Which Console Has The Most Variety? PS3 or Xbox 360 (part 1)

With both the PS3, and Xbox 360 having well over 200+ titles should variety even be a question for either console? Well yes. See PS3 players tend to say that the Xbox 360 is just a system for shooters. In some respects they are right, especially if you look at the titles that tend to be in the top ten on Xbox Live. Except even that is a mirage. Xbox 360 players, and bias media say the only thing worth playing the PS3 are a handful of exclusives. Again, in many respects this is also true. So exactly what is the truth about both consoles? Which one in actuality offers the most variety for gamers in terms of choice? Well there are numerous factors, so let’s take a look.

Multiplatform vs Exclusives

This is perhaps the hottest debate going around between the Xbox 360, and the PS3. It seems that the Xbox 360 in the mind of haters is looked down upon because it has a huge library of multiplatform titles. Then add the idea that because this many of these games don’t quite push the Xbox 360 to show off it’s prowess as a next gen machine. Obviously this is skewed, and wrong. In the PS3’s case it seems that multiplatform titles tend to come up short in comparison to the Xbox 360 ones. There are numerous comparisons being done; Borderlands, Devil May Cry 3, Burnout Paradise, GTA4, Grid, Ghostbusters, Bayonetta, COD4 etc. Many of these titles are really great, and do compete against the best exclusives on both consoles. Is it true that overall the Xbox 360 performs better with exclusives? Yes it is. This has to do with the development nature of both consoles. Developers have to spend vast amount of resources to create a multiplatform title. So finding what works best for one system is a bit time consuming, some of the better developers do take their time. Delaying the PS3 version releases so they can take advantage of the system, but again this about resources.  You will hear countless excuses as to why one is better, or worse than the other. The bottom line comes down to what is possible to do on said platforms. 7 times out of ten the differences between both titles are very small. Leaving most players not noticing a disparity between PS3, and Xbox 360 multiplatforms. The development environment for the PS3 has gotten better since the release of the Edge Engine. What this does is allow developers to dig in, and get as much as possible from the PS3. So as of late you are seeing more quality coming from the PS3 multiplaforms.

Lens of Truth Gears of War 2 vs Killzone 2

In terms of Exclusives, it is true that the PS3 has some really great ones. The idea that they are the best is subjective, just like it is for the Xbox 360. What you have to look at is performance, development time, and how gamers are playing them. In the past year the PS3 released Killzone 2, one of the most impressive graphical experiences on console. The caveat though is that the game took countless resources, four years to develop. Currently the only game to have that type of development cycle on the Xbox 360 is Allen Wake.

The best performing Xbox 360 titles like Halo 3, Gears of War, Fable 2, Forza 2/3 have had very few development cycles. Yet, these games perform due to the fact that they have many community features that take advantage of playing online, co-op, and in Forza 2/3 case design content.  Not only that these titles fill Microsoft’s coffers, and stay on the charts. In the case of the PS3 it is rare that exclusive titles reach the same status as Xbox 360 games, despite them being incredible games. Looking at PSN which is the online portal for the PS3, things are not as seamless to engage other players. Like there is no cross-game chat that lets you talk directly to another player like on Xbox Live. So there’s this disconnect between the online experience for players. You have to pay for Xbox live gold to be able to play like this, where as the PS3 PSN portal is free. There’s an ongoing debate on which is better. Due to features, and seamless cohesive structure Xbox Live wins for now. Keeping in mind that there has never been a system in the history of gaming that has just exclusives. Multiplats and exclusives have to co exist. In this particular case from numbers, to reviews the Xbox 360 wins in both departments.

God of War 3

In the next post we will focus on what makes the both systems stand on their own. Covering DVD vs Blu Ray, motion control gaming, fanboys, the PC vs both consoles, and  looking at the upcoming games of late 2009, and 2010.