Finding a Reason To Switch It On

I have a PS3, you may recall I took the plunge a few months ago and basically bought it to complete the collection. Since that time it’s been powered on I’d say, about half a dozen times, mostly to give Fallout 3 a try (I still can’t get into it) but I’ve had no real reason to make any further investment of time into what is, arguably, a fine piece of gaming tech.

Like most multi-platform owners I know, I’ve got my favourite and that favourite is the Xbox 360. It’s not for technical reasons (although the controller fits my huge paws better), it’s not even out of some kind of brand loyalty to Microsoft (as I sit here happily typing this on my MacBook) it’s the simple thing that I’ll always get a game for the Xbox if there’s a choice because more people I know have the Xbox and I like to increase my Gamerscore. It’s an emotional and competitive thing, nothing more.

So, to my point. Over the last week or so since we moved house and I got everything back, reasonably, where I feel is right I’ve been pretty much glued to the PS3. Yes, there was the fling with Trials HD and I do lapse occasionally to make sure I’m still on top of the leader-boards, but apart from that I’ve been PS3’ing all over the place; allow me to illuminate.

Morning, Chris Moyles until 10 o’clock as I check my emails and catch up with my US colleagues. Podcasts and random tracks from iTunes until lunchtime as I continue work.

Lunchtime, the PS3 is switched on and I spend a bit of time with Overlord 2. PS3 stays on and I load up VidZone for the rest of the afternoon while I generate new copy for some product collateral and pull together a presentation on Dynamic Data-Center deployments for Service Providers – gee-willikers, don’t I have all of the fun!.

At quitting time, Overlord 2 is loaded up again (I’ve managed to loop through all of the decent tracks on VidZone I think) and I spend a further hour or two in the evening in Domination and Gnome knobbling.

It's a tough life you know!
It's a tough life you know!

I even took a little time out during the day and installed a DLNA server on my iMac so the PS3 could stream tunes from my iTunes library, then decided it was pretty redundant as they sit right next to each other and actually share the same amp and speakers through a mixer! But the point is it worked and was pretty easy, as easy in fact as it is on the Xbox 360 to do the same thing – DLNA being a standard for this kind of thing.

I’ll admit freely that it was the promo copy of Overlord 2 which opened this gateway and I’ll also stipulate right here that my next games purchase will, more than likely, be for the Xbox but I’m now of a more open mind to the alternatives and might pick up a title or two for the sleek black beast which is the PS3, as well as the Blu-Ray movie purchases I have planned.

I like it, I really do.
I like it, I really do.

I think the point here is this; everyone one will have a favourite console which they will play and use more than anything else but that is no reason to dismiss, ignore or otherwise forget about the other(s) that are out there or tucked under your desk/TV/bed somewhere. Buy one title, just one, for the ‘other’ console in your life and commit some time to it, enjoy it for what it is, a little bit different, a little bit new and a little bit exciting!


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8 responses to “Finding a Reason To Switch It On”

  1. Mark avatar
    Mark

    I mostly buy multiplatform games on 360 too, Crunchy. I too prefer the controller, I’m a sucker for gamerscore and all my buddies have Xbox Live, so If I wanna play with all the Ready-Uppers, I better go Xbox!

    But luckily I don’t feel resentful of my PS3, which holds out purely for exclusive PS3 games, because its my entertainment hub while I wait for Uncharted 2 and Ratchet.

    I rent Blu-Rays for it and watch TV on it with the Play TV! I’m also addicted to Trash Panic, and you should buy it because its like £4!! Four pounds!! Do you have pounds in scotland?!

  2. van-fu avatar
    van-fu

    Whoa! Two fails in one post. First of all, Mark, the John that wrote this blog is not Crunchbite Jr. It is another John. An english John, if you will.
    🙂

    And we don’t have pounds in Scotland. We have poonds.
    🙂

  3. van-fu avatar
    van-fu

    I completely forgot to put in that I am now a fervent one console user. My Wii is sitting behind my TV, catching dust. I still haven’t finished the last Zelda game.

  4. asamink avatar
    asamink

    Great article. I thought it was going to be another PS3 bashing blog, but no, a well balanced article. Due to restricted gaming time I only have a PS3, I want a 360 as I feel I am missing out on something. Maybe one day I will take the plunge.

  5. Mark avatar
    Mark

    Whoops! Sorry John.

  6. The Rook avatar
    The Rook

    I tend to play everything on he 360 as I like building up my gamerscore. And should I want to try some online achievement, I know more people with the 360 than the PS3, so I’ll have more friends to game with, rather than relying on randoms online.

    THis is not to say that I dislike the PS3, I think it’s a great machine and I bought mine before the backwards compatability models were gone.

    There will be games that I will buy for it, Uncharted 2 probably being the next one. However, I do feel I am doing the PS3 an injustice by playing it on a standard def tv still. One of these days I’ll get HD.

  7. Duncan avatar
    Duncan

    I do tend to lean towards the Xbox a lot more than my PS3 when it comes to multiplatformers.

    Though when I do play on my PS3 it then somehow feels a more special moment, which in my own mind justifies it. 🙂

  8. Cliffst3rz avatar
    Cliffst3rz

    I have both but i do find that i play my 360 alot more than my ps3 i just cannot get into playing multiplayer games on it, single player fine sony need to sort out there MP side of it

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