Honest comparison between my Xbox 360 Elite and my 60 GB PS3

[delux247]

Alright, so I bought a PS3 back when it first came out in 2006. I never bought a 360. I kind of always wanted one in the back of my mind, but never got around to it. However, my 21st birthday came and went last weekend along with a trip to Vegas with my college buds. I won $1500 playing blackjack while I was there.

So, with the elite just having come out, and me not wanting to deposit all $1500 in my back account in fear of being audited by the IRS, I decided to spring for the 360. Before I begin my review, I'll put together the honest price breakdown of the amount of money I spent on each system.

After searching 3 different stores who all laughed in my face when I said I was searching for a 360 Elite saying I'd never find one due to very short supply, I ended up going to my local Target and finding one there.


What I spent on the 360....
-Xbox 360 Elite Console (HDMI Cable Included): $480
-Wireless Networking Adapter: $100
-Extra Controller + Play and Charge Kit: $70
Total: $650

First Impressions: I couldn't believe the horrible packaging job. The only thing protecting my 360 in the box was a damn plastic bag. No foam, nothing. Then I pulled out the power supply. Holy hell, this thing is freakin huge! There's no excuse for any power supply being that big. Trying to wire that thing through my entertainment center was a HUGE pain in the ass. Once I finally got everything wired, set-up, turned on and updated, I finally got to start playing games. My first game was Gears of War. It's a quality game, I enjoyed it. Nothing was insane about it though.

Overall:The 360 isn't a bad system, I actually enjoy playing and owning it, but it just isn't worth the cost of admission. Personally, I love playing video games and probably make more money than anyone my age should (I work at 2 different high-paying jobs 70 hours per week), giving me an extremely high disposable income (coupled with my winnings in Vegas). But if I didn't make as much money as I did, there's no way in hell I would've purchased this system. It basically costed what my PS3 did and it doesn't even have a built-in HD-DVD drive. There's no way in hell I would spend an extra $200 on that either.



What I spent on the PS3...
-PS3 60 GB: $600
-Extra Controller: $50
-HDMI Cable: $50*
*I know this varies cable to cable, I bought a mid-grade one. I know some of us spend as low as $10 on these and as high as over $100, but this is what mine cost)
Total: $700

First Impressions/Review: It was long ago, but I still remember the day. I happened to walk into a random store and just find a single PS3 in stock (this during the mad holiday PS3 rush, mind you) and took it home. I bought it essentially for the blu-ray movie capability, but purchased a few games as well. I was simply blown away. The PS3 lit up my HDTV in ways I never thought possible. My new 360 "Elite" simply pales in comparison.

[Slackr89]

good comparison. and that is why i refuse to buy m$ consoles. 1. piece of junk. 2. no games appeal to me. 3. it appears like they break down often (bad manufacturing).
so does the elite look kinda cheap with the black? i thought it looked horrible from the pictures of it...matte black...

[Shu76]

Depositing $1500 won't trigger an IRS audit,I think it's $10K if you deposit,then the bank will notify the IRS.

[corwin]

Hi,

although I never had any MS console, I wouldnt be so harsh to call it a piece of junko or so on. But what is the truth, I realy enjoy my PS3, never considered buying any other and realy appriciate to be able to playback BRD movies.

I am realy happy with it and althought if was expencive (I bought it on the launch day for 830 USD - thats for what they were selling it here in Europe, Slovakia), but I never regretet even one cent of it.

I dont even complain about the lack of the games, as I dont have much time for playing (I dont even play the games I have bought) but still, commit to it all the free time I have (for which my girlfriend is almost killing me )

So all in all, I am more than happy with it and hope it will get even better with more games and movies.

see you guys

[delux247]

Originally Posted by Shu76

Depositing $1500 won't trigger an IRS audit,I think it's $10K if you deposit,then the bank will notify the IRS.

I wasn't worried about the $1500 deposit triggering an audit, I was worried about a random audit and them seeing my $1500 cash deposit and then asking questions. Either way, it was a good excuse to stock up on blu-rays and get my 360.... and my new crackberry

Even with all those purchases, I still had a lot of money left over to deposit into the bank.

Oh, and the black on the 360 doesn't look that tacky either, it meshes well with the rest of my set-up. It doesn't look nearly good as the beautiful glossy finish of the PS3 though.

[ps3andlovinit]

Originally Posted by corwin

Hi,

although I never had any MS console, I wouldnt be so harsh to call it a piece of junko or so on.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/i-am-error/...10.php?cpage=2

Well even the gaming media can no longer keep passing it off as a "joke" and continue to give MS a free pass while hammering the PS3 and Sony for every trivial issue. The main consumer media is still doing it however and doing a huge disservice to consumers..

It actually is literally a piece of junk from a hardware perspective..especially when you consider the price point. If it was $40 it would be different but it's not.

It's also potentially skewing the shipped numbers in MS favor since more and more people are using warranties purchased at the retail stores like Best Buy to get a new system immediately..which technically counts as shipped to retail even though it is a replacement and not a new console in the market.

Now look at the comments to see how bad it really is...and there is NO way those are all MS haters, trolls etc..30-40% failure rate is not an unreasonable number to suggest, some of the comments suggest higher numbers - just ask people in your own sphere that have had them fail or who know someone that has had theirs fail and it won't be far off some of those numbers. Hell the game editors themselves at that site have had their 360's fail 8 times. Yes 8 times. And that was a few months ago..it might be higher now.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by delux247

First Impressions/Review: It was long ago, but I still remember the day. I happened to walk into a random store and just find a single PS3 in stock (this during the mad holiday PS3 rush, mind you) and took it home. I bought it essentially for the blu-ray movie capability, but purchased a few games as well. I was simply blown away. The PS3 lit up my HDTV in ways I never thought possible. My new 360 "Elite" simply pales in comparison.

And then Sony recaptures that thrill this week in 1.80. An explosion of cool new features to play with.

Gary

[jermwhl]

Originally Posted by Shu76

Depositing $1500 won't trigger an IRS audit,I think it's $10K if you deposit,then the bank will notify the IRS.

I know it has absolutely nothing to do with this thread, but anything less than 5K is considered non-reportable. Meaning you don't have to report it, and you don't have to pay taxes on it either.

[MasterXeus]

Originally Posted by delux247

Then I pulled out the power supply. Holy hell, this thing is freakin huge! There's no excuse for any power supply being that big.

I agree with you, I don’t know why the power supply is so huge on the Xbox 360

360 Overall: I agree the 360 isn’t a bad system. I enjoy playing all the games I own on it. Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion with all 9 add-on is great. My friends and I are currently enjoying Halo 3 Beta and I also like extra achievement system every Xbox 360 game has. Unlocking all those achievements can be difficult at times. I also like being able to play my own music, instead of the in game music.

Downside of course is paying for Xbox Live.

PS3 Overall: Another great system, better than the 360 yes. After all Sony is losing 200 per system. 360 and the Wii are making a profit with every system they sell. PS3 should be selling for $900-$1000 for Sony to make a profit. So to me, it’s a no brainer why the PS3 is a better system. I love the built in Blu-ray drive, HD movies are great. Free Online playing, internet, and great updates like 1.80. Upcoming Home looks good.

Downside: most games I like I already have on 360, like Oblivion. Does it look better on the PS3 yes, but for now PS3 is missing 8 of the add-ons. Lack of games I’m interested in. Of course I know the PS3 is new system so it will take time for games to come out, and they are coming, games like Final Fantasy XIII. For me, the recharge cable is not long enough.

Overall: I like both systems; I don’t think either system is as bad as each side is saying they are.

[The Don]

Originally Posted by delux247

I wasn't worried about the $1500 deposit triggering an audit, I was worried about a random audit and them seeing my $1500 cash deposit and then asking questions. Either way, it was a good excuse to stock up on blu-rays and get my 360.... and my new crackberry

Even with all those purchases, I still had a lot of money left over to deposit into the bank.

Oh, and the black on the 360 doesn't look that tacky either, it meshes well with the rest of my set-up. It doesn't look nearly good as the beautiful glossy finish of the PS3 though.

it shouldn't matter because you already bank enough loot from 2 jobs...

1500 should be normal for you..that's strike one

strike 2 is buying a 360...someone should have directed you to the bank instead of hunting for a 360..

[MasterXeus]

Originally Posted by The Don

it shouldn't matter because you already bank enough loot from 2 jobs...

1500 should be normal for you..that's strike one

strike 2 is buying a 360...someone should have directed you to the bank instead of hunting for a 360..

What's wrong with him buying a 360? delux247 wanted 360, and finally bought one. He said he enjoy playing and owning it, so what's wrong with that?
Now, if he said he didn't like it, that would be a different story.

[Smallville206]

I love both systems even if the 360 is a shoddy piece of hardware. If the games were not so great I would dump it in an instant, every time I turn it on I expect it to break down. I love my PS3 but only have 2 games for it so far.

[Nismobeach]

Originally Posted by Shu76

Depositing $1500 won't trigger an IRS audit,I think it's $10K if you deposit,then the bank will notify the IRS.

Actually it's any cash transaction over $3k at one bank per day. At the very least the bank still has the discretion to fill out a 'suspicious activity' report if they think what you are doing is 'out of the ordinary'.

Guilty until proven innocent. You've gotta love it.

[Nismobeach]

Originally Posted by jermwhl

I know it has absolutely nothing to do with this thread, but anything less than 5K is considered non-reportable. Meaning you don't have to report it, and you don't have to pay taxes on it either.

^Provided $5k is one's entire annual gross income. If not then any winnings are technically taxable.

[BorrowedTime]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but don't they tax you on the spot in Vegas when you cash out your chips and you've reached a specific dollar threshold? I only ask, because being Canadian, I would otherwise be exempt from taxation. I thought there was some sort of process in place to collect income tax from international visitors to Vegas/Atlantic City/etc.

p.s. Sorry if I contributed to further sidetracking this thread.

[takezo]

Xbox 360 is not a bad system. It was just rushed that's all. The Elite Xbox 360 was what the Preimium Xbox 360 should have been.

But Alas the 360 elite is not much diffrent from 360 Preimium. It just has a 120GB HDD and HDMI 1.2.

360 owners can buy 120GB hard drive seperately, HDMI only benifits HD-DVD playback, as 1080p from games is mearly upsampled from 720p. elite is not really nessary.

even so the 360 has more games. PS3 needs time to catch up.

Just hope that unrevolutionary games that focus on graphics and cinematics don't over saturate the Next gen market. (darn all those FPS games are starting to look, and play alike, I can't tell them apart anymore, if it werent for the title on the box.)

[shadowmoon]

Originally Posted by Nismobeach

Actually it's any cash transaction over $3k at one bank per day. At the very least the bank still has the discretion to fill out a 'suspicious activity' report if they think what you are doing is 'out of the ordinary'.

Guilty until proven innocent. You've gotta love it.

Still depending on your account activities and the bank. How much cash deposited overtime counts as well. If you constantly deposit cash and takes it out, it might raise some eyebrows and get you on a monitoring list.

I think we got a few bankers out here too lol, Im seeing all sorts of different answers on this thing. So just to clarify:

Any cash transaction over 10k (so 10000.01 and above, 10k dont count) the banks are REQUIRED to fill out a Currency Transaction Report for tracking. Any monetary instrument purchased with cash (cashier's check, money order, etc) between 3k to 10k banks are required to fill out a Monetary Instrument Check Log and report it. It is NOT for the purpose of tax tracking (althrough it might work that way sometimes) but for the purpose of help prevent money laundering and terrorist activities can be caught early on. There were put in by the feds from the Bank Secrecy Act couple decades ago. FYI this is public info, and you can request a BSA brochure from your bank and it will tell you on there.

Yes this has nothing to do with Blu-ray, but I just couldnt resist

Now go out and buy those BDs!! PotC is awesome

[delux247]

Wow, the whole tax issue seems to have taken over the thread lol.

Alright guys, here's the deal. I wasn't really worried about the bank saying anything. I was worried about getting a random IRS audit and having the IRS see my $1500 cash deposit (the only cash transaction I would've made within my entire history with the bank outside the use of an ATM). You see, you have to report all gambling winnings to the IRS, and on the outside chance of a random audit, they would've seen that $1500 and would make me report it. Not the biggest deal in the world, just all the more reason for an electronics and blu-ray shopping spree.

And to answer one person's question: no, there was no form of tax accountability when cashing in my chips. I was playing blackjack, so there would have been no way for them to determine how many chips I purchased in cash in the first place. The only time I have heard of casinos doing something like that on the spot are for slot machine jackpots.

Back on to the original topic, yes, I do like my 360 and don't regret buying it, it's just not anywhere near as good as my PS3. End of story.

[Paranoimia]

Hi all - new to the forum, and just thought I'd chuck my thoughts into the ring...

I'm in the UK, and got my PS3 on 23rd March. Absolutely love it, and haven't had a single problem so far. True, there aren't many games at the moment, but the 3 I have (Resistance, CoD3 and Motorstorm) are keeping me quite busy enough - especially Resistance online, which is amazing!

Anyway, I didn't get a 360, since I had nothing but issues and problems with my original Xbox. Firstly, MS dropped the price by £100 4 weeks after launch, which didn't impress - even with the 'freebies' they sent out. After a while, the HD failed and needed replacing. Later still, the DVD drive started scratching my discs.

As if that wasn't bad enough, about 3 years down the line, I discover via the net that the power supply was potentially a fire risk, and rather than replacing the machine, they send me a new power lead with RCD protection!

All together, that put me off ever buying another MS system, so I decided to wait for PS3 - and I'm glad I did, especially after hearing of all the reliability issues with the 360.

Quite apart from that, it has few exclusives that really interest me; Gears is great, but none of the others so far shout "buy me". Of course, many will shout "HALO 3", to which I'll respond with shrugged shoulders. I had 1 & 2 and didn't enjoy (or complete) either - so 3 is an irrelevance to me personally.

In January, a friend bought a 360. In February, a UK consumer programme ran an item about the 360's reliability issues, and I mentioned this to my friend. "Mine's still working, so I don't care" was pretty much his response. Then about 3 weeks ago, I get a text from him on my mobile: "Guess what: my 360's died!"

Tongue-in-cheek, I ask him: "Are you going to get it repaired, or are you going to upgrade?" He decides to stick with it. Suppose I can't blame him, since it's under warranty. But he's not usually very patient with these things, so if it happens again, I suspect he'll spring for a PS3.

I can't wait to welcome him to the real next generation!

[Shin-Ra]

As long as my replacement (360 #2) lasts until after Banjo 3's released I'm laughing. Fortunately I don't feel compelled to use it for anything but the occasional demo download anyway.