Prizefight: Xbox 360 S vs. PS3 Slim
Just as Sony was beginning to enjoy the success of the PlayStation 3 Slim, in comes Microsoft with a brand-new thinned-down version of the Xbox 360. The new 360 is about 17 percent smaller than its predecessor and includes a 250GB hard drive and onboard Wi-Fi.
Now that both game consoles are competitively priced and offer most of the same functionality, only one can be crowned king.
We'll put these two consoles through six rounds of grueling battle to see which one emerges victorious.
Let's keep it clean, fellas. Ding, ding!
Editors' note:
The Prizefight scoring system is as follows: Each judge rates on a zero-to-five-point scale. At the end of each round, we will take an average of the three judges' scores. The final score for each console will be an average of all five rounds.Round 1: Design
Here's where we examine the look, size, feel, and sex appeal of the consoles.| Player | Jeff | Scott | Brian | The Winner |
 Xbox 360 S (black, 250GB) |
4 With its 17-percent size decrease, sharp angles, venting, and touch-sensitive controls, the new Slim edges the PS3 in styling. Better yet, it's the only console that can be positioned horizontally or vertically out-of-the-box. |
4 It's sleeker, slimmer and shorter, and a lot nicer than the clunky old 360, but it still looks like a PC plugged into your TV. |
4 It's a console that has a defined look and personality to it. I love the black piano finish and its edgy look. |
4 |
 Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB) |
3 The PS3 Slim looks like a record player. It's too wide and square, and its matte-black finish comes off as cheap-looking. |
3 Undoubtedly an improvement in the size department, but its matte plastic and nondescript look make it seem cheaper than the more eye-catching original PS3. |
3 The PS3 Slim just looks dull when you put it next to the 360 Slim, and there are still shades of that George Foreman Grill design. |
3 |
Round 2: Features
What's the hardware packed inside? Are there other capabilities that distinguish it from the other? Here, we're talking hard drive, Blu-ray, HDMI, Wi-Fi, and more.| Player | Jeff | Scott | Brian | The Winner |
Xbox 360 S (black, 250GB) |
4 On par with what the PS3 Slim offers, but the lack of Blu-ray really prevents us from giving it the Features crown. |
3 Built-in Wi-Fi should have been included to begin with, although it's nice to have here. But we're fed up with the proprietary hard drives--even worse, they're different from the old 360's. And there's still no Blu-ray. |
4 It has everything you need and brings along built-in Wi-Fi, but a proprietary hard drive and the lack of Blu-ray hurt it here. |
3.7 |
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB) |
5 A user-replaceable HDD and a Blu-ray player give the PS3 the edge in this category. |
5 There's very little to dislike in terms of features: Blu-ray, user-replaceable hard drives, and multidevice Bluetooth make the PS3 a true home media center. |
5 I can pop in the hard drive that I want; Bluetooth compatibility covers a myriad devices; and Blu-ray is now the difference maker, instead of a feature that didn't matter in the past. |
5 |
Round 3: Online services
Online gaming is an absolute necessity these days. How do Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network compare?| Player | Jeff | Scott | Brian | The Winner |
Xbox 360 S (black, 250GB) |
5 Xbox Live offers the best online experience hands down. It's tough to knock the US$50 price tag now that Sony offers a similar premium service. |
5 Xbox Live is one of the best reasons to own a 360. User profiles, online matchups, and a great US-based Netflix app add up to the best online experience of this generation. Our only knock: The Gold version costs US$50 a year. |
5 Xbox Live sets the bar for an online gaming service and continues to get better. The ease of use and its community make it worth the US$50 yearly fee. |
5 |
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB) |
3 A few service hiccups and an overall lack of polish make declaring a winner here easy. PlayStation Plus pales in comparison and PlayStation Home continues to fail to impress. |
3 Few incentives to meet people online, no real online dashboard, and an awkward--to say the least--PlayStation Home hobble the otherwise solid PS3 experience. Sony's premium online service focuses on free content rather than a better experience. |
4 The Playstation Network for online gaming is FREE, and that matters to me. Its network isn't always as reliable, it still lacks cross-game chatting, and inviting friends to game is not very elegant. Playstation Plus is just a service for additional gaming content, but it has yet to add any online features that enhance the PSN. |
3.3 |
Round 4: Games
Which console offers the best games? Here, we'll look at exclusives, downloadable titles, and more.| Player | Jeff | Scott | Brian | The Winner |
Xbox 360 S (black, 250GB) |
4 The console has lost out on some major exclusives, but the Fable, Gears of War, and Halo franchises all remain. Xbox 360 also had a fantastic summer in terms of exclusive XBLA games with titles such as Limbo. |
4 Up until recently, the Xbox 360 was the go-to system for the best cross-platform versions of games and excellent first-party titles, but the exclusive games have taken a dip as of late. The Xbox Live Arcade collection of games crosses a wide gamut. |
4 Gears of War, Halo, and Fable highlight its exclusive franchises, but it's lost its edge when it comes to original first-party titles. Mass Effect is even defecting to the PS3. Xbox Live Arcade shines as the most diverse game library for a console, and it has exclusives that shine, such as Limbo and Shadow Complex. |
4 |
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB) |
4 The PS3 has made major headway in securing exclusive titles, but the PSN games are a bit behind what Xbox Live offers. |
4 Finally catching up on the quality of third-party games, the recent strong advantage for the PS3 has been its superior library of exclusive games: Heavy Rain, God of War 3, and MLB: The Show, to name a few. PSN downloadable games offer many gems, but not as wide a selection as on Xbox Live Arcade. |
4 The PS3 has taken the lead when it comes to diverse first-party exclusives like God of War, Uncharted, Little Big Planet, Heavy Rain, Killzone, Ratchet & Clank, Infamous, and more. But the PSN game library isn't nearly as meaty as the 360's. |
4 |
Round 5: Graphics performance
At the end of the day, the games we play must be pretty. So who takes it when we put Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 graphics side-by-side?| Player | Jeff | Scott | Brian | The Winner |
Xbox 360 S (black, 250GB) |
4 Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games, for the most part, look identical, but each console's exclusive games really stand out among the rest. |
4 Despite being the oldest current-gen system, the Xbox 360 still shows off some of the smoothest graphics and animation around. |
4 Xbox 360 exclusives look great and push the system to its fullest. When it comes to third-party titles, the 360 has had the slightest of edges, but it's not enough to give it the round. |
4 |
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB) |
4 See above. |
4 Technically, the PS3 can knock the socks off the Xbox 360, but we've rarely seen any games other than first-party titles that really take a step forward. Third-party games have often looked slightly worse than on the 360, but Sony's caught up and even slightly surpassed the 360. |
5 I own both consoles and haven't seen a game that matches the scale and detail in God of War, Uncharted, and Killzone. Those three titles show you which console has the computing power chops. |
4.3 |
Round 6: Value
Finally, which console gives you the best overall bang for your buck?| Player | Jeff | Scott | Brian | The Winner |
Xbox 360 S (black, 250GB) |
4 We love the fact that the Slim 360 stayed at the same price point, but it's also the same price as the PS3, which offers a Blu-ray player. This additional feature is what it all comes down to, and the 360 doesn't offer it. Plus, Xbox Live still costs US$50 per year, and there are more accessories to buy for a 360 than a PS3. |
3 After all these years, it feels like the Xbox 360 should be less expensive than it is. It's hard to complain with the value, but it's still really 2005 technology. |
4 Both consoles are US$299, and you're getting a great gaming experience either way. There is value in the Xbox Live service, but it still costs US$50 per year. |
3.7 |
Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (120GB) |
5 All the features you've come to expect, but the addition of a Blu-ray player puts the PS3 over the top. |
5 A US$299 price tag for an upgradeable Blu-ray player that can also double as a game system makes the versatile PS3 the best hardware value. What seemed like a gimmick in 2006 is now an edge in favor of Sony. |
5 The difference maker is the Blu-ray player, which is still rated one of CNET's top Blu-ray players overall. Plus a free network that is more than satisfactory. We used not to care about Blu-ray a couple of years ago, but now we do. |
5 |
In one of the closest Prizefights ever, we actually had to go to the hundredths of a point to settle this one. In all fairness, it seems we all agree that both consoles are excellent products and value, but a winner must be crowned.
The original story first appeared on CNET.com
Latest comments
Pointless prizefight
What the hell is this all about? If this is a comparison of design "look" then fine. Give 360 a 4 and PS3 a 3. I love the PS3, I think PS3 Fat was designed more beatifully but the glossy look this editor likes so much scratches easily. It's a step back from the matte finish that may look dull but hides just about any blemishes. Again that is in looks only. PS3 kicks 360 up and down over features. Free online, Blu ray, Netflix without signing up for PSN + or xbox live gold. Meaning that if you own a 360 and want to stream Netflix you have to pay M$ $60.00/year in addition to your internet provider and Netflix. Exclusives are better on PS3, 360 exclusives are available on PC. Blu Ray, why does the 360 cost $299 still and no HD theater? Xbox sticks it to the people, they invented pay for online play, when 360 came out it dropped original xbox, dropped servers, support, new games FORCING you to upgrade to 360 to play the games you already have. Halo 2 for PC, to date the only game I've ever seen for a PC that only supports 1 operating system, which is Windows Vista. Hum, FORCING you to go to Vista which sucks! PS3 beat 360 up and down, between blu ray, free online play and exclusives. It wins in a heartbeat!
and by the way i would love to argu with you guys about ps3 vs xbox cuzz that shpould not be tied at all you forgot to say the xbox360 s still has a 30% fail rate so one third of 360s go out fail in one year or how about you need AA battries for your controller thats a huge fail do you know how much money AA are
and that dude jeff is a clown remeber the white 360 it was matted white and looked cheap and got dirty and as for the george forman grill look ok look at 360 its curvy and shiny black like a fat black bitch
you guys in the video do not know what you are talken about in some cases not all xbox1 games can be played on 360 i tryed and it said something about my harddrive and ps3 has netflix and can stream it you might wanna do research befor you speak
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