PS3 or Nintendo Wii

[Guest]

[rns91294]

With the new console war here, I was wondering everyone's opinions on which system you are more looking forward to.  I have always been a Playstation Fan, so I will be looking forward to getting one of them...someday I didn't pre-order, so sometime next year I hope to have one.  So, let the console war begin! 

[Bryanjs14]

My opinion is Wii or XBrick 360. There is only 1 PS3 game at the launch that looks really good (Resistence: Fall of Man) that WON'T be available on every other console.

Not to mention the $600 price tag (PLEASE DO NOT buy the $500 one if you buy a PS3...it is WORTHLESS). I mean with the 360 you have Gears of War (which I think I like MORE than Halo) and Halo 3 coming out late next year...and a TON of other titles already available. With the Wii it will be much easier to find, cheaper, and I think I will have more fun playing the Wii than any other video game.

The PS3 is just too costly and there aren't any great games coming out on it that I cannot get for the 360.

[kbmum]

We also want the Wii, but we're going to wait until spring.

[Mike]

I'm a Nintendo fan so definitely the Wii But for me it's mostly the next gen Zelda game that did it for me.

[Geek Boy]

Both!  I should have a PS3 within the week (getting one from Japan) and as the Blu-Ray discs are the same region as the US, watching films won't be a problem.  I believe the machine is region free for games as well but I'm not sure if it's across the board or at the discretion of the developer/publisher a la 360.  Wii doesn't come out here until 8th December but it's selling out left, right and centre.  I had one on order for several weeks but they told me last week they can't supply on launch day.  Thankfully I had a couple of back-ups in place 

I'm looking forward to Wii because it's different but at the same time, I can't help feeling that won't be enough to ensure it's success against MS and Sony.  A lot of it still looks very "immature" compared to Sony and MS, particularly the main interface and the Mii's.  Nintendo's titles are not in doubt but it hinges very much on third party support.  I've seen Resistance: FOM in action and it could certainly give Gears a run for it's money - a lot of people are going to look at those two games, then look at the Wii and go "huh?".  And with the incredibly cheap HD-DVD drive due before the end of the year, the 360 is very much on a level playing field with the PS3.  In the UK, the Premium pack with the HD drive will weigh in at less than the predicted cost of a PS3 ('cos we don't officially get it until March 07 so we don't know the exact price as yet )

Something about Wii that disappointed me is the "region free" bit.  The machine isn't region free and apparently, the downloadable games will only be available to countries where the game was originally released on cartridge.  So Sin & Punishment (one of the best N64 games) will only be available to Japanese customers.  It also means missing out on a whole slew of great SNES and N64 RPG's that never saw a western release.  Considering the amount of emulation that goes on, and taking into account the fact that the Wii will run classic titles under emulation I find it hard to understand Nintendo's position on this.  I'd like to think they would have got over this issue by now.

One thing is for sure, Nintendo have either made a huge mistake by not matching their competitors in the power stakes or it's a stroke of genius.  A lot of people are complaining about the cost of the PS3 but it's cheap compared to a stand alone Blu-Ray player.  And it plays games and offers various downloads.  The only problem is the need for a good TV and stereo to get the most benefit.  Wii is cheaper and that's where a lot of the appeal lies at the moment - parents in particular don't wish to fork out for the other alternatives.  But you know what kids are like.....

Oh, I forgot to mention, there are strong rumours that Nintendo are going to release a Wii that can play DVD's next year in Japan.  No news on a western release as yet.

[Roz]

(PLEASE DO NOT buy the $500 one if you buy a PS3...it is WORTHLESS).

This is a fair point. It isn't even equipped with HD outs . We played about three games in total on the PS2 so there's not much point in lusting over a PS3...

Definitely a Wii...

[Bryanjs14]

Yeah I mean, it is tough to compare the Wii and the PS3...they are COMPLETELY different machines for different gamers.

I have played and beaten Gears of War, and I have played R:FOM for about 15 minutes, and to be honest, I did not really like it.
I think it is more fair to compare the PS3 and the 360, and to be honest, I think Microsoft is going to hold strong this holiday season. Especially now with Gears out. When parents go to the stores and find out that the chances of Getting a PS3 are slim to none (and I don't think you will be able to walk into a store and buy a PS3 until March or April or so) I think they are going to just say eh, well, this is supposed to be as good, it is cheaper, and it has more games. I think the PS3 will shine next Xmas, but this year will dominated by Microsoft and Nintendo

[canny19]

I just found out that the wonderful $600 CDN PS3 will not play the old 8000 (ish) games that have already been released.....
That sux for the gamers that wanted it for the graphics etc

I would love a new one, but im not sacrificing the old games and spending that amount of dosh on it! 

[Sharon]

I thought the new PS3 would play all of the old PS2 games or is the CDN a different type of PS3?

[Geek Boy]

(PLEASE DO NOT buy the $500 one if you buy a PS3...it is WORTHLESS).

This is a fair point. It isn't even equipped with HD outs

Not true (read a bit further down the article)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5369720.stm

And besides, you don't actually need HDMI to get HD output from a PS3.  You can buy a component lead that does the same thing albeit in analogue format.  HDMI is the digital version, just crisper.  I prefer component, HDMI looks a bit clinical.

OMG

http://cgi.ebay.com/PRE-SALE-SONY-PLAYSTATION-3-PS3-PRESALE-60GB-CONSOLE_W0QQitemZ330047524577QQihZ014QQcategoryZ62054QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The PS3 should play PS2 and PSOne games.  Rather than emulating, the PS3 hardware contains a PS2 on one chip and a PSOne on one chip.  This is supposed to eliminate all the problems the 360 has with playing old XB games.  MS keep sending updates over Live in the form of patches to help run older XB titles.

Motorstorm and Heavenly Sword are PS3 exclusives (I think) but it must be a blow that Assassins Creed is now heading for 360 as well.  And at the moment, they are supposedly indistinguishable from one another.

[MakTheYak]

Not true (read a bit further down the article)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5369720.stm

It was true at one point, but I think maybe Sony changed their minds after the disgust that consumers showed at the news. Although Sony have been getting a lot of that thrown their way recently. I confess it was probably my fault Roz wasn't updated on that fact as I'm quite anti-sony this generation and didn't think that the one right in a sea of wrongs was particularly newsworthy.

The PS3 should play PS2 and PSOne games.  Rather than emulating, the PS3 hardware contains a PS2 on one chip and a PSOne on one chip.  This is supposed to eliminate all the problems the 360 has with playing old XB games.  MS keep sending updates over Live in the form of patches to help run older XB titles.

It's supposed to but apparently doesn't completely and with some popular titles such as Tekken 5 and GT4. Graphical glitches and freezing has been cited.

I have to confess I'm most excited about the Wii. It's going to be awesome. I've given up on buying stuff because you can see individual microdroplets of blood spattered on a window. I just want to have a bit of a laugh, and I think the Wii is the console that is best able to offer that experience. Sure hi-def is great and all but who cares? Most people don't have a TV that you can tell the difference on. The consoles don't come with the leads you need to actually use HD (apart from maybe the XBrick, I'm not sure), and once you are hooked up in HD how many HD movies do you have to play? Are you really going to pay that much extra to buy a movie in HD? When you sit that far away from the TV that you can't tell the difference anyway?

I read a review of the Blu-ray player in the PS3 and while it was very positive, it mentioned that to be honest, unless you see them playing one after the other you probably couldn't be sure which one was which. Regular DVD scales up very well. And when you're playing games, I'd wager that most of the time you're too engrossed in the action to pay attention to the fine graphics that added millions to the development costs and many man-years of work. I just dont buy into it all.

Back to the topic of HD movies, and the imminent movie format war (anyone remember betamax?) I am not going to buy a console for watching HD movies. Why? Because if that's all I do, it's a real gamble. You've got Blu-Ray and HD DVD and they are going head to head. I want to back HD DVD mainly because Sony have acted so disgracefully over the PS3 but also because it is much more of an open standard than Blu Ray. If Blu-Ray wins and everyone gets a Blu-Ray player Sony will be getting paid for every player and every movie sold. They will be virtually unstoppable. This is a problem as they already swollen headed enough and they think that people actually are in debt to them for being Sony and so wonderful. I can't be part of that.

Unfortunately Microsoft have decided to release the HD DVD drive as an add-on to the 360 which looks bulky and horrible and takes up an extra plug socket! Madness! Rumours are that M$ will release an integrated version in the future but that's not winning any wars right now.

So I'm going to hold tight and wait for the dust to settle. I'll see which format dies out and then when my TV is the size of my wall and it's worth it for the quality difference (or regular DVDs are no longer available) I will invest (and hope it's not Sony). Or maybe when the dust settles both formats will have vanished because people will realise that the quality isn't that much better and the only thing they're gaining from buying in HD is a slightly lighter wallet.

Oops I seem to have wandered a bit off topic.

Zelda will be a killer app for the Wii, it will shift so many units it's unreal. For the non-gamer, it's Wii sports which is bundled with the console that will cement a purchase. Someone mentioned earlier that the DVD version will be released only in Japan... it's been confirmed that it'll get a USA release as well, in 2007. But I've already got a DVD player. So I'm not really bothered by that news.

Anyway, in short:

1. Wii rocks, will be a lot of fun. It's cheap, small and anyone can enjoy it. Games will be a lot cheaper than other consoles and you've got Nintendo backing it which means there will be a good selection of top quality games available for it. Ubisoft have devoted a colossal amount of their resources into developing for it and other developers will follow. No DVD playback but you've already got a DVD player, right? You can, however, load photos onto it and graffiti on them with the Wii-mote. Awesome.

2. PS3 is a big old waffle iron with nice graphics and a high price tag. No rumble and a half baked tilt sensor in the controllers mean that gameplay will not change from the PS2 (hope you weren't getting tired of the same game being re-released over and over). Media playback benefits: negligable. Blu-Ray player could be obsolete in a few years.

3. XBrick 360 is also big but not as big and looks nicer. Shame about the external HDDVD drive. A good community on XBrick live and an already large installed base means that Microsoft have a significant headstart on Sony, much to their advantage. If I were to choose between PS3 and XB360 it would be the latter.

[Bryanjs14]

Another reason the cheaper model PS3 is worthless is the 20Gb hard drive. Some games require you to litterly "install" onto the system much like you would a computer game onto your hard drive. The games are 4-7GB in size, so essentially, you buy 4 games and load them onto your 20gb Hard drive and you are 100% out of room. That means no saving, no downloading anything, no patches, no ANYTHING

[Geek Boy]

Not true (read a bit further down the article)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5369720.stm

It was true at one point, but I think maybe Sony changed their minds after the disgust that consumers showed at the news. Although Sony have been getting a lot of that thrown their way recently. I confess it was probably my fault Roz wasn't updated on that fact as I'm quite anti-sony this generation and didn't think that the one right in a sea of wrongs was particularly newsworthy.

The PS3 should play PS2 and PSOne games.  Rather than emulating, the PS3 hardware contains a PS2 on one chip and a PSOne on one chip.  This is supposed to eliminate all the problems the 360 has with playing old XB games.  MS keep sending updates over Live in the form of patches to help run older XB titles.

It's supposed to but apparently doesn't completely and with some popular titles such as Tekken 5 and GT4. Graphical glitches and freezing has been cited.

I have to confess I'm most excited about the Wii. It's going to be awesome. I've given up on buying stuff because you can see individual microdroplets of blood spattered on a window. I just want to have a bit of a laugh, and I think the Wii is the console that is best able to offer that experience. Sure hi-def is great and all but who cares? Most people don't have a TV that you can tell the difference on. The consoles don't come with the leads you need to actually use HD (apart from maybe the XBrick, I'm not sure), and once you are hooked up in HD how many HD movies do you have to play? Are you really going to pay that much extra to buy a movie in HD? When you sit that far away from the TV that you can't tell the difference anyway?

I read a review of the Blu-ray player in the PS3 and while it was very positive, it mentioned that to be honest, unless you see them playing one after the other you probably couldn't be sure which one was which. Regular DVD scales up very well. And when you're playing games, I'd wager that most of the time you're too engrossed in the action to pay attention to the fine graphics that added millions to the development costs and many man-years of work. I just dont buy into it all.

Back to the topic of HD movies, and the imminent movie format war (anyone remember betamax?) I am not going to buy a console for watching HD movies. Why? Because if that's all I do, it's a real gamble. You've got Blu-Ray and HD DVD and they are going head to head. I want to back HD DVD mainly because Sony have acted so disgracefully over the PS3 but also because it is much more of an open standard than Blu Ray. If Blu-Ray wins and everyone gets a Blu-Ray player Sony will be getting paid for every player and every movie sold. They will be virtually unstoppable. This is a problem as they already swollen headed enough and they think that people actually are in debt to them for being Sony and so wonderful. I can't be part of that.

Unfortunately Microsoft have decided to release the HD DVD drive as an add-on to the 360 which looks bulky and horrible and takes up an extra plug socket! Madness! Rumours are that M$ will release an integrated version in the future but that's not winning any wars right now.

So I'm going to hold tight and wait for the dust to settle. I'll see which format dies out and then when my TV is the size of my wall and it's worth it for the quality difference (or regular DVDs are no longer available) I will invest (and hope it's not Sony). Or maybe when the dust settles both formats will have vanished because people will realise that the quality isn't that much better and the only thing they're gaining from buying in HD is a slightly lighter wallet.

Oops I seem to have wandered a bit off topic.

Zelda will be a killer app for the Wii, it will shift so many units it's unreal. For the non-gamer, it's Wii sports which is bundled with the console that will cement a purchase. Someone mentioned earlier that the DVD version will be released only in Japan... it's been confirmed that it'll get a USA release as well, in 2007. But I've already got a DVD player. So I'm not really bothered by that news.

Anyway, in short:

1. Wii rocks, will be a lot of fun. It's cheap, small and anyone can enjoy it. Games will be a lot cheaper than other consoles and you've got Nintendo backing it which means there will be a good selection of top quality games available for it. Ubisoft have devoted a colossal amount of their resources into developing for it and other developers will follow. No DVD playback but you've already got a DVD player, right? You can, however, load photos onto it and graffiti on them with the Wii-mote. Awesome.

2. PS3 is a big old waffle iron with nice graphics and a high price tag. No rumble and a half baked tilt sensor in the controllers mean that gameplay will not change from the PS2 (hope you weren't getting tired of the same game being re-released over and over). Media playback benefits: negligable. Blu-Ray player could be obsolete in a few years.

3. XBrick 360 is also big but not as big and looks nicer. Shame about the external HDDVD drive. A good community on XBrick live and an already large installed base means that Microsoft have a significant headstart on Sony, much to their advantage. If I were to choose between PS3 and XB360 it would be the latter.

Wow!  What did Sony do to you in a former life?

The news that a DVD enabled Wii will be available next year doesn't bother you?  They haven't released the non DVD playing version and already their talking about an upgrade.  Sounds a bit Advance/Advance SP, DS/DS Lite to me.  Not that I'd use it to play films on of course but it annoys me that they can't incorporate the feature now - clearly it exists otherwise they wouldn't have announced it.  What if future games come out on DVD instead of the Wii discs?  You'd have to buy one then especially if it was a Zelda title.

Whichever way you look at it, using a PS3 or 360 to watch hi-def movies is the cheapest way to go about it.  BR players are around the £1200 mark at the moment - and they don't play games.  HD-DVD units will be cheaper but it's a lot to pay for limited functionality.  I guess it depends on how much of a movie buff you are.  I rarely go to the cinema these days, I get hugely annoyed with other people who insist on spoiling my enjoyment of the film with mobile phones, munching popcorn, chatting to one another, getting up to go to the loo etc etc etc.  For most films, I'm happy to wait for the DVD and watch in the comfort of my own home so it's inevitable that hi-def will be of interest to me.

BR and HD discs are about the same price as regular DVD's.  Put it this way, I've got Superman Returns ordered on BR for £17.99 with all the extra commentaries and what not.  The double disc DVD version is £19.99 but those are Region 1 from the US.  There are some "combo" HD-DVD discs but they cost £25 (not sure what the combo bit means though but I do know they only play in HD players).  And in terms of the format war, it's better to wait for the new hybrid players that can run both HD formats.

And then there's the small point that films may come out exclusively on BR or HD.....

[savage727]

I just saw an interesting bit of news on my local TV station here in New Hampshire.  As you all know the PS3 is due out tomorrow and the news station did a story about 2 guys who flew from London, England to wait in line at a Circuit City in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to get one.  The store is slated to get only 6 of the PS3's (all 60's).  These two guys are the first in line and have been camping out at the store for the past few days.  We are in for some major bad weather tonight into tomorrow with high winds and very heavy rains.  These guys are already soaked but are hanging in there and will be the first ones to get the PS3 tomorrow.  They came over here because the system will not be available in England until next March?  They did some research and felt the store they chose would give them the best shot at getting one - well they chose correctly and will be heading back to England tomorrow.  One of the guys told his College Professor he was attending a wedding in the United States and was able to get out of an exam!!     The fervor around here is for the PS3 from all the accounts I have seen.

[Geek Boy]

I just saw an interesting bit of news on my local TV station here in New Hampshire.  As you all know the PS3 is due out tomorrow and the news station did a story about 2 guys who flew from London, England to wait in line at a Circuit City in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to get one.  The store is slated to get only 6 of the PS3's (all 60's).  These two guys are the first in line and have been camping out at the store for the past few days.  We are in for some major bad weather tonight into tomorrow with high winds and very heavy rains.  These guys are already soaked but are hanging in there and will be the first ones to get the PS3 tomorrow.  They came over here because the system will not be available in England until next March?  They did some research and felt the store they chose would give them the best shot at getting one - well they chose correctly and will be heading back to England tomorrow.  One of the guys told his College Professor he was attending a wedding in the United States and was able to get out of an exam!!     The fervor around here is for the PS3 from all the accounts I have seen.

March?  That's a conservative estimate!  There's talk it may get pushed to May because demand is so high in Japan and the US.

My Jap machine arrived about half an hour ago.  You think the 360 is big?  PS3 is roughly the same size and very, very heavy!

[Rich With Cards]

I for one cant really class the wii and ps3 in the same league, I for one will have both as soon as I am able to get my hands on them, I do have a XBrick 360 already and love it to bits. My only problem at the moment is all the flaming cards I am still sorting out which is holding me back from my PES Master league. The wii for one though with its quirky and inovative control system I cant wait to try it out should be ace.

[Roz]

GeekBoy - the Wii uses DVD media anyway... doesn't it? So therefore it's not possible to 'make games for the 'DVD version' only'.

I think this says it all:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=2577

Any luck with wiring up the PS3 yet? Are we missing out? There's plenty of Japanese PS3s around if anyone's desperate for one before Christmas

[Geek Boy]

GeekBoy - the Wii uses DVD media anyway... doesn't it? So therefore it's not possible to 'make games for the 'DVD version' only'.

I think this says it all:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=2577

Any luck with wiring up the PS3 yet? Are we missing out? There's plenty of Japanese PS3s around if anyone's desperate for one before Christmas

I thought the Wii discs were a proprietory media created by Nintendo.  They come in single and dual layer formats with the same capacity as DVD's so perhaps they are.  I thought that as the machine can't play DVD's, the game discs were not DVD's.  In reading around today, I learned that Nintendo removed the DVD playback capability from the final version of the console so you could be right.  I checked on the net but they are formally described on most sites as "Wii Optical Discs".  Here's some info about the forthcoming DVD version:

"A Nintendo spokesperson confirmed that Nintendo plans to release a version of the console with DVD-Video playback capabilities in Japan. The spokesperson also stated that releases of the DVD-Video capable version in other territories are not currently planned.  On November 8, 2006, digital media company Sonic Solutions issued a press release stating that Nintendo has chosen their CinePlayer CE DVD Navigator software engine to provide DVD-Video functionality for a future version of the Wii console for release in the latter half of 2007.  Nintendo of America confirmed to GameDaily BIZ on November 13, 2006 that the DVD-Video enabled Wii would be coming to North America at a higher price point than the standard Wii. Even though software will be used to enable DVD-Video functionality, it "requires more than a firmware upgrade" and could not be implemented through the WiiConnect24 network."

As for the PS3, just waiting for the correct power cable to arrive.  Should have it tomorrow all being well.  You can switch the system menus to English but I expected that because it was the same with the Jap PSP (and the Jap DS funnily enough).

[Geek Boy]

Apparently, Wii discs are not DVD's.  The data capacity is the same but the file structure is different.

And interestingly, you can use a Freeloader disc with the Wii.  So you can buy import games and play them on your UK Wii.

[Roz]

Oh well that's very interesting, I'm not quite sure what to think of that! I remember all sorts of things (rumours if you like) circulated about the Gamecube discs, we were even told that Ninty could beat the pirates because the Gamecube discs spun the opposite way to normal discs ... (WTF m8?).

It wasn't true of course, and I'm sure most of us have seen "modified" (a.k.a mutilated/massacred) gamecubes that take normal DVD discs (for copied games)..

As for the PS3, just waiting for the correct power cable to arrive.  Should have it tomorrow all being well.  You can switch the system menus to English but I expected that because it was the same with the Jap PSP (and the Jap DS funnily enough).

Yeah, too true. Let us know how you get on... ol' Mark won't want to hear if it's good , no, it should be fine, but I can't wait for Wii

I've got the dark blue DS lite from Japan so even now the lite is here, it's still special (sort of, well, I love it). I've just imported the new Phoenix Wright game from Japan - it's an adventure game at heart (so loads of text), but the Japanese game is dual langage so you can play it in English (after an adjustment at the start up menu)... if this trend continues then Nintendo of Europe can say goodbye to my custom Helllllllllllllllllllo Nintendo of Japan

Great news about the freeloader I'll have to dust that baby off, that could come in handy. We debated a US Wii, but are waiting now for a UK one, I placed my order with Amazon this morning, but have 2 back-up preorders (one at Woolies and one at Gamestation (where we can pick it up after midnight)) so hopefully we won't be caught short. Mark's even booked the day off work (most unlike him, he's a work-a-holic).

I heard that the Amazon.com site sold out of Wii in under a minute - Amazon.co.uk was supposed to start pre-orders at 9 this morning but didn't get around to it til nearer 10, and they sold out in around 10 mins or so. I was waiting and refreshing my web page at 9 and the server was grinding to a halt under the strain!!!