If you could only have one. . .

[bassguitar115]

I'm looking to buy a 360 or a PS3 this summer, and I need some help. Which one do you think I'd be better off owning if I can only have one?

Here are some facts and questions to help in your reccomendation:

-I have a Wii and a DS (and like them VERY much).
-I value gameplay WAY over graphics.
-I'm very interested in XBOX Live Arcade and PS Home.
-I will have a HDTV this summer (at home), but not in the fall (back to college).

-What exclusive "must-haves" does either console have to offer?
-Which one do you see lasting longer?
-Is the PS3 having blu-ray really that big of a deal?

Any overall comments or suggestions would be very appreciated.

Thanks!

Bassguitar115

[bredrenisedp]

Wow prepare yourself for some massive fanboy posts here!!!

Both are great consoles and I'm sure you'll have a blast on either.

I personally own a 360 and it has quickly become one of my most favourite consoles I've owned (almost reaching the hights of the dreamcast).

Reasons why I would recommend a 360 are: xbox live is a great service and makes online play fun (minus the occasional idiots online) and very very easy to hook up and find a game, also friends lists, custom soundtracks and games on xbla are ace.

Next there are so many really great games on the 360 available right now both exculsive and non-exclusive titles.

Great excusive titles are Bioshock, Halo 3, Gears of War, Dead Rising, Crackdown, Forza, Project Gotham Racing, Rez HD, Poker Smash, Lost Oddyssey

The other thing i love about the 360 is its ability to hook up to my network and stream media from my pc or external hard-drive.

Don't get me wrong, the PS3 is a great machine, but for me it didn't have the exculsive games I wanted to play and at the moment I really couldn't care about BluRay films. So I would say go for the 360 any day of the week (I'm sure njshadow would disagree however)

[tsmith15]

I like both consoles equally, as consoles. However, the PS3 does not cater to my personality. I don't like metal gear solid or japanese RPGs.

BredrenisedP listed a lot of the 360 games, so I'll play devil's advocate and list a couple PS3 games:

Motorstorm (was a lot of fun), Resistance Fall of Man (sequel upcoming), Metal Gear Solid 4 (yet unreleased)

That's all I've got, wait for someone else though, I'm not the PS3xpert.

[gglynn00]

I have a 360 and am looking into getting a ps3 simply for Metal Gear. With more and more titles coming out on both consoles and the ps3 getting some really good exclusive titles coming out in the near future, a ps3 is looking better every day.

[zaphod81]

I concur with the previous posts, I was primarily a PC gamer until I purchased my Xbox 360.

It is a solid console with great games which truely shine on xbox live.

PS3 really isnt being used to its full potential and I think it has the chance of becoming a behemoth later in the game, but right now it doesnt have much going for it, besides MGS4.

I admit I am a bit biased since I never even owned a PS2, however the PS2 was no competition for a PC.

[r3v]

Attention!

Will all XBOX 360 fanboys please report to the GREEN CORNER.

Will all PLAYSTATION 3 fanboys please report to the BLUE CORNER.

Will all non-raving, non-frothing-at-the-mouth, non-fanboys PLEASE vacate the ring.


Ladies and gentlemen... children of all ages... we have for you today the event you've long been waiting for....ROUND 58 of the CONSOOOOOOOLE RUMBLE! First up we will have several individual matches, followed by tonight's main event which will be a BATTLE ROYALE where the last fanboy standing will win the HEAVYWEIGHT MOST ANNOYING FANBOY BELT.

[eddielee]

Really? you value graphics over gameplay?

[psbp516]

Ps3 is my personal favorite, with games like Warhawk, MGS4 (coming out), virtual fighter, plus the blu ray player, and the promise of the biggest and best catalog in the years to come. It's the best console in my opinion
But since you're looking for something to play on your HDTV over the summer, and you're going back to college, I think your best bet is the 360. It already has an established catalog. The online is great, and it's great to play Halo or gears with friends. Of course if you're an avid gamer and plan on playing a lot when you go to college go for the ps3, but if you're a casual gamer who plans on playing mostly over the summer and everyone once in a while (between studying, parties: since that's what college really is for) go for the 360.

[th3-space-pope]

-What exclusive "must-haves" does either console have to offer?
Since most of the exclusive games have already been mentioned, I would say the biggest difference is the online service, 360 is pay but it is superior at the moment, playstation is free but you will have to wait to get the same (possibly) functionality as 360. On the subject of xbla and psn both have great exclusives to their name, but ultimately with the current size restriction on xbla games, I see psn being able to take the concept further once they get a bigger install base to attract developers (if Microsoft keeps the restrictions of course).

-Which one do you see lasting longer?
PS3 (according to Sony, and all indicators suggest that will be the case)

-Is the PS3 having blu-ray really that big of a deal?
For movies, not really, especially when you don't have a HDTV all the time. It does effect games, but at the moment as far as I can tell it just seems to be being used on uncompressed textures and bonus content, but I imagine that will change in time.

[dolson]

-I have a Wii and a DS (and like them VERY much).
-I value graphics over gameplay.
-I'm very interested in XBOX Live Arcade and PS Home.
-I will have a HDTV this summer (at home), but not in the fall (back to college).

-What exclusive "must-haves" does either console have to offer?
-Which one do you see lasting longer?
-Is the PS3 having blu-ray really that big of a deal?

First of all, you must know that the 360 has massive issues with dying. I only know one person in real life who hasn't had an issue yet, but the others are on their 3rd, 6th, etc. One guy got one in November, it died after two weeks, so he returned it and won't buy one again. No console is flawless, but the 360 reliability is eerily similar to Windows 95...

Next of all, you ask about exclusive games. Have a look at the 360 exclusives, and they are great - but - you can get most of them for PC, so if you have a decent enough PC, you gain nothing by having a 360. You can just get a gamepad and hook it up to your PC, and there ya go.

Sony's exclusives, on the other hand, can only be played on the PS3, and it's going to stay that way. So what exclusives does Sony have right now that are worth playing?

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Resistance: Fall of Man
Heavenly Sword
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
Motorstorm
MLB 08: The Show
Folklore
Warhawk
The Eye of Judgement
Super Stardust HD
Everyday Shooter
PixelJunk Monsters
Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds
Time Crisis 4
Singstar (depending where you live)
Unreal Tournament 3 (this is only a timed exclusive, and is out on PC, but thought I'd mention it anyhow. however, the 360 version is likely not supporting mods directly, if at all. and probably won't have keyboard and mouse support, if you like that kind of thing)
Lair (motion controls work fine for me, another Wii fan... so you would probably have no issues with it. even if you did, there is an analog control option now).
What are coming out that have potential to be great?

Haze
Metal Gear Solid 4
Metal Gear Online
LittleBigPlanet
Resistance 2
Twisted Metal
SOCOM Confrontation
Killzone 2
Motorstorm 2
Singstar (depending where you live)
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII Versus
God of War 3
Gran Turismo 5
Heavy Rain
Eight Days
Infamous
echochrome

And of course, whatever Team ICO is working on..

If Blu-ray THAT big a deal? Not if you don't care about it. However, considering a game like MGS4 uses up the full 50GB of space, other games will too. If you had MGS4 on 360 (which you won't), then it'd take up many DVD discs, and you'd have to be switching constantly, or else suffer severely compressed and shrunken down textures... I am lazy, as I've said elsewhere, so I am glad I don't have to swap discs for PS3 games. :) Blu-ray movies are another matter entirely, and I find them too expensive right now. However, if I ever found a movie that I deemed good enough to buy, then I'd get it on Blu-ray for sure.

The 360 controller doesn't have motion-sensing at all, and the PS3's does. And I find it to be better than the Wii Remote's motion-sensing (not the IR function, which doesn't exist for PS3 otuside of GunCon), at least as far as sensitivity goes, if not implementation. I play Burnout Paradise with the motion steering and bumper cam, and it's AWESOME. Like Excite Truck, sorta, in a way.

Anyhow, there are reasons to get a PS3, and there are some valid reasons to get a 360. Myself, I look at the hassle of having a console that could and will die at any time (yes, even the Elite models die) and having to send it back and then have nothing for a week or two, as the biggest barrier as to why I chose the PS3.

Upgradable hard drive (which I did, went from 40GB to 80GB) with any standard notebook SATA drive (no proprietary, overpriced Sony-only crap).
Ability to install another OS on the drive, officially, without having to hack or mod (I wouldn't do it, but I know some people really dig that kind of thing).
Standard BlueTooth support for keyboards, headsets, etc.
Controllers have built-in battery and can be trickle-charged so you can always be playing, no battery pack swapping or anything.

Man, the list goes on. I'm sure 360 owners could try and counterpoint all of this, but I haven't had any red lights on my PS3, except for when it's in standby, and that's the color it's supposed to be. Heh.

[th3-space-pope]

Wow prepare yourself for some massive fanboy posts here!!!

Lol, I think dolson took that as a challenge. :p

[bredrenisedp]

Damn my British sense of humour and sarcasm

[dolson]

:P I'm not a fanboy. I used to be a Wii Fanboy, but then I got a PSP and PS3, and so now I'm only a 360 hater. But for good reasons (see previous post). ;)

[iccanui]

Simple

for right now today at this second. XBOX

For the future... PS3.


The xbox is established and has a ton of games and is a great system. But in my opinion, the stuff coming out, the momentum and more important, the vision of the PS3 is much grander.


my 2 cents anyway.

[forthekids85]

:P I'm not a fanboy. I used to be a Wii Fanboy, but then I got a PSP and PS3, and so now I'm only a 360 hater. But for good reasons (see previous post). ;)

Dude, just because you repeatedly mentioned the Xbox hardware issues doesn't make that more than one reason. :D

I'm not going to try to convince you that it isn't all that bad, since you seem pretty staunch in your views.. but I would mention that the Elite comes with a 120 gig drive out of the box, pretty much negating any need to do that PS3 upgrading you mentioned.

[nuyawka]

I own both consoles and can honestly say that if I added up the time I have played on both it would probably break down 95-5 in favor of the 360. I think XBL is a huge advantage for 360. I think 360 has had better games and I personally like the controller much better.

All of that being said, I think the PS3 may end up being the longer lasting of the two. This should be a good year for PS3 and the Blu Ray player is a big deal if you are a movie fan.

The PS3 can connect to your network and play content off of your external HDD just like 360.

I think you would do fine with either one, but I think 360 will pay more immediate dividends, while the PS3 is more "future proof".

Hope that helped...

[dolson]

Well, if you actually read my post, there is more than one issue (even things I didn't mention, such as disc scratching). I just said that was my main reason that I avoided that system. There are positive aspects of the 360, and I could name a couple, but since I don't own the system, I figured someone like you might want to chime in... But instead, you just respond to my post.

So here, here's the good things about the 360, from a non-360 owner.

Best online service. Although you have to pay for it, it is definitely the better online system right now, and I personally don't see Home changing that.

You can play any music you want in any game. Only certain PS3 games support that.

Cross-game invites.

Headset is free (I believe).

Bigger game library (due to being out longer, but still, more selection).

Bioshock.

Extended warranty (you're gonna need it).

Movie and TV show downloads (I think?).

Bioshock.

Left analog stick and D-pad switched places.

I'm sure there's more.

[bassguitar115]

Well, I'm still torn between the two. . . I think I'm leaning towards PS3 at the moment though. The PS3's exclusives catch my eye more, but then again XBLA just seems so damn cool. Also, I just remembered my roomate for next semester has a 360 which strengthens the case for a PS3.

IDK. . . I'm still not sure.

I'd love to hear some more opinions.

Thanks for all the feedback,

Bassguitar115
P.S. I edited my original post. I definitely value GAMEPLAY over graphics!

[damnedeyez]

I just recently gave in and bought a 360. Of course, I still lean towards the PS3 since I had a PS2 for years and it's more familiar.

(I refuse to pay for a gold membership. But, I haven't been a big multi-player anyway.)

The only issue I've had with the 360 so far is xbox live having issues when I was trying to register my live account.


However, back to my point. I think, at least for the time being, if you had a PS2 or xbox, you'd be better off going with the next one. If neither...look at the exclusives people have listed and figure out which has more you'd be interested in. (That didn't really affect me, since I played Bioshock and Gears of War on a pc.) You could always save up and get the other console next year, etc.

[jasonpoon]

Metal Gear Solid 4 ===> Go get a PS3
just like what I will do before June.:D

but seriously, correct me if I'm wrong, which console got more exclusive title? it seems that most of those big hit titles are released cross-platform. And PS3 has a few more exclusive titles that are anticipated, e.g. MGS4, Little Big Planet...(Yea, just remember Gears of War series are X360 only...but what else?)

[stubadub]

I'll echo sentiments heard earlier. I've had the 360 and Wii systems since their respective launches, and I've had a PS3 only since the beginning of January. Since that time I've played my 360 85% of the time, the Wii 10%, and the PS3 5%. I use the 360 to play games and as a media center. I use the PS3 almost exclusively to watch Blu-Ray movies.

In most cases I'll probably get the 360 version of a game that comes out so that I can play friends online in multiplayer (they all have 360s), get the achievements and use custom soundtracks. I'm definitely excited for MGS4 once that comes out, but the only current PS3 exclusives I am currently into are Uncharted and Everyday Shooter, though Warhawk looks pretty neat.

[gabe_utsecks]

(Disclaimer: I don't own either console, and I probably won't for a very very long time.)


I think that a couple years from now, you will be more pleased with yourself if you get a PS3. It is simply a superior piece of hardware. It has a greater capacity for amazing software updates (which it will absolutely need) and will eventually catch up in terms of good exclusive games.

Actually, I am not convinced that the XBox 360 actually currently has many more great exclusives. Maybe if you are a HUGE FPS fan. But even if you are, Bioshock is probably going to be ported to the PS3, which would mean the two best available new first-person shooters (COD4 and Bioshock) would be available on both consoles.

Also, I'm pretty sure the developers are not even close to reaching the PS3's graphical potential (the same probably goes for the 360, but I guarantee the games at the end of the PS3's lifespan will look WAAAY better than the games at the end of the 360's lifespan, because its simply more powerful). If you are into gameplay though, like I am, that shouldn't be very important. It's all about the games, and its looking like the PS3 is going to catch up in 2008.

[tsmith15]

Put both controllers in your hands, whichever one you like better, buy that console. There are way more non-exclusives than exclusives so if it boils down to the same game on both consoles comfort is the primary factor.

Also, don't just assume that it WILL DEFINITELY break if you get a 360 because they all don't.

[dolson]

(Yea, just remember Gears of War series are X360 only...but what else?)

Gears is also on PC.. :p Dark Sector is similar enough that I don't care about missing Gears of War, I don't mind the style, but it's not my favorite. (Though the glaive is fun!)

[scootman]

for me, it really depends on what console has the games i want to play. sure some people argue that the xbox 360 has more, better games or that the ps3 has the more superior hardware, but if one console has the games you're most interested in playing, then buy that one

[lonefox]

I don't need to counterpoint all of that, Dolson. I am a Xbox 360 owner and wouldn't change that for the life of me. The PS3 is a great system, but I am an online gamer and an avid shooter fanatic. The Xbox 360's LIVE service is leaps and bounds ahead of the Playstation Network. Sure, I have to pay $50 a year, but that's a small price to pay for such an amazing service.

All my friends at a push of a button. The Xbox 360's community services are unmatched. Microsoft made gaming a social experience with the Xbox 360, and its really paid off for me. I'm always either playing or chatting with my buddies.

Since I'm a shooter fan, the 360 really is the place to be. The controller, to me at least, is way way WAY better for shooters. Maybe it's because I've never been an avid Playstation gamer, but that controller drives me up the wall. I hate the thumbstick placement, and they feel far too loose for my taste. Again, that's personal preference.

The Xbox Live Arcade is fantastic. We just received Ikaruga which is one of the greatest "top down" arcade shooters of all time. Assault Heroes, Doom, Geometry Wars, and N+ are all great games offered for download with LOTS more that I don't have. Duke Nukem 3D is coming to the arcade later this year which is going to be friggin' amazing.

As for exclusives, I couldn't care less about the Final Fantasy series or Metal Gear Solid. I see why people like them, but they're not for me. The Xbox 360 has much better games for me on the horizon. Here are some I am DYING to get my hands on in 2008/2009:

Too Human
Banjo Threeie
Age of Conan
APB
Champions Online
Gears of War 2

As you can see I'm also a MMORPG nut, and Age of Conan is coming to roost on the 360 platform later this year. Most titles I want are multi platform games, but the MMORPG and shooter exclusives are too tasty for me to ignore. Yes, I know some are coming to the PC as well, but I don't have a gaming PC, so the Xbox 360 is the next best thing.


It's up to you. The decision really rests on what type of games you want and what your style of gaming is. 360 is obviously the right choice for me, but not necessarily so for someone else. As I said, the PS3 is a fantastic machine. You really can't go wrong with either.

[spark-rain-fire]

I'm waiting to see what ps3 does with VOD.

First one to get netflix gets my money. I think the ps3 and the xbox360 have a nice balance. the ps3 is a more powerful machine, but the xbox360 has more games, and less expensive games. (mainly because it's been out longer)

[dolson]

I am definitely jealous of the Ikaruga release you guys just got. And Geometry Wars is cool too (though I own the bigger version on Wii). Ikaruga I have on GameCube disc and it's great. The PSN is sorely lacking vertical-scrolling shooters, and I can't understand it for the life of me. There are like 8000 twin-stick shooters, and not a single vertical?!$? STUPID. Oh well, 1942 is coming soon... And in the meantime, I'll play my favorite ever, Blazing Lazers, on my Wii or TG-16 (since it still works, hah).

In-game XMB, and thereby access to friends list, is coming fairly soon. I still don't think that the PS3 will match Xbox Live, nor does it have to. I'm coming from Wii land, where the online is only slightly better than messages put into bottles and tossed out to sea. There will be MMOs coming, but I've got no interest in those. I am a little anti-social at times, so I guess PS3 is more fitting for me. ;)

On the controller: I love shooters too, and don't like the 360 controller. So yeah, preference it is.

[lonefox]

I am definitely jealous of the Ikaruga release you guys just got. And Geometry Wars is cool too (though I own the bigger version on Wii). Ikaruga I have on GameCube disc and it's great. The PSN is sorely lacking vertical-scrolling shooters, and I can't understand it for the life of me. There are like 8000 twin-stick shooters, and not a single vertical?!$? STUPID. Oh well, 1942 is coming soon... And in the meantime, I'll play my favorite ever, Blazing Lazers, on my Wii or TG-16 (since it still works, hah).

In-game XMB, and thereby access to friends list, is coming fairly soon. I still don't think that the PS3 will match Xbox Live, nor does it have to. I'm coming from Wii land, where the online is only slightly better than messages put into bottles and tossed out to sea. There will be MMOs coming, but I've got no interest in those. I am a little anti-social at times, so I guess PS3 is more fitting for me. ;)

On the controller: I love shooters too, and don't like the 360 controller. So yeah, preference it is.

Sony's "Home" service has my ears perked. If it's as amazing as it sounds, I may be a PS360 owner by the end of the year. Plus, I'll have something to play then when I inevitably send in my Elite for repairs :p

In all seriousness though, Microsoft has really stepped up the product quality of their falcon model xbox 360s. Too bad I don't have a falcon elite :mad: The beauty of competition. If Microsoft doesn't want to help me or if I have too many problems with them, I always have Sony to look to for reconciliation! Remember that, Microsoft!

[ashlad]

PS3 PS3 PS3 I luuuuuvve PS3 (fanboi song) PS3 PS3 :D

Well I own a PS3 and its a really awesome console. There has for a long time been like 360 has a lot more and better games, its just a myth or about to be very soon.

Little Big Planet and MGS4 is reasons enough to get this lovely piece of hardware. :D

You mentioned you are a student, well online play on PS3 is free, xbox live is not. I cant really say which is better since I only used the PSN, I'm quite happy how it works though, its so easy to just jump into a multiplayer game.

Another thing i love is the ability to just plug in my external HDD and get access to all my movies etc

PS3 Exclusive Titles:
Metal Gear Solid 4
Tekken 6
Soul Calibur IV (PS3 version will have Vader and 360 will have Yoda)
Little Big Planet
Final Fantasy XIII
Grand Turismo 5
The Agency(MMO)

[aerodash84]

I own a 360, and I think I may drop my gold membership soon. I enjoy it a bit, but I don't play many games online. I wish multi-player was just incorporated into games and didn't require money to unlock a feature in the game. I get it's an awesome service, but if Sony develops the same kind of features for free then the better. I do enjoy some of my games on my 360, but there are quite a few games I don't see myself holding onto for years. I still own some of my PS2 games that were exclusives such as God of War 1 & 2, Final Fantasy games, and a few others. I barely kept many original X Box except Star Wars KOTOR and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I did see someone mention the Conan MMO, which makes me think an Elite may be required because the 20 gig hard drive may not be enough. I probably sound like Playstation Fanboy, but I just think there may be games you may hold onto longer then the 360. Look at the exclusive games coming out in the next year or so and what type of games you enjoy. I know I'll be buying a PS3 anyways since I love all kinds of games and God of War 3 is a big game on my list to own.

[brodel]

Try the PS3 first. I never really appreciated Live as much as I do now after playing with the PS3 on the Playstation network. Now any game I want to play online with friends I get the 360 version.

[masherscf]

Dude, I have a XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, and a DS. I wouldn;t want to give up any of them. However, there is one that we don't own any games for. I think you can guess...

[krypt]

I have and love my 360 and i dont really have a reason to get a ps3 besides echochrome and one game definitely isnt going to make me. if youre into rpgs check out too human, a very cool 360 exclusive game thats been in development for something like 10 or 15 years now. Playing online is a lot easier with a 360 because you can see everyone whos online and what theyre playing which (as i understand it) isnt on the ps3. id definitely recommend a 360 and if you do go with it, i definitely think live is a must have but you can still enjoy single player stuff without it.

[njshadow]

Dude, just because you repeatedly mentioned the Xbox hardware issues doesn't make that more than one reason. :D

I'm not going to try to convince you that it isn't all that bad, since you seem pretty staunch in your views.. but I would mention that the Elite comes with a 120 gig drive out of the box, pretty much negating any need to do that PS3 upgrading you mentioned.

Yeah, but you can upgrade the PS3 up to 500 gigs with ANY laptop hard-drive. Plus, it's super easy to upgrade.

[dolson]

Playing online is a lot easier with a 360 because you can see everyone whos online and what theyre playing which (as i understand it) isnt on the ps3.

You mean like this?

http://rivironline.com/misc/psnfriends.jpg

[aerodash84]

You mean like this?

http://rivironline.com/misc/psnfriends.jpg

This intrigues me even more about getting a PS3. Don't get me wrong enjoy my 360, but I know I would prefer a PS controller minus SIXAXIS with GTA 4.

[gonzooo]

Wait until the PS3 gets online functionality comparable to the 360, then buy a PS3.

[jae]

full disclosure: i own a ps3.

i like the ps3. maybe it's because i never owned a(an?) xbox360, buti thoroughly enjoy the ps3. i occasionally use the backwards compatibility (i have an 80 GB model) and folding@home is nice. (it impresses the wife and that sometimes scores me time to play it when she's not paying attention. "of course honey, i'm doing my part to save the world...")

i was in the same boat as you were, xbox360 or ps3. luckily i was one of the first of my friends to take the plunge, so i got to lead.

everything else equal, the failure rate of the 360 really concerned me and i wasn't ready to ship my hobby back to the manufacturer for 2 weeks or more when (not if) it died.

if the xbox360 didn't have failure issues, i'd be a happy xbox owner right now.

i hope i wasn't too much over the place.

[gonzooo]

everything else equal, the failure rate of the 360 really concerned me and i wasn't ready to ship my hobby back to the manufacturer for 2 weeks or more when (not if) it died.
Let's not be too hasty. The PS3 hasn't reached "equal" by any means yet, so it could not possibly have done when you bought it.

It may seem weird that one post back I was saying the original poster should get a PS3 when they get their online functionality sorted out, but keep in mind that is something very big for me.

Also, I don't think the PS3 has the game library at this point (and certainly couldn't have had before this point either, obviously) to be considered equal to the 360. It does, however, hold greater potential for the future with blu-ray and potentially more power hardware-wise (even if it might be considered harder to tame and squeeze for that power).

To summarize:
The PS3, in my mind, has problems; but all of them seem to be problems that will eventually be overcome if Sony starts thinking (and putting the hours in). This is why I'd tell someone who doesn't have friends on either console to buy a PS3, because it holds potential that (hopefully) will be utilized in the future.

The 360 already is an established machine, and with that comes a lot of things that might serve someone good on this very day: a good library of games, established online communities/playerbases, a (extremely, in some places) favorable pricepoint, stable development (base system & game development), and so on. These are things that will, in many cases, guarantee you find enjoyment in your 360 very fast by making some intelligent purchases, but they say nothing of the distant (in terms of console lifetimes) future.

Last minute addition:
I realize that the summary of my post actually is longer than what it was supposed to summarize, but yeah, it ended up making the point clearer...