The question of which game console is better – Sony’s PS3 or Microsoft’s XBOX 360 – has been debated for over a year now since the release of these products. It was argued strongly then that the XBOX 360 was indeed the better choice when it comes to practically all aspects from price to performance. For many tech experts and gaming enthusiasts, pretty much the same thing can be said today.

On the other hand, PS3 users have also grown in number. So, which is really better? Here is a brief comparison of the two:

The prices of both PS3 and XBOX 360 have gone down. The initial price of the XBOX 360 was $299 for the 20 GB model and $399 for the 60 GB model that is selling for $50 dollars less. The replacement to the Core model, the Arcade, is only $279.99 with a 256 MB memory and for a little over $400, there is the Elite Edition but there is not much to it aside from the additional 100 GB storage space.

On the other hand, PS3 initially sold for $499 (20 GB) and $599 (60GB) but now you can get an 80 GB unit for $499 and for $399 for half the storage space or 40 GB. While the PS3 is now at a more reasonable price, the XBOX 360 still wins the price category. Why? The average-priced 40 GB PS3 lacks important features like a flash card reader, SACD playback, and a couple of USB ports. It is also not PS2 compatible. You can run PS2 games on the 80GB model but do not expect 100 percent software emulation.

In addition, all the versions of the XBOX 360 are already bundled with software games, although not all of them of course are worth playing but in contrast, only one game comes with the 80 GB model of the PS3.

When it comes to performance, here lies some serious debate. Just looking at the specs of the PS3, it appears that its 3.2 IBM Cell processor is more powerful than the 3.2 Tri-core Xenon engine of the Xbox 360. But some software developers say that it is more difficult to develop games for the PS3 so the power of its engine has not really been put to its full use, however, they realize this can change in the future.

On the subject of graphics, XBOX 360 rules over PS3 at least for now, although, many would passionately argue that PS3 is the graphics winner. Tech experts agree that PS3’s Cell engine has great potential to deliver superb and smoother graphics equal or better than XBOX 360 but they have yet to see them.

Another aspect to look at is the game selection for these two consoles. Because the XBOX 360 has better graphics, multiplatform games usually have better resolution and filtering than on the PS3. Although, it is not always the case, the PS3 also has the tendency to run multi-platform games at a lesser frame rate. In addition, PS3 versions of multiplayer games are often delayed because of development challenges.

The exclusive PS3 games has also gotten poor ratings compared to exclusive XBOX 360 games with four games ranking 90 and higher such as Forza Motorsport 2, Mass Effect, BioShock, and Halo 3 while the highest rating that PS3 got is 89 for its game, the Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction.

If there is one redeeming factor on the PS3, it is none other than its its superior multimedia center that supports multiple formats for video streaming, has an excellent and very quiet movie player (unlike the XBOX 360), good MP4 support, good standalone audio player, better photo resolution. All in all, PS3 is the winner in the multimedia category.

While PS3 fans contend that they can do more with this console, there were actually more people worldwide who bought the XBOX 360 (approx. 13 million) than the PS3 (approx 6 million) as of a recent 2007 survey. So, should you buy an XBOX instead? There is no quick answer. Learn more about the good and bad things of both consoles so you can choose which suits your requirements best.