silverback

It definately serves to interest me. But after playing the demo off XBL and seeing how decidedly last gen the game is forget it.

Dude you just don't get it do you. MS is intentionally making it easier for games to be cross platformed developed, that is PC & 360. This is huge incentive for developers because it allows them to more cheaply appeal to two different audiences of gamers. This boads well for us all since we will have a greater degree of choice and more games to play.

Lee,

So apparently it is your turn to speak about what you don't know and demonstrate your ignorance. Neither you or I "know" if a dvd 9 will be enough for the next generation of games. We are all ingnorant on this matter. I for one doubt MS would gamble billions on a console if they did not have a pretty good idea that a dvd 9 would in fact provide enough space for the next generation.

Then you speak about all the great titles coming out for the PS3. Which ones are they again? The fact is that currently none of us really knows exactly what the gaming content on the two consoles will be over the next five years. It sounds to me that you are really going for the PS3 because of the optical drive and not for gaming.

And in reference to people taking the bullet by buying the PS2, that is absolutely and unquestionably true. I have it from the words of a man who repairs them for a living that most of the different versions of the PS2 hardware were absolute and total crap. Most people I know have either had to replace the console multiple times after it failed or had theirs repaired (I bought the one with the best hardware) including me. So how is this relevant to the post? Because Sony has an infamous track record of producing consoles with sh!tty hardware even when they could have afforded to do otherwise, i.e. late in the consoles lifecycle, they will most likely do the same for the PS3. They have to cut corners in order for the overbuilt console to actually be affordable for the average consumer. So no matter what the price of the PS3 ends up being you will probably have to take another bullet by making its purchase. Of course this is just speculation but the odds are very high that I am right and history will repeat itself. In the long run you and I will eventually spend much more than the official price for ability to play games on crappy hardware.

I agree with many of the previous posters that the number of consoles sold at this point isn't as important as one might expect. Why? I think because one of the major advantages a console has going early is the headstart they get on games development. Due to MS's early start it will take Sony a long time if ever to catch up with their games. By June MS has stated that they will 50 more games on the market. That is almost 70 games. And they will continue to come in a continuous flood after the June time period. Sony on the other hand will just be launching their console with a few, let's say 18 since that is what MS did, and they will probably be mediocre to just good, just like MS. Microsoft will already be lapping Sony as they come out the door due to that head start. That counts for a whole lot.

"Most REAL gamers know that a good game is a good game, regardess of online capabilities."

What is up with this comment? While it is not mandatory that a game has to support live in order to be good, the opposite is true as well. Whether you want to admit it or not the future of gaming is online period. There will be plenty of games that don't support it but the trend is going in the direction that MS is taking. We are going to see more and more persistant worlds created in the near future. Why, because people prefer to play with others than by themselves and/or against the AI. As great as God of War is it would be so much better if you could play with your buddy in co-op mode, online. The way I like to look at it is that Microsoft is bringing the community back into games. It reminds me of the community that used to exist at the arcade back in the day, except now I can do it all from my living room. No, of all the things that will define the next generation of gaming Xbox Live is probably the most definitive.

You forget that there are plenty of free features with the silver membership in Xbox live, game achievments, game demo downloads, movie trailer downloads, patches & other game enhancement down loads, all these the xbox live experience very rich. Additionally you can pay for great Xbox Live Arcade games.

Please don't use COD2 online issues to prove that Xbox Live sucks. The problems in this area are developer issues and not problems with Xbl. Xbl has the capacity if developers support it to provide the best quality live experience anywhere. This is not debatable but a fact.

There are really only two developents in this next generation of gaming that are going to really add depth to game play. These developments are the revolution controller and Xbox Live. The PS3 offers nothing but a new optical drive. I think in the long run MS's Xbox live service prove to be the best gamble in the console gaming community.