A brand new appreciation for the 360

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

I've had a PS3 now for nearly a week and all it's done so far for me is make me appreciate just how streamlined the whole 360 package really is.  On the PS3 I'm constantly having to download fucking updates to this or to that and even after you download the update, you then have to install the damn thing.  I even downloaded a firmware update, installed it, then put in a game which then told me my firmware was out of date and asked if I'd like to download a new version.  How the hell could my firmware be out of date when I just supposedly downloaded the newest version straight from Sony?  Why does it take so long update this shit anyway and just how many fucking versions is there going to be?  I just read that a new 2.0 firmware update was just released.  Well fuck me, the version I just downloaded to replace the other version I just downloaded is now out of date in a span of 1 hour.  It's absolutely asinine that I've had the system for less than 7 days and I've had to go through 4 firmware updates already, especially when they take as long as they do.

The interface is distinguished mentally-challenged, the PSN store is just a freakin' website, and nothing seems to be thought out very well at all.  I never really thought too much of the 360 UI until this past week but now whenever I turn on my PS3 it's all I think about. 

PS - Ratchet and Clank is boring as hell

[Van Cruncheon]

[MCD]

That's because biannual updates gives MS more time to add, test, fix and do whatever they want with the 360, and 2 small updates a year (about 8mb in size IIRC) ain't gonna hurt anyone.

while PS3 updates are like monthly, and with each update, it gets bigger.

first it was about 90mb, then 100 then 110 and now 120mb.

and about that interface, 360 was designed with that GUI in mind, while the PS3 (PSP or Bravia tvs i think) GUI was simply a quick port.



 

[MrAngryFace]

Sony just needs to learn how to do things right. I think starting with that is key.

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

I've had 3 360's RRODed and everytime I put in a game in my current one it sounds like I'm running a rock through a tablesaw but after my experience with the PS3 I'd rather put up with all that bullshit because of the games and the way everything works together so well.

It's like the 360 is a Mac and the PS3 is some DOS nightmare from 1986.

[Synbios459]

I've had 3 360's RRODed and everytime I put in a game in my current one it sounds like I'm running a rock through a tablesaw but after my experience with the PS3 I'd rather put up with all that bullshit because of the games and the way everything works together so well.

It's like the 360 is a Mac and the PS3 is some DOS nightmare from 1986.

What's the wii then

[Van Cruncheon]

an hp calculator with a gyrometer

[MCD]

My Benq 360 Drive isn't all that noisy, especially with my 5.1 audio system.

but my old 360 with the Samsung drive, oh yes that was goddamn loud as hell.

[drohne]

the ps3 update procedure is distinguished mentally-challenged. and you only really understand how bad the store is when you try to dig through the big japanese ps1 catalog. but generally the xmb is much better than those awful blades, in which you have to page through three or four screens to find each arbitrarily-placed setting or item. the xmb looks much better as well.

edit: i just looked at the gaf 2.00 firmware thread. shouldn't they have saved that whole-number designation for an update that, uh...actually does something?

[MCD]

Blades are fine.

i mean, you have a games blade for Arcade/Demos and other for all Media stuff, how complicated is that?

and you don't need to go to the System blade once you set your system properly (and that's why it's to the far right).

as for the Live blade, it's well, your general live thing.

and the marketplace blade is the best. (Y button  )

[drohne]

i don't care about console uis, and i found it perplexing when everyone else started caring circa 360 launch, but the 360's is completely awful

some settings are in the blades somewhere. some settings are in the xbox guide. everything is divided into meaningless subcategories, which multiply with each update -- what the fuck are 'viral videos' and why do they need their own listing. and it looks like the result of extensive focus testing to design something approachable, something that wouldn't frighten people outside america...that may have produced an attractive system casing, but it took a big candy-colored shit on the ui. the ads for axe body spray are the shit cherry on the shit sundae

[MCD]

I agree about some of the settings inside the guide, need to be moved to the settings blade, and yes, the ADs are annoying.

but still, it's not really bad and you have all your in game stuff since launch, plus no memory issues like the PS3 XMB!

[drohne]

that we're getting home instead of xbl-style messaging is an excellent sign that sony has lost it completely. but tbh i don't care about xbl-style messaging either. maybe i'm just not 'GAME 2.0' enough, but getting a 'dongsmoker 420 wants to play gears of war' message while i'm trying to play chromehounds isn't a real highlight of my 360 experience. i really thought people would stop caring about this shit once they actually had games to play. multipage gaf threads whenever someone issues a firmware update say otherwise, i guess

[Smooth Groove]

Sounds like you just don't like anything, Drohne.  Why don't you go play Conan?  It's just as shitty as Heavenly Sword. 

[drohne]

i downloaded the conan demo. it manages to fall outside my tolerance for shitty dmc clones. which is saying quite a lot. the 'conan is better than heavenly sword' meme on gaf was one of those stark reminders that folks there only care about the platform a game is on

[brawndolicious]

I never had a problem with what they assigned to the guide button blade, they're all things you may want to change temporarily for a certain game (voice chat, rumble, music, etc.) while things which you need to set maybe once (make all racing games automatically assume you want manual, fps games inverted, etc.) are changed through the dashboard.

[MCD]

I never had a problem with what they assigned to the guide button blade, they're all things you may want to change temporarily for a certain game (voice chat, rumble, music, etc.) while things which you need to set maybe once (make all racing games automatically assume you want manual, fps games inverted, etc.) are changed through the dashboard.

Hmm...you are right, i never thought about it that way.

[brawndolicious]

I think trying to balance all the different online store options and having to go midway between the casuals and those that have to micromanage everything is why everybody thinks there's too many sacrifices.  It took me like half an hour to understand all of the major options.  It didn't help that my brother bought the 360 minutes before bringing it to a party so I couldn't really check the initial setup options.

Wii was by far the easiest system to setup.  I don't know what a PS3's setup and options let you control compared to the 360 but Wii basically had you make a Mii and that's it.  Even the internet settings, if you wanted to vote or some shit, were easy as pie.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I dunno, I am playing Blue Dragon and loving it but jesus christ I am going to go deaf in my right ear from the sound of the 360 drive. (I have a projector so it's literally about a foot away.) I also love the XMB because of the way it's bullshit free. I also am tired of getting DREs. The 360 is like the hot girl who sleeps around on me and I keep trying to forgive her and she keeps giving me herpes.

But whenever I think about buying a PS3 game I just get a funny feeling inside like I'm about to invest in some stock tip I found in blog comment spam.

And whenever I play my Wii it must be 2006 cause I haven't played my Wii this year.

Really, this is the generation where NOBODY got it right.

[bork]

Apart from the games I have on the HD (like Tekken and Warhawk), I don't touch my PS3 games.  The last game I played was Heavenly Sword back in September, for around 30 minutes or so.  The PS3 gets used for PS2 games, that's pretty much it.  And it's not like the library is sucktastic; I have Minna No Golf 5, Motorstorm, Resistance, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, VF5, and a few others...but I never touch them.  Recently even the Wii has been getting playtime, but it's pretty much 360 that dominates my next-gen play time.  This will change sunday when I get Shin Sangoku Musou 5 though.

[bork]

Really, this is the generation where NOBODY got it right.

Agreed.  360 would be on top if the hardware issues weren't so prevalent.  But I still find that I play handhelds and PS2 games more than anything else.

[Smooth Groove]

Really, this is the generation where NOBODY got it right.

I don't understand why you and Drohne spent several thousand dollars just to talk about how shitty gaming is.  

[Smooth Groove]

COD4 - why would i even bother with the PS3 version when 30 or so people i know have X360s?

Because the PS3 library is more worth investing in. 

[TVC15]

My 360 drive sometimes get frighteningly loud.  I am not sure what "triggers" it.

[bork]

so you finished it then? HAHAHAHA I MADE A NOT VERY FUNNY!

But yes, there is something wrong with each machine - for me the biggest issue the PS3 has right now is that the majority of my friends don't own one and it has very little that distinguishes it from the X360.

I really do wonder what it will take to get people on PS3s, too.  The biggest games coming out for the machine are all single player titles, for the most part.  I really doubt that MGS Online will take anyone off of Halo or CoD, either.

Take COD4 - why would i even bother with the PS3 version when 30 or so people i know have X360s? It's a very real problem that coming so late with a high price just magnifies.

Same here.  Live is the only thing that made me get the game on 360 over PS3; I'd like to add more games to my PS3 library, but there's no point with multiplayer games.  No one ever plays online on PS3.  And then there's questionable ports and delays like what happened with Orange Box.  Being handled by EA?  No thanks!

Wii - i was having similar feelings, but i think Mario is extremely good. So it gets a let off for now. Fuck the haters.

Mario, Ghost Squad, and DDR have me all over my Wii.  And now I'm going back and playing games that have been sitting on my shelf, like GGXX Accent Core, SSX Blur, Gundam, and Mario Strikers.

[drohne]

i'm actually pretty happy with 'the next gen.' between 360 and ps3 i've usually got something good to play. i could find a million things to complain about -- actually i've deleted some complaints from this post -- but if the alternative is wii or handhelds, i know exactly where i stand. maybe everybody's got it wrong, but they haven't all got it equally wrong

[Vizzys]

Jesus, I just had to do a double-take with McDragon's avatar. I thought thetrin was here! 

I thought that too

godots pretty awesome

[Mondain]

who the hell will want to play tense horror games like Condemned 2 and Resident Evil 5 on 360 when the silent moments and the suspense will all be ruined by the hair dryer whining furiously in the background?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I dunno, I am playing Blue Dragon and loving it but jesus christ I am going to go deaf in my right ear from the sound of the 360 drive. (I have a projector so it's literally about a foot away.)

Wait, your 360 is louder than your projector fan!? 
Please tell me what kind of projector you have so I can get one too.

Is that some kind of joke? I've never heard ANY projector as loud as my 360. I have a Panasonic AE900U. The 360 is about ten times louder. It seriously sounds like a vacuum cleaner (well, a dustbuster) when it's disc accessing. It's HORRENDOUS grinding sounds from start to finish.

I can't tell if you were facetiously implying that there's no way my 360 could be as loud as my projector. If so, I'm kind of offended and confused.

[TVC15]

who the hell will want to play tense horror games like Condemned 2 and Resident Evil 5 on 360 when the silent moments and the suspense will all be ruined by the hair dryer whining furiously in the background?

You've played this card before.  Although the 360 is definitely too loud, it's never so loud that the volume of the television isn't enough to cover things up enough.  Even if I can hear it while playing a game, it's never been anything close to ruining immersion.  I'd almost think you have an anti-360 agenda!

[Mondain]

who the hell will want to play tense horror games like Condemned 2 and Resident Evil 5 on 360 when the silent moments and the suspense will all be ruined by the hair dryer whining furiously in the background?

You've played this card before.  Although the 360 is definitely too loud, it's never so loud that the volume of the television isn't enough to cover things up enough.  Even if I can hear it while playing a game, it's never been anything close to ruining immersion.  I'd almost think you have an anti-360 agenda!

it's not like every game is a racer with lots of motors and music covering the DVD drive noise up, in some titles you spend lots of time alone and the director intended for quiet moments as part of the gameplay, something that you cannot appreciate with the 360

no loud speakers are going to dampen the DVD drive's whining in these situations

I don't give a shit about which platform my games are played from, but nevertheless I couldn't believe how better it was to play Oblivion on PS3 because of this factor

[demi]

I don't give a shit about which platform my games are played from

Weren't you just parading on how you prefer to play on PC?

[Smooth Groove]

So even though Jotaro has a 360 and PC and pirates as much as he can, he would rather spend money on the version with the worst framerate and least DLC just because the PS3 is the most quiet? 

[MCD]

Jesus, I just had to do a double-take with McDragon's avatar. I thought thetrin was here! 

I thought that too

godots pretty awesome

 

yeah, Godot is the man.

[The Sceneman]

He only drinks 17 cups of coffee during a trial! Or something

[MCD]

He only drinks 17 cups of coffee during a trial! Or something

Don't forget his awesome theme and the poetic speech!

[tiesto]

Updating the PSP is annoying enough, the PS3's firmware updates sound like absolute torture... Oh, feel like this is probably the best place to ask since drohne mentioned buying Japanese PS1 games... is it possible to buy Japanese PS1 games off the PS Store using a US PS3? I don't have one yet but it would be cool to have Little Ralph.

[AdmiralViscen]

I feel exactly the same way.

As the OP, I mean. I'd also like to add that the XMB is as sloppy as it is pretty. Fucking bloat to the max in the worst possible setup.

[Powerslave]

fuck xbox 360

[hyp]

game installs bug the shit out of me.  oh, especially when you download an INSTALLER of a demo and then have to install it onto the hard drive.  very intuitive there boys.  it's probably my biggest gripe with the system.  360 load times aren't that bad except for a few games (points to skate). 

[Smooth Groove]

The demo install system doesn't bug me but it's probably one of the more asinine things I've seen on the PS3. It doesn't even appear they use any sort of compression tech which would justify that.

Downloading multiple items on PSN is way more annoying than the demo installatin process.  It's tedious to go from one download to anther.  Only mac using distinguished mentally-challenged fellows like Abrader would prefer the way PSN works ove XBL. 

[Himu]

I miss the good ol days when i could jsut get a demo from opm or wahtever

[Smooth Groove]

I would rather have free demos.  Most gaming mags are useless nowadays.

[Himu]

opm was free for me. i just used the free subscription thing from gaf and had 5 years worth of free opm and egm

[drohne]

is it possible to buy Japanese PS1 games off the PS Store using a US PS3? I don't have one yet but it would be cool to have Little Ralph.

yeah -- you need to start a japanese account, and then get someone in japan to buy a points card for you. there's some good stuff on there. little ralph, r types, r type delta, gunners' heaven, sonic wings special.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

what are gunners' heaven and sonic wings special?

I just paid 800y for the Game Republic roboclone, Deep Mist. Probably regretful impressions tonight.

[drohne]

gunners' heaven is a shameless clone of gunstar heroes...but it actually manages to do some good things with its level design

sonic wings special is a top-down shooter -- a predecessor of the strikers games, if you've played those. it's kind of shallow and ordinary, but for some reason it's the perfect 'brief session after a proper ps3 game' game

[Smooth Groove]

Go download Uncharted, Drohne. 

[drohne]

oh, i'd forgotten about the uncharted demo. i'll grab it this evening. have i aired my shameful love for naughty dog on the bore? jak 2 was one of those 'this should be completely awful but for some reason it's great' games

[Howard Alan Treesong]

my college roommate's uncle was Naughty Dog's first corrupt game distributor

he was directly responsible for Way of the Warrior

so awesome

[The Sceneman]

flawless victory

[disgruntled_jojo]

I've had a no worse update experience with my PS3 than I did with my 360, buying them both in October.  I don't mind hard drive installs (wish to god you could do this with 360 games) much, having come from PC games.  I like the XMB a good deal and like that it's always easy to find out what's new on the store since the last time I've been.

That said, I like the 360 experience a good deal as well.

[Smooth Groove]

oh, i'd forgotten about the uncharted demo. i'll grab it this evening. have i aired my shameful love for naughty dog on the bore? jak 2 was one of those 'this should be completely awful but for some reason it's great' games

I actually beat Jak 2.  The good parts, such as the platforming and boss fights, were really good.  The GTA-wannabe overworld and tedious minigames almost forced me to stop though.  I only played about 2 hrs of Jak3 because by that time, I was unwilling to put up with the minigames crap.  But yeah, I lol'ed at the belief that Naughty Dog is a bonafide AAA developer.

[drohne]

i think i liked jak 2 because of the unfocused minigamey stuff. my favorite parts were the hoverboarding and this one stupidly hard race through the city. i only bought the game because i loved the hoverboard stuff on the demo disc. i've got jak 1 and jak 3 sitting around, but i haven't played them and probably never will. uncharted could be good. first nd game that isn't saddled with repellent cartoon mascots...er, since way of the warrior anyway