2009 is upon us, and video games are a bigger cultural phenomenon than ever. Are you looking to join the party? We're looking at each of the three big consoles — the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii — to help you make an informed decision about where to spend your cash. Last week we worked out the state of Sony's PS3; this week our critical eye turns to Microsoft's Xbox 360. It may not be flying off the shelves like the Wii, but it's the favorite of the hardcore gaming subculture and enthusiast media. Is it for you, though? Let's find out.
Microsoft made it clear from the get-go that it wanted the Xbox 360 to have mass appeal outside the video game enthusiast niche. The console was announced on MTV, then a mecca of mainstream popular culture. Simple, casual games with wide appeal populated the console's online marketplace. The Xbox 360 has certainly won more ground in that sector than its predecessor (and its direct competitor, the PS3), but its biggest success has been transplanting the PlayStation brand — and arguably the personal computer — to become the flagship platform of the gaming subculture.
This is largely thanks to its most defining feature: Xbox Live. The premium service lets players communicate and play games with one another, and tracks and displays their achievements for all to see. Players can form parties that cross between games. The New Xbox Experience (NXE) was recently released, adding customizable cartoon avatars similar to the Nintendo Wii's Miis.
The NXE also made it possible for folks who are both Xbox Live and Netflix subscribers to stream most of Netflix's Watch Instantly library of movies and TV episodes via the console in standard definition or 720p high definition. Alternatively, owners can rent or buy movies and episodes to download, in addition to game demos and add-ons.
Of course, the main reason you're considering buying an Xbox 360 is probably playing games. If you're into triple-A gaming experiences, the console won't disappoint. Halo 3, Fable 2, Gears of War 1 and 2, Mass Effect, and Left 4 Dead are all console exclusives — that is to say that they're not available on the PS3 or the Wii — and multiplatform titles like Call of Duty 4, BioShock, The Orange Box, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Fallout 3, and the party-friendly Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises are all available.
Arthouse games aren't as prevalent here as they are on the PS3, but Braid is one of the most critically acclaimed indie games, and it's presently only available on the Xbox 360. 2009 looks a bit light when it comes to big exclusives for the console, though. Alan Wake, Halo 3 Recon, and Halo Wars are big-draw titles you won't find anywhere else, but most other big releases will also show up on the PS3.
Does all this sound like like something you want to spend your money on? Before you rush to the store, let's talk numbers. Microsoft proudly claims that the Xbox 360 is much cheaper than the PS3, but that isn't always true.
As a new Xbox 360 owner, you might find yourself frustrated by hidden charges. To play most games online, you'll need to cough up $50 for an Xbox Live gold subscription, renewable annually. If your television isn't near an Ethernet network port, you'll have to spend as much as $100 for a wireless internet adapter. Unless you're keen on constantly buying packs of AA batteries, you'll end up spending $20 per controller for rechargeable battery packs. All these things are included free with the PS3, making the claim that the Xbox 360 is much cheaper questionable.
Buying things on the Xbox Live marketplace also leeches more money than you might expect. You spend a few dollars for a certain number of points that are redeemable for purchases, but the increments of points you can purchase and the amounts needed to buy most content are intentionally out of sync, so you'll often end up having to buy more points than you need to grab a particular item on the store. You can break even if you strategically make a lot of purchases at various price levels, but if you only dive in for the occasional download it can be a deterrent. Note, though, that the PS3 has a similar problem in that it requires you to buy in increments of at least $5, so either way you'll have to deal with it.
And here's another thing that might give you pause: while the online play features are top notch, you might not be so impressed with the people you're playing online with. The community is broken up into Recreation, Family, Pro, and Underground "zones," but in many cases you'll encounter ruthless competition, often-profane trash talk, and even racial slurs, sexism, and homophobia. There are some parental controls that can shield you from some of this, but if you've got thin skin or just don't like to associate with the scum of the Earth, you might end up turning voice chat off or giving up on playing online all together.
The last negative that bears mentioning is that the Xbox 360 is notorious for hardware failures. Exact numbers are hard to pin down but it's frequent enough to be cause for concern. Microsoft might offer to replace or repair your console if it fails, but it could take a long time.
Nevertheless, Xbox 360 is doing quite well. It's not selling like the Nintendo Wii, but the richness and variety of the experience it offers is unrivalled. Its biggest problems are related to its greatest success: the Xbox Live community. If you're a hardcore gamer and plugged into the gaming subculture, you should have this thing already. If you're not then you should consider it anyway, but it isn't a slam dunk. We suggest you also look at the Nintendo Wii if you're just looking for occasional living room fun with the family, or the PlayStation 3 if competative online gaming isn't a big draw for you and Blu-ray and indie art-house games are your forté.
[Header image credit: Flickr user amishsteve. Used via Creative Commons. "Red Ring of Death" image courtesy of Product Reviews.]
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Comments (15)
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Mat Bitner (8:15 PM on Mon Jan 5, 2009)
Having owned a PS3 and currently a 360 and Nintendo Wii, I can say that the 360 does have the most features that would appeal to a "Core" gamer, such as myself. While Xbox Live tends to have more than it's fair share of verbal degenerates, it's as simple as changing the console's privacy settings to limit voice and text chat to friends, or to simply block in-game chat altogether. While it can be somewhat of a deterrent having no group communication in games like Halo 3 or COD 4, for those with sensitive egos and innocent minds, it can mean the difference between a fun gaming session and a terrible Xbox Live experience.
odd1 (9:33 PM on Mon Jan 5, 2009)
PS3 has not made you buy in $5 increments in almost a year. at the time of purchase you have the option to add the exact amount owed to the penny as long as it exceeds $5.
Mat Bitner (1:47 PM on Tue Jan 6, 2009)
???
odd1 (8:05 PM on Tue Jan 6, 2009)
did you not realize that Bittles?
TheDrift (11:48 PM on Mon Jan 5, 2009)
Wow, its funny how you pulled out all of Microsofts big guns, and I do mean "all" of them, nothing else on the console really interests. but in your first segment you failed to mention. Wipeout, Socom, ps1 titles, connectivity between psp and ps3, you barely mentioned home, and you did not once mention MGS4!!!..wow...do you play games? I know i know, it had too many cut-sceens blah blah blah.Like I said "do you paly games?"anyone who has played a metal gear before knows kojima is very very story driven. It was a monumental moment to see snake live out his glory. no other game will come close to capturing any of those types of feelings.
You also site that the ps3 is more/too expensive, then go into this article stating that the xbox has over $200 in extra fees. to do everything the ps3 can do out of the box. the ps3's price point is for a complete system, for the xox; I know you dont need a wireless connection, but if you do. "extra cash", I know your wireless controller doesn't need batteries, wait, yes it does, "extra cash". oh and to play online you must pay for xbox live. so tack on $50, why all the smoke and mirrors?, I had an xbox, (sold it) realized it wasnt what PR makes it out to be. not telling anyone what to buy, spend your hard earned cash any way you like. just do a bit of research first.
cause if you read these 2 articles you would think your biggest problem with the ps3 is that it has no games, so spending that amount of money isnt worth it. very disturbing coming from a games site
and if you bought a xbox, all you have to worry about are obnoxious foul mouth brats and I quote "Its biggest problems are related to its greatest success: the Xbox Live community" laughable.
seems someone got a nice check this christmas from the good ole boys at MS
Chris Wanker (2:51 AM on Tue Jan 6, 2009)
Mathew Bitner,
Ditto, and let's not forget that you can also mute those verbal degenerates, so that you can continue to enjoy team chat in public matches.
TheDrift,
You're beating a dead horse on all of your statements, especially the "extra fees" one. I did some research a while back and found that about 60% of Americans use high-speed Internet; of those, about 55% have high-speed Internet at home; of those, about 40% have wireless Internet. So... care to guess what percent of PS3 and Xbox360 users actually need wireless? MINUS $100 for MS' expensive WiFi.
Anyone else tired of this dead horse?!?
Mat Bitner (1:46 PM on Tue Jan 6, 2009)
I guess I'll chime back in. I think it's funny that some people think that PS3 is a more "complete" system over the 360. I bought a DLink Gamerlounge wireless adapter for my orginial Xbox over 3 years ago and after selling my original Xbox have still been able to use the wireless adapter with my 360. So for me, the 360 really wasn't/isn't pricey at all. While I do admit that LIVE can be annoying with the pre-pubescent morons that love spouting out random words of hate, the matchmaking system is far better than anything I experienced with my PS3. Besides which, I've experienced my fair share of idiots on PSN. The one thing I sometimes miss since I no longer have a PS3 is the PSP integration/connectivity.
Anonymous (8:48 AM on Tue Jan 6, 2009)
I had an xbox 360 the bigges prob with it for me wasnt dumb ppl online it was the RROD it got to a point where i was scared to play it cause it mite die on me and yes MS does "fix it" but it is never fixed i know someone who got the RROD 9 times and yea yea i know fanboys are gonna say he is doin something wrong but with a 30% faulure rate im sure he isnt the only 1 also MS dont fix it forever even though it is there fault the charge $100-$150 if it broke more then 1s i dnt know anyone who's 360 broke jus 1 time except for a guy at my job and that is cause when he got the RROD he hacked it and a hacked 360 runs better then an unhacked 1 i say dont hate on other system cause you cant afford them just let them do what they do i have friends who like the 360 i dont the end i dont hate on them i jus dont play 360 with them most of them have both so they play PS3 with me i dont see a big difference in games either for the most part its pretty much the same its just a matter of opinion
Anonymous (5:53 AM on Tue Jan 6, 2009)
I personally don't play online and I'm not interested in Arcade titles since I barely get to playing all my store bought ones. So basically all that is required here would be the Xbox Arcade + Play & Charge Kit. This is something the PS3 can't even come close to competing with their expensive console. In terms of Blu-ray, there are much cheaper players on the market and the pricing will continue to drop although I'm not interested in BR at this point so I don't really care. The RROD failure rates complaints is really old boring news since the Falcons & Jasper unit have basically resolved the problem, the PS3 is not without it's faults either with numerous people reporting Blu-Ray diode failures and YLOD. Point is for the price of the Arcade people can play the latest and greatest games such as RE5, Final Fantasy, COD and more and this is where the PS3 fails.
Anonymous (2:47 AM on Tue Jan 6, 2009)
I agree the Xbox not having a Wi-Fi is a bummer. That stated, people point out what Microsoft leaves out, but what about the EXTRA'S? PS3's didn't ship with rubble controllers, that cost me an extra $120 for my PS3. And the XBox's include wireless mic/headset's for free, network cables – free, HD video cables – free… Xbox live is a service, and yeah you have to pay a couple of dollars a month... and it is worth every penny. Blizzard's WOW is more per month for ONE GAME than XBL is for any Xbox game and all the premium content. And the PlayStation games have such inconsistent servers and service; sure it’s free, because it just isn't very good. And what about video cables?!? PS3 has the cheapest composite (not component or HDMI, yes the single yellow composite cable that is JUNK.) cable I have ever seen. For $400-$700 it is a tacky joke. Out of the box you can't even do 480P with a "stock" PS3.
Anonymous (7:40 PM on Mon Jan 5, 2009)
Decent article but I want to add to the point about $5 on the PSN. The way it is setup if your purchase is less than $5, the minimum you can put in is $5. However purchases larger than $5, you can add funds to the EXACT purchase amount leaving you with ZERO dollars in your wallet. This was probably setup due to the fact that Credit Card companies charge a minimum fee on all transactions, and you essentially loose ALL your money on transactions as small as $2.
Also, another point that should be made (I guess it was, but not that clear) is that the PSN items are in your local currency and not hidden behind points as in Microsoft's system. Inherently this means Euros may end up paying more for the same content people get in the US, but that is not really any different from anything else bought and sold in each region.
pixelsword (6:14 PM on Mon Jan 5, 2009)
I think the RRoD won't be an issue with the new Jaspers, so I wouldn't use that as a case against the viability of the 360.
Anonymous (6:07 PM on Mon Jan 5, 2009)
lol , they have to bring up the red ring of death when it has been fixed by the jasper model of consoles
Anonymous (6:01 PM on Mon Jan 5, 2009)
actually, if you use a credit card then the ps3 will only take out the exact amount
DCBronco (11:25 PM on Mon Jan 5, 2009)
Fanboy ranting. You try to appear fair but if you actually were you wouldn't bring up nonsense like unruly people on-line, Bitner explains that away with ease. If you were honest you would mention the constant problems playing games on PSN. I know people who have given up on games that wouldn't load on-line. And are you seriously complaining about buying a $5 point purchase. You failed to mention that all 360 games have the same on-line feature set for the most part. Chat, Friends, Messages and Invites. Some PS3 games allow none of those things. You can't invite your friends to a race on Prologue. It may be beautiful, but it's broken on-line. So while some of your points are valid, too much is left out about the PS3 for your blog to be taken seriously.