Playstation 3 faster, Microsoft Xbox 360 easier

THE HOT QUESTION AT E3 is not how to scam a t-shirt or get a free game, it is about the consoles. Since they have been shown, sort of, to the press, performance questions are all the rage. Bench racing and Star Trek physics are the order of the day, no one has a clue about the answers, but if you weigh over 300 pounds, and have poor enough hygiene, you too can be very loud when arguing about consoles.

Rather than take that approach, I went to the source and asked people who have them. Details are scarce, and the hardware is still a bit rough, but one clear pattern emerged. The PS3 is faster, the Xbox 360 is easier to deal with.

The tools wizards at MS came through this time and made for a better out of the box experience for devs. MS has put a lot of time and effort into this, from XNA to hand holding, so coupled with a more conventional architecture, it wins round one.

The PS3 has more raw horsepower under the hood, but is a bitch to use until you can wrap your brain around some very different paradigms. Once you can do this, the PS3 will take the lead and probably keep it for the life of the console. Like the last set of consoles, the initial crop of titles will not be all that astounding, but the second ones will.

So all the black shirts so far agree, MS has the ball right now, from coming out first to leading the initial charge. Sony is coming up behind, strongly, and will take the lead back in 2006. Then again, the consoles won't be out for at least 6 months to a year, and that is a long time. Anything can happen, place you bets, and get in line for a shirt. µ

See Also
Nintendo takes on big boys with tiny Game Boy
Playstation 3 to arrive in nine months