So, I got my tax refund check in the mail yesterday. I'm thinking about (finally) getting a next-gen (or current-gen, by now) console. Which one should I get?

• I don't care about online multiplayer.
• My two favorite genres in console games are fighting games and RPGs.

I would probably say PS3 then. Xbox has better "friends" online support. Not that PS3 doesn't have any, but Xbox's is better. PS3 game are also a bit more "hardcore", slightly less for the mass audience a bit more for the real geeks. Tekken 3 is PS3, and most RPGs are cross console, except maybe the Fables which are a load of fun. If you don't have a Blu-Ray player though, go for a PS3. A blu-ray is 200$ and the PS3 is 300$, that's a sweet deal right there.

FF13: Versus will be PS3 exclusive.

I think the best way for you to decide would be to go check which games you're interested in and decide based on which consoles they're available for. They both have good fighting games and RPGs, so not knowing which titles interest you it is very hard to suggest one or the other.

I've settled on the PS3, with Soul Calibur IV and Eternal Sonata as my first two games. The system exclusives appeal to me much more than the 360 exclusives. I will continue to miss the Dead or Alive series, though. Ahh, my sweet, sweet Ayane...

I have both and in terms of performance I can't see any real difference them. I have compared three games on both and there is no difference that I can see.

The bonus of the PS3 is that you can play BlueRay discs on it.

In terms of game available, the games that I like first-person shooters and others like Oblivion: The Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age: Origins they appear to be dead even.

Supporting one evil empire over the other, Microsoft vs. Sony they both have a track record of business dealings that make me wince.

My own preference is for the Xbox360 just because I was able to purchase the larger controllers (which I believe are no longer available) for it along with the keyboards. I don't think that you will be upset with either though.

A PS3 owner is me! Got it with a copy of Soul Calibur IV, which is every bit as hacktastic and boobalicious as when I played it on a friend's console. Tomorrow I get paid, and will go out in search of Eternal Sonata, which the store I went to today did not have. Also, I discovered that GameStop has used Gamecubes for $30 (holy crap!) and that one near me has a copy of Skies of Arcadia Legends for $15 (holy shit!). So I can get my air pirate on for about a third of what it cost me to buy a Dreamcast and the original Skies of Arcadia (holy fucking asscrackers!).

Play Final Fantasy XIII on a PS3 and 360, with a TV that supports at least 720p resolution, and you will notice a difference.

It is difficult to discern the differences between the two mostly due to the fact that developers are making games based on the 360, which has a lower power video card. It's no mistake, and no joke, when I say that one of the most beautiful PS3 games is still Metal Gear Solid 4.

Plus, with the PS3 all you ever have is one disc.

If you're willing to play multiplayer, you should immediately purchase Demon's Souls (do not pass go, do not collect 20,000¥); even if you're playing solo, the messages and bloodstains add a lot to the game.

~J

Computer gaming FTW.

...till you play Uncharted 2 on the PS3.

For the most part, I agree. I came to gaming through PCs (well, technically I started out on a Commodore 64 - old school, baby!), and will probably always be primarily a PC gamer. I was a PC snob for a long time, as well, until a friend of mine convinced me to buy a Dreamcast. The $100 for that console ranks among the best money I have ever spent, because it opened my eyes to the fact that there are great games on consoles. YMMV, obviously, but you really should at least give it a try.

The big win of a console is that my computer doesn't need to be dedicated to running the game for the duration of the time I spend playing it. If only more games were well-behaved about application-switching…

~J