theoretical is right. my avatar has bruised vocal cords from screaming at the unactivated netflix application. otherwise the update looks much better than I expected (I expected digital fecal matter).

Yeah, the cooling stations are a crock. If your xbox is going to die, it will die. The main problem and the prime cause of 3 red lights has nothing to do with heat.

You can have your 360 in a freezer, if its going to die its going to die regardless.

If you do wind up getting the chatpad, it comes with a wired headset that has the mute and volume in-line which can be used to plug into your fake instruments without using a bracket and extra cable.

1. I can put a PC hard drive in my Playstation 3. It even has a nifty little backup tool to help me swap.

2. My PS3 controller can go all night. I don't use the vibrator one, so I don't know how long those go. I have a nine foot cable if I ever need to plug it in to play, but I haven't used it yet except to make sure it works.

3. I still have my original PS3. My HDTV puts out more heat than it does.

4. Just like Microsoft to require the extra expense of compressed air when their system is already supposed to blow.

5. Don't you have Bluetooth?

6. You beat me to it.

7. Microsoft probably figured that if you bought their product, then they couldn't trust that you are clever enough to make sure the surge protector switch is on.

8. How about a faceplate that makes your XBox look like a PS3 to save on embarrassment?

9. Playstation 3 has wireless full-sized keyboards as well as a couple of small sized keypads. At least one doesn't clip to the controller.

10. You have to PAY for your online service?

11. Sounds like the best way to upgrade your Xbox 360 is to upgrade to a Playstation 3.

12. Sony should give me a salary.

@ item 4....actually when u use compressed ait can to blow into the 360 u are not blowing out any dust cause the case isnt open so the dust has no where to go unlike a pc which u can easily open the case. So with a 360 when u blow the dust with air all u are doing is pushing the dust further into the system and clogging the internals worse than they are already. the best thing to do is use a very clean vaccum attachment to suck the dust out of the system. yes this will stir the dust up inside but u will be actually removing the dust instead of just moving it around to other parts of the system. this also clears the ventalation holes which can be clogged easily.

also never place the 360 on carpet even if u have it raised up a few inches above it by something. the ventaliation will suck uo the fibers in the carpet and these are way worse than any dust cause they can be difficult to remove unless taking the system apart.

No chatpad? No way, Tom. The chatpad is a million times easier and faster to use than a USB keyboard, unless you're sitting right next to the console or you have a USB extender cable draped between the TV and your couch. And since it's always on your controller, you don't have to get up and grab anything to type.

Do I use it a ton? No. But it's a godsend for games where you're naming things on a regular basis, such as potions (Oblivion) or decks (Culdcept Saga). And it's a snap to fire off a quick message to friends without abandoning punctuation and complete sentences.

Too heavy? Good god, man, didn't you get *anything* out of Wii Fit?

@ #2: I don't know what controller you're using, but my PS3 controller can game for quite a while. They should last for about 30 hours, if yours do not, something is wrong with it. Even the vibrator controller still goes for about 30 hours, I've never had a problem with charging them up.

*sigh* So much hate for the PS3, and most of it comes from comments like this.

On the issue of cooling stations. I heard about the issues when I bought my 360 a year and a half ago and so I bought the fan that attaches to the back. And a year and a half later I don't have an overheating issue, I don't have frequent lock ups and no red ring of death. I have two buddies that bought there systems at the same time sans the fan and both have had to get them replaced because of a RROD. So personally I think the fan works. Although from what I here a large amount of the heat comes from the CD-ROm drive spinning so now that we can install onto the hard drive I might take the fan off and see how it does.

Mr. Auryn, I don't get anywhere near 30 hours with my PS3 controllers and I certainly don't get any vibration! The only controllers I've got are two of the original rumble-less from when the PS3 was first released. If Sony's been improving the battery duration, that's great news, but news to me. Furthermore, I'm not sure how mentioning this constitutes "PS3 hate". All I can do is call it like I see it. I quite like my PS3, stupid design decisions notwithstanding!

That second faceplate 'recommendation' is even more awesome given their near perfect placement of the power button.

Turn me on indeed.

Okay, I'm finally going to bitch about this. The captcha thing fails, without fail, every single goddamn first time I attempt it. Is there like a timer on it or something, because I've got the point where I'm intently staring and every letter to make sure I don't get it wrong and it returns a fail every. single. time.

@Greg

Obvious troll is obvious.

I don't know if you're mentally retarded or just well off, but a wireless adapter for the xbox is like $100.

Im not sure what Sony is thinking... I'm just going to get their titles from Bittorent and stream them to my xbox via windows media player 11. Which is what i have been doing, because before today there wasn't a way to watch them legally that wasn't ridiculously overpriced. I hope sony realizes their only losing customers.

I did buy an intec cooling thingy with my 360 last december and i'm only now starting to get errors, and they are very rare yet. It may just be the luck of the draw, however.

Those msn chat things are quite stupid. Twice as 10 USD more than a Microsoft USB Keyboard and about 100x harder to use. espeacily if you play a game like Final Fantasy 11.

Finaly, I can see the appeal of a wireless mic, but its ahelluva lot more trouble than its worth, 5/6 of my friend who have one, hate it. It would be nice if the cord wouldnt get stuck in my stomach fat an yank the mic out whenever i sit up, but I've decided thats a good sign its time for some crunches and slimfast shakes.

$100 for a wireless adapter I think not. I basically picked up a cheap print server and did it this way.

http://www.links4jeeps.com/forum/index.php?topic=8059.0

Actually number 7 is a particularly important one. If you've done some coursework in electromagnetics, you'd know that surge protectors can cause small alterations to a more 'pure'/standard signal found from the wall, particularly if you have several other devices plugged in.

It seems that Microsoft attributes the issue to a Vdrop introduced by the surge protector. The drop in voltage causes the systems fans to fail or run less efficiently. All fans will eventually refuse to run at a low enough voltage (go read up on some silent pc theory).

@Lulz, why doesn't "is" get a modifier when "troll" gets two? How about "Obvious troll obviously is obvious"? Or as haikai verse:

Obvious is troll
Obviously obvious
Is is obvious

@All, sorry but Microsoft's "it's a feature" attitude when it comes to inferior design makes me twitch. "What am I going to do today?" I guess I'm going to spend all my time patching and upgrading what I bought from them yesterday.

And I feel I've got to plug the PS3 where I can since Sony's idea of marketing is throwing darts despite not knowing where the dart board is.

As an owner of both consoles my choices are very simple. If I want to watch a movie or listen to music then I fire up the PS3. If I want to play a game then I fire up the Xbox.

I have had my PS3 since August and I do not have a SINGLE game. WHY? you might ask. There is not a game on PS3 that I want that I cannot get on Xbox, and every PS3 exclusive that is supposed to be an Xbox Killer is utter garbage in comparison to mpst of the Xbox exclusives. (That being said I will try out LBP this Holiday Season. I hope I don't regret it.)

Moral of the story? If you want a real gaming console go 360. If you want a BR player that plays inferior games go PS3.

OH and after seeing PSN first hand, I am more than happy to pay my 4 dollars a month for Xbox live.

(@Ryan) This is a good point that is tough to argue against. Microsoft does have the edge currently in exclusive content, but this advantage is shrinking slowly.

Sony does have some gems like "The Last Guy" and some of the Pixeljunk games (Monsters and Eden) and perhaps some others offered via PSN. If they continue some effort in these affordable and fun games, this could add greatly to their market share.

Personally, I hope that developers switch to the mindset of offering unique and worthwhile exclusives for EACH major system, even if they charge for them. So far they've tended to play it safe by developing down to the lowest common denominator across the platforms instead of taking advantage of specifics of each system.

The irony is that I believe Microsoft's original goal was to develop a leading media center, but have had their biggest strength in gaming. Sony, on the other hand, tried capturing the gaming market but has had its biggest strength in media.

So I have to agree that Sony has the media advantage, but I also see them with the biggest development potential (as I attempt to steer this toward the topic ballpark or at least in the parking lot) in terms of software development (not just games). Sony's biggest obstacle is in having developers who are willing to take a chance on Sony alone when they can play it safe and develop a generalized product.

The Playstation 3 was a radical change from PS2, where you didn't get that from the Xbox to the 360. Microsoft is about gradual change and I doubt you'll see this kind of leap from their camp. So with XBox you'll get that continued "upgrade" mentality that puts cost in the long run instead of what Sony did this cycle, that arguably killed their market share, by putting the cost up front.

Despite that higher upfront price point, I think the consistency of the (Playstation) platform will, in the long term, be more cost effective for developers and consumers, than a supposed (Xbox) "console" system that can be potentially an unknown quantity in terms of development because of potential hardware upgrades.

The Wii has been credited for revolutionary changes this iteration, but I think Sony really deserves this accolade because they’ve brought the Microsoft goal of a family media center the closest to fruition, while the other systems are building on gaming alone for the most part. Playstation 3 has the potential to out perform the competition in terms of gaming AND it has the potential to become a central family media powerhouse. The question still remains if Sony can deliver on the marketing end.

Re: #6, the correct answer is not to get a wireless adapter. And the reason I say this, is that you should but a Linksys WRTG54L (that model is specifically very important) and install DD-WRT on it (free firmware, google will explain more). Then you can transform that $60 router into a wireless bridge that will support every and any gadget that uses Ethernet, now and in the future.

You can argue all you want about which console is better.

In my opinion they are very similar. And even though the ps3 has higher processing capabilities, it is harder to develop games that use it, and the graphics card isn't as good. But overall they have very similar capabilities.

However the xbox is half the price of the ps3, and even though ps3 has blu-ray player, it still means that most people will choose the xbox over the ps3 due to the price difference.

I love the position of the xbox ring of the second face plate of #8

By Greg at 12:53 PM ON 11/19/08

1. I can put a PC hard drive in my Playstation 3. It even has a nifty little backup tool to help me swap.

2. My PS3 controller can go all night. I don't use the vibrator one, so I don't know how long those go. I have a nine foot cable if I ever need to plug it in to play, but I haven't used it yet except to make sure it works.

3. I still have my original PS3. My HDTV puts out more heat than it does.

4. Just like Microsoft to require the extra expense of compressed air when their system is already supposed to blow.

5. Don't you have Bluetooth?

6. You beat me to it.

7. Microsoft probably figured that if you bought their product, then they couldn't trust that you are clever enough to make sure the surge protector switch is on.

8. How about a faceplate that makes your XBox look like a PS3 to save on embarrassment?

9. Playstation 3 has wireless full-sized keyboards as well as a couple of small sized keypads. At least one doesn't clip to the controller.

10. You have to PAY for your online service?

11. Sounds like the best way to upgrade your Xbox 360 is to upgrade to a Playstation 3.

12. Sony should give me a salary.

Fanboy

I have about 3 dozen things in my basement with a Redskins logo on them and like the Redskins faceplate, so piss off with your judgment, douche.

2. Do get rechargeable controllers
Unlike Sony's controllers, which lose their charge quickly, have to be leashed to a powered-on PS3 by a silly short cable to juice up, and are effectively bricked when their battery packs die, the Xbox 360 rechargeable controllers have replaceable battery packs and long cables that let you play and charge simultaneously. Save your AA batteries for your Wiimote.

LOL you idiot the 360 controllers die s way faster than the sony ones, also they can be charged using any powered usb on any device.

You do realize that the charge on a PS3 controller lasts quite a long time don't you? It uses a common USB chord too, so if it bothers you that much, go buy a longer one. Also, the battery pack is replaceable. I also looked up prices on hard drives, and for 30$ cheaper than the 360's 120 GB hard drive, I can get a 320gb hard drive for my PS3. I can't say anything about your don't buy a cooling station, PS3's don't get hot, but wow 8 360's, and you still go with that console. Can't really say anything about anything else, except the wireless adapter. I would call that a major dupe on Microsoft's part.

What a crock. Who in their right mind would buy one Xbox piece of junk, let alone EIGHT!!??

Save your money and game with a PC at 1920*1200, or better resolution, with uber graphics, uber HD space and easy upgrade.

You're stupid.. The reason you plug it directly into a wall is so that it gets optimal power. Whenever you use any kind of extension cord, you get less power to the system. I'm not saying a surge protector is a bad thing, but I believe what they are trying to prevent are people using 20 ft extension cords, which loses a lot of its power.

Actually, I like the chatpad. I do a lot of typing from my 360, and I'm used to those thumb QWERTY keyboards (which is fun to type), so it's a quick way when I do any typing, and I don't need any extra wires. Also, I've grown to require the extra heft on my controller. All in all, I'd say it's a solid purchase. No pun intended.

Or how about the ULTIMATE Xbox 360 upgrade - DO...

DO trash it and get a PS3.

Imagine my surprise to see a picture of the 360 I had carved up with a waterjet. I also have one of the originals sliced into an X.
--- Dennis