Its been a while since we've had a gaming thread. I've been contemplating getting a current console (to either replace or compliment my gamecube). So the three options are the Wii, the xBox 360, and PS3. The only way I can justify getting it is by having it double as my DVD player as well (because I'm tired of watching movies on my laptop). You know, a two birds with one stone kind of thing.

I heard that the Wii didn't support DVD play a year or two ago, but that it was possibly in the works. Any one know if that ever came to fruition? Due to the lower price than either of the others that would be my first choice if it can, in fact, play DVDs.

The 360? Well, I hate Microsoft consoles with a passion. And even though the red-ring-of-death phase seems to be largely over, I'm not overly reassured. Still, from a non-DVD perspective, I'd love to have an opportunity to play some of their exclusive games, especially Fable II. Plus, it will be getting Resident Evil 5... even though that isn't a platform exclusive.

The PS3 would be my hands-down choice if price were no object. But alas... it is an expensive mofo. More mature games than the Wii, DVD and blu-ray support, more stable than the 360... plus the most powerful system out there.

I suppose considering my interest in both low price, good games, and a need of DVD playback, the 360 should be my option. I just hate... HATE Microsoft. Ughhhhhhhhh. Anyone have any pearls of wisdom to make a decision easier?

You can hack the XBOX with xbmc to extend its functionality.

i have nothing to add besides that i want to get a ps3 after the holidays.

that is totally greek to me. Like, extend its functionality how?

Do you have a HDTV already? I say that's the first step, since next-gen gaming is kinda pointless without it in my opinion.

With that, I vote for the PS3.

Save yourself a ton of money and get a PS2. Then when you can afford it upgrade to the PS3. I assume the PS2 games will work on the PS3.

My brother gave me his PS2, but it has sat in a box in my garage. I've been wanting to buy Guitar Hero or Rock Band as an excuse to dust it off.

some of the ps3's have backwards compatibility but others don't. i think the 60gb (that's been discontinued) and the 80gb are the only ones that do.

I agree with your anti-microsoft stance, but don't let that stop you from getting an Xbox. The only thing the PS3 has going for it is the blu-ray player and a couple of exclusive games. Now that final fantasy is going to be released on both consoles, I'm not sure its worth the premium.

If you get an Xbox, you need to budget 60/year for an online subscription. I'm not sure if that's bundled in with the PS3, but that could be a factor.

and the Xbox streams netflix now.

Apparently not the 360.

online for PS3 is generally free. It isn't a subscription like M$. But I'm not generally attracted to online elements of games.

the xbox360 let's you watch your netflix "watch it now" movies. this is a big factor for me in decided what to eventually do along the lines of the "i want to play dvds on it, too". a friend of mine does the netflix things and he said it works really well.

are xbox games backward compatible? and what's the deal with subscriptions if i don't care about online gaming?

the wii doesn't play dvds

Well, you have to pay for the XBox Live subscription in order to stream movies from Netflix. If you don't care about online gaming, you might want to get the Roku Netflix box instead.

IMHO the 360 is now the superior system. It has the best games and, even though it is less powerful than the 360, it seems to have the best graphics. Mass Effect, Left 4 Dead and Gears of War are all XBox exclusive. The only games of note that are exlusive to the PS3 are Metal Gear and Litlle Big Planet and they have no appeal for me. The Netflix add-on works amazingly well and is worth the annual fee for XBox live. I have all systems and I like them for different reasons. The XBox is the best though.

i really does hit that sweet spot between cartoony (wii) and hardcore-gamer (ps3). and it'd be as simple as dropping down on level on netflix and the subscription would essentially be free.

It's also down to $199 for the console.

I usually skip a generation with these things. I got the original XBox late and when the 360 came out I didn't feel the need to do it all over again. Even though I rarely play my original one anymore I have a feeling that by the time the XBox 720 comes out I may have the itch to get one again. I do enjoy some of the sports games and the racing stuff. The last shooter game I gave any time to was the first Halo. I was obsessed with that for a time there.

last thing i bought was the original ps2 forever ago. . .was bequeathed an original xbox a few months ago when a my friend broke my ps2 by tripping over the controller cable. they had a wii anyway and just gave me the old xbox.

i think a sufficient amount of time has passed with the 360 that it's gonna be stable. might jump in with the post-christmas sales.

so yesterday I went out and picked up the 360. Yay me. It came with two games, Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda... both of which are nice, though Lego Star Wars seems to be clearly superior and Kung Fu Panda is pretty good for a movie tie-in... but it is still a tie-in.

So while I am aware of kind of the Major Titles that are out there (Fable II, I'm drooling over you), anyone have some suggestions of games... particularly under-the-radar titles?

indie games?

I love my 360, and I'm usually not a hard-core gamer.

I've played Call of Duty 4 more than anything. Can't wait to get World at War for Christmas.

get Braid off Xbox Live...amazing game.

Consensus seems to be that Star Wars Legos is the best of the three.

If you're an RPG player, Mass Effect is not to be missed.

On Xbox Live Arcade, Puzzle Quest is a lot of fun, and Portal is a must-have (unless you get the Orange Box). Braid has gotten raves, but I haven't played it yet.

oh god, I love Puzzle Quest. I keep on hoping they'll release a version for the iphone/ipod touch because that is about the perfect format for such a game.

I'm pretty tempted to buy a PS3 for $350. I'm kind of turned off by the fact that newer models aren't backwards compatible, so I wouldn't be able to stock up on cheap used PS2 games.

not quite what i meant. More like on the original xbox the game Psychonauts was never a big seller or anything, but it is a pretty awesome title. Or for the Gamecube, Beyond Good and Evil kind of escaped the notice of everyone but more hardcore gamers.