I'm not going to go back and forth in this thread, but I would like to chime in again, if only for a moment.
[quote name='joserjerr']My issues with the PS3:
- Not all the SKU's are backwards compatible. Even to confuse the situation more the systems have different levels of BC depending on the hardware. The 360 provides the same level of BC for all SKU's. Is the level of BC listed on the box even for when parents are in the store? That's deceptive IMO if the info is not there as full BC is something Sony has preached in the past.[/quote]
The information is on the box, yes. Additionally, as a consumer, you know which systems offer which levels of BC; so if it matters, or does not matter, to you, then you buy the one that matters accordingly. It isn't perfect, but the information is available to the public ahead of time - why blame Sony if someone isn't sharp enough to do research before buying anything, let alone a $400-500 console? Is it MS' fault if I want an Xbox 360 and buy a Core/Arcade, thinking that I can't wait to play all the arcade titles on it? Or watch an HD DVD film? Or download a 6GB movie from XBLM? I can't really do either (the former much, of course, but the latter two at all) on the system - but is that my fault for buying a 360 without a hard drive, or MS' fault for all the SKUs?
Is it my fault if I don't support free trade/globalization and the effect on the American economy, but I buy Nike shoes without looking on the box to see if it says "Made in Indonesia," a shirt at WM without looking to see if it says "Made in China," and so on? Of course it is. That information is there, and it's a matter of degrees. When that information is there, and available, you can't claim the consumer is a victim because they won't look things up before buying something.
= Online service - Yes the PSN network is free but you get what you pay for. XBOX Live is a vastly superior service for which the grumbling in the gaming community has subsided as gamers have been exposed to what Sony and Nintendo have to offer as an online experience..
You aren't really saying much here. What differences are there in PSN and XBL for games that are on both systems? Few, if any. In game friend list invites are, IMO, the major difference. That's significant, and something PSN should offer. Nevertheless, since you're only playing with 4-16 (give or take) people at a time, what's the larger population of online gamers matter? If you can demonstrate that there are PS3 online communities that are "dead" while the same game is still thriving on the 360, then you have a point. I doubt you can do that, however. Far fewer people play COD4 on the PS3, but you'll never be left waiting. It's a moot point, I'm afraid.
Now, on the content front, Sony's paltry offerings leaves a great deal to be desired compared to the 360. There is room for improvement on that front.
- Does every gamer need Blu-Ray? Am I buying a gaming console or a movie player because I'm not sure Sony really knows what they are selling from their marketing campaign. That's probably why they swithed advertising companies recently to the Deutsch.
Why don't you decide if you're buying a gaming console or a movie player? You can do both or just one, or neither, if you so choose. If the capacity and advantage of BR doesn't prove itself in every game disc out there, it's not a huge problem. If it shows it off in some (Uncharted) and not others (Assassin's Creed? Just a guess - substitute with any other multiplatform title), it's not the end of the world. Those that do need the space are not inherently better or worse - they just need more space.
At some point, you'll find that BR's advantages will show themselves quite clearly. If not, let me respond to your question with both an answer and another question.
Answer: *every* gamer? Of course not.
Question: Does every gamer looking to buy a PS2 need DVD? If you think so, defend your position.
- Yes the 360 has HDMI and 1080 capability on newer modesls so what's your point? If your going to rip MS for adding this functionality to later units you should also mention Sony is removing functionality from the PS3's to cut price.
The functionality (BC/USB ports) aren't entirely gone. They're there if you want them, and they aren't if you don't need them. Allow me to ask you this: does *EVERY* gamer need BC?

Or does your "does every gamer need _____" question only fly when it supports your preconceived notions of disliking Sony and/or the PS3?
Want 'em? Buy a 60/80GB. Don't want 'em? Buy a 40GB. Where's the problem?
- Do you read the gamng news at all? Sony's practices just reak of someone that expects to ship a console and everyone will just run out and buy it because it says SONY. In most cases, game exclusivity is a thing of the past which helped Sony prevail over the other consoles in years past, except for the annoying timed exclusives.
heh. I don't get why people take what Sony say so personally. But they do, I suppose. If we're going to be offended by company presentations and PR, and dare single out one company over the others, I think that's pretty indicative of pretty righteous bias. Poor Perrin Kaplan never gets her due for being a numbskull, and the sheer narcissism of Nintendo's E3 keynote is left by the wayside, whereas "you'll have to work overtime to buy a PS3" is remembered. Are they all obnoxious and cocksure? Oh yes. No doubt about it.
- Where are the games beyond Ratchet & Clank and Uncharted?
Oh, that's right. There are none. At all. Warhawk? Not a game. Heavenly Sword? Not a game either. Tekken Online? Nope. Eye of Judgment? Unreal Tournament III? Haze? Lawd 'amighty, kid - you have to TRY to avoid PS3 news/reports if you really think there is nothing worth owning on the system. A sort of "LALALAICANTHEARYOU" approach. Notice I'm not saying "this other system or that system has fewer good games than the PS3," I'm saying "The PS3 has good games period." If you want to argue against that, well, I'm sure you have a lot of cognitive dissonance to repair in remaining determined that Sony is going to come to your house and burn your Xbox because they're so arrogant and pointed directly at you.
- Let's take the lack of rumble in the PS3 controller for instance as Sony didn't want to settle a lawsuit with Immersion and considered rumble so "last gen". Gamers demand rumble and Sony settles. They brand the new controller with Dual Shock 3 and have some gaming journalists, "I use the word journalists loosely", touting Sony and their rumble functionality. One of the staffers at 1UP even goes on to say the he can feel how rumble is specific so the game as his colleagues call BS! Rumble is rumble people!
1) Rumble is not "just" rumble.
2) Corporate spin is corporate spin, ever since well before your grandparents were in diapers. Don't be afraid when it's so transparent (e.g., rumble is "last-gen") - be afraid of when you can't see it.
Remember how we all had a great big gut-busting guffaw over how Sony insisted that 1080p was "true HD"? What a joke that was, right? Or was it just a joke when Sony said it, and then it became an awesome update to the 360 when they added 1080p functionality to their system?
- Their perceived unwillingness to assist third-party developers in creating games for the PS3. That's probably how we ended up with the crappy SixAxis controls of Lair and the framerate differences in the sports games like Madden.
I probably could go on but I'll cut it off there.
You are making attributions incorrectly, when it's quite clear that, in the case of Madden, EA had 1.5-2+ years of working with the 360's hardware advantage over the PS3. Sony should have gotten it into their hands sooner, but they didn't. We'll see if these differences remain next year, or if EA and other developers take advantage of the PS3's architecture the same way they do with the Wii.
Also, you're really going to complain about 30/60FPS as if it's significant? The PS3 sure has some sharp knees, doesn't it, pal? :lol:
LAIR...well, it's terrible, and I would chalk it up to the developer not allowing for sixaxis control to be turned off. Whether that is Sony's call or Factor 5's, I don't know. Lair is quite the anomaly, and not representive of the quality of PS3 games on the whole, despite the willingness of people like you to say that it is.