"Here are a few things every gamer interested in buying a next-gen console should

Following the release of the Xbox 360 and now that everyone can see just what it can do, the debates on the have begun to spring up all over the net like wildfires. While much of the debate won’t be solved until closer to the Playstation 3s launch when more is known, there are still enough revealed details about the PS3 to form a checklist of what appear to be strong advantages for the PS3 over it’s adversary, the Xbox 360. These advantages should be noted by all gamers prior to taking the plunge and dishing out the dollars to jump on the next-gen bandwagon prior to the next-gen competition being released.

Here are the things every gamer interested in buying a next-gen console should know:

1. Blu-Ray technology being used for the game drive. Indeed, while the fact that this drive has not yet been released is definitely a drawback, especially in combination with the “Cell” not hitting production yet, the possibilities of this drive make it very appealing. In contrast, the Xbox 360’s drive can currently only play standard DVD’s at only decent speeds, but the Blu-Ray technology can hold disks that hold as much as 5 times as much data as DVD’s and this data is all read at a much faster speed. Even better is that Blu-Ray technology can read DVD disks as well, allowing it to play PS2 games and movies in addition to the PS3’s own library of games.

2. The third party support and unique games. While the Xbox 360 will have its own impressive line-up of unique titles hitting the system, Sony still has plenty of great games that it has exclusive to its own next-gen console. Games such as Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots should not be overlooked by any means.

3. The “Cell.” While the Xbox 360 has a good processor, it is really not as impressive and doesn’t have nearly the potential of the Cell. While the true potential may not be seen for a long time (hopefully development will be completed sometime soon!), the Cell truly seems to be an amazing processor that will greatly improve the PS3’s stock in this epic console race.

4. Other PS3 hardware should also be given consideration. While Microsoft generally tends to go for standard hardware (good hardware, but standard), Sony is having a lot of its hardware custom made, which always helps the reliability of a console. Indeed, the Xbox 360 is much improved over the Xbox in this department, but Sony’s PS3 still has the hardware edge (despite claims from Microsoft that the Xbox 360 actually will outperform the PS3 – this remains to be seen).

5. Reliability. While this one is still up in the air, the advantage will most likely fall onto the PS3. The Xbox 360 has had numerous problems that gamers are furious about. No doubt that Microsoft will fix these problems soon, but the fact that they are there really hurts the reputation. Sony is always good at making sure they have a reliable product." [link]