Sony and Microsoft - These two major gaming console giants have long been battling against each other for supremacy and their present arena is between the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360, upgraded versions of their original predecessors. Even before their release, a lot of marketing strategies is involved in hyping up the best of what these consoles have to offer. What it will boil down to, in the long run, is will the games for both consoles be better developed and have a better playing experience now that they have the best platforms (at this time) to execute with? Here is a point-by-point comparison of the two consoles’ current specifications.
Processor – PS3’s 3.2Ghz Cell vs. Xbox 360’s 3.2Ghz G5
The processor is the core hardware for both systems. It determines how much power the console has to process complex calculations in less time which is altogether very important considering you’re dealing with complicated 3D graphics for both systems. That said, theoretically, the PS3 can do more since it has 7 synergistic processing units, while Xbox 360 has 3 even though they’re both clocked at 3.2 Ghz. However, since the PS3 is more complicated to program games for, Xbox 360 will have more games in its initial line-up compared to PS3.
Also, relevant to processing speed is the floating point performance measurement of teraflops. The PS3 has 2.18 tfps and Xbox 360 has 1. Again, these values translate to world realism and the physics side of the game. Its effect will be seen on how real the background is in terms of natural movement, like with trees and rain and wind. It also functions with large yet independent movement of groups as seen in massive armies, and gives added realism to explosions and basic destruction.
It all really depends on how game developers will exploit the powers of these two consoles and how fast they can churn the games for the eagerly-awaiting gamers market.
Memory – PS3’s 256MB XDR @ 3.2GHz vs. Xbox 360’s 512MB GDDR3 @ 700MHz
What all this means is that the bigger memory you have, combined with a fast processor, the faster you can process and display complex graphics, which affects the overall framerate speed of your game. In this case, the PS3 has half of the installed memory of the Xbox 360 but can process data faster. It’s like trying to swallow a large chunk of data and your processor determines how fast you can chew it. Which will be faster – a small chunk chewed at 3.2Ghz or a big chunk chewed at 700 Mhz?
Graphics/GPU – PS3’s 500Mhz NVIDIA vs. Xbox 360’s 500Mhz ATI
The impressive graphics displays of both PS2 and the Xbox have already shown just how powerful these consoles are. Just how much can they outdo themselves in this department lies in the hands of two equally powerful yet totally different graphics processors. Sony, however, is packing for the future as it incorporates High-Definition output for the PS3 which means you’ll be able to enjoy better graphics display, not just for the games but for other uses as well, if you also have High Definition TV (HDTV).
Storage – PS3’s 60 Gb HDD vs. Xbox 360’s 20 Gb HDD
These two console giants are really packing it in with whopping 60 and 20 Gigabytes of removable/detachable storage for the PS3 and the Xbox 360, respectively! And if that’s not enough, there are memory cards for both, memory sticks for Sony and additional memory coming from USB ports – 6 for the PS3 and 3 for Xbox 360. This is more than what the average user will ever need.
Media Type – PS3’s BLUray Discs vs. Xbox 360’s DVD-9
Most game discs nowadays are stored on DVD-9’s much like those of the Xbox 360. What Sony has got going for them is that they’re also the manufacturer of BLUray which is a high-definition storage disk capable of holding 54 Gigagbytes of data. This type of storage can be a potential necessity in the future.
Controllers – PS3’s up to 7 vs. Xbox 360’s up to 4
The form and figure of the controllers are basically the same for the Xbox 360 except for minor modifications in the color scheme. The PS3’s controller looks somewhat like a stealth plane with a more streamlined figure compared to its predecessor. It all depends on you where you’ll feel more comfortable. It is astounding and surprising as well that Sony has included as much as 7 potential physical connections, using Bluetooth, for its PS3, while Microsoft has up to 4.
Sound – both sporting 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound
Online potential – Both consoles feature Ethernet and Wi-Fi capabilities. They come in handy when playing online, or for non-gaming activities like downloading music and videos. Microsoft has an edge because it already has an online network in place.
Thanks for that post. I have not been able to find one that breaks those two down in a good comparison. I am still torn though. Which to get? I am a Halo fan so I am leaning toward the 360. But the PS3 has a HD DVD player.
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GamersInstinct
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Comment by GamersInstinct — January 29, 2007 @ 1:20 pm