Playstation 3 is better than Xbox 360

As I have already stated my argument and position in the previous round, I will begin by countering my opponent's arguments. "My opponent has stated that Xbox Live as a whole is a better online service. Though a state of opinion, I believe Xbox Live and the Xbox dashboard after the recent update which not only made the Xbox dashboard more confusing to traverse, but also increased the price of Xbox Live. What Microsoft's thinking in this was is beyond me. With Xbox Silver (or Free as they call it now), you can't even play online or stream Netflix, you have to cough up $50 just to do the most basic of features that you would get for free with regular PSN." While these criticisms are valid, PlayStation Network has problems and flaws of its own. For example, this Examiner article [1] states: "…many have criticized the Playstation Network. One common criticism comes in the form of the lack of features inherent in the Network has that its competitor, XBOX Live, flaunts and expands at every opportunity. The Network lacks… the robust matchmaking features of XBL. It also lacks much of the community interaction of XBL, mostly in the form of "parties," which allow you to interact with your friends' avatars, whether watching movies or playing specially made games together. Overall, the PSN lacks many of the robust features of XBL, with its only payoff being that it's free, compared to XBOX Live's $60/year price tag." The pros of Xbox Live mentioned here may make the service more worthwhile to some consumers, as evident in the poll I referenced in the previous round. While it may be a more expensive service, paying a mere $59.99 a year (about five dollars a month if you do the math) [2] doesn't seem to be a major issue if the service is of higher quality. "The only thing Microsoft has going for it is being the whore of the industry by swiping up all the Downloadable content before Sony and Nintendo get the chance. Not to mention stealing exclusives typically set for Sony like Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid (I still can't believe it!)" Calling Microsoft the "whore of the industry" is a bit harsh, isn't it? There are far more pros to owning a 360 than being able to purchase downloadable content first. There are 349 games on the Xbox Live Arcade [3], and a good portion of these games is exclusive to the 360. This figure doesn't include titles from Xbox Live Indie Games or Games on Demand either, which further expands the library of downloadable games available on the 360. On the other statement, both the Final Fantasy and Metal Gear series were on other consoles originally before they became exclusive for a period of time to Sony. This occurred mainly due to the original PlayStation having better specifications, features, and cheaper development costs than its competitor at the time, the Nintendo 64[4][5]. The first six Final Fantasy games were on Nintendo consoles [6], while the first two Metal Gear games were on the MSX2, with ports and alternate sequels released on the NES and other systems [7]. Both developers of these games, Square Enix (formerly referred to as Square and/or Squaresoft) and Konami, are, and have always been, third party developers. This fact shouldn't make any recent switches in console preference seem surprising, especially since there is a large market on the Xbox 360 that these companies would like to profit from (44.6 million units, as stated in the previous round). "Online services aside, the only thing Xbox has going for it in terms of exclusives is Halo and Gears of War. With Activision's acquisition of Bungie, anything that is set to release on the Xbox 360 will most likely come to the Playstation as well, leaving a huge dent in Microsoft's exclusives line. Sony is also gaining steam with it's Killzone franchise, LittleBigPlanet, and other titles down the line." Xbox has far more exclusives than just the Halo and Gears of War games. To name some: Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Forza Motorsport 2, Forza Motorsport 3, Fable II, Fable III, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Piï¿½ata, Viva Piï¿½ata: Trouble in Paradise, Kinect Sports, Lost Odyssey, Alan Wake, Crackdown, Crackdown 2, Lazy Raiders, Toy Soldiers, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Project Gotham Racing 4. There are far more game developers who make exclusive games for Microsoft other than Bungie as well, such as Lionhead Studios, Turn 10 Studios, Rare Ltd, Epic Games, Mistwalker, Remedy Entertainment, and Ruffian Games amongst others [8]. Also, any further Halo games will also continue to remain exclusive to the 360, as the Halo intellectual property will continue to belong to Microsoft [9]. However, I won't deny that Sony also has some great exclusives as well. "Kinect and Move are all knock-offs in some shape or form, and I feel we can leave it at that." This further proves my point that both consoles have their flaws. "Price point has been a crippling factor of the Playstation 3, there is no doubt about that, but with the new and reduced Slim line, Sony has been able to compete with the new model of Xbox 360 at around $249.99. Therefore, the Playstation is the obvious choice in terms of pricing and exclusives." As proven by my statements, both consoles offer great games and services at similar prices. Both systems have exclusive games that can make each system worth purchasing depending on a consumer's taste in games. The PlayStation 3 may be (and in my opinion is) a good purchase, but the Xbox 360 is also a good system that offers a great selection of titles and features similar to that of its competitors at a similar price, thus making neither system a "better" one. I will now hand it over to Pro and allow him to make his closing arguments and statements. [1] http://www.examiner.com... [2] http://majornelson.com... [3] http://en.wikipedia.org... [4] http://en.wikipedia.org... [5] http://en.wikipedia.org... [6]http://en.wikipedia.org... [7]http://en.wikipedia.org... [8] http://en.wikipedia.org... [9]http://www.bungie.net...