ONE PLAYER'S OPINION
By Evan Johnson
IV Leader Columnist, Feb. 17, 2011
The time has come to finally decide the best of the best,
titans of game play!
PS3, Sony’s monster of a system, versus the grand slamin’ Microsoft Xbox 360.
There are differences, believe me. Now the facts! I will be
breaking this all down for you step by step on a points system that I used to
find out for myself the best of the best.
I’m talking about the CPU, GPU, RAM, hard drive, disc drive,
the video support, audio support, connectivity, networking, and past system game
compatibility.
First, let’s look at the CPU. In the PS3 a cell processor is
used while the Xbox uses a Xenon processor. To put it simply, in the CPU
category, the PS3 reigns supreme. Next, the GPU. In this category, the Xbox 360
wins. That means better graphics; however, the PS3 graphics are good too, so in
the end it’s really what you prefer.
As for the RAM, the Xbox 360 is shared where as the PS3 is
not, so the PS3 wins here. For the hard drives of the systems, Xbox has up to
250 GB where as the PS3 has up to 320 GB, which gives the win to PS3. The disc
drives in the systems, Xbox 360 has up to 7 GB of disc space, and the PS3 has 25
GB of disc space, giving the win, once again, to the PS3.
As for the video support, with both models of both consoles
now including standard HDMI ports, the Xbox and PS3 are highly comparable when
it comes to video connections.
The PS3 outclasses the Xbox in terms of maximum resolution,
thus giving the win to the PS3 again.
As for the audio support, the Xbox 360 uses Analog-Dolby
Pro-Logic 2 and PS3 uses Analog and Stereo. For those with digital connections,
the PS3 wins by offering both 5.1 Do-lby Digital surround and 7.1 LPCM surround,
making the PS3 the winner here too. However, it is all
about what you have access to really.
Now, connectivity, which is how many people can play at one
time. In this category, both are tied really. Each system has the capability of
having 7 max controllers at a time, but thanks to the Bluetooth 2.0, the PS3
wins here as well.
When it comes to network capabilities, gamers need to ask themselves whether
they would rather use a wired Ethernet connection or wireless.
The PS3's Ethernet port is significantly faster, but both
consoles now include built-in wifi support. Given the fact that people like
wireless Internet, the Xbox 360 has the advantage here.
Finally, we have reached the past game compatibility. While
early PS3 models offered software for PS2 games, newer models do not. The Xbox
360 takes this category thanks to its support for a larger percentage of the
Xbox's back catalog, Making Xbox 360 the winner here.
After breaking it all down step by step, the PS3 ends up
having the most to offer as a system, with a 7 to 3 count.
This makes the PS3 the better system. However, do not count
out the Xbox 360 either. Both systems are great and have their ups and downs.
My advice to you is to take a look at the game exclusives and
prices, then go with whichever you can afford with the most games that you like.