If anyone looks at Xbox 360 without any bias, there is no denying that 2008 has been disappointing for Xbox 360 and Microsoft.
So far in 2008
1) Microsft lost the format war.With HD-DVD dead, there is no way whatsoever for Xbox 360 owners to watch disk-based HD movies. On the other hand, with Blu-ray, the PS3 is the only console capable of playing the best versions of HD movies on the market.
2) Xbox 360 lacks AAAA/AAA exclusives.(Small downloadable games with PS2 graphics don't count). On the other hand, the PS3 has Metal Gear Solid 4 and Little Big Planet.
3) Xbox 360 no longer enjoys having multiplatform games that look or play better than the PS3 versions. In fact, with optional installs, multiplatform games, overall, slightly look or play better (less loading times) on the PS3. Some multiplatform games to be ported will look and play significantly better than the 360 versions. One guaranteed AAA title will very soon arrive in the form of Bioshock 2. It came a year late, but it has improved graphics and additional contents. Another game, Eternal Sonata will also come to the PS3 signficantly improved.
4) Undeniable proof that Xbox 360 has limited the potential of multiplatform games. Because Xbox 360's use of last-gen DVD 9, developer Id lacks the space needed to make their game RAGE according to their original vision. As such, Id had to alter their multiplatform game because of Xbox 360's limitation.
5) Microsoft has appeared desperate. After seeing the PS3 outsold the 360 all over the world, Microsoft, in the span of 3 months has had 2 price cuts and one games bundle (Xbox 360 Pro Holiday Bundle 2008 Includes 60GB Hard Drive). 3 promotions in 3 months!!! How is this not desperate? Perhaps the latest bundle is Microsoft's acknowledgement that the price cuts has moved fewer consoles than they had hoped. Indeed, according to the latest NPD, despite the price cuts last month Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 by less than 50%. This is a disappointment, folks; Xbox 360 underperformed as expected.
6) It is becoming clearer and clearer that the most technically advanced and most innovated console games are found not on the 360 but on the PS3. Metal Gear Solid and LittleBigPlanet say hi!
Sihanouk
1.) Bluray still hasn't taken a strong hold on the market yet and still isn't close to pushing normal DVDs down the same path that DVDs sent VHS. Most people aren't really interested in going HD so its still going to be awhile till the whole Bluray thing pays off. Sony themselves said in Japan no one is interested in HD yet, whether its with movies or games. Plus didn't Samsung say they think Bluray has about 5 more years left till its replaced?
2.) Microsoft has yet to have any heavy hitters this year... yet. The holiday season lineup is about to launch and it looks to be very promising, plus with having the advantage of getting games before the PS3 (Rock Band 2 most recently) and with games slipping away from the PS3 and onto the 360 as well, there are less and less reasons to own a PS3 outside of a few exclusives that still remain.
3.) For some reason all games look to be about the same between the two platforms, unless you port over a game that's been out over a year now (Bioshock) and its only slightly better. I won't deny that the PS3 does have the 360 beat in terms of hardware, but there is something called being ahead of its time, talk to Sega about that, I'm sure they know how it feels.
4.) Once again though, games being built with the PS3 in mind (Final Fantasy XIII) are suddenly appearing on the 360 and holding up the PS3 launch of the game while the developer works on the game. Though it may be limited in hardware and not able to do all the things the PS3 can do, its still not enough to make developers (beside Konami's Kojima) stand up and say "Sorry 360, you just don't cut it anymore."
5.) Though it may be partly desperation, its also burying the PS3 and giving those on the fence even more of a reason to "Jump In". With the price being less than a Wii, it touting many titles that "defined" the Playstation brand, it has its own great library and has some of the best online play around (and don't go crying about "Its $50 a year!!), and with XBLA arcade getting great games like Braid (you can't ignore it being there, its still a great game) there's plenty of reasons to own a 360 when stacked up against a PS3. Sure the hardware may not be quite as powerful as the PS3, but when you do a side be side comparison of the two, its easy to see why the 360 is so tempting and why its starting to pull ahead again by outselling the PS3 by 100,000 units in September.
6.) The 360 may not have the most innovative games out there, but that doesn't mean they certainly aren't fun and well worth playing. When the 360 offers up great exclusives (in terms of consoles, PC I love you but I'm comparing PS3 and 360 here) like Gears of War 2, Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts, Left 4 Dead, Alan Wake, Fable 2, and its growing list of JRPGs, as long as the games are fun to play then that's all that really matters. Also Sony doesn't inovate well, I'd leave that to Nintendo.
2008 wasn't the year of the PS3 like so many claimed, guess we'll just wait till next year and see what happens. Year of the PS3 is always just 1 more year away!
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