Xbox 360 is better than PlayStation 3

While it may be true that there are more games available on Xbox 360 has more games available, the real merit of a great system is a diverse library of quality exclusives. The Playstation 3 features a much more impressive collection of exclusives that dwarfs that of the 360. When looking at the top 100 best reviewed games on each system according to review aggregator Metacritic the PS3 has 18 exclusives while the 360 only has 12. Among the Xbox exclusives, 8 of the 12 are either from the Halo, Gears of War, or Forza series. Of these 12 games 5 are shooters and 4 are racing games, showing a lack of diversity in genres available. On the other hand, the PS3 exclusives feature adventure games like the Uncharted series, 2D-platformers like the LittleBigPlanet series, 3D-platformers like Ratchet & Clank, shooters like Killzone, sports games like MLB: The Show, racing games like Wipeout, stealth-action games like Metal Gear Solid 4, hack-and-slash action games like God of War, and more. Going beyond the top 100 would also include series like Infamous, Resistance, Sly Cooper, and many more. While it is true that the 360 has more games, the PS3 has more quality exclusives, which is much more important. At this point, the Playstation Network and Xbox Live are nearly indistinguishable in quality. Having used both of them extensively, I can safely say that both of them play very similarly with little lag or connection issues. The only real advantage Xbox Live has is cross game chat, but at the cost of $60 a year this feature hardly justifies the cost. On the other hand, the Playstation Network has a program called Playstation Plus that offers gamers dozens of free games every year on top of deep discounts, extra features, exclusives betas and demos, game trials, and more. This program only costs $49.99 a year, a full $10 less a year than Xbox Live. Playstation Plus alone puts the Playstation Network miles ahead of Xbox Live. Also, for what it's worth, Microsoft tries to nickel and dime consumers by using "Microsoft points" instead of real money values. These points convert to roughly 80 points for every dollar, giving the buyer the illusion that they are spending less than they actually are. When comparing price points of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, it's pretty clear the PS3 also holds the advantage here. It is true that the most basic Xbox model is the cheapest option between the two systems, but the lack of games and a hard drive makes it the more expensive option in the long run. The $199 360 only has 4 GB of flash memory which is filled very easily. To get a 250 GB model you'd need to drop $299, whereas a 250 GB PS3 with games packed in can be had for between $249-$269. The same $299 you'd spend on a 250 GB 360 can buy you a 500 GB PS3 with game(s). Just because the 360 offers the cheaper console, does not mean it offers the better value. This also neglects the fact that you have to pay the aforementioned $60 a year for Xbox Live just to use any online features, meaning the total cost of the 360 quickly swells to unreasonable levels after just a few years of use. Finally, the Kinect is not revolutionary, nor is it new, nor is it novel. In fact, Sony has been using a remarkably similar technology since the PS2. The Kinect is basically the Eye Toy/Playstation Eye with an added sensor for depth. In fact, the rest of the specs of the Kinect are either on par or worse than the Playstation Eye. What sets the PS3 apart is the Move controller. While I'm not going to claim that it is the most original idea, neither is Kinect. Though, to be fair, the technology behind the Move and the Wii remote is completely different. The real difference maker is the buttons on the Move controller. This allows the PS3 to detect both movements and button presses together, making it much more usable for a wide variety of games. I won't make the argument that either is very compelling, but the Kinect has little to no advantage over the Playstation Move. As you can see, the Playstation 3 holds an advantage in almost every category, including its robust library of quality exclusives, free online system, Playstation Plus, price point and value, and motion controls. The Xbox 360 is outclassed in each of these regards and simply can't compete with the Playstation 3.