The Sony PS3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360 are the true giants in the video game console industry. Their consoles seem alike at first glance, but there are many inherent differences between them that we will be exploring.
The video gaming industry is enjoying a very rich moment in its existence right now, and the cause for this can be firmly attributed to the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360. These two consoles form the seventh generation of video game consoles, and these particular platforms have certainly come a long way since they first made their presence felt. The Nintendo Wii also played a significant role in the evolution of video games (especially motion based video games), but their lack of HD graphics and no updates have significantly thrown them out of the picture.
These two consoles by Sony Computer Entertainment and Microsoft are the true behemoths in this industry, and in this Techspirited article we will be comparing the hardware of both these devices. When it comes to carrying out a graphics comparison, the differences between the two consoles are not very prominent, but their hardware is significantly different from each other. For the sake of convenience, we will be comparing the newest PS3 model (the PS3 Slim) and the newest Xbox 360 model (the Xbox 360 S) against each other.
Hardware Specifications
The PS3 Slim was released in September 2009 and made some considerable changes to the physical appearance of the console, and its dimensions as well. The aim was to create a smaller and lighter console, and Sony succeeded in achieving this. According to Sony, this model is 36% lighter, 33% smaller and consumes 34% less power than previous models. The Xbox 360 S came out in June 2010 and it changed the entire architecture of the earlier models. The new model had 30% more space inside, and it also brought a Wi-Fi connector to the table. The changed architecture also resulted in the console making lesser noise, and not overheating as often as the previous models did. The differences in the hardware between the two consoles is illustrated below.
| Feature | PlayStation 3 Slim | Xbox 360 S | Winner |
| CPU | 3.2GHz Cell processor, 7 single cores and 1 backup core | 3.2GHz Xenon processor, 3 dual cores | PS3 |
| GPU | 256MB NVIDIA RSX “Reality Synthesizer” | 512MB ATI Xenos | Xbox 360 |
| Hard Drive | 160GB or 320GB, can be replaced with any standard hard drive | 4GB or 250GB, can only be replaced with a specific type of hard drive | PS3 |
| RAM | 256MB working at 3.2GHz | 512MB working at 700MHz (since the RAM is shared with the GPU) | PS3 |
| Disc Drive | 25GB disc space, can play DVD and Blu-Ray disc | 7GB disc space, can only read DVD | PS3 |
| Networking | 1GB/s Ethernet, supports Wi-Fi 802.11g | 100MB/s Ethernet, supports Wi-Fi 802.11n | Xbox 360 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 2.0, 2 USB 2.0 ports, maximum 8 controllers can be attached | No Bluetooth, 5 USB 2.0 ports, maximum 4 wired controllers and 4 wireless controllers can be attached | PS3 |
The single biggest advantage of the PS3, is its ability to play Blu-Ray discs. However, the online gaming service provided by Microsoft (Xbox Live) is far better than that provided by Sony (PlayStation Network). Luckily, Microsoft has provided a Wi-Fi connector with its newest model so this has solved the problem of connectivity. Earlier models were not Wi-Fi enabled and hence needed external adapters to connect to Xbox Live. Both the consoles play full 1080p HD content though and produce high quality digital and analog sound so this is an area that they are almost equal at.
Both the consoles also have their own motion gaming platforms now (the Move for the PS3 and the Kinect for the Xbox 360), and in this area the PS3 trumps the Xbox 360 as well. Even though the Kinect possesses groundbreaking technology, the level of games that is available for this platform are still at a nascent stage. The ability to play games without any controller is magnificent, but Sony offers better games for their Wii-like motion gaming platform, hence giving them the edge. All in all, the PS3 is the superior console for many different reasons.