Sony PlayStation 3 (60GB)

Pros: Blu-Ray, built in WiFi

Cons: no headset or upgraded cable

Summary: I was originally going to buy the Xbox 360, but after adding up all the costs associated with it, surprisingly, I found that the PS3 was the better buy.
The Xbox 360 system was $399, and the PS3 was $599. They both come with a wireless controller and hard drive capabilities. The Xbox 360 did come with a component video cable, wireless headset, and trial Xbox Live membership. You really can't count the Xbox Live membership as a cost affective benefit because the PS3 online service is for free. The component video and wireless headset is an advantage though. The down side to the Xbox 360 is the optional wireless adapter. It is a ridiculous $100 purchase. Like many people, my router is not directly hooked up to my gaming console, so the wireless adapter was a necessity. That brought the cost up to $499. I also wanted to use the full capabilities of the new 1080p format. I hate the idea of up-converting old technology, such as DVD, to new formats. With that in mind, I was considering the HD-DVD add-on, which was $200. That brought the total cost up to $699. Now I know that the HD-DVD add-on is not a big necessity to most gamers, but to be fair, it is required to be comparable to the PS3 Blu-Ray technology, and a person with a 1080p television will want some true 1080p media. To my understanding, HDTV is still broadcasting in 1080i, so the only thing out there is HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, and some next-generation games.
After considering all the cost of the Xbox 360, I looked at the PS3. Obviously, there is no need for HD-DVD because of the Blu-Ray media, and to my surprise, I found out that WiFi was built in. I don’t think everyone is taking that cost benefit into consideration. I also thought that it was pretty neat that the PS3 can communicate with my PSP. On, the other hand, the console did not come with HD compatible cables and a wireless headset. I’m guessing that a headset will cost around $30. I was disappointed that the PS3 did not come with HD cables. The PS3 came with an AV cable like the PS2, so I’m guessing it will accommodate the upgraded ps2 component video cable, which is fairly cheap. But who wants component video when you can have HDMI! I don’t see how component video can be considered true HD. I’ve always used component video for DVD players, and used true digital cables, such as DVI and HDMI, for HDTV. I already had both the PS2 component cable and HDMI cable, but to compare equally, I previously bought my HDMI cable for $60 dollars, but you will pay more for Monster Cables. With the addtional cost associated with the PS3, the cost is about equal or less, depends how much you can find the headset and cable for. The plus side, you can shop around for a good deal, unlike the $100 wireless adapter.
Overall I feel that I made an unbiased decision on the purchase. The people who are constantly downing the PS3 are either bias toward the Xbox 360, or they really don’t need the additional PS3 features. Either way, there is no reason to hate on either the Xbox 360 or the PS3. They are both impressive gaming systems in their own right.