Given the 360's hardware issues, I'd refrain from putting it next to another console. It may overheat, and no one wants that. The Wii and PS3 are pretty solid, and putting them near each other shouldn't be a problem.SmashBrosLegend

Thanks, that's an excellent observation, I haven't thought of it like that.

Do you think the material underneath the consoles would matter? I.e. tempered glass, wood like material, metal.

Buy a Nintendo Wii. Most fun games out there, plus Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and best quality for the money. JDW_games

You know I had considered that too. Part of me has this NES nostaliga and I've missed Mario somewhat. I remember when I played Super Mario World on the SNES at a friends, I kind of felt left out. Then when I heard about Super Mario 64 and then Super Mario Sunshine, I also felt left out.

At first I liked the concept of the Wiimote, especially when I saw a demo for Zelda Twilight Princess. Then later I thought, would I get tired of it? But it wouldn't be out of the question to get a Wii too. The thing is that I like Mario type games, but I also like non-Mario type games, I guess I answered my own question there. I'll probably get a Wii too.

I'm not too concerned about lack of online. I was always a lone Mario player.

First off, let me say that I apologize if there are rules against long posts, I did not see any indication of this in the rules.

I am trying to decide whether or not to buy PS 3 or a Xbox 360 and I would greatly appreciate and welcome your thoughts.

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My Background
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Let me describe my background. I've been playing consoles since the second generation. The consoles that I have owned and or played go in this order: Atari 2600, NES, Genesis w/ Sega CD add-on, Saturn, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2. I know it's not a console, but I also played the Commodore 64. The only one I currently own is the PS2.

For the first time in my life, I am trying to make a wholehearted attempt to pick a console based on rational thought. I can't remember how I came upon the 2600. I picked the NES, because I didn't even hear of the Sega Master System. To this day, I don't know why I switched from Nintendo to Sega. I don't know why I got the Sega CD add-on, other than it was there. I was trying to be "loyal" to Sega, so I went with the Saturn, the loyalty continued with the Dreamcast. I really liked the Dreamcast, but I guess it wasn't in the cards. Later, I received the PS 2 for the holidays the same or the following year. And so here we are.

So I've been saving up for a while and I didn't want to wait in line for a system. I haven't waited in line for any system that I have owned. Can you imagine waiting in line for the 2600, NES, or the Genesis? :) And I wasn't about to start now.

Also, I'm trying to get back to my hay days, when I considered myself more of a gamer. For a very long time now I have been a casual gamer, not by choice but by situation. Now that I have been saving and I am finally able to game the way I want, I want to make the best decision possible.

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Trying To Find Answers
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However, I have been browsing and searching the forums trying to find answers, but I don't know if I'm better or worse off. I know that it is not the system that makes a console, but the games and other factors. Two words: "Neo Geo". I have been casually looking at each console's line up of games, to try and help decide, but I don't know how much you can tell from a game by reading reviews or looking at videos. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm looking for people that actually play these systems and can give me some intelligent feedback.

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Games Questions
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Let me ask you this system owners. Are there games that you keep playing over and over, that continue to be fun, or are they mostly games that have no replay value? I guess I'm expecting a lot from this seventh generation. Should I just buy a console and stick with renting games?

I don't know though, on one hand, I kind of miss the old days when I would build up a library of games. But on the other hand, I don't want to pay 50/60 on a game, beat it in a week, then never play it again.

Does online really add replayability to otherwise games that you would never play after beating them?

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Online Multi-Player
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Also, I have never owned a console with online capabilities, so the whole online console thing is a foreign concept to me. Is Xbox Live good? Is the PlayStation Network just as good? Some might say that XBL is better than PSN. But when XBL launched was it on the same level as PSN when it launched? I don't think it's fair to compare an older service to a newer one, the older one is bound to be ahead of the newer one. And no, I'm not averse to spending the money

if the service is really worth it, it's a non-issue for me.

Are there those amongst you that never play online? Does everyone play online?

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Hard Drive
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This is a foreign concept to me, a hard drive in a console. I guess you download demos, and if you like the demo, then you might be inclined to buy the game?

Are demos available for all titles, or only the most popular? What can you really do with your hard drive? Do you have to pay for demos?


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Falcon Chips
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I also heard about the Falcon chips:

http://kotaku.com/gaming/confirmed/xbox-360-falcon-chips-are-coming-this-year-292934.php

Should I wait until then to even think about getting a 360? Or does that not matter? I might be over simplifying this, but if I were to purchase a 360 and if I were to have a problem, couldn't I just go back to the store and get a new one? I'm not averse to doing that, the store isn't that far from my house. I just don't think that possible problems should prevent me from missing out on something I otherwise might enjoy. Often in these forums I hear people saying, "Get a PS3, it doesn't have problems like the 360." I don't think that is a valid argument to get a PS3. If you are defending your position based solely on your opponent's faults and not on your strengths, then that is not right either.

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Is PS3 Reliable?
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That being said, is the PS3 pretty much a reliable system?

If I were going to purchase two systems, I might be inclined to get a PS3 now (if it is pretty much fault free) and then get a 360 when the Falcon chips come out. I don't know if that is good logic either. Who knows, is it possible for Microsoft to release newer, better Birdman chips later? Please don't take my joke as Xbox bashing. I'm just asking if I were to wait until the newer chips come out, then would I be in safe or at least safer harbor?

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Controllers
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I'm not going to talk about which controller is better. I just have some questions. Is there a corded option available for the PS3 and the Xbox ones. Let me explain what I mean by corded. I mean how a current PS2 controller is corded. I do not mean plugging in your controller to charge while playing. Or can you just leave your controller plugged in? Will that ruin the battery? I will never use a controller wirelessly. When I see the word wirelessly, all that I see is having to worry about batteries or having to stop playing to replace batteries or charge. I just don't want to ruin the battery and maybe the controller by leaving it plugged in all the time. From my limited battery charging knowledge, I think it's better to let the batteries run down before charging it. And if you charge something longer than you need to or if you don't let the batteries drain, you can shorten the life of your battery. Does this happen with Xbox or PS3 controllers?

Are there third-party controllers out yet for either console that might give you corded options?

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Graphics
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Is there a discernible difference in graphics between the consoles or is that up for debate? I'm coming from a SD tv and a PS2 and I will also get an HD TV to go along with my new console, so the difference in graphics will probably great, so I don't know if I would be able to discern a difference between PS3 and Xbox.

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HD TV
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(Sorry if these aren't proper questions for this forum.)

Are all HDs created equal? Any good ones you can recommend? Price isn't that much of an option, max 1,000 - 1,500, maybe 2,000 if it really makes a difference. It all depends if I'm getting one console or two or two consoles or one console and a stand-alone dvd player.


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DVDs
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(Sorry if these aren't proper questions for this forum)

I watch a fair amount of movies also. However that might change if I get back into gaming, that is my true passion. And I am not interested in HD DVD or Blu-ray. Is either console a good DVD player, as far as visual quality is concerned? Or would I be better off buying a stand-alone high-end DVD player.

I'll be coming from:

1) SD TV/PS2

and going to:

2) HD TV/Xbox and/or PS3.

So I know that 2 will be better than 1, but will 3, see below, be better than 2? By better I mean a better visual quality.

3) HD TV/stand-alone high-end DVD player

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PC vs 360
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I was also thinking of getting a decent PC, 1,000 - 1,500 possibly, it's been a while since I upgraded anyway. If I do that, should I not get a 360? Is having a good PC and a 360 crazy?

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Exclusives
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I don't know that much about exclusives. What good ones are there for PS3 and Xbox?

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My Tastes
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I enjoy a good FPS, but I haven't really played one since Doom. I wanted to get Doom 3, but my PC wasn't up to specs and the time, still isn't now. I like ation/adventure games. I absolutely loved God of War 1 & 2 and looking forward to 3. Love GTA games. Burnout series is really fun. I don't like flying ames, remember like the old Top Gun for SEGA. Halo series intrigues me, although I never played it. BioShock sounds interesting.

I just want to play games that are fun. So, does that mean I should get both systems, so I won't miss out on anything? Or if I get either one console or the other, will I have my hands full and not have to worry about the other console? I might purchase a game every month or two. I don't know if I should keep GameFly and maybe buy some and rent others.

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Both Systems?
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Should I get both systems, and get the exclusives for each? I guess that could work. What do dual console owners do when multi platform games come out? How o you decide which version to get? I guess that's on a per basis situation. For example I heard that GTA4 be getting content. Maybe in that case, I would o for 360, or is that a faulty argument? Would the PS3 version be better? How do you decide when the game seems to be equally matched?