The Playstation 2 is the highest selling gaming console of all time and even after the XBOX 360 and PS3 were released it was still selling more systems than both of them. An accomplishment like that attests to the successful business model of Sony. Overall I was impressed and content with my PS2 console and eagerly awaited the release of the PS3. When it did come out, however, I realized I had to put my desire on hold for a while until the PS3's outrageous price of $600 lowered quite a bit; this meant having to play PS2 games and SNES ROMS for the time being.
Price was the first major mistake with the PS3; no one except Sony executives thought the console was worth $600 and even knowing they put a $1000 blu-ray player in the system didn't sway me in the least. XBOX360's $400 price tag seemed cheap in comparison, so even Sony loyalists like myself were tempted to switch sides.
Reading comparisons between technological specs between PS3 and XBOX 360 led me to believe that there was no contest: PS3 had superior technology and thus superior graphics. Despite believing that, when new games like Fallout 3 or Call of Duty World at War were released, graphics from PS3, XBOX 360, and PC are compared and the winner is debatable, although whenever it comes to graphics, a new PC always outperforms consoles. It's strange seeing that in some areas, PS3's graphics were not up to par with XBOX's, despite supposedly having better specs.
PS3 uses blu-ray discs and XBOX 360 uses standard DVDs for their games and the blu-ray disk can hold five times more memory than the DVD. Five times more memory can mean lengthier games, better graphics, more content, and more detailed areas. Up until now, I haven't seen a difference in PS3 and XBOX games that show a PS3 game utilizing all that extra space. I remember when Grand Theft Auto IV was about to be released for both systems and being disappointed in hearing that developers had to scale down the game to fit it on the XBOX 360 and thus take away content for the PS3 owner as well. I was hoping that PS3 would pull away from ported games and eventually realize their full potential on a blu ray disk and not have to worry about also fitting on a DVD, but there are few exclusive games, like Killzone 2, that do so.
Another thing going against the PS3 is time. XBOX360 had about a year's worth of a head start to capture sales from both previous XBOX owners and people too impatient to wait for the PS3. It's ironic that an earlier release helped the XBOX360 while in the past an early release spelt doomed for the Sega Dreamcast, which Sony's PS2 sent to extinction. An early release date and a hefty PS3 price tag meant continued sales for XBOX 360 and a long game of catch-up for the PS3.
Experts are saying that the PS3 has a much longer life span than the XBOX 360, but that may not be a good thing. Even if the PS3 lasts another 5 years, it's likely Microsoft is going to have another console out before then, with a better processor and improved graphics. There wouldn't be much keeping people from going out and getting the new console.
Only time will tell whether or not things will turn around for the PS3; Microsoft is keeping Sony on their toes with innovative strategies like providing Netflix videos straight to the XBOX 360, getting once exclusive games like Final Fantasy XIII onto the system, and overall just maintaining an impressive game library. If Sony doesn't make some quick changes to how they market their system, their best bet may be to just move on to Playstation 4, as long as they bring back the boomerang controller.
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