Sony claims Xbox 360 requires HD DVD, etc., thus costs $700

Ok, here's a new one: with Sony's announcements today they've issued a titled "Next-generation Console Comparison Fact Sheet," (downloadable here [DOC]) so let's see some facts. First up, were you aware that to use your Xbox 360 Core system you're required to buy the 20GB drive add-on, an HD DVD drive, a wireless controller, and an Xbox Live sub? We weren't either. But hey, it says right there, "requires users to buy" and this is, in fact, a "fact sheet." Of course, none of that's actually true, and what's more, were one to use the Xbox 360 Premium console pack in that chart instead of the Core pack, the total would be $399 for a console with that very same hard drive, wireless controller, and Xbox Live Silver subscription (which provides access to everything but multiplayer) -- remember, kids, an HD DVD drive is not required to do anything but watch high def movies -- it has nothing to do with high def gaming. We hear Microsoft ain't too happy about this chart either and is preparing certain legal action, namely because it could be misleading to otherwise unwitting retail employees selling customers game consoles this holiday season. Go figure.

P.S. -In the interest of fairness, it's also worth pointing out the Wii browser is what will cost you after the first 6 months -- not their online service. What's more, if you download the browser before June of 2007, it's straight up free. Otherwise, Nintendo hasn't yet announced details of the cost of their online service so far as we know. Another nice one, Sony.

P.P.S. -We just confirmed with Microsoft that another Sony claim -- that you need a memory unit or a hard drive to use the WiFi adapter -- is also false. You can grab a Core pack with no memory card and plug in a WiFi adapter and get on your home network. Sheez Sony, did we mention we moonlight as fact checkers?

Update: SCEA's own Dave Karraker, Senior Director of Corporate Communications, furnished the following response: "Through our comparison chart we are not implying that you must purchase the myriad of peripherals and add-ons that Microsoft offers to play your Xbox 360. You don't. However, if you want to attempt to come close to the performance of the $499 PlayStation 3 by using your Xbox 360, Core or Premium, you could only do that through expensive add-ons -- that is what our chart is demonstrating. Once you add it all up, it would cost you more than our $499 unit, and you would still not come close to everything we offer, ie: free multiplayer gaming, 50GB storage capacity of Blu-ray disc, Blu-ray disc player for games AND movies, processing power of the Cell Broadband Engine." We still think it's apples to oranges not comparing the Premium pack, and talking about "performance" since the Blu-ray drive doesn't help Sony's game experience so much as it helps their movie experience. It's not like they're discussing the Wii in this regard at all, so it's still skewed. Furtheremore, Sony had no apparent comment on the other factual inaccuracies. Ah well.

[HughJass @ Oct 20th 2006 1:16AM]

Hah, and Nintendo isn't an Asian company? F*cking n00bs.

[JeffNlA @ Oct 19th 2006 8:59PM]

Sony cannot go any lower - they are the Jerry Springer of electronics.

[Zach @ Oct 26th 2006 6:30PM]

Microsoft only charges for XBL becuase it costs alot of money to maintain servers like that. It is only fair and i think that the amount per month is a fair amount too.

[Curtis Estridge @ Oct 19th 2006 9:02PM]

yeah, but they forgot to mention that we already have 360s

[Richard Vialoux @ Oct 19th 2006 9:02PM]

this is such a pile of garbage.

i hate you sony.

[MearWolf @ Oct 20th 2006 2:29PM]

sony are so gay sometimes, because they make things up

[Dave @ Oct 20th 2006 1:17AM]

And i hate you Richard Vialoux !
If you dont like Sony then dont buy PS3, we will see where are you going to end!

[bigern1990 @ Oct 20th 2006 5:54PM]

This is when the announcer says...
"Swing and a miss"

Sony sux at life

[Josh McGrath @ Oct 19th 2006 9:03PM]

hahahaa, sony is getting desperate.

[Dan @ Oct 19th 2006 9:03PM]

Honestly Sony, are you TRYING to go bankrupt?

[stevo @ Oct 19th 2006 9:03PM]

Hahaha, Sony is more evil than Microsoft. Who'da thunk it?

[John Doe @ Oct 19th 2006 10:05PM]

Not evil. Retarded.

[Jay @ Oct 19th 2006 9:06PM]

Also note how they took the free Wii Browser until July promo and turned it into WFC is free for first 6 months

[Will @ Oct 19th 2006 9:08PM]

all they did is compare their cheapest model to microsoft's cheapest model...much like MS continues to talk about the fact that you can buy a 360 for $300 vs the $600 for the ps3 when in fact you can buy the $499 version of the ps3...it's just a matter of how you look at things

[stevo @ Oct 19th 2006 9:10PM]

haha, complete 100% sony fanboy. honestly, this comparison chart is deceiving. if you honestly believe this is a fair comparison, you are a bit naive.

[OPTICAL OUT PLEASE @ Oct 19th 2006 9:10PM]

Its funny because its true (ie. not lying).

[bob @ Oct 19th 2006 9:11PM]

Bahahahahahaha
required
required
required
required lol

[Phour ZwanZig @ Oct 19th 2006 9:11PM]

Well, misleading, Maybe..

Really what they are comparing is the Base system from both and items to get both systems on the same playing field.. Therefor its not totally misleading..

Outa the box PS3 has Multiplayer.. 360, no, therefor the subscription..

Really it woulda been nice to see them use the Premium vs PS3 Basic.. Even then add the HD-DVD to give you HD movies, even then 360 is gunna be more as far as price..

Thats all I see outa this..
Something for MS to sue over.. I dont think so.. Sony didnt put the Mem-Card, or Remote in that list or the wireless adapter.. They just compared their low-end to MS's low-end..

[stevo @ Oct 19th 2006 9:14PM]

Xbox LIve GOld is free for a month. Why didn't Sony include that little fact? Anyway, the PS3 is apparently not a game console according to Sony, so why don't they compare it to a PC? Oh wait, because PC's can do much more for much less, silly me!

[phkna @ Oct 20th 2006 9:16PM]

requires users to buy is the reason to look in to a lawsuit None of that stuff is required to buy. You Sony fanboys should look at facts Sony is making a machine which is way over priced compaired to a 360.

[Will @ Oct 19th 2006 9:13PM]

how is it deceiving if they just compare their cheapest version with MS's cheapest version? everybody is sooo quick to bash sony that they forget that most every other company would do the same thing, why would sony compare their cheap version with MS's top of the line version? it'd make no sense

[John Doe @ Oct 19th 2006 10:05PM]

Did you even bother to read the article? They are lying out of their fracking teeth pure and simple. Required my ass. Free for the first 6 months my ass. Sony is a cheap ass company pure and simple, and only extreme Sony fanbois will be the only idiots flocking to defend this retarded "fact" sheet.

[Daniel Reagan @ Oct 19th 2006 10:32PM]

The only reason sony is using the base ps3 and showing an un-economical version of the 360 (as in theyre showing core + HDD + wireless controller, instead of premium) is because it is a PRICE COMPARISON. Sony is trying to make the 360 more expensive...its really not that complicated.

[THE_Giant_Crab @ Oct 20th 2006 2:09AM]

For starters, they claim these things are required. They aren't remotely close to that.

Also, they use the PS3 as the base of the comparison. How much for a better GPU like the Xenos to be added to the PS3? How much to add rumble to the controllers? How much for as many demos and trailers etc as I could ever want on the PS Online Network? How much for the better developer support? How much for the headset that comes with the Premium? How much for the MU adapter for the low end PS3? How much for the HD cables for PS3 that are free with the Premium?

Add all of those in, and then MAYBE you can find a point where each console has equal feature sets from one end of the spectrum to the other. You don't see Microsoft making charts outlining the fact that PS3 "requires a $2500 Westinghouse HDTV for 1080p-via component input" to fully enjoy the games.


Sony doesn't make any distinction between what the goal is. Such and such "is required" to do this and that. But wtf is the 'this and that' part? Definitely not gaming as thsoe things aren't needed for gaming.

Basically they say customers need to buy all thsoe items on 360 if they were to meet or exceed all PS3's represented advantages while they make sure there are no comparisons representing how much it costs to make a PS3 meet 360's advantages.

If this doesn't fit your definition of misleading, you are a moron.

[snife @ Oct 19th 2006 9:13PM]

The thing is that the price of the PS3 is good for a blueray player but not good for someone who just wants a game console - I like the choice idea with the XBox 360, as HDDVD isn't needed for games at the moment

Both PS3 and 360 should be available with a DVD drive or with a HD drive cause it sucks to pay for a feature you wont use (I have no money or intention of converting my DVD collection to HD anytime soon) and it sucks to have to use an ugly external drive if you do want the feature.

[connor @ Oct 20th 2006 2:42AM]

For those that want choice in getting a BlueRay or plain DVD in the PS3, your going to restrict everyone else. PS3 needs the storage space that BlueRay can provide, so BlueRay is not just for viewing "movies" but also essential for the games. If there was a choice, Sony would have to ensure that every game made "has" to fit on dvd and as such the machines life span would be much shorter!.

[rickb10 @ Oct 21st 2006 5:16PM]

Show me a PC with a Blu-Ray drive, that can run games at the same quality for less than $600.

[Steven @ Oct 26th 2006 1:18AM]

HaHaha. He got you there. Where would you ever find a Pc with a Built in Hard Drive that is less than $600? NOw where, So you just got Burn....

[Nolan @ Oct 19th 2006 9:15PM]

Well i see were this is taking a stab at being miss leading but at the same time i think Sony was simply saying that to get the 360 "basic" system the same level and the PS3 "basic" system you actaully end up spending more money... so... meh whatever if you not smart enough to read this sort of thing with a grain of salt you deserve to be mislead...

[jason(cubs bears bulls rule 4life) @ Oct 19th 2006 9:16PM]

WAIT so SONY is saying wii is the only gaming consule
also there is a $400 360 that has wireless controller and 20gb hdd and i don't really need blue-ray yet not for 2-5 yrs when i can afford a hdtv and i don't know why microsoft still charges for live cuz everyone else has it free but maybe cuz its the best one out

[Will @ Oct 19th 2006 9:17PM]

sorry, but find a pc that can play a whole library of new games for years to come for only $500 or $600...now just go on, yeah...didn't think it was so easy, it's actually impossible without upgrading the graphics card about every year and a half

[stevo @ Oct 19th 2006 9:20PM]

haha, fanboy!

[THE_Giant_Crab @ Oct 20th 2006 2:09AM]

Since when was the PS3's GPU upgradable? The RSX is weaker than the Nvidia cards coming up in the next few months. You fail.

Again, you presume to act as if this comparison was made to equalize the feature sets. The features on both platforms in this scenario posed by Sony are GREATLY favoring 360.

How much does it cost to play a game on 360? $340+tax. On PS3? $500+tax. If you want to compare both low end versions, you need a goal. In this case, the goal is to play a game.

In Sony's comparison, it seems to be whatever it takes to make the PS3 less pricey than the 360.

[z0mg1BBQ1 @ Oct 20th 2006 6:55PM]

LoL...Will. You clearly don't play games on your PC.

[Miles_Teg @ Oct 19th 2006 9:20PM]

Looks like some intern put that table together in Excel as the car was pulling up to take the Sony Execs to the Press Event. Solid Sony. Solid.

[Will @ Oct 19th 2006 9:25PM]

i'm the fanboy and you're the one trying to bash sony because you think you could find a pc cheaper than the ps3 that will do more...you sound like nothing more than a fanboy of another system, i've actually got a 360 and have no intentions of getting a ps3 until the price comes down. to say that this chart is full of lies is being very ignorant

[Ady @ Oct 20th 2006 4:48AM]

I think the point is that the PS3 includes the harddrive and Blueray and xbox360 doesn't making it fair to compare it with the prices of hdd and hddvd included in the xbox price.

I'm not into the consoles but this looks quite obvious unless of course the whole point is to bash sony.

[h_c @ Oct 20th 2006 3:08PM]

I am no fan boy but this story is being pedantic and childish. Any one with out an agenda can see the validity of the table.

In order for the other systems (XBOX 360 and Wii) to offer what the Sony PS3 claims to offer straight out of the box. These are the add-ons required to match the feature set of PS3, hence the rows. HD-DVD and Blu-ray are high definition medium to yes display hd movies and this is Sony�s claim it can play HD movies right out of the box. If the prices stated are in fact correct, there is no deception.

Even though I stated I am not a fan boy I suspect I will be labelled this, but the reason for my argument is to make sympathisers of other consoles not seem petty when presenting arguments to PS3 �fan boys�. That is marketing a dirty business, if you can not emphasis your own strengths; exploit your competitor�s weaknesses.

[Jon @ Oct 19th 2006 9:21PM]

Its Funny , Im a Xbox Fan Boy i supose since the 1'st xbox , even though i Pre ordered a PS3 basicly for the Blu Ray player and hdmi 1.3 for True Hd , and basicly i have been bashing Sony for the last year to all my Pro PS3 friends, Then i look up and i see my 3 day old $4,300 Sony 60" SXRD XBR2 (AMAZING TV !) and Across the room i see the 34" Widescreen Sony XBR910 Hdtv i bought 2 years ago .. So as much as i hate PS2/PS3 , i sure as hell love Sony Tv's to play X360 on : )

[Me @ Oct 19th 2006 9:21PM]

There is some truth to this. Depending on your usage, a PlayStation 3 might end up being cheaper than an Xbox 360. Because online GAMEPLAY is $50 a year with Xbox 360 and free with the PS3, that will add $250 to the cost of the 360 over its lifespan if you intend to play online. Yes, it's paid over time, but it's something you still need to consider. There's also a $100 proprietary Wi-Fi adapter you need to invest in with the 360 (the profit margins for MS are INSANE, $100 for something that costs them in the single digits (probably $5 in bulk) Personally, I'd rather pay a fair price up front and not be nickeled and dimed for the next few years (or at least be nickeled and dimed less, game prices are way too high).

[Justin @ Oct 20th 2006 11:35AM]

Wait, you need to buy the WiFi adapter now? Someone should have told me this earlier, maybe I'd win more games on live if I was playing wireless.

[DJ @ Oct 19th 2006 9:23PM]

Notice how the comparison left out when the consoles will actually be released, the cost of games the number of consoles available at launch? Oh, because that would make Sony look bad?

[CharlestonN @ Oct 19th 2006 9:31PM]

Well, actually that sheet is true, they are not saying that you NEED any of those 360 gadgets to be able to play games on 360 they are saying that for the value, PS3 is superior

You get everything that Microsoft is selling for extra money in one self contained package for the PS3 and since it is a bulk package you save money, you would spend on average around 8-10 bucks more per gadget if you bought it separately

Not to mention the far superior hardware and power inside the ps3 and the lack of real quality exclusive games for 360, 2 extra GTA episodes and having to wait a few months for BioShock to come to PC is not going to make me want a 360, the only reason i might consider buying a 360 would be for Halo 3 and Gears of War but since Halo 2 was so lame compared to Halo 1 i am not so sure even that would make a difference

The Wii as far as i am concerned is a waste of money and will most likely flop after less than a year on the market because i dont see any worth while games on the horizon for it

In my opinion the PS3 is the best value because you get what you pay for, with the 360 you are basically paying around the same for lower quality (not to mention ugly) equipment and a lack luster games library

The only thing i can find better about the 360 hardware wise is the ammount of memory allocated for textures but when you look at a ps3 and 360 game side by side you will notice that the PS3 games are running fill AF and the 360 games do not, this make a huge difference in visual quality in my opinion

The PC will always be the best gaming platform because it is upgradable and fairly cheap to buy parts for

[IM33 @ Nov 7th 2006 9:45AM]

I don't need a wireless connection to go online. I don't need HD or blu ray because dvds are fine with me. I can care less about having a wireless controller. So why would I want to pay for that up front.

[TECHSev @ Oct 19th 2006 9:31PM]

Also, under Sony "chart" the xbox owner has 2 controlers, one wired and one wireless. they say they requires to buy a wireless controller, requires to, no you don't.

Sony should have compared the premiume xbox to their premiume PS3 and see how those stack up (they don't), and compare the premiume PS3 to the wii, which gives you everything in one damn box.

[2J @ Oct 19th 2006 9:36PM]

required you fools, it is not required the hard drive, or the hd dvd drive, is misleading, its trying to fool the new buyers, sony fanboys.

[Mrfreezie @ Oct 19th 2006 9:38PM]

I think I would like to add some stuff to the PS3's required list.

PSP- $250
Blu-Ray remote- $25
High speed internet connection - $50
1080p TV- $2500
----------------
$2825

[Stevo @ Nov 21st 2006 12:28PM]

That's because you're a moron.

[stevo @ Oct 19th 2006 9:42PM]

Basically, Sony has in fact bent the facts. The Xbox 360 Core system is for those who only want to play games. The Premium system is basically there for those who want to play online. The Xbox 360 is for gaming. The PS3 is basically a personal computer with a locked OS. I'll go ahead and say the OS is not going to be good. In fact, I'll go ahead and say it is hardly an operating system by today's standards. I still do not understand why Sony says the PS3 is not a game console, yet advertises against other GAME CONSOLES. WTF SONY?

Oh ya, as for Xbox 360 exclusive titles, I'll be happy with Gears of War and Halo 3 (I'm an American that likes to kill things).

[Lynn @ Oct 19th 2006 9:46PM]

Xbox 360
=========

$399 Premium
$199 HD-DVD
$0 Remote Controller
$50 Wireless Zyxel P-330
$0 Media Extender
$0 Xbox Live headset
$0 High-definition AV cables
------------------------------
$650


PS3
=========
$599 Premium
$0 Blu-Ray
$25 Remote Controller
$0 Wireless
$199 Media Extender
$20 HeadSet
$15 High-definition AV cables
------------------------------
$860