Which gaming rig will come out on top in 2007?

January 22, 2007 12:20 AM

Now that the dust has started to settle after the first round of the “next-gen” console battle, i think it's time to bite the bullet and decide how my next 2 years of gaming will be spent... X-Box 360, PS3, Wii, or a new PC?

Without everyone getting all fanboy on us all (that's so 2006), I'd like to know what everyone's thoughts are on the current state of gaming and which system will really hold up for the next few years.

I'm a casual console gamer and was at one point was a serious PC gamer. My girlfriend is into sims and adventure games, which makes me lean towards a new PC. But I think a console might encourage us to play together.

I'm also really into the idea of building my own gaming PC and turning my old dell into a server or maybe a mythTV box. But the costs associated with doing this are double, if not triple the cost of the console (unless I follow something like the Tom's Hardware 4 GHz dual core DIY for $720).

So what's a lapsed gamer supposed to do...? Extra points for the PC gaming enthusiasts if anyone has a guide for an affordable DIY gaming rig.

posted by willie11 to shopping (24 comments total)

Now that the dust has started to settle after the first round of the “next-gen” console battle

I'd argue that the first round isn't really over. Next christmas, when sony and nintendo have had a year's worth of titles under their respective belts is probably a better point at which to judge which way the cookie has crumbled.
posted by juv3nal at 12:34 AM on January 22, 2007

Build yourself a PC, and buy a Wii. If you must choose between the two, get the PC if you want the best in online play and all the other things PCs can do. If you want to play with your girl, you'll need two PCs or the Wii can be a whole lot of fun on a budget. Wii boxing is incredible and portends some seriously fun titles to come. Wii Madden is also a kick and more intuitive than versions I have played on other platforms. Haven't been able to tear myself away from BF2 on the PC to fool with many of the other titles, but my girl is neglecting her seriously overpowered PC for Zelda and other Wii games.

I've been following Vince's system guides on Sharkyextreme since way back when he had his own site. They are quite good, and I like that you can compare the value spec to the higher end rigs and decide where you want to splurge. I also use the Tom's Hardware and Anandtech guides, and any new system I construct will be a mix of all plus whatever is up on Fatwallet or Slickdeals. Once you've got a rig, you watch the bargain sites for nice deals and upgrade parts when the price is right. With patience, and a little overclocking you can keep yourself fairly close to the cutting edge without spending much cash.
posted by Manjusri at 1:38 AM on January 22, 2007 [1 favorite]

Don't make the mistake of thinking the Wii is next gen. It isn't - at least in the sense that Nintendo are very deliberately not competing with Sony and Microsoft as much as possible. They see the current preoccupation with ultra-realistic graphics and physics to be to the detriment of the fun factor in games, and in many ways they're right.

The Wii is likely to be a great machine to encourage you, your girlfriend, and possibly your and her non-gamer friends to all play together - Nintendo is really focused on creating an accessible machine for party and casual play, whilst possibly satisfying the more hardcore gamers as a sideline. It's also cheap enough that many gamers are likely to have one in addition to, not instead of, a 360 or PS3.

I haven't played much of the 360 yet, but the little I saw of their Live online service promises a fantastic online experience, so if online gaming is your thing, the 360 is an excellent bet.

The PS3 is still a very unknown quantity. Developers are still trying to get their heads round its architecture, and there's a lot of bet-hedging going on as people try and work out if it's going to be the market leading platform this time, which was ultimately what made the developers put up with the PS2's platform idiosyncrasies. If the PS3 doesn't get a certain user critical mass, it's esoteric and complex hardware will quickly go from being an asset to a huge liabiity.

The PC, as ever, is where all the very latest, cutting edgest graphics and physics techniques will be being evolved, so if you really, really care about that sort of thing, it's probably worth having one. That said, the 360 and the PS3 are both powerful enought that this isn't as true as it once was. Also, until the consoles get their own World Of Warcraft style killer apps, it's still going to be the platform of choice for MMORPGs for the next couple of years.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 1:40 AM on January 22, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you like to play games online, then get a 360. (As well as the added value of the downloadable TV/Movie and streaming capabilities.)

It its not important, I'd get the Wii because its cheaper.
posted by mphuie at 1:57 AM on January 22, 2007

I agree with Jon Mitchell and juv3nal. I would add that it might be an enlightening excercise to make a list of the games you want to play that are available now, or will be in the next 4 months or so. Other than that, it's going to be pretty hard to predict the scenery a year out.
posted by blenderfish at 2:54 AM on January 22, 2007

I got a 360 for the holidays after waiting around to see what the PS3 and Wii had to offer. Wasn't impressed with either (and I was a huge sony fanboy) and gotta say...

I'm EXTREMELY happy with it. The on-line experience is a breeze and an absolute blast. The games are great so far and there's a lot upcoming stuff that'll be hard to resist.

Viva Pinata will have you and your girl playing for hours.

(I'm not and never was a PC player so that's something to consider.)
posted by ryecatcher at 3:02 AM on January 22, 2007

According to Wikipedia, Tetsuya Mizuguchi is considering making a sequel to Rez - for either the PS3 or Wii. So I for one will be waiting for further news before I decide.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 3:30 AM on January 22, 2007

I just got a 360 a couple weeks ago and it was well worth it. Gears of War and Dead Rising are both very, very fun. The 360 seems to cater more towards "serious" gamers and the games are, for the most part, more violent (with the exception of Viva Pinata). The line-up for 2007 is what really made me go for the 360 - games like Mass Effect, Halo 3, Bioshock, Assassin's Creed, and a whole lot of others are coming out this year. If you're into games like that, then I highly recommend the 360.

I would avoid the PS3. It only came out recently so there aren't many games to play, and it is the most expensive. As far as games in the future go, it doesn't seem to have that strong of a line-up. The PS3 is also doing really poorly in terms of sales, and many seem to be staunchly opposed to ever getting one.

As for the Wii, I don't know if I would consider it a next-gen console, though its new control scheme is really interesting. I don't own one, but all my friends do and it's fun to play, but the titles are sparse also. As far as a line-up goes for this year, I can't think of much aside from Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Graphically, the Wii is barely more powerful than the Gamecube, but Nintendo has been trying to emphasive gameplay over graphics (which in my opinion, is a good thing). Wii Sports, which comes with the system, is entertaining and a good way to see the potential of the controller. Warioware, which came out a few days ago, is also really fun. I am personally worried that the controller might be just novelty, so I'm waiting to see how it pans out. The Wii is a really fun console for parties or multiple people, so you and your girlfriend may enjoy that.

I used to have a home-built gaming PC until it crapped out a week ago (before I got a 360). That was where I played all my games. I've found now that the 360 is comparable to a gaming PC - a lot of the titles that I wanted for the PC were also available for the 360, and the 360 had some exclusive titles that I had wished were on the PC. A gaming PC, however, can be fairly expensive to build - I'd say a pretty good one is around $1200-$1500, whereas the 360 is $400. So since a lot of titles that I wanted for the PC were also going to be on the 360, I just went and got a 360 instead of a new gaming PC.

Hope that helped
posted by god particle at 4:25 AM on January 22, 2007 [1 favorite]

Most major titles these days are designed for both PC and next gen platforms, with a a few and far between exceptions. Like god particle says, a PC is an investment in money, time and energy and for gaming, it's not really worth it. This is coming from a hardcore PC gamer for the past 15 years. My two year old PC lies neglected in the corner, now relegated to providing me with internet access and my 360 with Live access, with the occasional foray into some FPSs that the 360 doesn't have yet (Call of Juares, Armed Assault, Half-Life 2).

I'm very much in the Wii60 camp, where you get the best of both worlds for the price of a PS3. Wii is the future of party/social gaming and really does do something different. The 360 is currently at its best. The developers are comfortable with the tools, making good quality games both in graphics and content and it can't be beat for the online component. My favorite being the Marketplace where they drop old games in weekly. Nothing quite like playing the original Doom against some friends from the comfort of your sofa (without all the networking pain of the original). Or some poker.

You're talking about now, so I can't in any good conscience let you buy a PS3. I think it's going to be an awesome console (maybe) in a year or two, once the games start coming out for it.

If it makes any difference, I work in the games industry and this is pretty much the (unofficial) consensus among my peers. But I don't make policy decisions, so Sony might be able to push for PS3 to be bigger...
posted by slimepuppy at 4:43 AM on January 22, 2007

I agree with Jon Mitchell, who I think is pretty much dead on.

The PS3 is too much of an unknown quantity right now to figure out how it will play out in the long run. It just doesn't have any games that is taking full advantage of the hardware, which makes it hard to compare it with the 360 (which does, e.g. Gears of War).

My husband and I have a 360, which I adore, particularly the Live service. Live is super-slick and easy to use, and it really feels "next-gen" to me, particularly with the HD content that you can download. The library of games for it is also huge, which is a bonus.

We also have a Wii, which is perfect for casual "let's play for a little and have some friends over" type of fun. Watching my sis-in-law and mother-in-law (neither of whom have ever picked up a controller in their lives) playing a highly competitive game of tennis on the Wii showcases the paradigm-shift of the Nintendo strategy.

That said, I still think that the PC is the most versatile of the gaming platforms, and in our house it is the platform that is most often used to play games. However, it's also the most time-intensive and costly in terms of maintenance and upgrading components.

It really does come down to the games you like to play, though. I second blenderfish's suggestion to look at a list of games out/coming out for each system and making that part of your decision-making process.
posted by gemmy at 4:50 AM on January 22, 2007

I'm a big video game fan (have just about every console released in the last 10 years, including a nice new gaming PC, although I have not picked up the PS3 yet). Making a solid recommendation is difficult because it really depends on your preferences, but here I go anyway:

Xbox 360 - excellent online gaming (careof Live), killer graphics (especially if you have an HDTV), nice mix of titles but tends to lean more toward the hardcore gamer fare. Meaning it doesn't have a ton of games that are easy to pick up and just play. Which isn't bad, but its a typical video game console in that right. That said, the 360 does have their "arcade" titles which are often old school, but I find those to be hit or miss. Also, given its large install base (!0 million +) it will likely have good support from publishers over the next few years.

PS3 - great graphics, bluray movies, but expensive and does not yet have a lot of games. Online gaming is not there yet for the PS3 either. I'd say wait a few or two before buying one as the game support will be better and the price will haved dropped by then.

Wii - interesting interface (with the wiimote). Very easy to just pick up and play. My wife, who is a casual gamer, loves this console. Has some early good titles, supports Gamecube games which is great and already has some excellent vintage games thanks to the Virtual Console. But as a recently released console it does not have as many good titles as the Xbox 369 (IMHO). Also, the graphics are nothing fancy (very close to the Gamecube) and to be honst the online experience stinks.

PC - Excellent selection of games, easy to upgrade, great online support. That said, tends to be expensive, can have stability issues and with the exception of RPG/MMORPG titles, PC support has be lacking over the recent years.

All said, if I had to make one recommendation for a "next gen" console right now it'd be for the Xbox 360 unless you plan on doing a lot of gaming with your friends over your house. In that case, the Wii might actually be better. Its more of a "party" system.

To be honest, outside of the next-gen question, I'd actually recommend picking up either a Nintendo DS or a PS2 if you don't have them. They're both great systems with excellent games... and best of all they're inexpensive.
posted by tundro at 5:38 AM on January 22, 2007

It all depends on your priorities. If you don't think you're going to get into the "hardcore" mode and you want more casual games that you can play with your girl... get the Wii.

Elebits, Monkey Ball, Rayman and Wario Ware are all fun games that your girl will play. Plus, you also have Zelda, Mario and Metroid coming out this year.

I wouldn't spend the money on a high end PC. Other then HL2 ep2, Crysis and Unreal 2k7 I can't think of any other PC games. That's a lot of money to spend on a hanful of games.

For the best of both worlds since you were going to spend the money on a PC, I'd get a Wii a 360 and a subscription to GameFly.
posted by SupaDave at 5:52 AM on January 22, 2007

If I hadn't been so psyched about the Wii I might have set a few dollars aside every paycheck to save for the Wii, and bought an Xbox360 first. The 360 has some great games out, not to mention Xbox Live. The Wii is fun too, and there are good games, but there are sure to be even better games in a few months.

They're very different systems though - so I don't think it's a one-or-the-other thing in my book.

I've got the Wii, and in a few months I'll probably get a 360.
posted by soplerfo at 6:09 AM on January 22, 2007

Have you played any of the next gen systems yet? If not, I suggest making a trip to your local gaming store of choice and trying them all out. It would be better if you could try them out over at a friends house, but I still feel it is important to get some hands-on time with them before you decide to buy.

I would suggest not getting a PS3 right now unless you need a 'cheap' Blu-Ray player and/or really want to play Resistance. In fact, I would suggest not getting a PS3 at all for at least the first few years. Companies are already starting to make X360 versions of games that were previously announced for the PS3 only and it wouldn't surprise me to see more and more companies do this.

I'm a big fan of the Wii but there really aren't a lot of must-have games for it right now. If you can resist the call of Zelda, I'd suggest waiting until the middle of this year before you buy one. At that point, there should be enough of them in stores to meet demand and there will be more high quality games on the shelves. At $250, I think it is definitely worth a buy even if you only use it when you have your friends over.

I don't own a 360 and rumor has it that Microsoft is going to put out a new version of it this year. I'd hold off on buying a 360 until those rumors are put to bed. It is a solid system to get with a number of great games already, and Xbox Live is a lot of fun if you want to do the onlne thing.

I'd definitely suggest building a somewhat high-end PC, leaving yourself a lot of room to upgrade. This year should be pretty good for PC games. Spore, Supreme Commander, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, UT 2k7, and CnC 3 come to mind.

So, in summary: Hold off on PS3 until at least the second or third revision and until the system gets some good, exclusive games that you want. Hold off on 360 until Microsoft owns up to releasing a new version. Hold off on Wii until more games are out and you can actually find one in stores. Building a PC right now is a smart thing to do for the games coming out in 2007 and other great games that you may have missed.
posted by Diskeater at 6:13 AM on January 22, 2007

The following forum links from NeoGAF and GameSpot forums are image intensive and obviously partially inexact/incomplete but help give an overview of upcoming games.

2007 Xbox 360 games.

2007 PS3 games.

2007 Wii games.

2007 PC games.

Might as well throw in the handhelds and PS2 as well -

2007 DS games.

2007 PSP games.

2007 PS2 games.
posted by lucien at 7:08 AM on January 22, 2007

I too would duck the PS3.

I haven't played the wii much; it's games aren't really my style. I agree that it very much comes down to your choice of games. I like first-person shooters, driving/flying games, and some sports games. The Wii doesn't cater to those tastes, and a PC takes too much updating for my tastes.
posted by craven_morhead at 7:21 AM on January 22, 2007

We somehow managed to get Wii and a PS3. (We already have every gimmick system of the previous generations a GameCube, A PS2, A DreamCast, etc, etc.)

The Wii is a game system like Jenga is a board game. Technically, it's a game system and competes for your time and money, but it's doing something different than the other systems. (If you like things like WarioWare, it's a great system. If you see it as a cheap gimmick, skip it.) If you've seen a Game Cube, you've seen the graphics.

The PS3 isn't a system yet as far as I can tell. The games that are out suck -- if you're into shooting and driving, the Xbox 360 is going to be much more in your camp. If you've got a nice TV and want a BluRay player, that's where the value of the PS3 comes in (it's cheaper than stand-alone players). It'll be a while before we'll see whether Sony can muster a selection of good games for this system.

I'd rather play first person shooters on a computer (I'd prefer to customize all the controls), and I like to play games against my friends, not just random strangers, so the Xbox 360 holds little interest for me. Despite its buggy nature, it seems like the 1st person shooter/sports game system, and despite the occasional title like "Viva Pinata," it looks like it'll stay that way. It's also the system to get if you want to play games and have a HD-DVD player (but doesn't make much economic sense just as an HD-DVD player).
posted by Gucky at 9:04 AM on January 22, 2007

The generation 2 XBOX360 'Zephyr' has been confirmed as a prototype and not for production. I wouldn't hold my breath. The selected vendor for the 65nm processor is not even expected to start producing prototypes until the middle of this year.

My answer is PCWii60. PC for FPS, RPGs and general computing, Wii for party games, 360 for online, sports, driving, and action games.

I have the PC and Wii already, and I'm picking up the 360 today. The PS3 is dead in the water.
posted by WinnipegDragon at 10:03 AM on January 22, 2007

I've always been a keyboard/mouse shooter person, though i did get into the Halo games (and indeed bought an Xbox mostly to play Halo) and got good enough with the controller.

I built a new PC last year to play Half Life 2 and CS:S, and all was well, until I started playing WoW. Now WoW is about all I play on PC, and I play most of my shooters (read: Gears) on the 360. I still prefer the keyboard and mouse for shooters.

The girlfriend likes turn based strategy games like Civ, so there really isn't much of a choice except PC. I'd love to see

When you consider the utility of a nice PC, not to mention how nice it is to do your day to day computing on a beefy machine, I really feel like you can't go without. Or at least, I would be unsatisfied with only the 360.
posted by kableh at 10:11 AM on January 22, 2007

1000BaitedHooks: Will the new version of Rez come with improved teledildonics?
posted by Area Control at 11:03 AM on January 22, 2007

Gucky - On 360 Live, you can play with your friends. I beleive it just requires an update of some sort. My roomate has it set up that way.

Jon Mitchell, I like it.

I vote for the 360. I can see the Wii becoming that "second" system for people. I am undecided about the PS3.
posted by thetenthstory at 11:10 AM on January 22, 2007

Personally, I just shrugged it all off and bought a DS. I'm not as hardcore of a gamer as I used to be, and I've really enjoyed a system that's laid back and fun. If I did get anything else, it'd be a Wii. That's my view though, and you seem more interested in getting back into really gaming.

My gut feeling says you'd be happiest with a 360. It's a good system for PC gamers, a lot cheaper, and it's got a solid established user base, so it's very likely to have at least two good years ahead of it, if not more.
posted by Saydur at 2:24 PM on January 22, 2007

1000BaitedHooks: Will the new version of Rez come with improved teledildonics?

Goddamn it I hope so. Maybe it will be compatible with this for multiplayer and we will finally see the PS3 living up to its potential.
posted by A Thousand Baited Hooks at 12:22 AM on January 23, 2007

Gucky - On 360 Live, you can play with your friends. I beleive it just requires an update of some sort. My roomate has it set up that way.

None of my friends have 360s. I've got a robust Wii parade instead.
posted by Gucky at 11:13 AM on January 23, 2007