A noob's guide on buying consoles!

Aman27deep

Skilled
A noob's guide to which console to get!
Ok so this is one of the most asked question in the Gaming Console sections. So i have decided to dedicate my time and effort into creating this thread.
So there are THREE Home current gen consoles which are worth buying right now.
The consoles are -
  • Sony Playstation 3
  • Microsoft Xbox 360
  • Nintendo Wii
Now i will discuss about every console mentioned above and its pros and cons in short below.
Home Consoles
  • Sony Playstation 3 -
    ps32.png
The PS3 was launched in 2006 and is an excellent console, which even after the slow growth in the first few years, is doing very well now. Quite some of the best games available on the PS3 are sequels from the PS1 and the PS2 era.
One thing to keep in mind before buying a PS3 is that, there are three two variants of the PS3 available in the market today. The first one was the original PS3, called 'phat ps3' by many but no longer in stock, the second is the 'slim' - lighter and smaller than the 'phat', has the same slot-loading disc mechanism and has a matte finish. Lastly, the third one has a sliding disc cover, the lens is exposed, has a glossy finish and is called the 'super slim'. Besides, the PAL version of the 'super slim' comes in a 12GB (flash memory) version without any hard drive built in. The user can install a 2.5" hard drive however. The latter two are the ones which will be available in the market nowadays, but I have a preference towards the 'slim' one as I think it looks better.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the PS4 is going to come before the end of the year. But that won't make the PS3 obsolete, as it's still a great console, and it still have a very large library of awesome games.
Pros
  1. The PS3 has really good exclusives.
  2. It has a Blu-ray optical Drive to play Movies and Games.
  3. It is 3D-enabled.
  4. You can easily Back-up and play your original games.
  5. There are barely any hidden charges. For example - The multiplayer is free, you do not need to buy/keep charging the batteries of the DualShock 3 controller.
  6. Multiplayer on the PS3 (via PSN) is totally free.
  7. It has the PS Move which is essentially a Wii HD, although the number of move enabled games as of now are few.
  8. The PS3 doesn't require you to buy proprietary Hard-discs from Sony itself like Microsoft, so you can buy and 2.5" Drive and use it on your PS3, be it 40GB or 2TB (just make sure the HDD is 9.5mm in height, 12.5mm will not work).
  9. The DualShock3 controller has an internal rechargeable Li-ion battery which can be replaced when it is dead. Plus the controller can be charged from literally anything that has a USB port! The X360 requires a pair of AA batteries and requires another pair as a standby (and the battery charger as well!) or the play-and-charge kit. Which means more investments!
  10. The power adapter is built within the console and accepts 110~230V. The X360 OTOH has an external power brick which doesn't accept both the voltages. It is fairly expensive as well!
  11. Supports DTS-HD MA and Dolby True HD - for those who are willing to watch a lot of blu-ray content using AVRs that can decode this content.
  12. Supports the PS3 Media Server - can stream/decode the media from a NAS.
  13. Cloud Computing and the usage of ordinary USB Keyboard and mouse are also allowed on a PS3.
  14. The PS3 has a universal voltage supply and accepts 110~230V eliminating the need of an expensive step-down transformer. Which means you can safely plug a PS3 purchased from the US into an Indian socket.
  15. Games in the Blu-ray discs are region-free. However access to PlayStation Network (PSN) content is restricted by regions.
Cons
  1. The Slim PS3's are not backward compatible with the PS2 titles, but they are with the PS1.
  2. No use of getting a PS3 if you do not like its exclusives.
  3. The DS3 controller is bought separately does NOT have any warranty! (So test it from the outlet before you pay for it!)
  4. DVD and Blu-ray movies are region locked.
Which games should you play first?
  1. The Uncharted Series
  2. The Metal Gear Solid series (MGS 4!)
  3. The God of War series
  4. The Killzone series
  5. The Infamous series
  6. Heavy Rain
  7. The Last of Us
  8. The Little Big Planet series
  9. Demon's Souls
  10. The Ratchet & Clank Series
Price
Sony PS3 500 GB with Three Games -
6px-Indian_Rupee_symbol.svg.png
22,300
Sony PS3 12GB with Move Starter Pack & Move Game -
6px-Indian_Rupee_symbol.svg.png
16,990
  • Microsoft Xbox 360 -
    360h.png
The 360 was the first of the Seventh Gen consoles and launched a full year ahead of the PS3 and therefore has a larger consumer base than the PS3. It also has some good exclusives mostly shooters.
The next Xbox is also rumoured to come out soon, and it may come out as early as early next year. We'll surely know more at this year's E3.
Pros
  1. Good shooting games.
  2. Xbox Kinect - The Kinect is superior to the PS Move and the Wii. Although costly, you only need one Kinect to play with many people, unlike the PS Move or the wii-mote where you need as many controllers as there are people playing.
  3. Fairly backward-compatible with the Xbox 1.
  4. Xbox live - Although a paid service, it is really good and superior to the PSN (Although not by much).
  5. Xbox 360 controller - I myself prefer the 360 controller over the PS3 one cause of the following reasons. I have large hands and the 360 controller fits well into my hands and also the 360 triggers are superior to the Dualshock 3's.
  6. Playing your Back-ups is as easy as on a PS3, if not easier.
  7. Some amazing XBLA exclusives like Limbo, Shadow Complex. Pretty small games but not to be missed out!
Cons
  1. If you already have a PS3 - you need not buy a 360 also as most games are multi-platform, and the 360's future exclusives are looking dim.
  2. If you do not like to pay a fee to play online.
  3. If you are not particularly a fan of the Shooting Genre.
  4. If you do not like the 360's ridiculous hidden charges (online fee, microsoft HDD's and batteries for the 360 controller.).
  5. Bad D-pad on the 360 controller. Although the newer 360 controllers have a better D-Pad, the older 360 controllers have a D-pad which has a really bad design.
  6. The X360 does not have a universal power supply built into the console and depends on the power brick - a separate hefty device that lies outside the console. The power brick must be changed or a step-down transformer must be used, if the socket voltage varies from the acceptable voltage.
  7. Some titles are region-locked whereas some others aren't, which largely depends on the publisher!
Which games should you play first?
  1. The Halo series (especially Reach).
  2. The Gears of War series.
  3. The Alan Wake series
  4. The Dead Rising series
  5. The Forza series
Price
Microsoft X-Box 360 4 GB Slim -
6px-Indian_Rupee_symbol.svg.png
17,400
Microsoft X-Box 360 250 GB Elite Slim -
6px-Indian_Rupee_symbol.svg.png
21,000
  • Nintendo Wii -
    wiip.png
The Wii is a home video game console sold by Nintendo released in 2006. It was the first Seventh-Gen console to feature Motion-Gaming and Its key gaming features are its motion controls, and full backwards compatibility with the Gamecube.
The WII U is also out, but it's not sold in India.
Pros
  1. LARGE number of motion controlled games.
  2. Awesome first-party exclusives.
  3. If you like Platforming.
  4. Family-Friendly console.
  5. 100% Backwards compatible with the Gamecube.
  6. Exercise while playing.
  7. Console can be easily modded to play backups.(Both Hard and Soft).
Cons
  1. Next to no Online games.
  2. Non-HD console, so if you have a Large TV it won't really look great.
  3. If you do not like Motion Controller games, this console is not for you.
  4. Wii successor to be revealed at e3 2011 and be released in 2012.
  5. Can't do much except gaming, can't even play normal DVD's.
  6. Factory shipped AC adapter is not dual voltage.
Which three games should you play first?
  1. Super Mario galaxy
  2. Metroid: Other M
  3. Red Steel 2
Price
Nintendo Wii with Wii Sports Resort -
6px-Indian_Rupee_symbol.svg.png
15,030
Nintendo Wii with Wii Sports Game -
6px-Indian_Rupee_symbol.svg.png
13,990
I hope you liked my mini-guide. And if there is any suggestion or criticism, please lemme know via this thread. :)
Credits - Internet, Renegade, Gannu, Ethan, neoronin and Fahrenheit and prices are quoted from FlipKart.com
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Another point worth mentioning would be the user replaceable HDD on the PS3.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Renegade said:
Another point worth mentioning would be the user replaceable HDD on the PS3.
Thank you, added.

And guys, i might have missed a lotta things, if you think its add-worthy to this thread lemme know.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

^Amen to that and a couple of more from my side:

PS3:

- The DS3 controller has an internal rechargeable Li-ion battery which can be replaced when it is dead. Plus the controller can be charged from literally anything that has a USB port! The X360 requires a pair of AA batteries and requires another pair as a standby (and the battery charger as well!) or the play-and-charge kit. Which means more investments!

- The power adapter is built within the console and accepts 110~230V. The X360 OTOH has an external power brick which doesn't accept both the voltages. It is fairly expensive as well!

- Supports DTS-HD MA and Dolby True HD - for those who are willing to watch a lot of blu-ray content using AVRs that can decode this content.

- Supports the PS3 Media Server - can stream/decode the media from a NAS.

X360:

- Some amazing XBLA exclusives like Limbo, Shadow Complex. Pretty small games but not to be missed out!

- The intuitive and ergonomic controller design - the DS3 sucks in this department.

PS: Neat guide Aman. Reps on your way. :)
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Nice guide Aman. Chuck the line "Why should you NOT buy?" and "Why should you buy?", as both are contradictory statements. Instead, use the terms "Pros" and "Cons", that would seem suitable. :)
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

If you have either of console you end of buying the other one in next year ;-)
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Gannu said:
PS: Neat guide Aman. Reps on your way. :)
Thanks a lot :)

Ethan_Hunt said:
Nice guide Aman. Chuck the line "Why should you NOT buy?" and "Why should you buy?", as both are contradictory statements. Instead, use the terms "Pros" and "Cons", that would seem suitable. :)
Nice idea. Thanks, done!

dinjo said:
If you have either of console you end of buying the other one in next year ;-)
lol. tell me if that is a pro or a con now? :p
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

I just noticed, in the PS3 section, you mentioned HDD can be used till 2TB. Internally, PS3 properly supports upto 750GB HDD, as of now. 1TB is supported, provided it meets the physical dimensions of the HDD bay of the PS3. 1.5TB and 2TB aren't compatible, internally.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Ethan_Hunt said:
I just noticed, in the PS3 section, you mentioned HDD can be used till 2TB. Internally, PS3 properly supports upto 750GB HDD, as of now. 1TB is supported, provided it meets the physical dimensions of the HDD bay of the PS3. 1.5TB and 2TB aren't compatible, internally.
Are you sure? Cause a friend of mine told me that he is using 1 TB internal on his PS3. Do you think he might be lying?

vpraveenis said:
I think Wii needs you to get additional hardware to play some titles.. No?
No it does not.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

He probably meant that he is using the 1TB internal drive (could be a 3.5" desktop drive as well!) powered externally. Most of the 1TB 2.5" drives have a height of 12.5mm as against the 9.5mm and wouldn't fit within the console.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Aman27deep said:
Are you sure? Cause a friend of mine told me that he is using 1 TB internal on his PS3. Do you think he might be lying?
1TB can be used, like I said before. However, some 1TB 2.5 inch drives are wider in dimensions and hence wouldn't fit into the PS3's HDD bay itself. So before jumping onto a 1TB HDD, it's better to check the physical dimensions first.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

So i searched a little, and got to know that ANY 9.5mm drive will work with the PS3, but as there are no 1TB drives of 9.5mm, it is not supported as of NOW.

Gannu said:
He probably meant that he is using the 1TB internal drive (could be a 3.5" desktop drive as well!) powered externally. Most of the 1TB 2.5" drives have a height of 12.5mm as against the 9.5mm and wouldn't fit within the console.
Yep you might be right, i'll ask him next time.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Aman, list the price and different variants of each consoles, if you can. I'll get home and see what we can add to make it more comprhensive.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Ethan_Hunt said:
Aman, list the price and different variants of each consoles, if you can. I'll get home and see what we can add to make it more comprhensive.
Done :p
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Ethan_Hunt said:
However, some 1TB 2.5 inch drives are wider in dimensions
Taller actually. If the drives were wide they wouldn't fit into a laptop let alone the PS3. Like I said before, the usual laptop 2.5" drives are 9.5mm in height whereas the 1TB drives are taller by 3mm.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Actually does it really matters upto what size of hdd can be upgraded since most users would be looking to get the basics first.

So difference in model , how does those differentiates ? PS3 Trophies what are they ? 360 Achievements what are they ? A Pic of each consoles would help a lot.

BTW the controller for 360 is best for shooters and most comfortable even d-pad is no issue when u have Enhanced D-Pad controller

wu0w0w.jpg
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

dinjo said:
Actually does it really matters upto what size of hdd can be upgraded since most users would be looking to get the basics first.

Agreed.

dinjo said:
So difference in model , how does those differentiates ? PS3 Trophies what are they ? 360 Achievements what are they ?

The article would end up being very lengthy then, but if it is needed i can do it.

dinjo said:
A Pic of each consoles would help a lot.

what is wiki for then? :p But yeah i will do that soon.

dinjo said:
BTW the controller for 360 is best for shooters and most comfortable even d-pad is no issue when u have Enhanced D-Pad controller
I already quoted that.

Aman27deep said:
Bad D-pad on the 360 controller. Although the newer 360 controllers have a better D-Pad, the older 360 controllers have a D-pad which has a really bad design.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Excellent guide for choosing a console. Would be great if you can also add the cloud computing which is possible in PS3 and the usage of regular keyboard & mouse. Also the pairing of PSP with PS3 for watching movies & playing PSN games.
 
Re: A newbies Guide to which console to get!

Nice guide but i can't believe u didn't list God Of War 3 as one of the must play exclusives on the PS3.
 
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