is obviously better than the other.

    Currently I'm a nintendo fanboy, I bought the cube for the games i wanted to play on it.

    If the ps3 has the games to match the power of it, i'll move over to that next gen.

    Dont understand why this is upsetting the xbox fanboys? You've not bought the new system yet!?!?

    If you ignore obvious mock-ups, and look at the real time tech demos, such as the unreal one and the ducks/real time landscape, you'll see that its actually quite bloody impressive.

    Anyone who cant see that is a hatstand.

    Role on tonight when we get to see the revolution.

  • Mashum #27 7 years ago

    >> erm.. nope.. I'm a computer scientist graduate.. that's not hype that is a well recognised way of determine a processors power.

    So you willl understand that to be comparable any bench marks must be done under the same conditions and appreciate that differences in architecture really make teraFLOPS comparisions kind of redundant.

    meh, they hand out diplomas with every McDonalds happy meal nowadays...

  • smelly #28 7 years ago

    "So you willl understand that to be comparable any bench marks must be done under the same conditions and appreciate that differences in architecture really make teraFLOPS comparisions kind of redundant. "

    Erm.. nope.. Its quite simply whats the maximum number of floating point operations our cpus can do if working fully in sync with each other.

    It's not strictly a bench mark, it wouldnt even need a tool to do it, the engineer of the chip(s) could work it out with maths.

    Its not the same as running a bench mark on a pc, where each piece of software will give different results depending on how it's made..

    Its a precise way of calculating how fast a chip (or in this case chips) is/are if running at full performance.

    Is this too hard to understand?

  • AtomicBanana Verified Level Designer, Playground Games #29 7 years ago

    That was the biggest load of rubbish I have ever read. Sony hype all over again.

    'zomg this thing is so powerful we won't need status bars!?!!'

    Grade A bullshit, just like they pulled last time. The only sad thing is, it seems to be working.

  • red_devil52 #30 7 years ago

    Well if this is true then the PS3 is going to easily win next-gen. Hopefully the online service will be just as good as/better than MS's.

  • Mashum #31 7 years ago

    That's very impressive but you have not answered my question.

    ...and I asked for a large fries PFY.

    EDIT: That last bit is rude, sorry man.
    Edited by Mashum at 17/05/05 @ 13:32

  • MaskedDave #32 7 years ago

    The Cell processor is damn impressive, and I can't wait for it to be in the PC.

    But with consoles, I just don't really care about system specs. What matters is the games and Playstation games just never really interest me. Most of the best ones end up on PC anyway and the rest don't convince me enough to fork out for the console.

    Also, just look at the damn thing! I don't want that in my living room! And what's with the silver bananas for controllers??

  • Tellute #33 7 years ago

    So we've learnt that hype works.

    I guess by tomorrow Tom will want a Nintendo Revolution instead.

  • Corben_Dallas #34 7 years ago

    'So Xb 360 for £100 then'

    LOL dream on sunshine u wont see either the XB360 or Ps3 for less than the expensive side of £300 and poss more.
    £100 LOL
    ROTFLMAO

    u only get the £100/150 price at the end of the console NOT at the start.( and if theres a price war between MS and Sony.)

  • captain-future #35 7 years ago

    Two possibilities:

    a) minddrugs were handed to those that attended the PS3 show
    b) money was handed to those that attended the PS3 show

    I'm very happy that Sony has a strong answer, that means:
    cheaper prices
    more games for me, because I buy both and Nintendo next-gen too.

  • smelly #36 7 years ago

    "But with consoles, I just don't really care about system specs."

    so you still have a psone then?

  • smelly #37 7 years ago

    why on earth are fanboys getting upset about systems not out yet anyhow?

  • Mashum #38 7 years ago

    That was rude of me smelly, very sorry - also I honestly have no idea about how they work out the FLOPS and you most likely correct.

    But it still does not explain how the thing will compare given the other differences - I think that after the dissapointment of the PS2 compared to the pre release hype I'm a bit sensitive.

  • justMe #39 7 years ago

    I find it amazing how people still believe the bulshit Sony spits out before any new hardware launch.

    A super computer? For under 500€? Movie-level graphics/effects in real time? Santa is real afterall?

    Probably the only real thing they showed was the rubber duck thing, very cool, but my PC can do that too.

    Can't wait for Nintendo to finally show what the next gen will really be like. A games machine, I don't need more computers at home.

  • Darkedge #40 7 years ago

    people please look at the ingame footage or at least definately on hardware you can see so far.
    PS2:
    eyedentity
    fifth phantom saga
    I-8
    new ducks demo

    Xbox 360:
    Gears of War (mainly as we've seen bits of this as Unreal 3 engine before)
    Quake 4
    Call of duty 2
    Ghost Recon 3

    Thats all I can see. Thats all I'll believe is actual games so far the rest is just renders.
    Thats what i'm judging on so far - healthy pinch o salt here.
    Edited by Darkedge at 17/05/05 @ 15:22

  • mcmonkeyplc #41 7 years ago

    Christ on a bike guys did sony pay you guys?

    I've seen the killzone video and it looks like the GR3 really.

    Well I guess we'll have to wait at least a year before we get to play it.

  • louyfitz #42 7 years ago

    I'm waiting for proper preview videos before I make my mind up, and the Revolution specs, good god I hope they get the third party support they need this time.

    I really want Nintendo to be how they were when the N64 was on top.
    They need Rare back too.

    Although judging from the DS sales they may be making a come-back.

    EDIT: I'm really looking forward to Quake 4 for the XB360, I wish they had kept the Quake games on consoles aswell as PC, do you think it'll have deacent online?
    Edited by louyfitz at 17/05/05 @ 14:12

  • ScrewYouHippy #43 7 years ago

    E3 hasn't even started yet and everyones in a tiz about which is better.

    Anyone who believes that killzone footage is a real game probably also believes in Santa. Wake up.

    P.s. The reason reviewers are always pro-sony is because they give out the best charlie at their parties.

  • gamingdave #44 7 years ago

    "And I honestly want to play Killzone most of all, despite Killzone on PS2 being a game I find soul destroying to even watch someone else play."

    Jesus, you lot have been drinking. So your saying your most wanted game is a soul destroying one, but this time with prettier graphics. Dont you remember the Getaway scans, the polygon counts and all the other hype last time that came to nothing?

    Im not knocking the PS2, or PS3, but the 1st really wasnt up to what they had claimed, and im sure this one wont be either. Sony are masters of PR and hype, and it looks like you've fallen for it again.

    Itll be interesting to see your opinions in a few months time, when someones maybe actually played on one.

  • Huntcjna #45 7 years ago

    I think they will retail it at under $200/£200 for the 360 using the loss leader tactics to make a killing on the hardware expect a ridiculous pricing stratergy developed to kick sony in the balls

  • asandbrook #46 7 years ago

    Just posted this elsewhere but thought I ought to inflict my genius views on the whole world...

    Here's my "I have looked into my crystal ball" take on things...

    Despite talk of the PS3's hugely impressive specs I think the XBox 360 is going to make significant progress in its assault on Sony's massive fanbase because:

    a) the XBox 360 is going to be launched in plenty of time before Christmas - it quite simply can't be underestimated how massively advantageous this all is - will the general public really want to be shelling out 300plus quid for the PS3 just months after wallet-shattering Christmas - I think not! The XBox 360 will be billed as the 'must have' gadget for Christmas and Sony will be able to do little to steal Microsoft's limelight. The war is not won by all us nutter console lovers, it's by Joe Bloggs on the street and this is the market that Microsoft will make significant gains with this Christmas (although Sony will of course be hard-pressed to not be the market leader come late 2006)

    b) the XBox 360 is seemingly going to launch with a fairly good (if not hugely adventurous) lineup of games - again it can't be understimated how crucial this is.

    c) Whilst the Playstation 3's capabilities looking absolutely stunning and seemingly blow away the PS3 consider this: how on earth is Sony going to keep the price down? They've obviously outdone themselves this time but at what cost? On the other hand Microsoft certainly don't seem to have gone quite as far as Sony has and logically they'll be able to price their equipment lower but the real ace in the M$ sleeve is XBox Live. XBox Live will be the chief source of revenue and M$ are going to milk it for all its worth. With free gold membership for the first month and automatic silver membership they will be looking to seriously profit through this (something which Sony appear far less focused on) meaning...they'll be able to keep prices down and in particular it's a fair bet we'll see the XBox 360 drop in price considerably around the PS3 release date. The choice for the average floating gamer will be a significantly cut price XBox 360 plus Halo 3 plus large library of games vs Expensive PS3 with much smaller library of games...unless PS3 pulls out that all important 'killer app' for launch day...

    But the nagging question that keeps at me in the back of my mind is this: of all these PS3 demos we've seen do we REALISTICALLY HONESTLY think we'll see stuff like the Killzone trailer anywhere within sight of launch day...I may be being overly cynical but do you remember the visual quality of the actual PS2 launch titles in comparison to the demos and grand claims being made for the quality of games at the PS2 launch...exactly

    To pompously conclude:

    Despite the overexcitement surrounding the PS3 they'll be a significant amount of people who quite simply won't be able to hold out for the PS3, especially with money burning a whole in their pockets at Christmas, and will end up plumping for what's already available...XBox 360

    At the end of the day the average man on the street won't even be able to tell the difference between the XBox and the PS3's capabilities (and nor will they really care) - what they simply want to do is play next-gen games NOW ... and at the cheapest possible price

    P.S. Not that I'm for one second claiming that PS3 will be anything short of fantastic - it'll do extremely well and will be odds on for the biggest market share but I predict the XBox 360 will actually do a whole lot better than people expect and its poor showing in E3 will do little dampen enthusiasm come Christmas time...

  • zErOb_cOOl #47 7 years ago

    "What's so ridiculous about it? I own and enjoy both consoles, and the PS2 doesn't offer that much of a superior experience, especially if you look at the games that were developed back when the Dreamcast was still alive. You can argue that games for the PS2 got better as developers started exploring the hardware, but I can argue that the same thing would have happened on the Dreamcast had it had a longer life."


    kflarsen, WELL SAID.

    People always ask me 'Why did you buy a Dreamcast?' as though I've commited a crime, or have no common sense at all.

    BECAUSE IT WAS ABOUT THE SAME POWER AS THE PS2, IT WAS THE MOST POWERFUL CONSOLE WHEN I BOUGHT IT, AND IT HAS SOME GREAT GAMES DAMN IT, THATS WHY!

    Also..., it is ALWAYS overlooked that this is the first console to churn out arcade-perfect graphics of the time (Crazy Taxi, Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur, House of the Dead 2.)
    Edited by zErOb_cOOl at 17/05/05 @ 16:12

  • Lothar Hex #48 7 years ago

    Lothar Hex:
    Since you are the ONLY person I know who actually understands the fucking specs of things, tell me
    Lothar Hex:
    PS3 or Xbox 360
    Lothar Hex:
    Which is more powerful?
    :: IX**:
    XB360
    Lothar Hex:
    How so?
    Lothar Hex:
    Im looking at the specs and the PS3 can do 2 teereflops, wheres the 360 can do 1
    Lothar Hex:
    Whatevetr the fuck a tereflop is.
    :: IX**:
    Terraflops is just an "optimum performance" thing
    Lothar Hex:
    Right, can you go through it in "super simple" speak for me which is more powerful?
    :: IX**:
    well
    :: IX**:
    Xbox has 3.2 Ghx of processor
    :: IX**:
    on 3 cores
    :: IX**:
    so that's effectively
    :: IX**:
    3 processors
    :: IX**:
    Ps3 has one processor, i think, divided up into segments
    :: IX**:
    the graphics memeor (GDDR3) on the XB360 is shared out
    :: IX**:
    xso whatever needs it, takes it
    Lothar Hex:
    Riiiight
    Lothar Hex:
    Graphically which do you think will be more impressive?
    IX** :
    It's an unconventional system, to say the least
    IX**:
    and XB360 by far.
    IX*8:
    ATI developed a whole new Gfx Core for the XB
    IX**:
    while Sony took an existing one

  • zErOb_cOOl #49 7 years ago

    "u only get the £100/150 price at the end of the console NOT at the start.( and if theres a price war between MS and Sony.)
    "

    Hopefully there will be a war.

    Also, unless every bit of functionality is available/up and running (Playstaion online, an updated Live! service) I don't see how Sony/M$ would dare charge over £200, ...never mind £300!! These is absolutely no gain in buying a console on its release day for full price...few games (probably) and even possibly dodgey consoles with bugs! No point.

    Sony, and especially M$ should put 70% of their efforts into their existing consoles (i.e customers) and only release the new consoles when ready and at a reasonable price.

  • Nikanoru #50 7 years ago

    I'd be surprised if the PS3 will even deliver what they promised on the hype wave of the PS2.

    Because I'm not falling for it again. Not that I did last time.

  • RobTheBuilder #51 7 years ago

    Exactly.

    To me, if you want power its PS3 all the way.
    If you want originality its Revolution all the way.
    (I want both)

    If the graphics are as different as they say I dont see room for Xbox unless they can cram millions of sales into the months before Sony and Nintendo launch.

    I know Sony traditionally bullshit about their power, but compare the VGT shots with those jerky images of Perfect Dark Zero and there really is no comparison.

  • johnboy_johsnon #52 7 years ago

    This article is a disgrace. Nobody has played games on either console yet they're already heralding PS3 as the top dog for next gen. Same thing happened with PS2 - that was until people start getting playable code. 5/10 and 6/10 Edge reviews were the order of the day but at this stage it was too late for the good old DC.

    Pathetic.

  • Lankyn #53 7 years ago

    While this is obviously just one reporters opinion, it's a very biased article. Its not that I'm angry - just....disappointed.

    Oh, and does anyone have a TV capable of supportting 1080i or p? If so, then the console 'war' won't be a problem as you have enough money for all of them. For the 'joe average' everyone talks about, even surround sound is a luxury.

  • johnboy_johsnon #54 7 years ago

    "Also..., it is ALWAYS overlooked that this is
    the first console to churn out arcade-perfect graphics of
    the time (Crazy Taxi, Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur, House of
    the Dead 2.) "

    And in the case of Soul Calibur a far superior version to that in the arcades.

  • caligari #55 7 years ago

    Jah Jah Jah! But where's the Dreamcast 2?

    ...


    ...


    ...


    Hello?


    ...


    ...

  • Trowel #56 7 years ago

    The closest my SNES got to a teraflop was when I dropped it on the floor one day.

    Sure as hell beat the shit out of the PS2 for great games though.

  • statix101 #57 7 years ago

    Edited by statix101 at 17/05/05 @ 21:15

  • dokodemo #58 7 years ago

    I'm in the PS3 camp - I think it will be the best of the next generation. But to be honest, we've barely seen anything of the Xbox 360 besides tech specs and a bad port of Perfect Dark, so to say the Xbox 360 isn't even in the PS3's league, is a bit silly at the moment.

    Wait till we've all played at least a handful of games.

  • the creeper #59 7 years ago

    "I'm waiting for proper preview videos before I make my mind up, and the Revolution specs, good god I hope they get the third party support they need this time.

    I really want Nintendo to be how they were when the N64 was on top."

    Nintendo look like they're chasing a different market with the Revolution. Because it's so underpowered compared to the PS3 and Xbox360, if anything it's going to make third party support less likely.

    And when was the N64 ever on top of anything? A handful of decent games over it's lifetime was not enough to stop Sony ruling that generation of hardware.

    Both of these articles are obviously very pro-Sony and people are questioning the writer's abilities to remain impartial. For me though, I think the one sided nature of these write-ups sounds as much a product of the MS marketing machine as it is the (unquestionably) exaggerated Sony one. Let's not forget that just because Sony have probably overstated what their baby will be capable of, MS will have certainly done the same. And they've done in an extraordinarily patronising manner.

    Last point:
    Can any of Sony's claims really be any more outrageous than J Allard saying that he wants to see a customer base of 1 billion for the Xbox360? In order for that to be even a theoretical possibility, they'll have to really crack either the Chinese or the Indian market. And a large percentage of those two countries live in abject poverty. For me, this has been the most embarrassingly over the top statement from E3 so far. And that even takes into account J Allard then going on to say of the Xbox360 that "It's a platform that no other company in this industry can even try to match", a matter of hours after Sony clearly surpassed it.
    Edited by the creeper at 17/05/05 @ 21:39

  • RobTheBuilder #60 7 years ago

    Is it underpowered though, people who have seen it running allegedly say it is at least as powerful as 360.

  • Vin #61 7 years ago

    Tom, that was an utterly shocking article, mate.





  • Yaz #62 7 years ago

    *******
    Edited by Yaz at 17/05/05 @ 23:17

  • Yaz #63 7 years ago

    "This article is a disgrace. Nobody has played games on either console yet they're already heralding PS3 as the top dog for next gen."

    Yep, especially since they're getting excited over mostly CG game footage. Besides the demos, Mark Rein confirms that the ONLY PS3 games running in realtime were from EPIC and EA, the rest was CG (yes, including Killzone Tom!!!!).

    http://ps3.ign.com/articles/615/615178p1.html

    Although Mark believes they *should* be possible.

    I'm not saying it's wrong, since developers often produce CG versions of what they think (hope) the final game will be on finished hardware, especially for new consoles. However, I've yet to see a release game match the pre-rendered *What we think it will look like* CG movies.

    In contrast, we've seen more footage of games running on UNFINISHED XBox 360 hardware compared to CG mockups, therefore it's a bit sad to see articles such as this where the author obviously hasn't given this issue any thought AT ALL, especially since his last sentence suggests he thinks everything he saw was running in realtime on PS3 hardware.

    Both consoles are incredibly impressive imo, with the PS3 having an edge over the XBox 360 (as expected given the 2006 release), but in the long run, articles like this do neither consoles any favours, since it over hypes one and plays down the other.

    Shame, I expected better from Eurogamer. :(

  • brombeer #64 7 years ago

    /Exhausted from reading fanboymail
    /Goes to bed
    /Ponders mankind
    /What happened to it?

  • DrZaius #65 7 years ago

    The MS presentation had way more fluff, smoke and mirrors than the Sony one. My god, the MS speaker made me laugh.

    Was like he came straight out of a speech training seminar.

    Sony clearly has better hardware, and i think it would be more exciting to develop for. Xbox360 looks rushed. i HATE the design of it and the logos. They have tried way too hard to beat Sony off the production line. It will probably pay off for them to, judging by some of these comments

  • Ravenlore #66 7 years ago

    I have to agree I will get PS3 first and if XboX360 has games that I want no on PS3 (games that are different not another FPS) then I will get it after a price drop of course.

  • Yaz #67 7 years ago

    *****
    Edited by Yaz at 18/05/05 @ 07:53

  • Yaz #68 7 years ago

    "Sony clearly has better hardware, and i think it would be more exciting to develop for. Xbox360 looks rushed".

    With PS3 arriving in 2006 compared to XBox 360 in 2005, you'd expect more power in Sony's console. So no surprises there!

    Before E3, we knew CELL would be more powerful (theoretically atleast), and it is at 218GFlops vs 115GFlops. Also, many felt the GPUs will be similar in power, and they are (both have about twice the power of nVidia's 6800 Ultra). So graphically, you're not going to see much difference!

    I also like the XBox 360 design very much, and so I fail to see where it's been rushed. For me, it's fantastic to know that here in the UK, I can buy such a powerful console (XBox 360) THIS YEAR, the same as Japan and the US. For the PS3, it appears to be the same old story, that is, Japan launch first, then US, and finally Europe.
    So for me, I see no need to wait until late 2006 just for PS3.

  • Les #69 7 years ago

    I was very sceptical about next gen consoles. I think they come too soon and I hated M$ for rushing the start of the next gen cycle. I thought “next gen” would only bring us more of the same, with better graphics, as just four years would not be enough for a major advancement in computing power. And I still think that. But I saw the Motor Storm trailer. I want PS3 and I want it now. Shallow, I know.

  • Yaz #70 7 years ago

    ^^^ Except this gen really started with the DC back in 1999, followed by PS2 in 2000. So although it cut the XBox in the process, the arrival of XBox 360 is right on time for next gen consoles.

    If anything, the PS3 is late, and I'm sure if it was launching this year instead of XBox 360, no-one would be complaining. Sony say spring 2006 for PS3, so I fail to see why November 2005 is too early for next gen and yet just 4-5 months later is perfectly fine. :|

  • ali-uk #71 7 years ago

    I like both consoles, and will most probably buy both. X360 first for PD0, and I'll see what the PS3 has to offer.

    Yes, Killzone looked incredible, and if it's possible to do in-game, then excellent. I can see what Tom's saying *if* these specs are indeed achievable, since PS3 seems more like the 'next-gen'. But only on paper atm.

    I'm gunna wait and see. Games are what matters.

    Oh, and on a side note, Revolution looks the best. Ps3 looks utter rubbish. But who cares about looks?
    Edited by ali-uk at 18/05/05 @ 10:07

  • RS3York1 #72 7 years ago

    This sort of thing is hilarious. Sony shows up armed mostly with CG, MS comes mostly with real-time footage and I'm supposed to sit back and truely believe EG that Sony has just trumped MS? I suppose by the same logic Nintendo is sure to regain their lead since they didn't even show any footage at all...

    "Outclassed"...I like to play games so I'm not exactly looking forward to buying a Watchstation 3. I don't understand how the editors we can normally trust get SUCKERED TIME & TIME AGAIN WITH THE EXACT SAME TACTICS.

    EG even had to go so far as to publish a statement that they're not biased...well when you see amazing footage like Killzone and it lacks a HUD, crosshairs, rag doll physics and movement that is remotely possible with an analog stick and the same footage has AI where every single character perfectly reacts on time every time...

    ...All supposedly from a developer who not only failed at delivering a promised "Halo-Killer" the first time around but couldn't deliver a TimeSplitters-Killer....but NOT ONCE do you suggest it even *could* be CG?!? You bet your torched ass we're going to call you out for that.

    Things like this "It supports progressive scan up to 1080p - significantly better than the Xbox 360's top-end 1080 interlaced resolution - and can do it on two screens at once." You mean the same 2-screen gaming as the NDS everyone called a gimmick? Now that's a brillant idea is it? At least Nintendo is *giving* you the 2 screens.

    Tom, I hope you and Kristan haven't gotten into a fight over HD because talking about 360 Kristan had to say "High Def: What a total load of bull. So few gamers will ever be able to reap the benefits of this (admittedly lovely) feature that trying to sell the machine on this concept is at best optimistic, at worst ridiculously misguided". Hmm well I guess when you do the same thing to the power of 2 it magically becomes a smart thing to do, riiiiiiight...

    "[PS3] can do things graphically that PCs cannot do, let alone Xbox 360. And things that PCs won't be able to do at least until after the console launches next spring." - that's odd because the last time I checked the Xbox 360 is also more powerful than any PC on the market now or will be in the same time frame.

    "Xbox 360 games look like high-end PC games; gorgeous, but like games." No surprise here since all the games we've seen are running on X360 Alpha Kits that are, watch out now, basically high-end Macs! Hmmm high end PCs producing graphics that look like high end PC games...another example of shining journalism here folks.

    Tom closes with, "Frankly, going on what I've seen so far, I'm not even convinced Xbox 360 and PS3 are the same generation.".

    Well neither am I Tom because the only PS3 *games* that we know were shown in real-time were the multiplatform Unreal Tournament 2007 & Fight Night 3. If your idea of "next-gen" is watching CG films then I've got this *AMAZING* console at home, I call it the Sony DVDStation3...MotorStorm, Killzone? Bah! I've got Toy Story, Shrek, Finding Nemo...you should see the mind blowing graphics on Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within!

    It can be yours Tom! Only $465 USD!!! No movies, er "games" included!!
    - http://ps3.ign.com/articles/615/615745p1.html

    MS most certainly did say some boneheaded things at their conference (read: a goal of 1 billion consoles sold) but are we going to see an article outlining the boneheaded things the EG staff has been submitting as of late? Or are we going to have to endure more defensive articles from the same "we ring the alarm on MS BS but not our own crap" website?
    Edited by RS3York1 at 18/05/05 @ 11:31

  • dokodemo #73 7 years ago

    Confirmation from friends in the business working for two particular UK studios, who may or may not be called Evolution and Guerilla;

    The Motorstorm and Killzone PS3 demos were both pre-rendered footage, as apparently neither guy "had seen a PS3 devkit in sight" when working on them.

    Well done on getting hyped over CGI Eurogamer!

  • EnDream #74 7 years ago

    I posted this elsewhere and I want to put it here as well.

    X-Box 360 will be region free out of the box. This should be very important to Europes gamers.

  • Scimarad #75 7 years ago

    It's good if it's true, but I have to say I never even felt the slightest urge to import something on the original Xbox - Possibly because they were pretty good at releasing stuff in Europe.

  • tengu #76 7 years ago

    Dave J, that news is bullshit though, and you're the saddest bastard alive by trying to force it on everyone like you're doing. It's people like you that are making genuine Xbox fans who appreciate that quality comes from good games and not how big your metaphorical "cock" is compared to the Playstation look bad.

    So just fuck off and wise up, eh?
    Edited by tengu at 21/05/05 @ 15:23

  • forceflow307 #77 7 years ago

    i am getting a PS3. ive always wanted a giant futuristic george forman grill in my living room! also, if any burglars try to steal it, i can beat them down with my boomarang controller! its practically thief proof!*
    I am getting an Xbox 360. It's so pretty and curvy and shiny....and it glows! Not to mention I can give Microsoft all of my money to buy faceplates to cover up its design and to buy worthless downloads so my characters can have the latest fashions!*
    I am getting a Nintendo Revolution becasue I love blue boxes!*
    *These articles are as close as we can come to saying wether or not we want to buy a particular system at this point in time. I haven't seen any playable PS3 demos, nor have I gotten to play an Xbox 360 game. And they haven't even released the Revolution specs yet. Please wait util they come out to write your biased, BS-fanboy articles about your favorite system. It will save us all a lot of anger.

  • jsywong #78 7 years ago

    My point of view is this. I will like to see how much good graphics xbox is able to fit in their normal DVDs. i mean more and more ps2 games (i am not a xbox player, so i can not speak for them) are either running DVD9 or on 2 DVDs. remember, that something is only as good as the worst, and the bottle neck for xbox will be the amount of graphics, speech, game play, etc that xbox can actually fit onto say max 2 DVD9. it will only add up to 8.5*2=17gb. while on the other hand a single blu-ray can fit 54gb. Other note on the blu-ray, since the ps3 will double as a bly-ray player, it will say u quite a bit in purchasing another blu-ray player. As for xbox, who does not have a dvd player.

    another issue i see is the resolution. when debating over the web, we dont get to see what profile other ppl r. i mean, i just purchased a 43" 1080i/720p dlp tv for $2000CAD (that is 1,334.32 EUR in today exchange rate), for those waiting for ur father to purchase that HDTV that u really want to play the new console that u also really want to them buy, yeah, i will say keep dreaming. but for those who make a living for themselves and is willing to sacrifice some things to allow them to enjoy their new console, that don't see too far fetch. and for those who argued that there is not a lot of tv that support 1080i/720p, then u should really make a trip down to ur local electronic shop, and u will see that nearly half is HDTV (well at least here in Canada). as for 1080p, yeah u r right there isn't much out there, but think, i think sony is making these console for a good few years, they have to be compatible with future technology...

    one last thing I will like to mention for those who say that the games will not be as good as they say. I agree. Sony only creates the platform for game creators to use, so unless they utilise the whole power of ps3 or xbox, none of the specs matters. I mean just compare the early ps2 games to ps2 games today, there has been a really big improvement and developers climbs higher on the learning curve of each console. So to say that ps3 games will not be as good as they have shown it, it will say that wait, eventually they will, as it is the potentials that really counts. Whether the game create wish to use it, is up to them

    from the spec, what i see is xbox is only focused on cpu and video power, with a short sight on future technology. while sony is stepping up, and embracing us for the future. sony is always known to be a innovator of technology, sometimes it fails, and others, they succeed. i believe their ps3 will be successful.

    wow that was long

  • NateCloughn #79 7 years ago

    WHO CARES WHAT THIS RETARD THINKS!! GOD DAMNIT I signed up to this site just to post on this stupid ass shit this queer is talking about. Hasn't this retard seen anything. I've seen the Gears of War, real gameplay, in Japan, and it blew my mind. Who gives a shit if PS3 tops that. Why the hell do i care. Let's say i buy the xbox 360, and gears of war comes out for PS3, and it has better graphics. Woop Dee Fucking Doo, am i going to buy the PS3 just because the games have better graphics; I think not. A games a game, it's all about the gameplay. All I care about is that the graphics astonish me and make it interesting, i'm not going to let graphics overrule the reasons why i buy a console. Xbox is going to OWN in the Live department, and they say everygame is going to be xbox live compatible. PLUS, the xbox is going to have requirements on graphics so you won't have games out there that a graphicly unsurperior, so wtf is this gay ass hype that doesn't mean shit. I can't wait for Perfect Dark, I can't wait for Gears of War, I can't wait for Morrowind. I can't wait for Final Fintasy which is one of the reason why i had a PS2. That's my reasons for xbox 360, and nothing this douche says is going to change that. PS3 isn't going to be bad, people have their reasons for getting it, good for them, fucking go for it and who cares wtf anyone else says JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!
    Edited by NateCloughn at 30/09/05 @ 02:14

  • R+ #80 6 years ago

    "I can't wait for Perfect Dark, I can't wait for Gears of War, I can't wait for Morrowind. I can't wait for Final Fintasy..."

    Wow... you need some friends... Just because PS3 has graphics that kick Billy's nerdy ass doesn't mean it's going to be bad. Nobody ever said graphics determine the gameplay factor of games, but it helps. This is usually the time when I type about a page proving everything all the little Microsoft fanboys say wrong, making them cry like little bitches, but I have PRODUCTIVE things to do. Rather than taking the time to sign up JUST to say, "who cares". Obviously you do if you signed up supposedly, "not caring", then typing a paragraph of crap that makes you look like one of those kids that has a life consisting of World Of Warcraft.

    Later, and goodluck getting to level 2,000 on your game. Freak.
    Edited by R+ at 02/01/06 @ 23:10

  • Yaz #81 6 years ago

    "Wow... you need some friends..."

    LOL! That's really funny coming from you. It's now 2006, and here you are replying to a post dated September 30th 2005. ;)

  • R+ #82 6 years ago

    "LOL! That's really funny coming from you. It's now 2006, and here you are replying to a post dated September 30th 2005. ;)"

    If you didn't know, searching brings up data from ALL dates. ;) I just thought I would let you know that.

  • Carrybagma #83 6 years ago

    Good bump.

    Love to know what 'Tom's take' is now.

  • reality_cheque #84 6 years ago

    "I'm not even convinced Xbox 360 and PS3 are the same generation"

    I think I'll wait for the PS3 to be released before I believe any article I read about it. Besides, surely you're missing the point of the word "generation". Generation implies 'the one that comes after the previous generation'. The term doesn't say anything about improvements at all!

    I think the fact that every developer and his dog say the PS3 is a bitch to code for is going to be a major deciding factor in which games are released for it, which as we all know (although some people seem to forget) is why we buy the bloody expensive things in the first place. PS3 may end up looking nicer, but that's not going to make me spend more cash on it unless it's got a boat load of exclusive games I want to play.

    Edit: Oh and Sony better do an DECENT online service or they're a bunch of fools in egotist clothing.
    Edited by reality_cheque at 05/01/06 @ 10:21

  • Yaz #85 6 years ago

    "If you didn't know, searching brings up data from ALL dates. ;) I just thought I would let you know that."

    And yet whatever you find from searching, you are not obliged to respond. Just thought I'd let you know. ;)
    Edited by Yaz at 05/01/06 @ 20:22

  • saiyuki #86 6 years ago

    im gonna love ps3 the whole way and love xbox 360 for some of the games it has, like gears of war, Halo 3

  • cheekymatt25 #87 6 years ago

    I personaly have been a fan of sony since the ps1 but i remember the hype back then between the ps1 and sega saturn and i eventuly owned both consoles and i got to say even though i stuck with sony beacuse sony made the saturn flop beacuse of sonys hype that i actully thort the saturn was better than the ps1 exspecialy there version of tombraider!

    Then the ps2 and xbox war started and ps2 surronded itself by alot of hype yet again also killing sega for a second time!.....i never see a dreamcast in action but i heard it was pretty impressive back then even compared to ps2!.........anyway i went and bought my ps2 when it came out beacuse of all the sony hype and beacuse i had alot of fun with ps1 and thought it would be a safe bet to buy a ps2 wich it was a safe bet but the ps2 wasnt as powerfull as the xbox but with ps2 there were certain games i wanted to play that you couldnt get on xbox like metal gear solid and the getaway e.t.c but this time with the war against ps3 and xbox 360 pretty much all games will be coming out on both formats an the xbox 360 has a little bit of a headstart and is alot cheaper than ps3 and also games will be cheaper and microsoft will probably even slash xbox 360 prices again when sony launches ps3 so buying an xbox 360 makes more sense beacuse look at ps1 and the segasaturn and ps2 and xbox everyone rushes out to buy them and pays stupid money for the machine and then buy alot of games e.t.c and few years down the line its worth absoloutly nothing! .............i bought a ps2 when it was first launched and graduly got a colection of 35 games (i bought the games when they were released beacuse of the games hype) it all cost thousands and i recently tried to trade it in and was offerd £130 so what im saying is the xbox 360 may not be as powerfull as ps3 ( if thas all true) but u get a next gen console at a good price and cheap games so your not going to lose much money and still get a great games console!

    Also i recently bought a sony psp beacuse i heard they were pretty good and rememberd the hype of sony claiming the psp was as powerfull as a ps2 and you can clearly see it isnt as powerfull as a ps2 at all but non the less im quite happy with it for now beacuse of all the other things the machine does but you can tell sony do rely on alot of hype and exsagerate things to help sales.

    And my dad is a courier for DHL probably bigest courier company there is and ALOT of DHL courier work is returnin faulty sony products now thats saying something!!!...........i remember when ps1 was launched it sufferd alot of faults and alot of consoles where replaced ( that included my brand new ps1 console)and future consoles where changed to try and help the problem!......then ps2 was launched and the same thing happend again ( that included my ps2 console also) lol..........i mean i realy enjoy sonys consoles exspecialy ps1 i had more fun on that than the ps2 but sony does realy live and rely on there big name that they have built for themselves and the reason why sony is a big company is beacuse it was mainly the first company to bring out the latest technolagy over the years so sony has kinda set in peoples minds when buying electrical goods but over the years the quality of sony has slipped alot! ..........my friend owns an electrical shop and he even sais that beacuse he has to replace alot of faulty sony goods............and also sony have there massive record label full of A list celebritys wich they are using at places like E3 and MTV to help promote and hype there console up so that just proves they use "hype" value to help sell there products!...........where as Microsoft specialise in computer technolagy its what they do and they realy know what they are doing with there products.

    im not saying ps3 is crap beacuse i havnt seen one yet and am sure its going to be quite good but for me this time im going to buy an xbox 360 core system beacuse i only want it as a games console to play games everynow and again and its reasonbly priced..............and after couple of years when both sony and microsoft drop there prices (and sony fix the ps3 faults beacuse there gunna be some just like ps1 and ps2) and it becomes clear wich console is the next winner i mite buy a ps3 if it wins the battle. =)

  • BillyBrush #88 4 years ago

    Well a couple of years down the line and how right you were :o)

    they seem to be very much in the same generation at the mo, but one did have better target footage, shame they used Stevie Wonder as cheif archer

  • Les #89 4 years ago

    The most ironic thing is that the battle between 360 and PS3 has turned out to be a battle for distant 2nd place...