I will break this review down in categories. The first category will be system only review. The second category will be a system vs system comparison review (PS3 VS XBOX 360). I have decided to leave the technical specifications of each system out of this and base it off of a "what I am seeing" standpoint.
About me/Why I purchased: I purchased this system pretty much solely due to all of my friends and family having a PS3 and them putting my already owned XBOX 360 down. I do not consider myself a hardcore gamer by any means and I am virtually limited to playing the Call of Duty franchise of games when I play. I have picked up my share of Madden NFL games and a few others but I mainly play COD with my wife. I have had much fun playing my 360 multi-player but again due to discovering all of my friends/family play modern warfare 3 on PS3 network I decided to give it a go. Finding out my wifes near 50 year old uncle plays it was the tip of the iceberg for us... lol.
System Review: Overall, from what I have seen I like. The layout of the PS3 menu is very mature looking, well designed and fairly easy to navigate. One thing that I must say I do not like is the initial set-up was a bit confusing. Xbox set-up was pretty much create a gamer tag and that was it. The PS3 wanted me to both create a user id and a gamer tag upon initial set-up which confused me and I wasn't quite sure which one was which. How dare I want to get stuck with some lame gamer ID, lol. The system is actually quieter than I thought it would be, based on other reviews. I think my Xbox sounds louder during operation than the PS3. However, I always hear the loading disc much more prominent on the PS3 system. Not a big deal. What I really like about the Playstation is the online play is FREE, it is a Blue Ray disc player, (not that I really needed it, our house already has two, including a 3D Blue Ray Disc player, so that matter didn't effect my purchase decision at all but it is nice to have the extra capability in another room. The system did not come with an HDMI cable, which surprised me yet didn't at the same time. I think its cheap of companies who are selling Hi Def equipment without the Hi-Def capable accessories so do yourself a favor if you don't have a spare HDMI cable and get one here on Amazon for a couple of bucks and don't fall for that $90.00 monster cable scam.
The system came with one dual shock 3 controller and a USB cable to plug it in and charge with. It did NOT come with a headset w/mic. However, you can use any blue tooth headset with the system so don't rush out and buy one if you do not have to. Warning: The included USB cable is SHORT. My couch is not far from my TV, I would say about 7 feet at most and I have to sit on the edge of the couch to be able to play while its plugged in. There are extension cables that are sold and I would highly recommend one for convenience purposes. Other than that the set-up is fairly straightforward and expected of any typical device.
System Comparison: What's better? PS3 VS XBOX 360. I own the highest end unit of each manufacturer and I can safely say that I do not enjoy one better than the other. That's right, it's a draw. What I can tell you though is:
I've heard a lot of people say the Playstations graphics are better than the Xbox 360. I have both units hooked up to my 46" Sony Bravia 1080p 3D tv and from my standpoint I must have heard wrong. The PS3 graphics look choppier and rougher cut than the smoother flowing graphics of the 360. Now, before I get attacked I have also heard that this is a game specific battle and some games look better than others on each system so take note to that please but again, like I said I stick with my COD franchise so that's what I care about. Graphics +1 Xbox 360
Network: The Playstation network is FREE. There is an OPTIONAL plus network that you can pay a fee for but it is purely optional and is not required to play online. One thing that irritates me is for something as simple as automatic system updates and downloads you need to be suscribed to this. Why? I don't know but it seems like a small item to be a huge deal and is in my opinion nonsense. Xbox 360's network is much larger, and catered to the "hardcore gamers". However, as previously stated it was completely the opposite for ME as all of my friends and family are on PS3's network. One thing that I will say is there seems to be slightly less lag and connection errors when playing PS3 compared to Xbox 360. I am not tech savvy but maybe this partly is due to less people on the network itself vs XBOX 360 and it doesn't drag it down. Don't mark my words on that but PS3 Network wins here for being free and less glitchy. +1 PS3
Loading Times: We are pretty much out of the ERA of having to wait for our discs to load for 20 minutes just to play. Pretty much. I popped in Gran Turismo the other day because I used to play the original on PS 1 and figured it'd be a nice throwback kick. Wow, I had to install the game on the device just to play it? After waiting several minutes for the install it then asks you if you would like to install more on the hard disc to improve loading times more so it doesn't take so long to load courses and vehicles. I've never had this much of a loading time in my number of years of owning an Xbox 360. The menu navigation of MW3 even takes longer on PS3 compared to Xbox 360. This leads me to believe Xbox 360 has the faster/better handling processor. +1 Xbox 360
Durability: I have just recently purchased my PS3 but from what I have heard they have been proven to be much more reliable than the 360's. I will admit, I have had my share of Xbox 360's due to one falling victim to the red ring of death and other disc reading issues... Now before we get too ahead of ourselves and rush out to buy the PS3 I do want to note that I've read that Microsoft has minimized this issue with the newest generations due to some minor modifications/fixes. However, the number of failed X-box 360's that I've owned I am inclined to give the +1 to playstation as I never hear any of my friends talking about their dead PS3's. +1 PS3
Menu Layout/Marketplace layout/Feel: The PS3 menu and marketplace layout looks much more mature than the XBOX marketplace. Put them side by side and it looks more like the XBOX is tailored to the younger crowd with their themes, avatars, etc. However, despite the many switches they have made with the layout over the years I find it easier to navigate. I am still fairly new to PS3 though so I can't say the layout is better or worse on either system. DRAW.
Summary: Again, if you didn't notice I didn't get into technical specs. and I based my review solely from my opinion on how each system performs. I couldn't and wouldn't tell you to buy either system over the other. Both have their perks and both have their drawbacks. If you are looking for affordability/longevity I would say go to the PS3. Especially since it gives you the added bonus of being able to play your netflix, AMAZON INSTANT VIDEO, and Blue Ray discs... Huge perks to me as these are all available free on the PS3 network (assuming you are suscribed to these services). Over the XBOX you need to have a paid gold suscription *Spelling* (I know)... just to access these features.
If you are looking for a huge gamer network, and don't mind paying the additional fees for extra services I would have to recommend the xbox 360. The PS3 costs more up front but the residual of the 360 is much higher. On a final note: Something about gamertags, profiles...
As a previously said my wife and I BOTH play at the same time. It is very enjoyable playing over XBOX 360 because she can use her profile, I can use my own and we play split screen, have access to each of our own classes, perks, etc and level up individually. On PS3 you can only play under one profile online and the other player shows up as "YOURPROFILE"(1) with no ability to level up individually. This was a huge downer for us and it really bothers us to this day. Xbox does allow for this HOWEVER you have to pay for not one but two gold suscriptions. On amazon a 12 month gold is currently like 45.00. This amounts to an extra $90.00 per year owned/utilized... So the PS3 upfront fees don't seem like much when you start adding up the long term expenses of the XBox 360.
Areas of improvement:
Include a headset please
Make your play/charge USB cable longer
Include HDMI cable
My Xbox came with an HDMI cable in box as well as a headset w/mic. It did not come with a play and charge kit that I did have to purchase separately.
Hope this review helped. Honestly, if you have the money, I would recommend buying both. If you find yourself playing one much more than the other you could always sell it or gift it away to someone less fortunate. Not all games are available on each system so if you find yourself desiring a God of War PS3 is for you. If you find yourself desiring a Gears of War than Xbox is probably right for you. When it comes down to it, it really is all up to the user, you!
There is a newer version of this item:
Choose from 4+ star livestreaming experiences
Amazon Explore Browse now
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Climate Pledge FriendlyClimate Pledge Friendly uses sustainability certifications to highlight products that support our commitment to help preserve the natural world. Time is fleeting. Learn moreProduct Certification (1)
Pre-owned Certified products are inspected, cleaned and (if applicable) repaired to excellent functional standards. Buying Pre-owned extends a product's life, reducing e-waste and raw material extraction.
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
1:33
Click to play video
PS3 Accessories Highight Trailer
Merchant Video
Customer reviews
Don’t get fooled my “Condition rating” and pay too much!
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019
Honestly not too happy with this one. First off I know, it’s a ps3, it’s pretty old. For one, I paid significantly extra for used in Excellent condition. As per the pictures this isn’t the case. The outside was is poor condition and honestly wasn’t even dusted off when it was removed from the shelf it had been sitting on (probably for several years) before being poorly packed. The system itself runs pretty slow and lags out and freezes often. Once again, it’s a used PS3 so I understand the risks. I just don’t want anyone to get duped by paying significantly extra for a better “condition rating” when obviously this isn’t the case. Seems like either way it’s poor condition.
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 19, 2012
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 9, 2010
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 8, 2022
Exactly as advertised & 2 Bonuses!!!!!
By Alexa ElGenaidi on July 7, 2022
Let me start with sorry my photos are of a bunch of stuff and not the system specifically. *** I live on the reviews of customers *** the seller can advertise just about anything to get your attention, but I like to hear from the customers and what their experience was like, did the equipment work? Etc. the PS3 was in excellent condition, as advertised. It was clean, all around. HDMI cable clean and wrapped neatly in the box, controller-clean packaged safely in the box, controller charger- clean and wrapped nice and neat in the box. This was a give for my 13 yr old son. This packaged was packaged so well I didn’t even have to wrap it, just take it out of the brown delivery box! In addition to the games that came with the purchase as part of package. Denver Jaymes also added to extra BONUS games!!!! And not just any games you guys, it brought my son to tears. Sounds dramatic, I know. But this meant that he got Star Wars, Madden, the original Red Dead, and Call of Duty Black Ops. I didn’t know what games we were going to get with the purchase that were included, but the games were all awesome!!! Thank you Denver Jaymes!!!!! So much. I would definitely recommend to buy from this seller, without hesitation.
By Alexa ElGenaidi on July 7, 2022
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Philippe
One of the best systems out there, at least when it was released.
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 26, 2019Amazon Customer
Great product just like new
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 11, 2018
