Console War- XBOX 360 vs Playstation 3

When it comes to the industry of gaming, the company that develops a gaming console with the biggest and baddest hardware will usually be declared the victor. However, in the recent years, two companies have leaped ahead of all the rest and have become the "kings" of the gaming industry. But, as everyone knows, there can be only one true "king". Those two competing kings are currently the companies of Sony and Microsoft. The Playstation 3 is Sony's weapon and the XBOX 360 is the weapon of Microsoft; and with their weapons, the two are going to battle in an all out war.

Many believe that the new Nintendo Wii should-be/is a valid participant in this gaming war, and no one can really blame them for that line of thinking. Although the Wii has some great innovation and has made a splash in the gaming industry, it has neither the firepower nor the fan base that the XBOX 360 or PS3 currently has. Therefore, it may creep into the battle once or twice with a good game, but it won't stand up to the big boys for very long.

Most gamers are familiar with this war and know that it is probably going to last quite a number of years. Although gamers claim to know much about this war, no one really knows what cards are going to be played next, by each company that is. Even though both companies have the "Great Game" card, which they pull out occasionally, both of them still have their own tricks and tactics to pull in more gamers. For instance, instead of the Sony just going with a normal controller for the PS3, they developed the Sixaxis controller; which happens to have motion sensing capability. It may not be as innovative as the Wii controller, but it adds something special to the PS3 experience.

Its obvious that the XBOX 360 has much more footing than the PS3 at the current time. The reason being: the XBOX 360 has been out for a little over a year, while the PS3 has only just been released (November 17th, 2006). That means anyone who wants an XBOX 360 either already has one or can go down to the store and get one within minutes. The Playstation 3, on the other hand, is still in the "list" phase, which means that it is near impossible to get one without actually being on a list. But, within a few months to a year, the PS3 will leave the list phase and be available to walk-in shoppers; allowing many more people to get their hands on the console system. The playing field will then become slightly more level for the two consoles.

From a visual point of view, the PS3 and XBOX 360 do not appear to differ all that much. Some would say that the PS3 graphics look a bit more detailed, and that may be true, but the difference is hardly noticeable. In terms of hardware, it seems the PS3 is packing more of a punch, which would account for its higher price. That is partly due to the fact that the PS3 has a built-in Blu-ray disc player that supports high-def resolution. The only problem with that is the fact that gamers want to play games, and the ability to play movies (whether they be DVDs or Blu-ray discs) is a bonus, rather than a necessity.

The XBOX 360 did not try to push its movie playing software onto it's fans (which is a HD-DVD player). The XBOX 360 did/does not come with the HD-DVD player. Thats because it is an add-on, which may be perceived as a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, making it an add-on has saved money for the people who didn't/don't care about watching movies on their gaming system. Many gamers believe that the same method should have been taken with the PS3, which would have allowed people to make their own decision about getting a Blu-ray disc player or saving some money.

As anyone could have guessed, this battle is not going to be won so easily. Each company is going to do whatever they can to pull ahead and get more fans. Whether gamers know it or not, this is actually a good thing for the gaming industry. Two competing, gaming companies will only strive to come up with more innovative and fun games for their fans. This means that consumers will see more games that are more fun, more frequently. It's true that these gaming titans might be fighting a never ending battle, but end or no end, it is still going to be one heck of a fight to the top.