Since you asked!
Read & make your minds up for yourselves:
Sony Playstation 3 VS Microsoft’s XBOX 360
What do you get when you cross the power of a Cell processor with a graphics processor based on Nvidia’s RSX core? Well you get what Ken Kutaragi calls a "supercomputer for computer entertainment." This is what Sony engineers have been designing for months now, the Sony PlayStation 3. No matter what console you decide to purchase, between Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 you have two very powerful consoles. We’re going to break the two down and go over the differences between the two.
The Power of the Core
Sony had a major advantage over Microsoft when engineering the PS3, the ability to see what the competition has already done as the Xbox 360 was released long before the PlayStation 3. Not only did this give Sony the ability to boost the performance above Microsoft’s Xbox 360, but it allowed them to tweak their marketing techniques. For instance when Microsoft announced the Xbox 360 had the ability to complete 9 billion dot product operations per second, Sony came out a while later claiming the PS3 was able to complete 51 billion dot product operations per second. Now, was this the truth, or a marketing scheme? Well a little of both. The Xbox 360 was able to calculate a combined total of 33.6 billion dot product operations per second between the GPU and CPU. Microsoft had only announced the CPU performance specs. Sony announced both to beef up its specs.
On to the specs that make sense to most people. The processor used in the PlayStation 3 is a cell processor based on the PowerPC Core running at 3.2 GHz. The Xbox 360 is built around a multicore PowerPC running at 3.0 GHz. Head to head, in our opinion the PS3’s cell processor takes the cake.
Graphics
Many PC gamers swear by their graphics card. Some even refusing to touch PC’s using a brand other then their own. This is where the flaming wars begin - ATI vs nVidia.
The nVidia graphics for the PlayStation 3 may not hold up to the high standards of the Xbox 360. The RSX Graphic processor probably doesn’t have as many pipelines as its ATI counterpart, but because the spec sheet for the core has yet to be released it’s hard to tell. Not a lot of information on this processor it readily available. If the core’s pipeline’s are more powerful then the Xbox 360’s pipes, Sony is doing a good job of hiding it. Running at 550 MHz, the core has over 300 million transistors and from what Sony has said, this nVidia graphics core runs faster the two GeForce 6800 Ultra cards combined.
The Xbox 360 on the other hand sports an ATI core, the choice manufacture for PC gamers. This particular core uses Unified Shader Architecture which allows pixel and vertex pipelines to combine, and with a total of 48 pipelines it’s difficult to compare this core to older models.
Memory
Comparing both consoles when it comes to memory is pretty simple. There are minimal differences between the two consoles as both come with 512 MB of memory dedicated to the system and its graphics. The PlayStation 3 has 256 MB of XDR memory and for the system, and 256 MB of GDDR3 dedicated to the graphics side of things. The PS3 also supports multiple types of portable media such as a Memory Stick, SD Memory and Compact Flash. 6 UBS 2.0 ports are also available and theres room for a removable 2.5 inch portable hard drive.
The Xbox 360 really does put its tail between its legs when it comes to media storage. Although it’s equipped with a few USB ports, its capabilities for storage are limited. On the other hand, support for portable devices such as the iPod and even the Sony’s handheld PSP are standard.
When it comes to removable media, there is no comparison between the two consoles. The Xbox 360 runs off Dual Layer DVD’s with storage capabilities of up to 9 GB per disk. Sony’s secret weapon is Blu-Ray which has the capability of holding up to 54 GB of data per disk. This gives game developers the ability to design games with much more detail, added maps, and longer missions all on one disk. Both consoled support conventional DVD’s, DVD R/W CD-Roms, and CD R/W.
Audio Visual
The PlayStation 3 comes with what is probably the most advanced video options ever on a gaming console. There are two HDMI outputs which can both be used at the same time. Doing so will allow the user to view two 1080p video streams simultaneously. What is 1080p? 1080 means 1080 lines of vertical resolution. The p stands for progressive scan, or non interlaced. This video mode can support 1920 X 1080 screen resolutions which translates into 2.07 million pixels and is referred to as True High Definition. In plain English what does this mean? Multi screen HDTV. That’s right; you can output your video onto two HDTV capable televisions at the same time.
Microsoft’s Xbox supports 720p and 1080i, both of which are also HDTV. 1080i is non interlaced, no progressive scan however both of these video modes are used by HDTV broadcasters in North America. Both are also superseded by the PlayStations 3’s 1080p.
Networking and Connectivity
The consoles of today are more and more connected then ever before. The PlayStation 3 has a built in 802.11 b/g adaptor, and Sony has announced its plans for an online service mirroring that of Microsoft’s Xbox Live. If you want a wireless solution for the Xbox 360 you’ll have to pay for the 802.11 a/b/g wirelessexternal adapter. If WiFi is not an option, both consoles come standard with a built in Ethernet adapter.
The regs in this section will hate me!
