It' s a good thing the Playstation 3 doesn' t have this problem.
Utter Fanboyism. I' m mean really, if you can' t see the many and diverse advantages each console has than you' re not even trying to put on airs of objectivity.
There are reasons why people pick one cosole over another, chiefly budget. Now if I consider:
1. Budget (I can only afford one console for the next two years)
2.Taste in Games - I enjoy Shooters (Halo, Half Life Two, Tom Clancy Titles) also I prefer the 360 controller, especially for shooters, it' s nice to have an actual trigger and some rumble in a shooter, feels more visceral.
Western RPGs (KOTOR, Fable, Mass Effect, Bioshock)
Action Games (Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, Asassin' s Creed)
EA or 2K NHL games (I Plead Canadian)
So I think to myself:
No Final Fantasy, O.K. by me, haven' t touched one since VII.
No Metal Gear, that sucks but I might see a shitty port (maybe a good one) to 360. And really, I' m only a casual fan of this franchise there' s something to Japacheezy/anime about its narritive style for my tastes, I think something gets lost in the translation and culture gap.
No Halo, that would be worse, no chance of a port to PS3. Big fan of the Franchise I thought Halo 2 was great, apparently that makes me a Noob. My first positive online game experience.
Gears 2? Might go to PS3 if they can sell enough units to justify a port and Microsoft doesn' t pay for an exclusive.
No God of War? That blows but I still Get Ninja Gaiden Two, it may or may not go to PS3, who can say for sure?
Asassin' s Creed? Multi-platform. I haven' t seen or played a close to final build of it but this could have been a deal closer for me if one console had scored it as an exclusive franchise, have to wait and see how good it really is.
Tom Clancy Games? Multi-Platform. I hope nothing comes out of Ubisoft Montreal that isn' t available on 360. I love eveything out of that studio. Who would of thought? The French can make games!
Bioware. Must have Bioware games, I hear they are working on PS3, no title has been announced - Mass Effect Port? Who Knows? Will Microsoft pony up and buy these genuises out? Certainly possible. I promise you SONY Corp. will be playing pretty consrvative in the studio buying areana. They got Legal+Liquidity issues I' m hearing. Will I be Playing Mass Effect on release day with a 360? Damn right!
I live close to the studio. I' m a big fan. Name me one bad (less than 7/10) out of Bioware, Edmonton. I say they had two solid 9' s on Xbox.
Fable. First game was somewhat disapointing but I' m hoping for a much improved sequel. Load times had better be improved dramaticly or I will flame that game merilessly and demand a refund from Lionhead directly. I' ll get no Zelda Love on a 360 but I can' t think of anything SONY' s offering that scratches this action/rpg itch I get. I hate pure turn based, menu based, jrpg combat. Still waiting for someone to announce a next-gen dungeon crawler in the Baldur' s Gate Tradition.
So after I consider all that I think, " will it physicly play a DVD at all?" Great. Can I download HD content direct to my drive. No. I Live in Canada and the Federal government won' t allow Microsoft to use Live! for distribution so I cannot access that conent On Live! Will it play HD-DVD or Blu-ray? With an add-on. May as well wait until the format war is over. I want to play games, thats why I bought a console. Guess which one I picked?
Hey, if I was a big FF fan and didn' t like Halo, I' d have bought a PS3 grumbled about the price a bit, called it my Blu-Ray Trojan Horse and loved it as much as you love yours. But seriously, Brand name loyalty is for chumps, if you can only afford one console ask yourself about games, the variety available on the various competitors and the franchise' s that most appeal to you. No matter what you buy get extended warranty coverage and use it and renew it before every deadline. I' m on my second 360, my first was fine when I took it in for replacement 48hrs. before my warranty expired. I just didn' t trust it to stay that way. Kept my HD got a new console. Paid $50 for a new warranty. No fuss.
But quality of DVD playback as a deal breaker for buying a gaming console?
Give your head a shake.
I saved some money getting a 360 and spent it on accessories and games, love it. Might get a PS3 if I see some AAA exclusive content to my taste in the next two years. With Wii cleaning up as it has been, added to its low cost, it will probably be my second console in two years. I will not buy all three.
If Blu-Ray wins the war a stand alone drive for 360 may happen. But they' ll have to produce more than God Of War, MGS, FF and Blu-Ray playback to get my money.