What Should I Buy: Xbox 360 or PS3?

With Microsoft recently cutting the price of the Xbox 360 Elite down to $299 and the holiday season now approaching, it's time to ask that age-old question once again.  What should I buy: an Xbox 360 or a PS3?

Well, now that price is no longer a deciding factor (the PS3 and the 360 Elite are both running for $299), this decision is a little tougher.  If there are specific games you want (Fable and its predecessors, for example, are made exclusively for the Xbox and PC), that's something to take into account.  I'm not going to get into the details of which games are exclusive to which platforms, but you can visit this link to see a breakdown of how the two consoles rate against each other.

Now, there is the issue of the new PS3 Slim.  This is also running at $299 and has been pre-ordered by many consumers; how many of them are Xbox 360 owners is yet to be seen, but an interesting question to consider.

These days, in terms of hardware, the two consoles rate very closely.  It's much like the PC processor debate of whether to get an AMD or Intel processor: an undeniably hot subject of debate because the two processors are so similar, but the AMD's slightly lower price range vs. Intel's slightly better technology is frequently a deciding factor.  Where the Xbox 360 and PS3 are concerned, they both are priced the same, and their hardware is basically the same (though Microsoft is arguably leading in that department, as is proven by the 360's more powerful GPU). Both consoles are capable of acting as DVD players and can connect to the internet, so there's really no debate there, either.

That said, the main factor in the question of "what should I buy?" between the Xbox 360 or PS3 is primarily games.  If you're trying to decide which console to buy, your best bet is to find the one that's going to give you the games you want. The 360 arguably has a slightly larger game selection, but this is really a matter of personal preference.

Microsoft is likely going to be targeting the casual gaming market due to the 360's userbase already being saturated with hardcore gamers, and Sony will be turning its sight to these gamers.

However, one interesting thing to note is that the Xbox 360 is the only console that will officially stream Netflix videos, so if you are a dedicated Netflixer, you may want to consider this before deciding which console to invest in.