Bon, on va mettre un truc utile pour une fois sur ce forum. Ca va choquer pas mal de monde mais c´est pas grave
PlayStation 3 vs Xbox 360
We dig beyond the hype to see how Sony´s upcoming PlayStation 3 stacks up against Microsoft´s big white box.
By Adam Pavlacka
9 Jun 2006
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Introduction
Under the Hood: PlayStation 3
Under the Hood: Xbox 360
The Software Line-Up
Seeing in High-Definition
The Movie Format War
Conclusion
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Introduction
It´s been a little over a year since Sony first announced its upcoming PlayStation 3 console. In that time, plenty of hype (not to mention barbs) have flown between the Microsoft and Sony camps, each attempting to tout their machine as the "better" offering. After all, who can forget when Sony´s Phil Harrison took the stage at the European Game Developer´s Conference in the fall of 2005 and talked critically about Microsoft´s plan to release two retail versions of the Xbox 360?
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
"Are there two versions of the Xbox 360 that people want to buy? I don´t know," said Harrison. "I look at those formats. I think it just confuses the audience. They don´t know which one to buy, developers don´t know which one to create for, and retailers don´t know which one to stock...So I think we wouldn´t take that strategy. We wouldn´t create confusion."
Since the propaganda has been constant on both sides of the fence (strangely, the only thing Microsoft and Sony can seem to agree on is that the Nintendo Wii looks incredibly cool), we decided to sift through all of the available information in order to figure out exactly what both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have to offer, and how they compare.
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Under the Hood: PlayStation 3
On display for the first time at E3 2006, the PlayStation 3 has evolved since its announcement last year. As expected, the specs have been scaled back and Sony has chosen to offer two versions of the PlayStation 3 in an attempt to appeal to the cost-conscious.
Retailing for $599 is the system that most gamers will want when they head to the store this November. Featuring a Blu-ray Disc drive, a 60GB hard drive, four USB ports, memory stick slots, Ethernet and WiFi for Internet connectivity, and the highest-end video output (HDMI), the system is fully loaded.
Front: 20GB System
Rear: 20GB System
The cheaper version of the PlayStation 3 will retail for $499 and keeps the Blu-ray drive, but the hard drive is reduced in size to 20GB, there are no ports for memory sticks, and WiFi has been removed. The HDMI port is also absent. Unlike the two Xbox 360 versions, it´s impossible to later upgrade the basic version of the PlayStation 3. If you want to snag the advanced features, you must pick up the more expensive system at the outset.
Missing from both versions is the promised dual-screen, 1080p support (that´s 1920x1080 resolution in progressive scan), as well as the multiple Ethernet ports. The controller has also been changed. Last year´s boomerang design is out and the standard Dual Shock is back in. Only now the controller has gone wireless and it´s lost the "shock" (the rumble feedback).
Front: 60GB System
Rear: 60GB System
According to Sony, it had a choice between adding motion sensing technology similar to the Wii or keeping in the rumble feature, and it opted for the former. Skeptics have speculated that the choice had more to do with Immersion´s lawsuit against Sony than with technology, but the company is keeping mum on that front. The lawsuit alleges that the popular PlayStation 2 controller infringes on Immersion´s patents and asks for nearly $100 million in damages.
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Under the Hood: Xbox 360
Already out on the market, the Xbox 360 will have a full year on the PlayStation 3 by the time Sony´s system launches. In the video game world, that´s ages, but time does not always signal a winner. After all, the Sega Dreamcast had a year on the PlayStation 2, yet it failed to fend off Sony´s system.
From a hardware perspective, the Xbox 360 is slightly weaker than the PlayStation 3, but not by much. It sports a similarly powered processor (the PowerPC CPU used in the Xbox 360 was developed by IBM, as was the CELL processor used in the PlayStation 3), and can push a comparable number of polygons. Based on the demonstrations at E3, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are neck and neck in terms of visuals.
Controller
Core System
Where the Xbox 360 lags is in storage space for games. Getting a year´s head start on Sony meant using the standard DVD format for games, which limits software developers to around 9GB of space. In comparison, the PlayStation 3´s Blu-ray format can support around 50GB. On paper that sounds like a huge disadvantage, but in reality the difference is minimal.
The biggest part of any game is typically the movies and the art used for the visuals. While PlayStation 3 developers will no doubt fill their discs with high definition cinema scenes, those same images can still be squeezed onto a standard DVD in a lower resolution.[b] After all, most of a game is spent playing and not watching cutscenes (usually!). With similar system specs, picking a winner is going to come down to the games.
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The Software Line-Up
Here, the Xbox 360 already has an advantage, although Microsoft´s launch wasn´t without its stumbles. Gamers have been very vocal about their disapproval of multi-system ports appearing on the 360 for $10-$20 more, without offering any extra features. Amongst the common titles, however, Microsoft has already seen a few standouts and as the summer presses on, more are sure to come.
The big news at E3 was the dual platform release of Grand Theft Auto 4. Hitting both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 at the same time, the announcement was good news in several ways. As one of the highest profile titles on the market, Rockstar would have only allowed the game to go exclusive if it thought there was money to be made. By going multi-platform, Rockstar has already signaled publicly what many developers have been saying privately -- the next generation will see Microsoft and Sony on equal footing.
Gran Turismo 5
Metal Gear Solid 4
Of course, exclusives will be hitting each system. Sony has already announced Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 2, Devil May Cry 4, and Metal Gear Solid 4; these games are all system sellers, but Microsoft hasn´t been holding back either. On the Xbox 360 release calendar are the highly anticipated Gears of War, Forza 2, Chrome Hounds, and Mass Effect. Though both systems have a number of franchise sequels on their release lists, it´s interesting that the PlayStation 3 is heavier on the numbered titles than the Xbox 360.
Both systems support backwards compatibility, though how the two do so varies. With the Xbox 360, Microsoft has supported a limited number of Xbox titles via emulation. [b]Not all games run, though those that do tend to run well. And because it´s software support, the compatible games list has increased since the system´s release.
Gears of War
Mass Effect
For the PlayStation 3, Sony originally announced that it too was going to go the emulation route, but last year it promised compatibility with its entire PlayStation catalog. A tall order to be sure and the current rumors out of Japan have indicated the attempt might have been a bit much, even for Sony. Japanese magazines are now reporting that the PlayStation 2 chipset will be integrated into the PlayStation 3 hardware in order to run previous titles, much like the PlayStation 2 contained the original PSone hardware.
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Seeing in High-Definition
Perhaps the most confusing part of the whole next-gen shootout is knowing how to display the image. Gone are the days of one simple video connection. Now you have to know the difference between component, VGA, HDMI, and more. While it may seem like a lot of jargon, knowing how everything works together is important if you want to get the most out of your new game system. Of course, both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 will display on a standard TV, but doing so severely limits the benefits of the improved visuals. To truly appreciate the higher fidelity in the picture, you´ll need a hi-def display.
Component -- This is the most common type of hi-def connection. Nearly every HDTV on the market supports a component input and both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 output with it. Component can support resolutions up to 1080p, however, very few displays can handle that resolution.
PS3 Controller
Xbox 360 Controller
VGA -- Most commonly seen on computer monitors, VGA connections are also on some mid-range and high-end HDTVs. Supporting a wider variety of resolutions than component, VGA allows an old computer monitor to double as a hi-def display. It´s a cheap way to get the most out of your system, without springing for a proper HDTV. The Xbox 360 supports VGA with an optional cable. PlayStation 3 support for VGA is unknown.
HDMI -- Considered the future of AV, HDMI is a single cable that carries both audio and video on a single cable. In some ways it´s similar to the old days of a single RF cable, but the image and picture over HDMI is crystal clear thanks to its all digital interface. HDMI also supports HDCP encryption, which may become a necessity if you want to ensure playback of HD-DVD and Blu-ray movies in hi-def. The $599 PlayStation 3 60GB model supports HDMI, but the lower priced option does not. The Xbox 360 does not currently support HDMI.
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The Movie Format War
Both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 can play DVD movies, but the question on everyone´s mind is how do they handle the next-generation formats? Microsoft announced a HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 at E3, set to be available by the time the PlayStation 3 launches this fall. With no set price, many are guessing that the cost of an Xbox 360 plus the HD-DVD add-on will equal that of a PlayStation 3.
So which is better? Neither. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray have the capacity to display the same high definition movie encoding format that is being used. Both are backed by different industry groups and both are vying to be the dominant format. Unfortunately, this is one area where marketing is going to come into play, as much like the VHS vs. Betamax war, the winner will not be decided on technical merits, but on the selection of movies.
HD-DVD
Blu-ray player
That said, if you are planning on purchasing a game system to watch movies on, the PlayStation 3 60GB has an edge at this point. Not because of Blu-ray, but because of its HDMI output. Both HD-DVD and Blu-ray support the Image Constraint Token. ICT is designed so that movie publishers can require their films only be displayed over an encrypted HDMI connection. This is done in an attempt to reduce piracy.
If a movie with ICT support is played back through another connection, such as component or VGA, its maximum resolution will be cut down to roughly a quarter of the original size. The end result is you´ll be watching an image that looks like a standard DVD, rather than hi-def.
Unless Microsoft includes a HDMI cable with the HD-DVD add-on, the Xbox 360 will be incapable of displaying any films that require ICT in their full resolution. Likewise, the PlayStation 3 20GB will never be able to display them. While some studios, such as Sony Tristar, have promised that the first hi-def releases will not require ICT, the fact remains that this could change at any time. Quite simply, you do not want to purchase a system with the primary purpose of playing hi-def films unless it has HDMI.
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Conclusion
Unlike the last generation, where Sony clearly held a commanding lead, the next generation of gaming is going to be a much closer race between the behemoths of Microsoft and Sony. Though there were many skeptics last fall, the past eight months have shown the Xbox 360 to be a very capable system and more than powerful enough to challenge the PlayStation 3. Microsoft also believes it will have 10 million units in the global marketplace before Sony even leaves the gate. So the question becomes: Which system do you buy?
If you want a great platform to play the highest end games right now, then the Xbox 360 is the only choice to go with. Xbox Live is an extremely impressive online service, while the software catalog already contains some must-buys and is rapidly expanding.
If you want a system that doubles as a next-gen movie player, then you need to wait. The PlayStation 3 60GB is the only game system with a confirmed HDMI output and the only one guaranteed to playback all Blu-ray movies in full resolution. Until we hear more from Microsoft, the Xbox 360 can´t promise to run HD-DVD content at its intended resolution.
Nintendo Wii Console
Wii Controller
Bear in mind that even with a steep $599 price tag, early adopters will often snatch up all initial shipments. This means that unless you pre-order, chances are good the only place you´ll be able to find the PlayStation 3 in November is on eBay (at an insanely high cost).
Finally, there´s the cost-conscious consumer that simply wants to play games and doesn´t really care about media center features or hi-def movies. If you fall into this category, there´s always the Wii! Nintendo´s unique platform is the only one coming in at a confirmed sub-$250 point, with a sophisticated motion-sensing controller, and a proven track record of being inventive with new technology.
peut etre mais ca ne lui donne pas le droit de dire n´importe quoi de temps a autre