The big advantage you get with the PS3 right now is Blu-ray disc support. That's terrific if you want to watch high-def movies from studios that are committed to the format. The Xbox 360 only supports standard definition DVDs, unless you buy an HD-DVD add-on.

The Xbox 360 has the better game selection, for sure, but the PS3 will continue building in momentum.

A recent firmware update to the PS3 makes it possible to play back media you've got stored on there from a PSP anywhere on the Internet -- that's kind of a neat feature for geeks like me who really dig the PSP. But the Xbox 360 has a much better-developed online community and gathering point -- Xbox Live Arcade -- where you can purchase and download a lot of cool games. You can also connect your Mac to your Xbox 360 and stream some media to it, using a software app called Connect360 from Nullriver Software.

So there are tradeoffs either way. Both are great systems. If I could only get one right now, I'd favor the Xbox 360, frankly, simply because the cost of entry is so much lower than the PS3 and the game selection is better.

I'll get a PS3 when the price comes down a bit and the games start coming.

I've played on the 360 but I just couldn't put up with the noise from the fan.

It drove me mad.

its really a choice...but if you want a gamming system..currently its the 360.

It has online gameplay and community
it has gerat game selection, some backard compatibility (a lot of xbox1 games but not all)
it has some great exculsive games like halo3 and gears of war, and its price is a lot less than a ps3
you can add hd-dvd for extra $200 I think..

the advantage of the ps3 is that you will get blu-ray player with it. Thats about it, it has some exclusive games i think Tekken and Final Fantasy, am not sure.

360 has some fan noise I agree, and it has some manufacturing problems...a lot has been reported..but if u live in USA who cares, u can send it on the warranty. Honestly, mine survived 2 or 3 electricity shutdowns...its working fine. Thats better than those who reported their 360 jamming and getting broken for no reason.

trust me, if i was a billionaire i wouldnt buy the ps3(now) the reason is that it has no games currently, and many of the games it has and going to have is going to be released on the xbox 360 any way...so there goes, real advantage is the blu-ray. I find the 360 controller much better than playstation's.

My advice, get the 360. Unless you are going to wait 2 to 3 years in the future to see which console comes out with the best game line. A lot got 360 and are happy about it. the ps3 is doing so bad against the wii and 360 they are expecting that it might end up like the dreamcast (discontinued due to failure if you dont know that)

for the guy who said that xbox ate his cd's, i think it does that when you move 360 from horizontal to perpindicular stand while the 360 is on.

The disc grinding problem hasn't affected all Xbox 360 systems, just some of them.

Regarding compatibility, Microsoft doesn't claim that the 360 is 100 percent backwards compatible with original Xbox games, and any visitor to the Xbox Web site can get an up-to-date list of the games known to work.

I appreciate that there have been user complaints about support -- that's certainly something that Microsoft owns 100 percent, and has no reasonable excuse for.

I like Nintendo, and I love Wii, but I think Microsoft has an excellent gaming system in the 360 too.