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Darren Waters

More Gears for the Xbox 360

  • Darren Waters
  • 20 Feb 08, 20:24 GMT

Microsoft has faced some criticism in the last few months that its 2008 line-up was looking thin and that a resurgent Sony PlayStation 3 would trample on the console.

People pointed out that in 2007, despite a line-up which included Halo 3, Mass Effect and Bioshock, the console was only truly dominant (ie heavily outsold the PS3) in the US and UK.

The Nintendo Wii of course outsold both the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

At the Game Developers Conference Microsoft decided to pull out one of its big guns and try and stave off the growing chatter that the console was in for a difficult 12 months.

At the end of a keynote speech delivered by the firm's head of Live services, John Schappert, Microsoft announced a follow-up to the multi-award winning Gears of War.

A teaser trailer was shown to delegates, which really gave nothing away, and the game's lead designer Cliffy B said it would be out in November and would be "bigger, better and more badass".

Crucially the game's developer Epic had been on stage earlier in the keynote showing off the latest features of its Unreal engine and used Gears of War characters and locations to show what it was now capable of.

It's no leap of logic to assume that those features will appear in Gears 2.

They include: more dynamic lighting, destructible environments, new water effects and flocking attributes for large numbers of characters on a screen at one time.

For Epic Gears of War 2 will be the ultimate poster boy for what its engine is capable of.

For Microsoft Gears of War 2 will be the ultimate rebuke to those who feel the console will suffer in the months ahead.

The game comes as no surprise - the first title was such a success Microsoft would have paid anything to get a sequel.

The criticism that Microsoft faces is that a blockbuster title like Gears of War 2 does nothing to bring new audiences to gamers; it just keeps the fan boys happy.

Comments

  • 1.
  • At 09:13 PM on 20 Feb 2008,
  • Lennie wrote:

Well as the PS3 wasn't launched in the UK until the end of March 2007 what do you expect?

I wouldnt say one title is rolling out the big guns, just one big gun. If thats the best they can do, then they are seriously in trouble.

I do agree that MS will be in for a difficult time of it now, not only with ring of death still causing issues, but the HD fiasco (who didnt know it wasnt going to work out well)...

Though PS3 has had alot of bad press, I think it will start to catch up the Xbox. It wont catch up the Wii, just because its more fun than both machines put together.

  • 3.
  • At 11:47 PM on 20 Feb 2008,
  • Graham wrote:

Microsoft severely need to pull something impressive and new out soon, or they will fall behind the PS3, not the same old recycled shooters.

And besides, when you look at the consoles performance in the land of the rising fun....its laughable.

come on microsoft, make me want to buy your console! Its been over 2 years now and I still cant think of a reason to get one

  • 4.
  • At 11:48 PM on 20 Feb 2008,
  • JJ wrote:

Wow is that all Microsoft have planned. What a dull story that gives very little. Reads more like a promo for Microsoft. Come on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ - we expect better (and independence too!)

  • 5.
  • At 12:13 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • PS3 Fan boy wrote:

Sony doesn't fear Gears of War 2...

Killzone 2 is the extrocet missle into Microsoft's heart. That is quoting ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳, the setting was ideal.

With Killzone 2 likely to come out first, only Xbox 360 orientated news sites will take notice. The gaming industry meanwhile will still be experiencing the PS3 infantile power creating Toy Story-esque realism in Killzone 2.

Sorry Microsoft, but PS3 has overtaken you in monthly sales already and its best games are not even out yet. Combined with HD-DVD being dead, the 360 is finished.

  • 6.
  • At 12:21 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Ade wrote:

Lennie - even though it was launched in March 2007 due to a few delays, you would haver thought that those delays would have meant some decent games would have come out for it at launch.

Yet almost a year later and the number of games that I want to buy a PS3 for that the 360 doesn't have is....well...zero really.

It has no USP (Unique selling point) for gamers at the moment (apart from reliability I guess ;)) Bluray doesn't make good games, it makes a good multimedia machine.

Common Sony, I want to see you back in the race!

  • 7.
  • At 12:42 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Warren wrote:

I don't see how this is going to help them in 2008, is it going to be releasd in 2009?

They got nothing to compete with MGS4.

On the fanboy topic, that seems to be the de facto standard of the industry, as yahtzee would say: "The EA strategy"

  • 8.
  • At 12:54 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Warren wrote:

This is no surpise, it wasn't a bad game with a good multiplayer. The EA startegy in full effect (Electronic Arts, as yahtzee from The Escapist would say.

And it was hyped up as well

I want more things like Bioshock, Half Life and Metal Gear Solid, Deus Ex.

Good Stories, good gameplay and interesting twists and novel gamplay.

  • 9.
  • At 01:00 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Jan wrote:

I don’t really understand the point of this article? I own both the X360 and PS3 (and I must admit a Wii, although I consider it a different form of console), and to compare the current, and in the near term, promised line-up is a joke. Quite simply the Xbox wins easily. I know this will instantly annoy all Sonyialists but it’s a fact. I don’t believe that the console war is over, on the contrary, long term I think it’s likely that the PS3 may well win out as the better platform. But for a here and now, and for the foreseeable future (at least 18 month), the Xbox is by far the better option (Halo 3, Mass Effect, BioShock, Gears of War, etc.). The PS3 is yet to get a ‘killer’ game of it’s own, we will wait and see how long it takes them to catch up.

  • 10.
  • At 01:10 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • kopchoir wrote:

Its all about xbox live i have a 60gb ps3 an elite and a wii, gears of war will keep the 360 fanboys happy of course it will it will keep me happy to.
Im currently playing rockband on the ps3 and slogging through mario galaxy on the wii but gears of war still drags me back its the multiplayer xbox live feature getting togetehr with your friends and having some fun.
This is after all what gaming is about fun cant wait for this year so many great games gow2, little big planet, gta, alan wake even pro evo looks great fun on the wii to, the list goes on its a great time to be multi format fanboy

  • 11.
  • At 01:25 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • never you mind wrote:

it does mention in the u.s. and u.k. at the top

  • 12.
  • At 01:38 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Darren wrote:

One title does not make a console.

Can you imagine what it would be like if Sony released Gran Turismo in November as well and Nintendo held back with Mario Kart Wii?

The main reason that the 360 "may" have outsold the PS3 heavily in the US & UK, is because people were buying REPLACEMENTS for their faulty consoles & that the 360 was the only console actually in stock in the stores due to the Wii being in short demand & the PS3 buyers trying to find 60GB consoles rather than the 40GB on the shelves.

  • 13.
  • At 03:51 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Adam wrote:

I had to laugh at some of you people thinking that Gears of War 2 is all they have planned. They have Fable 2 which looked amazing during the keynote, Ninja Gaiden 2, Too Human, Halo Wars which will sell well because well its got Halo in it.

Just remember that in the coming months before E3 is when we will see the announcements of what all 3 consoles have lined up and only then we will be able to judge who has the better line up for the year.

  • 14.
  • At 05:01 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Sinnerswake wrote:

Jan, you have answered your own argument. This article is about future releases, i.e. 2008. Microsoft is running thin. Only announcing Gears of war 2. According to Microsoft, and this article the only game to look forward to is Gears of war 2 in November, nine months away. I own an xbox and played halo and halo2, and loved them. Unfortunately i will not spend money on an xbox360 just to play the third installment. I think Microsoft relied to heavily on people doing so. And no one as far as i can read any where in the world said 'the console war is over'.

  • 15.
  • At 05:59 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • simon wrote:

I think a lot of ppl forget that the current xbox360 is only the 2nd attempt from MS into the console market,sony are on number 3 with many,many more years under their belts.
MS are releasing the xbox 3 within 2years and credit where it's due,if they can give sony such a bloody nose with only attempt number2 then what the xbox 3 going to be capable of??

I have a wii,ps3 and 360 and my 360 gets 90% of my spare time as COD4 on xbox live is head and shoulders above the sony online offerings.

The range of games for the ps3 at the moment is a laugh compared to the 360 and you can bet that GOW2 isn't the only game they wil have waiting in the backgroud.

Im no fanboy of any 1 console but for me the 360 is still ahead on range of games and the fact i love online gaming an xbox live is awesome.

  • 16.
  • At 06:09 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • CF wrote:

Most of you are talking about how difficult this year will be microsoft, but what exactly does the playstation have, that microsoft does not. the only AAA titles for ps3 this year are metal gear solid, killzone and gran turismo. 3 games is nothing and will keep ps3 fanboys happy for a relatively short period of time.

and xbox sales have not been driven massively by replacement purchases. who actually can afford to go and buy another 300 pound console upon failure?

the simple truth is the xbox is aimed at dedicated gamers, while the ps3 is for those who only know how to play pro evo!
I detest the fact I bought a ps3!

  • 17.
  • At 07:15 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • gurkan wrote:

Over the last 2 decades, there has always been at least 2 consoles at any given time on the market. Talking about console wars is pointless. No matter which console you buy, it development and support doesnt last more than 4 or 5 years anyway. Simply buy the console/s you want and stop this pointless neverending discussion on console wars. I'm tired of hearing it over the last 20 years. Aaarrrgh!

  • 18.
  • At 07:27 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Marwan S. wrote:

In regards to the console war, the Wii massacred the others. I have a Wii and the selling point wasn't the graphics or the quality of great games but how innovative it really is and the fact that it costed a third of the 360 at time of launch were.

Almost everyone of my friends that has visited me at home has played on it and left later than they originally expected. Its enjoyable and a great laugh. Its one of the consoles were people don't mind watching you play.

The 360 and PS3 were and still are way too expensive, given the fact that they do allot but they don't really have anything outstanding about them, the graphics are great but what is the point when you need a large Plasma to really enjoy it.

But the main reason why the PS3 and 360 wont catch up anytime soon to the Wii sales is if anything the demographic is far wider with the price alone.

  • 19.
  • At 08:10 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • wrote:

I love how the Sony fanboys cling to Killzone 2 like it's the next big sequel and the game to beat the 360. When actual fact the first game ended up being a massive dissapointment! A distinctly average FPS and so far Killzone 2 looks the same.

  • 20.
  • At 08:10 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Chris wrote:

I was a Sony fan for years with both the PSone and PS2, but when it came to the next gen consoles I bought a Wii and a Xbox 360.
There have been no games launched on the PS3 which have made me want to go and buy it, and initally the cost made me think twice. The 360 has an excellent line up of games form Gears of war, Halo, Bioshock and many more, and the Wii is a great laugh.
But for now nothing really grabs me about the PS3, sure it may be more reliable and have a blueray drive, but to be honest I buy a console to play games, and Sony has been letting the side down.
Oh and I have experenced the 'ring of death' but my 360 was replaced in 24hrs , and I had a faulty PS2 which it took Sony 2 weeks to replace after the first replacement also was faulty.
This years line up of game has got me excited but I hate to say it Sony it letting the side down.

  • 21.
  • At 08:25 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Rich wrote:

I agree with kopchoir - it's all about x-box live. Gears was a really solid game (if short) but it was the co-op mode that, for me, added true longevity to the game. The same is true for CoD4 and Halo 3 - the multiplayer battles and unlockable achievements mean that long after the single-player game is finished, the game is still very playable for many hours after. I agree that technically the PS3 is better and ultimately, it will surpass the 360. But the future of all gaming is online and only x-box live really delivers.

  • 22.
  • At 08:39 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Sensi wrote:

GOW was ok, didn't play it that much really cos it's only my friends who have xboxes.
Microsoft need to pull out some killer titles this year to be able to compete with the Wii's casual gamer outlook and PS3 list of exclusives (GT5, MGS4, LBP, The Agency).
If you loom at the whole picture, most of if not all Xbox exclusives aren't exclusive at all cos they come out on PC at the same time if not a few months later.
Where as PS3 & Wii exclusives are just that, exclusive.

I'm a PS3 fanboy BTW :-D

  • 23.
  • At 08:48 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Shaun Reid wrote:

You do realise that any faulty 360 machines are being either repaired or replaced free of charge by Microsoft?

  • 24.
  • At 09:14 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Robert wrote:

Great news, a great sequel to a great game, and exclusive to Xbox 360 no less! PS3 is still suffering from the lack of decent Exclusive titles, with the likes of Mass Effect, Ninja Gaiden II, Halo, PGR, GTA IV: Episode 1 etc. all on Xbox 360, and we also have been recieving games such as Devil May Cry, which was thought to be PS3 exclusive, Sony are falling behind, and this is beginning to be a 2 Horse race. Sony need to bring out the big guns and soon, games like MGS4 and Killzone need to be out NOW, before its too late!

  • 25.
  • At 09:38 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • simon cook wrote:

I own an XBOX, PS3 and WII.

There is no comparison the PS3 is much more powerful and has much more potential than the old XBOX. The feel and quality are also better and you get the blu-ray which is now the defacto.

The XBOX has been out a while and the PS3 games are already better. Wait a year and then you will see its full potential.

  • 26.
  • At 09:42 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Javi wrote:

One game doesnt make "Big Guns"

Look at Nintendo with Smash Bros, Mario Cart, and Wii Fit within the first 6 months of 08.

Sony have a few coming aswell inc.. MGS4

MS and Sony have to realize that both traditional and non traditional games are needed to expand their audiences and sell more consoles..

  • 27.
  • At 09:43 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • max_black_uk wrote:

With Triple head displays and new hardware powerful yet inexpensive hardware, 2008 is the year of the PC, better looking games, more gameplay and more power than any of the consoles.

Barring GTA4 and KZ2 not much to look forward to on my PS3 tons of great games on the PC.

  • 28.
  • At 09:49 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • spud wrote:

ps3 fanboy - why is the 360 dead because of the HD-DVD failure?? all microsoft will do is bring out a BLU ray drive add-on like the HD-DVD drive. where as if blu ray had failed the PS3 would have been worthless

  • 29.
  • At 09:55 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • MEMEMEM wrote:

PS3 only has old Xbox titles and all of its "exclusives" MGS4, Devil May cry, GTA4 are all coming out on the 360 the 360 has some amazing titles coming out this year, Borderlands, prototype, saints row 2, RS6V 2, this will be coming ut on PS3 but if its like the original it'l b a year later on the PS3

  • 30.
  • At 10:56 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Fokwok wrote:

As an xbox owner recently disillusioned by the RROD rendering my system unusable and having to send it off for fixing, coupled with the demise of the HD-DVD, xbox need to not onoly attract new owners, but also need to keep the current owners. At the moment xbox i believe is better, but if things don't improve regarding reliability, more games (original ones at that), then i may have to shift over to PS3 (being a PS fanboy since about 1996).
Microsoft seriously need to up the ante

  • 31.
  • At 10:59 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Ewan B wrote:

I agree - stop the bickering! I have an xbox360, it broke once, but they fixed it - it's fun to play and the games are good. My brother has a ps3, I like playing that too. It's not what you play - it's who you play with ;)

  • 32.
  • At 11:00 AM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Sean wrote:

There was always going to be a sequel to Gears, it was obvious after playing the game all the way through. So this comes as no suprise. It's a great game, I can't actually think of anything comparable on the PS3 or the Wii for that matter.
As a Western gamer, who cares if the Xbox 360 isn't going well in Japan. It's doing well in the US and UK. It has a larger games library and decent games. The PS3 can't offer me either, except a large hole in my wallet. It's only the Sony fans that's keeping the PS3 alive in the west.
You have to be realistic about these things. Go into your nearest store, and check out the shelf space for the PS3. It's going the same way as Sega's Dreamcast.

  • 33.
  • At 12:08 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Mark wrote:

Yeah It's a shame there are no good titles coming to the Xbox this year, I suppose I'll have to make do with...

Alone in the Dark 5
GTAIV
Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Army of Two
Condemed 2
Soul Calibur 4
Race Driver: Grid
Gears Of War 2
Tomb Raider: Underworld
Dead Space
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Saints Row 2
Far Cry 2
Dark Sector
Unreal Tournament III
Ninja Gaiden 2
Alan Wake

Neither console is going to have more than a handful of exclusives! It's no longer in the developer's interest to do it that way.

Fanboys repulse me!!!

  • 34.
  • At 12:19 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • BEN wrote:

Let me sum the three up for you.

Wii: Innovative with a new way to play games but more of a console for casual gamers with childish games making it accessible to pretty much everything with thumbs but rather boring if you have more than two brain cells. Buy this if your 10 or if your 80 and know little about gaming.
Xbox 360: 360 is for gamers who know games and have played them for years with great games like Halo,Gears of War and Mass Effect. This is for the PC generation who know their stuff and played Doom (most still do) when they were kids.
PS3: PS3 is for those who are older than 10 but still know nothing about games and only care about Pro Evo. This machine is good for two things spending lots and fat free bacon and whats the point in bacon with out the fat.

  • 35.
  • At 12:19 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Martyn wrote:

Only children talk about 'console wars'. They are essentially toys but so many kids throw their toys out of their prams when another kid posts saying his console is better than the other kid's console. Jeez, this is school yard talk. GROW UP.
I have been using consoles since the days of Atari VCS and I still have PS1 (not used), PS2, XBOX and XBOX360 Elite. I have recently got the PS3 and for now, the 360 easily has the best games. I have seen the PS3 line up and it is a case that PS3 produce Japan orientated weirdo and surreal games, where as 360 is more western and not as childish and fantastical as PS3. Thus for now I consider getting PS3 a mistake and nothing in its schedule has made me change that view.
I have had a 360 for year and I'm not disappointed, I have had a PS3 for just over 2 months and I'm not impressed. For those sole PS3 owners, get a 360 as well and then you would qualify for adult discussion. As far as the Wii goes, well I see it as direct competition to TOMY's range of under 5 electronic toys and it is far too childish to invest in. It only sold well because parents got it for their very young offspring, as an adult I would be embarrassed to admit having one.

  • 36.
  • At 01:02 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Chappas wrote:

Okay #32, going the same way as the dreamcast? as in the game selection is growing, and it outsold the 360 in january!?
'it has a larger games library and decent games'? by that point the ps2 would be your best bet then yes?

#29, yes because those 'exclusives' you mentioned, prototype; R6V2 etc are system sellers of course!? No1 is going to run out to GAME to buy a 360 just because of those games, none of which except prototype (which is on ps3) actually look that decent to me anyways R6V was a horrible game (V2 is on ps3 also @ any rate)

As for Pc games, yep they are better, but i can't afford the cost of upgrading it each year (thats actually what i've had to do the past 3 years to play the latest games) but either way 360 games are pretty much always on the PC too, and i prefer playing games on my HDTV on my couch with my mates, rather than sitting on a chair lookin @ my monitor.

(& should you ask why i care so much as to write such a large paragraph, well I'm in college & have nothing else to do :P )

  • 37.
  • At 01:14 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Alex wrote:

All i can say is that a couple of my friends have ps3 and hardly play on them. A load of us have 360's and play them all the time.

Sony really needs some good games. GT3 will be excellent but unless the ps3 drops in price i couldn't justify buying one.

All my mates with them say is its a good multimedia tool. So's a PC.

I bought my 360 to play games and i have never been disappointed.

Its broken once but was fixed for free.

  • 38.
  • At 01:23 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Rucking Carl wrote:

For people who want to play games, the 360 is winning hands down with it's line-up and live capabilities. I don't care about Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD so that didn't bother me and the RROD hasn't happened to me and if it does, Microsoft do everything to repair or replace so not a huge problem and I can always spend a few days reading a book!
Japan won't buy the 360 because the Japanese very rarely buy anything from outside their shores - that is why the 360 struggles and why Microsoft haven't even bothered to try and rectify it!
Oh and the Wii isn't that great, you shake a stick rather than press a button, it isn't intuitive at all. It's good fun with friends around but as I have no game-playing friends nearby it's not for me. (Unlike Xbox live where there is always someone to play with or against)

  • 39.
  • At 01:41 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Alan Addison wrote:

Who cares about the PS360 or whatever the number 2 and number 3 consoles are called.

With their so last millenium controls and desire to be at the centre of your home entertainment network. They are too expensive for the general public and real hard core gamers who would splash the cash use a PC with modern graphics cards.

So they got their botties spanked by the wittle Wii. A games console made by a games console manufacturer.

Anyone for tennis?

  • 40.
  • At 01:42 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • wrote:

it's all about GTA IV, which will be out for both platforms :)

  • 41.
  • At 01:52 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Mat wrote:

This console war debate is boring. I chose the PS3 as I think it's better value for money. A blueray player on it's own is around £200. Also, over the lifespan of the 360 (say 4 years) you will spend £120 on online gaming whereas the playstation network is free.

  • 42.
  • At 01:54 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Graham wrote:

For all the people who seem to forget, the PS3 took an extra 2 years or so to be developed. Does anyone rememer the E3 gaming conference when the XBOX360 was revealed and the PS3 was supposed to be revealed at the same time. When Sony saw how good the 360 was, they just about died.

The PS3 is still only at the same level as the 360 yet it's had 2 years of technological developments more to work with.

The XBOX 360 is very good at what it does, despite a couple of flaws, and is a very enjoyable console to play. It has had 2 years of games development and the games are only getting better and better. It started with Ghost Recon, then came Rainbow Six Vegas, then came Gears of War and now we have Call of Duty 4.

The PS3 has very little in terms of games (and good ones at that). It is still early days for the PS3 and by the time that the games are up to scratch, there will probably be a new console from Microsoft in the pipeline.

The WII is a stupid console. I agree that it can be fun to play with friends and/or kids, but as a console to play on your own... no thanks... i would rather sit on the couch with a controller than stand in the middle of the room like an idiot.

  • 43.
  • At 02:16 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • monkey-ronin wrote:

I have not bought into the next gen consoles yet. I am a pc gamer and have a gaming rig with very high spec, I really can't see anything appealing about either the 360 or PS3. I used to have a PS2 that I used for games like PES and other sports titles. But I have found that the pc versions of all the titles I like and want are always better and more polished. I understand that my pc cost more than both consoles together, but gaming wise it's worth it every step of the way. I have two geforce 8800 ultra oc, i can upgrade them in the future for about £400-500, it's a lot of money but it means continual improvement and upgrade is possbile. I won't need to upgrade for 3 years. PS3 & Xbox 360 are already left behind a long way by pc rigs like mine. Forget them, next gen consoles are now old tech.

  • 44.
  • At 02:22 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Biggy wrote:

Xbox live rules, I was once a sony fan but after playing gears live I gave in and have been hooked ever since. Who cares about exclusives when its all about gamer points and rankings whilst having fun playing your mates and shooting annoying yanks. Bluray will be obsolete shortly anyway. As for the ring of red death, I got it Sunday, Microsoft are replacing under the 3 year warranty, My ps2 disc drive failed once and I had to pay for that!

  • 45.
  • At 02:25 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • monkey-ronin wrote:

I have not bought into the next gen consoles yet. I am a pc gamer and have a gaming rig with very high spec, I really can't see anything appealing about either the 360 or PS3. I used to have a PS2 that I used for games like PES and other sports titles. But I have found that the pc versions of all the titles I like and want are always better and more polished. I understand that my pc cost more than both consoles together, but gaming wise it's worth it every step of the way. I have two geforce 8800 ultra oc, i can upgrade them in the future for about £400-500, it's a lot of money but it means continual improvement and upgrade is possbile. I won't need to upgrade for 3 years. PS3 & Xbox 360 are already left behind a long way by pc rigs like mine. Forget them, next gen consoles are now old tech.

  • 46.
  • At 02:30 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Biggy wrote:

Xbox live rules, I was once a sony fan but after playing gears live I gave in and have been hooked ever since. Who cares about exclusives when its all about gamer points and rankings whilst having fun playing your mates and shooting annoying yanks. Bluray will be obsolete shortly anyway. As for the ring of red death, I got it Sunday, Microsoft are replacing under the 3 year warranty, My ps2 disc drive failed once and I had to pay for that!

  • 47.
  • At 02:32 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Chris wrote:

yeh the PS3 did sell more than the Xbox 360, But if you read the article you got the information from correctly - It did state that this was because of a shortage of Units following an Excellent Christmas period for the console. All I've read so far has been written by a bunch of biast fanboys. PS3 isn't all its cracked up to be ! For a system that appeared a year later than the Xbox 360, I would have expected better graphics !

  • 48.
  • At 02:57 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Shane wrote:

It's not all about the highest spec(cost) machines either, the wii has come along with controllers that allow the player to physically get involved with the game - if only microsoft and sony would realise that their controller interface was their weakest link and their next big area for development (far more important than HD games imho)

  • 49.
  • At 03:14 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Mr Ant wrote:

The one thing Xbox does better than anything else is Xbox live. Most Sony fanboys won't have seen just how amazing it is and therefore are judging consoles on a like for like basis. Xbox live is awesome and the reason we put up with so much of the other stuff. Nothing offered by Sony or Sony even comes close.

  • 50.
  • At 03:19 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Andy wrote:

Comparing Sony to Sega is crazy. Sega dropped the ball with the Saturn..thats what killed them. The Dreamcast came to little too late as Sony had the market share by then. Ie., like now with Blu-ray v HD-DVD. The PS3 owners will certainly increase as the console becomes cheaper.. Its just taking a while for the games to arrive.. but they are coming and will be amazing!

I own a PS3 & Wii but I've rented an Xbox360 in the past to see if I liked it. The fact I never brought one shows what I thought of it. It's just that the Xbox, to me, only has 2 games of interest... GoW and Halo3. Even PES2008 on the xbox seemed worse than the PS3.

I purchased the PS3 because it has/will have games I want to play. It looks amazing and I wanted Blu-Ray. I'm really happy with it.

BTW.. I love the Wii... its a fantastic family console.

  • 51.
  • At 04:26 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Ed wrote:

Sony the biggest guns this year.
Metal Gear Solid 4
Final Fantasy XIII
Killzone 2

  • 52.
  • At 04:28 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Silky Fox wrote:

I have nothing contructive to add but loving all the playstation fans representing the cause!!

P to the S to the 3!!!

  • 53.
  • At 04:34 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • John wrote:

The xbox live service is by far a better service than the boring PS3's. Although my xbox has had the 3 rings of death aswell as my friends xbox's. Cheap Parts.

  • 54.
  • At 04:38 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • nicky wrote:

in the end... this has turned in to a fanboy war.. ffs... does it matter?
we all have our own reasons to buy xbox/playstation/nintendo....
they are all enjoyable.. graphics are great... visuals are great...
enjoy them.

I cant wait for GTA4.
the bickering is pointless...

go play :P

  • 55.
  • At 04:49 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • chris wrote:

At post 41

You must be the only person in the world who bought the ps3 as it was value for money.
Fair enough I am a 360 user who has to pay for online gaming, but at least there are games on the xbox that are actually worth playing online.
What has the PS3 got !
With xbox live you get demos, music videos hd films, soon to be tv show. And lets not forget the IPTV service that BT is launching this year on the 360.

I search when I have to renew my subscription to live, I paid £24 for a year recently not bad for what you get.

Wait until the 360 brings out a blu ray player add on (which is currently in the works) That will be the final nail in the coffin for the PS3. I have plenty of friends who used to be sony fans they have all seen the light and bought a 360 and have never looked back.


  • 56.
  • At 04:54 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Dan wrote:

xBOX 360 is going to need more than a single game to make it more appealing than what Sony has to offer.

Sony has just won a major coup by having the PS3 support blue ray which is set to be the high definition disc of the future. Microsoft was in the HDDVD camp so will inevitabbly have to climb down and eventually install a blue ray player in future releases of the 360.

Sony also has the advantage with it's multi-cell processor which is alot more flexible than an x86 chip. As developers get more used to the platform I expect some neat new tricks to be implemented.

The PS3 is like the Duracell bunny, It will keep on going... I predict the PS3 will last well into the xbox360's next itteration. Microsoft will simply treat its 360 customers like it does windows customers. A New release every 3 years and those that fall behind get left behind.

  • 57.
  • At 05:44 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Steve wrote:

#56 Dan - have you actually read anything written above about the quantity of games coming out this year for 360? Definitely more than one. There are also the additional Xbox live arcade games.

Also, if MS were to replace the 360 with a new console every 3 years, then they have 9 months to do it in. That's not going to happen. They're sticking with what they have which has a high attach rate, which will mean profit.

MS can just produce a blu-ray add-on (and I bet they will announce one quite soon), but XBox live already has HD digital movie downloads (limited in the UK, more featured in the US for now), which is akin to renting a movie from a video store, without the hassle of driving to it. That is more the future of renting movies, not disks. Also, they have BT Vision coming in the UK. Xbox live is going places.

Oh, by the way, the processor is a tri-core powerpc, not an x86.

Wii has some interesting things going for it, but unfortunately not the graphics.

  • 58.
  • At 06:05 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Stuart wrote:

Well kids, just a thought about the whole blu-ray on XBOX idea (which would be a great idea for microsoft). Do sony not control the rights to blu-ray? Surely a great move on their part would be to forbid its inclusion in the xbox, hence killing off the xbox forever (and by forever i mean a few years, until people start downloading everything)

  • 59.
  • At 06:50 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Matthew Merced wrote:

PS3 MAY be slightly better hardware-wise than the 360. I think the decision to install a Blue-Ray in each PS3 was a huge benefit to both the Blue-Ray saturation, and the sales of PS3. Only in recent days can one buy a PS3 cheaper than buying a Blue-Ray player.

I will also agree that when the Devs can better understand how to take full advantage of all thats under PS3's hood, maybe then PS3's gaming library may come close to that of PS2's. As it is notoriously hard to code PROPERLY for the PS3 as per many Devs opinion.

Like it or not MicroSoft has embedded/fortified itself in the console gaming realm. They will not be the next Sega/Saturn. MS has an impressive product, vast resources, and has began to focus it's sights on online gaming (or eSports) as a totality.

To bolster the appeal of Xbox 360 is to know of its Xbox Live services. I too cringe the whole pay-to-play scene, but I do enjoy all it has too offer in respect to multiplayer options specifically.

I use to be a PC Gamer until I discovered playing on the couch with a 42" HDTV. Make mine a 360 pleze!

  • 60.
  • At 07:36 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • jaye wrote:

have poeple forgot about
little big planet....
and the two final fantasy games
and fower...
and home....
that are also coming out this year for the ps3
the ps3 is more than just shooter games......

  • 61.
  • At 09:07 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • web pirate wrote:

just bought my son a ps3 (hes already got xbox360)
managed to get the 60gb from amazon
its not being made anymore only the 40gb version will be available which is a lower spec (wont play ps2 games)
the reason for this is sony lost $200 on every 60gb unit sold.
now they make$100 for every 40gb unit sold.
just got the ps3 out the box (one hell of an ugly unit it is) i wont be putting that under my telly
tried the blue ray disc i got free
to be honest theres no differance to my hdmi dvd player.
so i wont be buying blue-ray discs
i will stick with dvd
xbox live is brill i watch my son on it and the amount of games is unreal
i cant see blue-ray taking off, just buy a hdmi dvd player, do not buy a stand-alone blu-ray player yet cause sony have not got the platform right, ver 1.0 now ver 1.1 ver 2.0 due in march and any ver1.0 players will not play extra content on discs and are not upgradeable as its a hard ware issue not software,

long live dvd

  • 62.
  • At 09:19 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • John D wrote:

I am a committed sonyist having owned the PS1, PS2, PSP and now the PS3. But I have to admit that the 360 has the best games at the moment. The only decent PS3 exclusive has been Uncharted and whilst that was good is still doesn't compare to Gears of War, Bioshock et al.
More worrying is that whilst MS looks to be tying up more top quality exclusives we are going to be left with rehashes of old PS2 games. I mean are PS3 owners really that excited about another gran turismo or Killzone game?? Come on sony, get your finger out!

  • 63.
  • At 11:31 PM on 21 Feb 2008,
  • Luke Rogerson wrote:

Online Play Makes Most Games and Microsoft's [b]Xbox Live[/b] wins hands down when it comes to online play.

Playing CoD4 online on both the PS3 and the [b]Xbox 360[/b] perfectly illustrates this. It is a much better experience on the [b]360[/b] and [b]Xbox Live[/b].

  • 64.
  • At 12:26 AM on 22 Feb 2008,
  • Dobo wrote:

The PS3 actually sold more than the 360 in the UK last year.

  • 65.
  • At 04:30 AM on 22 Feb 2008,
  • Alex wrote:

@Dan - comment 56.

You state that the PS3 cell processor is much more flexible than an x86 processor. I'd be curious to know what bearing this has on a discussion about the relative merits of the PS3 and the Xbox 360?
Before you answer me I suggest you go and learn a little bit about the CPU in the Xbox 360 (hint: it is not based on x86 architecture).

  • 66.
  • At 08:19 AM on 22 Feb 2008,
  • stevephoenix wrote:

I don't think the xbox will have a paticularly bad year, most of the titles that the ps3 are relying on to sell the console are multi format and will be on the xbox as well. Plus the fact that the xbox live service is far more advanced than the playstation network, the content, ease of download and future ideas keep it fresh and interesting and more importantly easy to use.

  • 67.
  • At 09:24 AM on 22 Feb 2008,
  • MilkyJoe wrote:

Three words: Buy a PC

  • 68.
  • At 09:29 AM on 22 Feb 2008,
  • Khalid wrote:

I have both a PS3 & Xbox 360 and can see the benefits of both systems, I love playing COD4 on Xbox live, never liked gears of war though, hated how fake the blood looked, both systems have amazing games but I can honestly say I prefer the PS3 as I have been playing games online on both systems and although PS3 had some initial teething problems, now I find it is amazingly good online especially with WH and is free. With Sony working on an update for accessing the toolbars while playing games, things are sure to get even better.

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