OK, thanks for all the advice on the Xbox 360. The more I think about it, the more I'm tempted to spring the extra $100 for a PS3 because:

blu-ray DVD player
built-in wifi
twice the HD capacity.

I currently have a PS2 with lots of games, so I'll be able to continue playing those on the PS3 as well (not that this is a major selling point for me).

I recognize that there are more games for the xbox, and that a few titles that I might want are not going to be on the PS3.

So, do any of you have a PS3, and if so, what do you think of it? And is Rock Band and the DLC the same for the PS3 as for the Xbox?

Read up on PS2 compatibility before you assume you'll be able to play your games. It's not a given.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS3#Retail_configurations

I own an Xbox 360 and a PS3 and I do enjoy both systems, but if I had to choose just one I would probably stick with the 360.

Sony really made a lot of mistakes with the PS3, which they have recently admitted publicly. They came out and said that they developed the hardware w/o considering the software (i.e. how hard it is to program). They actually lost some Japanese developers (like Tomonobu Itagaki and now Square Enix announced the next Final Fantasy will be on 360 and PS3.

Plus I think Microsoft did a great job with Xbox Live!

I guess the PS3 has value as a blue ray player, that's certain; but honestly I think the future of movie watching is in downloadable content anyway. Plus I am loathe to repurchase too many discs of yet another format only to have it replaced again anyway.

Finally, Gleja is right - Sony had to remove the backwards compatibility chip from the PS3 to lower the cost. I'm not even sure if you can get one these days that has that chip anymore. I think they were going to do something with software emulation (like the 360) but I'm not sure if they ever did.

Hope this helps!
-K

The 80g PS3 will be able to play all ps2 and ps1 games from what i understand...it will also be 500 instead of the 400 for the 40g. Also i don't think that the downloadable movies will take over that much. You can't take them with you or play them where ever you want like you can with dvd's. Also Square Enix is not releasing Final Fantasy 13 on the 360 in Japan. To me it seems to be more of a business decision rather than sony screwing up or else they would have made it a world wide release for the 360. just my 2 cents.

Fanbois...step away from the keyboard.

If you have a 1080p display; buy whichever one pleases you the most. Rockband 2 will be identical on either machine; the era of console proprietary software is going away (except of course mario and his ilk).

Having a built in blue ray is nice; but only if you have the rig to enjoy it.

It all depends on which platformers (if any) that you like to play.

Only thing I have to add here is yes, please check to make sure the model you're considering does allow backward compatibility. The newest models they're making don't (probably because they want to sell the old games as downloaded content), so if a big factor here is "I want to play Suikoden on my PS3," it will only happen if you get the model (no longer being made) that supports that, and you'll probably pay like $800 for it.

I'm also considering grabbing one for the Blu-ray player, but I also haven't seen any games for the system I really want to play, particularly since the new Final Fantasy will also come out on XBox. So thus far I have opted not to.

Wallet warning: Both PS3 and Xbox360 will taunt you with old games available for download and new dl-only games. If you're like me and you like both nostalgia and puzzle games, you will have to resist the urge to break your budget in $10 increments. D:

That being said, I unhelpfully enjoy both systems. I am pissy about the backwards compatibility going away, which is why I own a 360 and am still mooching off enjoying Shadian's PS3 without getting my own.

The simple solution is just to spend the $50 on a PS2. :)

Thanks again for the helpful advice. I recently realized that my home theater's display device, the Sanyo PLV-Z1, being over 6 years old, does not have the required input for Blu-Ray. Since at this point I don't care that much about Blu-Ray, and given the other advantages of the XBox over the PS3, I'm now pretty sure I'll go with the XBox.

However, this raises another question: do I get Rock Band now, or wait for Rock Band 2 to come out and get the new drum kit (as painful as waiting is)? Has anyone seen any rumors about pricing for RB2?

Another issue hurting the PS3 is a lot of titles are being made for both console which usualy means that they don't take the extra time to pimp up the PS3 version to highlight it's difference. They just end up doing a standard version which makes it look the same on both platforms.

Only thing scary with Xbox is the number of defects. Microsoft estimates that around 30% of the original 360 had issues.

All I know is about 1/2 the people I know with an Xbox had to return it, and a few multiple times.

But despite that the Xbox 360 has really taken off. PS3 never really got out of the gate , Sony really dropped the ball on this one, which is too bad in general I like sony products, I have a Ps2 and a PSP and they are great.

However, this raises another question: do I get Rock Band now, or wait for Rock Band 2 to come out and get the new drum kit (as painful as waiting is)? Has anyone seen any rumors about pricing for RB2?

RB2 will probably be out in September or October. Amazon lists the kit price as $189 with a release date of 10/19.

Wait the couple months, Rastus. You will be able to get all of RB1s content playable on RB2. The peripherals will be more polished (unless you dig rat-tat-tat, then buy it now.)

The reasons that Twistle and I haven't gotten a PS3 are: no games we're really interested in, too expensive, don't care about Blu Ray.

As for Rock Band, we're thinking about it but I'm reluctent to spend that much money. I think we might wait for Rock Band 2. Does anyone know when it's coming out?

RB2 will probably be out in September or October. Amazon lists the kit price as $189 with a release date of 10/19.

Oh yeah, Twistle and I are gonna wait for RB2 for sure. Besides, once Spore comes out in September there'll be no getting me off the computer!

But I want to play DLC NOW! But you're right, I probably should wait for RB2. Might go ahead and get the console sooner so I can play Orange Box and Bioshock though.

Dell has a pretty good deal on a 360 Elite system... Something to consider...
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/XBOX_360/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A1295214

Dell has a pretty good deal on a 360 Elite system... Something to consider...
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/XBOX_360/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=A1295214

That's a great deal -- I might just have to snatch it up. I wonder why that's so cheap, maybe they just want to get rid of their inventory?

Thanks for the info!

It looks like they took it down - the price is back to normal. Might have been a misprint.... (Rats.) :(