Lets summarize:
Looks & mobility: PS3: 1 360:1
Exclusives: PS3: 1 360: 2
UI: PS3: 2 360: 3
Graphics: PS3: 3 360: 4
Online: PS3: 3 360: 5
Xbox 360 wins!
Tuesday 13 July 2010
PS3 vs. Xbox 360: Summary
The Xbox 360 has won the battle! it the better console overall. The PS3 was close, but not close enough.
PS3 vs. Xbox 360: Online experience
A factor to consider whilst comparing consoles is their online capabilities. Xbox live and PSN are the online gaming providers for the Xbox and PS3 obviously. They are very well known among the gaming industry and are also in the midst of a flame war between fans. Some say Xbox live is better. Some say PSN is better.
Let’s find out for ourselves.
Firstly, PSN users always argue that why should they pay for a service they can get for free on their system. Well one of the reasons is that XBL works. The service is a lot more sophisticated and does not suffer from random server shutdowns and errors like on the PS3. An example of this is when the PS3 servers shutdown due to a bug, causing many problems where gamers lost all of their trophies.
Also, XBL is very cleverly integrated into the UI. Everything works together which gives the system a more unified feel. For example, the spotlight pane which displays featured content is directly integrated into the UI. On the PS3, featured content is also displayed but the separate articles always link off into the web browser. Everything you click always launches a separate app or just opens up the web browser which shows poor integration of PSN into the UI.
One thing PSN has over XBL however is the vast directory of films on the PSN store. However users from remote countries are not able to access this content. XBL has a Zune marketplace which has a good variety of films and is available almost everywhere unlike on the PS3. So even though the PS3 may have a few more films, many people are not even able to access them.
Another thing to consider about online gaming is connectivity. On XBL there are Twitter and Facebook apps directly integrated into the UI whereas on the PS3, you need to launch the web browser for this. There is a Facebook app on PSN however it is not full blown like the one on XBL.
Also, XBL has an integrated messenger service which further provides connectivity. XBL also has a party chat system which allows gamers to connect with their buddies on different games and also even watch a rented film together.
Overall, XBL clearly demolishes PSN. Is it worth the money? Hell yes! The service is very reliable and is very cleverly integrated into the user experience. XBL is also about staying connected and is almost a social networking platform in itself. On PSN, there is nothing that motivates you to stay connected to your friends. Overall, XBL is better than PSN on all circumstances so I give the point to Xbox live!
PS3: 3 Xbox 360: 5
This means that: http://gamersplaygames.blogspot.com/2010/07/ps3-vs-xbox-360-has-ended.html
PS3 vs. Xbox 360: Graphics
There are 2 points to be given in this section. 1 for CPU and 1 for GPU.
A big debate is going on about which system has the better graphics. Keep in mind, I am not a programmer so everything I say may not be very precise but the general idea is still spot on. It’s the technical things that work me up!
Anywho, Lets, investigate.
These are the specifications for the 360 and PS3’s CPU’s. The CPU carries out tasks such as handling AI and loading graphics. They also manage frame-rates and the faster the CPU, the quicker these tasks can be carried out.
Cell Processor (PS3 CPU)
- One general purpose PPE core that is used for the OS and the game application.
- 512 MB total memory on 2 buses which can be accessed directly only by the PPE core. 256 MB of processor main memory and 256 MB of memory used by GPU.
- 512 KB L2 cache for the PPE.
- 32 KB L1 instruction cache and 32 KB L1 data cache for the PPE.
- 7 specialized SPE cores. One is used for the OS leaving 6 for the game application.
- 256KB SRAM per SPE. but
- Communications between SPE memory or to the PPE memory is performed via the Element Interconnect Bus (EIB) by either accessing ports or via DMA.
- SPEs do not have branch prediction capability.
Xenon Processor (Xbox 360 CPU)
- 3 General purpose PPE cores that are used for the OS and game application.
- 512 MB main memory that is shared by all three cores and GPU.
- 1 MB of L2 cache that is shared by the 3 cores (333 KB per core average).
- 32 KB L1 instruction cache and 32 KB data cache for each core.
- 2 Hardware threads per core.
By looking at the specs of the cell processor, one would expect it to destroy the Xenon. But after looking at all the details, I can see that where the 360 has 3 separate cores (PPE’s), the PS3 only has 1 (PPE core). This does not mean the 360 is more powerful. The cell may only have one core, but it has 7 SPE’s cores within the one PPE core.
Moving on.
Each PPE core has a thread. The Xenon has 3 threads because it has 3 cores. The Cell has 7, because it has 7 SPE’s within one core. Threads are used to assign different elements of a game and handle their code e.g. AI and graphics. Now you may think that the PS3, because it has more threads would be more powerful. While this may be true, programmers have said that it takes a great deal of time and effort to program all of these SPE’s to work with the game application.
So this brings me to my point. While the PS3’s processor is in no doubt a lot more powerful. It is extremely hard to program. This is because the PS3’s SPE’s all have a memory of 256kb. So if a code was say 100mb, the programmer would have to go through hell to make it smaller and also find a way to segment it throughout all 7 SPE’s in the Cell.
However, in the Xenon, the memory is 512kb shared between the 3 cores. This means a larger code can be created and also because the Xenon has the traditional PPE set up, it is a lot easier for programmers.
So in the end, the PS3 is powerful, but it is extremely hard and time consuming to tap into that power. This consequently leads to developers developing multi-platform games on the 360 and then porting them to the PS3. And because of these ports, multi-plat games are always better looking and have better frame-rates on the 360. This is because on the 360, the game can use all the cores, whereas on the PS it can only use one because the PS3 only HAS one.
However, now that the PS3 has been around for a while, exclusive developers such as Naughty Dog have spent a lot of time into the development of their game Uncharted 2. This game is a show-case of hard work and money spent. But keep in mind, this is still a PS3 exclusive, not a multi-plat. So to conclude, PS3 exclusives will always look better than Xbox exclusives due to the Cell processor, but when it comes to multi-plat formers, the Xbox will always come out on top.
I give the point to the PS3 for this section. I have made this decision because although the Cell CPU is very hard to programme, developers such as Naughty Dog have shown with enough work it can be done. So this means that exclusives on the PS3 have an advantage (graphically).
PS3: 3 Xbox 360: 3
Now let’s look at the specs for the GPU’s. The GPU is the graphics processing unit and this piece of hardware is what actually puts the image on your screen. It is responsible for things such as Anti-aliasing and Texture streaming.
So from just looking at these specs I can clearly see that the Xbox’s Xenos GPU is way more powerful than the PS3’s RSX GPU. The Xenos is capable of producing much better anti-aliasing on multi-plat games and is also outstanding at streaming textures.
You may think the PS3 has an edge on streaming textures due to the blu-ray disc having more space. However, the Xenos is capable of decompressing those textures with ease. A fine example of this would be Gears of War 2.
So to wrap this part up i give the 360 the point. The GPU on the 360 is much more powerful than that on the PS3 which means a lot of the textures and anti-aliasing will generally be better on the 360, exclusive or not. The 360 also performs better on the multi-platform side as I have stated before. This is why I think the 360 gets the point.
PS3 for better exclusives, Xbox for better multi-plat’s (graphics wise).
PS3: 3 Xbox 360: 4
PS3 vs. Xbox 360: User interface
A major part of a console is its user interface. A good UI system allows good functionality, ease of use and also a pleasant experience. Both the 360 and the PS3 strive to provide a fine user experience, using colourful visuals and user friendly navigation. But which consoles UI is better?
Let’s compare looks.
The 360 UI in no doubt is damn pretty. The elegant curves, the vibrant colours, the matching house-style. It really is a sight for soar eyes. The use of themes also complements this, adding more flavour and customization to the UI.
The PS3 however, uses a more simplistic approach. The UI is very straight forward, and very clear. Also, unlike the 360, the PS3 themes are a lot more in depth as they change the icons along with the background which provides a more unique look.
In the end, both UI’s look outstanding. But the 360 UI in my opinion looks a lot better in its raw form. Themes do improve the look of the PS3 UI but what’s most important is the UI’s raw form.
Now let’s talk features.
First of all, both consoles have a main menu (dashboard). The 360 uses panes while the PS3 uses scrolling icons. Also, while in-game, both consoles allow the player to access an in-game version of the main menu (XMB). The in-game menus allow users to perform tasks such as view their friends list and their achievements/trophies. The Xbox has had this from the start whereas the PS3 only just became capable recently.
Also, The 360 has a dedicated achievement system which rewards players on their in-game performance. The PS3 has something similar to this called the Trophy system. They are pretty much the same thing however the PS3’s system can be a little confusing at first. This is because trophies are awarded as Bronze, silver and gold.
Furthermore, the 360 has an avatar feature which allows users to create their own virtual character to represent their persona. The PS3 has a feature called “Playstation Home” which is intended to do a similar thing. However, play station home is almost like a separate game and just does not feel as if it part of the UI. It does not feel like it is in harmony with the user interface.
Xbox is doing pretty good so far. Lets move on to functionality.
Both the PS and 360 have user friendly interfaces. But in my opinion, I must say the PS3 takes this. This is because it’s just so simple. The Xbox is a little more complicated as it has a lot of things on display. The visuals can become a little overwhelming while trying to navigate. You get used to it, but this is still not a problem on the PS3.
In the end, I give both consoles a point even though the 360’s UI does excel in features and also may look better, it still cannot compare to the PS3 UI’s functionality. The PS3 UI is just so easy to use and I think functionality plays a big role in making a user interface.
PS3: 2 Xbox 360: 3
PS3 vs. Xbox 360: Exclusive's
Both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 have hosted many blockbuster titles, ranging from first person shooters to action adventures. Fans from both sides have argued ever since the release of the two platforms stating that their console has better exclusive content.
Lets compare.
The Xbox 360 has housed many different exclusives, one that most people may know as Halo 3; a giant in the video games industry. Now Halo alone cannot make a console, so lets take a look at some other major exclusives that have excelled 360 sales, destroyed reviewer ratings and annihilated our minds!
First off,
The Gears of War series
Meta-critic scores of:
Gears of War: 94
Gears of War 2: 93
Fable 2
Meta-critic score of: 89
Halo 3
Meta-critic score of: 94
Forza Motorsport 3
Meta-critic score of: 92
Those were some of the more known 360 exclusive titles. Not too bad eh?
Now lets talk PlayStation. The PS has also had its fair share of exclusive titles. They have caught the eyes of many reviewers and gamers and have managed to rake in some pretty high numbers for the PS3.
Firstly,
The Uncharted series
Meta-critic score of:
Uncharted: 88
Uncharted 2: 96
Metal Gear Solid 4
Meta-critic score of: 94
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Meta-critic score of: 89
LittleBigPlanet
Meta-critic score of: 95
hmmm. not bad either.
Now some of you may be pissed that i didn't include Heavy Rain or Killzone 2 etc. Heavy rain received mediocre reviews and opinions. Also, Killzone 2 for example, it received high reviews, but we all know it sucks. After playing it a few times, people, even the reviewers have now realized that it really isn't that good. Face it!
But overall, i think both consoles have very strong exclusive titles. They have received high critical acclaim and broken records. In the end however, i give the point to the Xbox 360 as most of it's exclusives actually deserve their high ratings. Unlike some games *cough*Killzone 2*cough*
P.S. You cant say Halo 3 is all hype as to this day there are still hundreds of thousands of people still playing it. If it was just hype, the players would have realized already and stop playing 3 years ago.
PS3: 1 Xbox 360: 2
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