The Playstation 3 is superior when compared to the Xbox 360

First, however, I will address his contentions seeing as that I stated I would do so in Round 2. Allons-y! [Rebuttals] #1: "While Sony included Blu-ray playback in the PlayStation 3 from the beginning, Microsoft stuck with DVD playback and an optional HD-DVD drive. " ~One thing my opponent does not take into account here is that Blu-ray is only one media option in a ever-growing pool. In terms of file compatibility, for example, the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are the same. They have both introduced DivX in updates after release, while "neither system supports more esoteric file formats like MKV or VOB video files, or FLAC for lossless audio" (4). #2A: "Both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network are rich complementary Web-based services with loads of multimedia, matchmaking (as in finding you a viable game opponent, not necessarily a life partner), and streaming media features"and they're both very similar. You can keep lists of friends, talk to them inside and outside of games, and watch services like Netflix and Hulu Plus on both services. " #2B: "Xbox Live Gold is also more expensive than PSN Plus, at $24.99 for a three-month subscription and $59.99 for a year-long subscription compared with $17.99 and $49.99 for PSN Plus. " ~The first part of my opponent's second contention (2a) supports my position by listing ways that the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are the same, so I will say no more on the subject. ~The second part of my opponent's second contention (2B) lists the price of the two services, however, it is possible to find one-year Xbox Live subscriptions that only cost thirty-five dollars, providing a scenario in which Xbox Live has a cheaper cost (5). #3A: "The Xbox and PS3 have their own advantages when it comes to disc drives. The Xbox has a significantly higher DVD read speed than the PS3. Comparing the Xbox's DVD read speed to the PS3's Blu-ray read speed, the Xbox maxes out at 15.85 MBps on a single-layer disc while the PS3's maximum is 9 MBps. However, the difference in speed is reduced when the Xbox reads dual-layer discs. " #3B: "it does offer the significantly higher storage capacity that comes with Blu-ray. " ~The first part of my opponent's third contention (3a) supports my position by listing ways that the Xbox 360 is superior to the PS3, so I will say no more on the subject. ~I will not argue against the storage capacity difference, however, in the presence of many areas in which the Xbox 360 is superior in this category, it is illogical to say that the PS3 is superior in this category. Comparatively, in fact, the Xbox 360 and the PS3 would be equal since both console has an area in which it is superior. #4: "While the Xbox's menu screens support 1080p display, Microsoft only requires its games to support 720p. The PS3 features a significant number of games that support 1080p. That's to say nothing of the PS3's support for Blu-ray movies and the growing focus on 3D gaming. " ~Despite the number of high resolution games that the PS3 supports, my opponent - or rather, the article he took all of his contentions from - was incorrect in their statement regarding the Xbox. The Xbox 360 can, in fact, support games at 1080p and the details are explained in the referenced article (6). Furthermore, my opponent merely states that "the PS3 features a significant number of games that support 1080p" and fails to compare this to the Xbox 360. #5: "For gamers relaying on analog sound connections, the Xbox has the advantage of offering Dolby Pro-Logic II in addition to standard stereo. But for those with digital connections, the PS3 wins the day by offering both 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and 7.1 LPCM surround. " ~My opponent argues both sides of the debate in this contention. Since both sides offer one way either console is superior to the other I will not debate against this contention and assume that my opponent and I are in agreement that the two consoles are equal in this area. #6: "The current PS3 Slim has two USB ports compared to the Xbox's three. Additionally, Sony has removed the Compact Flash and SD card support seen in older models while the Xbox offers support for memory units that can transfer game data and saves. Despite these advantages on the Xbox, the PS3 still emerges victorious in this category thanks to its support for Bluetooth 2.0. " ~My opponent lists ways in which the Xbox is superior to the PS3 in the first part of his sixth contention. He then proceeds to say that the PS3 is superior simply because it has "Bluetooth 2.0. " However, having superiority over the Xbox 360 in one area - especially when presented with many more ways in which the Xbox 360 is superior to the PS3 - does not make the PS3 the superior console in this category. #7: "The two CPU chips run at the same GHz speed, but the PS3's seven individual cores beat out the Xbox's three dual-threaded cores. And in terms of performance measured in gigaflops, the PS3 tops out at nearly three times that of the Xbox. " ~It is difficult to argue with numbers, however, given that these are two very different architecture styles, it is unfair to use these numbers to say that the PS3 is superior to the Xbox 360. "In reality, it's quite inferior to the 360. Without getting into too many details, the three general-purpose CPU's the xbox360 has are currently FAR easier to take advantage of than the SPU's on the PS3" (7). #8: "The Xbox's total amount of RAM is slightly misleading, as the system RAM and video RAM are shared. The PS3's XDR RAM is also far more fast and efficient than the Xbox's GDDR3 RAM, running at a speed of 3.2 GHz compared to 700 MHz. Final bandwidth numbers prove PS3 is the victor in this category. " ~What this really comes down to, is what games you are playing because the Xbox 360 is going to outshine the PS3 in some cases. "Basically, if the CPU only needs 128mb of RAM, then the GPU has the rest" (8). With 512 mb of RAM available, the Xbox 360 would then have 384mb of RAM available for the GPU, whereas the PS3 is still locked at 256mb RAM for either function. #9: "the PS3's true advantage is its support of standard 2.5" SATA notebook hard drives. Users can upgrade the PS3's hard drive with drives that have higher capacities and faster rpm speeds, while the Xbox only supports Microsoft's proprietary HDD model. " ~I will not argue against the PS3 having better methods of upgrading, however, considering I have proven most of the other contentions either wrong or in my favor, this is my opponents only valid point. [Addressing Round 2] Since I do not have much space left, I will split this up between this round and the next. I will address the first of my opponents rebuttals, and I will address the rest in Round 4. To save space I will not quote my opponent's rebuttal. #1: My opponent agrees with my first contention regarding price. He attempts to use unrelated facts to disprove it, however, he makes no valid argument against it. [Conclusion] One thing I will address in Round 4 - other than my opponents second round of rebuttals - is the faulty logic he used in regards to my third and fourth contentions. I will also address how my opponent may have misunderstood my second contention. To conclude, I will simply state that I have proven eight of nine of my opponents contentions wrong or shown them to mainly favor my side. Good luck in Round 4. [Sources] (4) . http://www.digitaltrends.com... (5) . http://www.ibtimes.com... (6) . http://editorials.teamxbox.com... (7) . http://www.hardcoreware.net... (8) . http://www.mmntech.com...