So, its the holidays and in the spirit of spending buttloads of money, I have saved enough to purchase one of the following items (in theory): a new computer or a playstation 3.

I suppose most here would agree that a new computer is probably the way to go. And on some level, I probably agree with that. But on the other hand, as of now, there are no games out on the pc that I want to play that I am not capable of playing with my current computer (with the graphics turned down of course). The only game I can think of that I want to play that i am currently incapable of doing is starcraft 3, and that game is good 8 months away, in which by that time i might be able to secure the money to upgrade.

Also, I could use a new dvd player, as my ps2 is about to give out (the optical drive gets disc read errors more and more frequently these days) and the cheap dvd player i bought to suppliment my dying ps2 is a peice of shit and always loses picture.

So I ask, which would be a better idea. A playstation 3 or a new computer.
Any suggestions?

PS3 (after ps2 trade in) will be about 450$
new PC will cost around 500-600$

Can anyone make a compelling argument as to why one is either worthless or vastly superior to the other?

First of all, a PS3 is going to cost you a lot more than $450. You might get the system for that, but what about games? Controllers? Wifi? Seriosuly, you can spend just as much on accessories as you did on your console.

Secondly, do you have a high definition television?

If you do, Blu-Ray dvds look fucking fantastic on a ps3, my friend has one.


The next question is, what is your current system? Is it future-proofed? You may not want to play anything out right now, but something you want is going to come down the pipes that requires directx 10 and then you'll be fucked.


In short, I'd say buy the PS3 if you have a high def tv, because it's going to be the most useful and versitile.

If you don't, build a new computer.

--Locane

does ps3 play regular dvds?

If you do get a ps3, then perhaps you should at least get a hard drive for your pc so you can install more shit.

Lately, I have found myself playing my wii more often then i do the pc. I think that has to do more with me wanting to sit on a couch to play games, rather then the chair i work at all day long studying.

But seriously? Are there really any good games worth playing out on the ps3?

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Unless you hate platformers, great game.

And blueray is the absolute shit visually if you have a good HD tv.



I'm honestly considering buying a PS3 over my next PC upgrade (esp since it'd have to be a new build)

yes, they just released a hell of a lineup over the past 2 months. Interesting titles include:
Rachet and Clank Future
Unreal Tournament 3
Assassins creed (multiplatform)
Heavenly sword
Uncharted Drakes Fortune
Guitar Hero 3 (multiplatform)
Call of Duty 4 (multiplatform)

Plus there are several more titles that look interesting that are soon to come out. The new devil may cry in particular. It can play regular dvds as well as blu ray. On top of which, the 60 gig model is backwards compatible so i can play my ps2 games as well. As I said before, my ps2 is on its last legs.

All muliplatform games really look the best on the ps3 from what I hear. This doesn't surprise me too much to be honest.

I do not have a high def tv. this is something that I have considered as well, but I just can't justify spending the money for one. Seriously, they are outrageously priced. $700+ on a 25 inch television? Thats just ridiculous.

Why would you want to play fps games sans a mouse and keyboard? Get the computer. If you have an HD TV hook the computer up to it. If you want blu ray get a blu ray drive for your computer, etc...

the ps2 has usb drives for the use of wireless mouse/keyboard. I would just use my wireless with it.

There are alot of game titles on the ps3 that will not be released on pc. Platformers specifically, and guitar hero 3.

http://pc.ign.com/articles/822/822712p1.html

Hmm interesting.

Regardless, they won't be releasing ratchet and clank for pc

then again it is silly to buy a gaming system for 1 title.

Mayhaps this will help?
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/article ... le-Rundown

Doc, buy a High Def TV. I'm telling you, it's fucking fantastic.

A lot of the plasmas / LCDs will take DVI from a computer, although you're looking at being stuck in a 1280 x 720 resolution most of the time.

I actually bought a high def projector. Awesome results. I purchased a Mitsubishi HD1000U, native 720p high def format, and now I have a 78" High Definition TV screen. That's 6.5 feet, for you people that are too lazy to do math.

The whole thing cost me $1140, that included the mount, the screen, the projector, and shipping for all of it.

Your guests and roommates will appreciate it too. Heh.

--Locane

Consoles are evil. They don't allow for adjustments nor customization nor upgrading nor dynamic usage of any kind (lest you have the l337 hardware h4x). Barrring said hardware mods, they can never be used for anything but games (save maybe playing movies – which PC’s do better), and those games they do allow generally curtail to the lowest level of sophistication and simplicity. Very rarely, if ever, do you see the opportunity for enrichment and community the games of the PC world offer. Even more rarely do you see a game that forces you to learn or grow to accommodate its complexity. There’s also no way to adjust performance, so you are completely at the mercy of the console maker's plan of obsolescence. Most all console games are the Doritos of the gaming world’s dietary palette, offering no true satisfaction, but only momentary placation of the stoned, and also like Doritos, they will suck out your soul.

But seeing as how The Doc swears by TF2, I think yes, he is likely to be happier in the console world. Good luck with that. If the console world continues to infect the PC game scape at the rate it has, half my argument is going to go to crap anyways.

I was scared to death I was going to have a console forced into my normally console-free-under-penalty-of-death home not too long ago, but thankfully, we found DDR for the PC, and thus the motivation for the semi-resident alien to force one upon me was removed.
_________________
"It has a secret program of ultimate destruction. All Sonys do." – Largo, www.megatokyo.com
Thothie

I don't swear by TF2. I'm willing to admit that its not everything that I hoped it would be. The medic nerf and lack of grenades has really gotten to me. I think when I first started playing it, I was really just trying to convince myself that it was better than it was. However, I still don't think it merits terrible reviews that some of you guys gave it. Simplistic as it may be, its still more fun than alot of other multiplayer FPS that I have played.

In the meantime i've started playing tfc/ns again... which has also started to become a bit stale.

I do enjoy complicated gameplay, in fact If you do some rememberizing, i was the one who suggested the NS server in the first place. For the past year or so i've spent most of my time playing Eve. I can't think of many more games more complicated than that. Eve just released a serious graphical overhaul which my computer doesn't fit the minimum requirements for. While i do feel a little left out, I can still play the game with old graphics relatively flawlessly along with all of my halflife mods. Thus, I find it hard to justify a computer upgrade when all the games I already play run perfectly fine on my current machine.



Well computer or console, the main motivation for my upgrade is for gaming, so that argument doesn't hold much relevence. Anything else i do on my computer my current computeris more than capable of, so I'm not upgrading for that reason.

As for console games, I'm not sure how you can condemn simplistic gameplay when your game of choice are first person shooter half life mods to begin with. It doesn't get much simpler than point and shoot. At least console games like platformers and fighting games offer puzzle and pattern recognition elements to gameplay giving them another level of complexity beyond fps. The only games consoles really lack are good RTS titles, and massively multiplayer gameplay, though this has been changing since the xbox and playstation 2 added network adapters to the console universe.

Also, with the addition of network adapters and hard drives, console games are not as static as they once were. In fact many games take advantage of network capability and device storage to patch and add new content.


This is true, though its a double edged sword. Alot of times I don't miss interacting with the social rejects that those online gaming communities seem to harbor: the OAs, se7en, that azn guy that came in here and made a ruckuss. And these were relatively mild compared to other online gaming community misfits i've had the pleasure of dealing with over the years.

I'm not ditching computer gaming for console gaming. There are a few titles out there that look interesting that will never be available for pc though. Maybe I just don't keep up to date enough with computer titles to really know what's available. But there haven't been very many mainstream pc titles to come out in the past 3 years that really piqued my curiosity, and I am starting to get a little bored of TFC and NS.

Also, Doritos are tasty.

I would love a high def television, however as hard as it is to justify spending money 500$ on a new computer or gaming system, I find it even more inane to spend 700$+ on a new television with slightly better (if noticable at all) picture quality. I guess my vision isn't that good, but I really can't tell that much of a difference between high def television and regular television. Picture is picture. I'm not sure a higher resolution really justifies a several hundred dollar markup.

Also, my apartment is pretty small, I'm not sure where I would be able to fit a large projection television. As it is, my entertainment center can't hold larger than a 29" screen. I would have to get rid of it to fit a big screen projection television. I have looked at 29" LCD televisions, but even those are around 650$ for what I would assume to be a low end television, since that was on the display at wal-mart.

*edit* it looks like I could get a 1080p 27inch Toshiba Regza for around 650$ but then it really comes down to which do i want the most. A new computer, a next gen gaming console, or a nice television. If only i could afford all 3.

Well if you don't have a Hi def TV go for the computer. That should have been clear from the get go.