Battle of the Game Consoles, article + questions + discussion *crosses fingers* Options

[superstitious]

First off, I'd prefer this to stay here and not moved to News because the real reason I'm posting this is to get a feel for what next gen console would be the best choice for me (um, and Iz, of course).

Hope Fades for PS3 as a Comeback Player
In Battle of the Game Consoles, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox Widen Leads Over Sony's PlayStation
By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI

TOKYO -- For most of this year, Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 videogame console seemed finally to be taking off after a slow start. The PS3, trailing Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 consoles, was closing in on the No. 2 Xbox 360, with new games and quarterly sales growth at twice the speed of last year.

But early results from this holiday season aren't promising. U.S. sales of the PS3 fell 19% last month from a year earlier, while sales doubled for the Wii console and rose 8% for the Xbox 360, according to research firm NPD. Analysts say they expect PS3 sales for this month to be flat or lower than last year, while sales for its rivals are likely to rise. And Sony may not reach its goal of selling 10 million PS3 consoles in the fiscal year through March, analysts say.

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more here

Last year (2008, so almost last year) was a very financially straining year, so I decided to wait until I receive my tax returns to get a new console. I had my mind on a Wii for a while, but after visiting a friend who has a 360, I'm sort of conflicted now. Then I had read a few comments on Amazon (I was browsing through some games) and a few reviewers were singing PS3 praises and I became even more conflicted.

I'm sure many of you have one (if not more than one) of these, so I was hoping that people might find a bit of time to give me their take. Also, does a potential financial fallout have much of an impact? I mean, I'd hate to spend so much money on something that will possibly be obsolete in the near future. Maybe "obsolete" isn't the best word to use, but I'm not sure how else to phrase it.

I swear, I'm not always so cautious when it comes to game related purchases. I bought the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox without much thought. It's just that the new equipment seems like more of an investment as a whole.

If you could be specific as to why/if you have a preference, that would be great. :)

[illriginal]

That's fine... but how many of those xbox consoles had to be re-purchased because a lot of times microsoft denied fixing it? And how many times have majority of XBOX360s have been sent to Microsoft to be repaired? I can compare a chair from the dollar store to a chair from say Office Depot. The dollar store is gonna sell more of their 1 dollar quality chair compared to the better quality and a lot more expensive chair from Office Depot.

[smoke]

^ Shitload more? Source please, because I've failed to say any impressive exclusives other than Killzone 2. Even that's getting an 8.5 average review.

That's fine... but how many of those xbox consoles had to be re-purchased because a lot of times microsoft denied fixing it? And how many times have majority of XBOX360s have been sent to Microsoft to be repaired? I can compare a chair from the dollar store to a chair from say Office Depot. The dollar store is gonna sell more of their 1 dollar quality chair compared to the better quality and a lot more expensive chair from Office Depot.

See this is why people need to read the whole thread, or at least the last few pages before they make themselves look stupid. We already discussed how hypocritical it is to say this. Sony's PlayStation 2 had a high failure rate. Especially with the disk drive, or it would just decide to take a shit and never work again. It's a learning process. PS2 was Sony's 2nd console, just like the 360 is Microsoft's. The only difference is that Sony didn't do anything about it. Microsoft has provided a 3 year FREE warranty, and if your console breaks any time during those 3 years, your console will be repaired and sent back along with a free month of Xbox Live. And I have no idea where you got the idea that Microsoft denies repairing a console. I have never heard of that. The only way they deny repairs is if you open the Xbox and mess with its insides, which is perfectly legit. Every electronics company uses that as a rule. And Microsoft fixing the problem 3,4,5 years later? The problem was fixed a year and a half after the first batch of 360's were released. Up until recently, that first batch was still in cycle. I hardly ever hear of any issues with newer 360's.

Man, you really, really need to research before you speak.