My friend who has gone through 2 PS3 (bluray players stoped working, just after the warranty) just bot an XBox 360 and is loving it.

So, this sucks. My step son just updated the ps3 to some newer firmware and the auto-play disk thing doesn't work right anymore. If I boot the machine with no disk, then insert a disk, the disk plays automatically. However, if the system is powered off with a disk in it, and then I start up the machine, the disk no longer plays automatically. That is totally lame and it makes it a lot harder for my wife, because if she turns it off, then comes back to resume the disk, she has to navigate over and down a bunch of menus with a bunch of new flashy crap on the screen. Nevermind what I said about the PS3 having a better UI, the new one here SUCKS. It's even more busy and convoluted than the XBOX one because it literally has half a dozen moving/scrolling advertisements on it. What a nightmare.

Hmmm, I can't agree there. I would hate to turn on my console and it go back to whatever it was doing when I turned it off. Because usually, when you turn it off, you're done with whatever you were doing.... *shrugs*

The menu isn't that complicated, if I can teach my near 70 year old grandma to work a DVD player, your wife can navigate a PS3 menu I'm sure.

All I know is that I flogged my 360 and got myself a PS3 a few months ago, and the only thing I miss about the 360 is Fable 2.

That said I've never actually bothered seeing what the online play is like, and I don't own any Bluray movies.

The only games I know I would miss from not having a 360 would be the upcoming Mass Effect 2, and Fable 3 whenever it comes out. The rest of xbox exclusives can suck my left nut for all I care.

Agreed.

Thankfully, I'll be getting my regular 20gb xbox back sometime later this month, but I'm probably gonna get a PS3 anyways. Its going to give me a chance to play coop with my dad from time time, watch bluray videos, double as my music media center (since I can't fit my entire mp3 collection on the 360), and I'll have a chance to play all those awesome exclusive titles I missed out on (mainly, I'm looking at the Uncharted series, Infamous and Demon's Souls)

I'm opting for the 250gb version. I'm not certain when I'll be buying it but its sure to be within a few months.

Thanks for all the feedback, helps give an idea of what to expect (pros and cons)

This isn't about agree or disagree -- there's a setting called AUTO LAUNCH DISK WHEN INSERTED which used to auto launch both when you just insert a disk, or when you power on the console with a disk in it, or if you power on the console BY sticking a disk in it, in all those cases, it would auto launch the disk.

Now, however, after the update, the only way to get it to "auto launch" the disk is to power it on with no disk inside, wait for it to completely boot up to the menu screen, then put in a disk. However, if the machine is off and empty, and you pop a disk in, it no longer auto-launches that disk. It dumps you to the stupid home screen with all the ads and whatnot. This is stupid.

The reason I say it's not about an opinion or agree/disagree is because there's a setting for it -- if you don't want it to auto-launch disks, you just turn off the setting. But when you turn it on, it should freaking auto launch.

After you select which profile you want, it automatically takes you the "Game" menu and selects the disk in the drive. Push X and it plays.

Do you not have your 360 on a network with a computer that contains your music? It is super easy to set that up if it is practical for you. I use my 360 more for media streaming than anything else.



To each their own, I know, but I prefer the system (x360) not automatically launching a game on startup. As far as I know that is still configurable. I would assume the PS3 should let you change it back but who knows. It's also very easy to launch a game on the xbox as it's just an up one and enter affair. I must say that I am a little confused by your comments about how hard a time your wife has figuring out or navigating the 360 interface. My three year old (four next month) breezes through the thing. It's kind of scary actually.

Why don't you just stream music from your computer? Or use Last.fm

BIOSHOCK 2

Edit: Oh, never mind. That franchise isn't exclusive anymore.

YOU'RE not exclusive anymore. -_-



:'(

Is this true?? Have you been two-timing me, Michael?

Triple-timing or worse, status maximus

Not so. We don't have a "profile select" screen at all. It starts up in this weird advertising screen thing, you have to go left I think 4 times then down a few times to find the disk. I'm not talking about games, she doesn't play them, I'm talking about movies (DVD, bluray), so you have to go to the "media" menu thing to even get started. Regardless, nobody is addressing my point that this was a change on a recent update that completely changed the functionality of a simple feature. They're clearly trying to get more people to sit on the home screen and watch advertisements instead of actually playing disks.

I'm pretty sure I have no idea what you're talking about. I turn on my PS3 almost every night, install all of the updates, and have never seen an advertisement screen (other than the generic "Playstation 3" load screen that shows while it boots up). I used it just last night to watch a movie on Netflix.

The 360's 'home' screen annoys me to no end too. Why the hell doesn't it start at the 'launch game disc' option? That should be the option right there, waiting, but instead I have to press up. I'm not being sarcastic. It's just their damn marketing wanting to shove ads in our faces and it pisses me off.

I agree with JM. I mean hell we are paying for this service don't throw your ads up in our face!

Oh, at least two.

Either you're insane, or I'm insane, but I have proof. This is what I see every time my ps3 starts up now, regardless of whether there is a disk in it.

And for the record, that's NINE (9) distinct ads. 8 in square boxes and a scroller in the top right.

I don't have a real problem with your opinion but it doesn't bother me that some new content is showed to me in a snapshot when I turn the system on. Pressing up once doesn't bother me too much. I wonder if you don't autosign in to Live if it just goes straight to the My Xbox strip. I'm too [apathetic] to check.

It's just the "What's New" box for the network, is it so hard to tap left twice and press x?

I don't think mine autoplayed discs on startup before that large update either. :/

You have to turn the auto play disk on before it will do it. I'm not saying it's hard -- I'm saying it's moronic that they changed that, it's another thing I have to teach my wife (which I wouldn't if I just bought a real bluray / upconverting dvd player), and I think the only possible reason they have for changing the functionality is to get us to look at more ads. I don't give a **** about the ps network and it doesn't make sense to start up to that stupid tab every time, ESPECIALLY when there's a clear-as-day setting to auto play the disks, which they just nerfed to make me view ads. After I spent ~400 on the system in the first place.

It does go straight to "Launch Game" if you aren't signed in. I know this because I share my 360 with my housemate which would make it a pain if one of our accounts automatically signed in on boot-up.

Well surely if it isn't set to connect to the 'net on startup then it should work accordingly? I'm just tossing out ideas really.

No, it still highlights the same tab, it just doesn't show ads.

There's an option that lets you chose whether or not the system goes to the "What's New" screen.

Mine's off.

Where?

It's more of a pain to have to manually sign in

My PS3 takes me straight to the "select profile" menu. I have two accounts, one is mine, and the other for my brother when he comes over. Once I select a profile, it takes me straight to the "Game" menu (the one pictured by a PS3 controller), and automatically selects the game in the tray. I just press X and it plays. I never see any ads, and my PS3 is connected to my router via cat5.

I guess I have that option Xzero is talking about.

System Settings -> Display [What's New]

Just above the Disc Auto-Start setting and below the Notification setting.

Cool, that helps. It now loads to the menu item with the disk, so you have to press ENTER but that's a lot better. Thanks!

More of a pain than having to manually sign out the other person's account and back in again on your own?

No but just turning off auto sign to start on the launch screen isn't faster for someone with one account.

If they are Brianish and can't stand being taken to a Live related item first when they sign in to Live it might be preferable. Me, I like seeing some highlights of new things I might miss otherwise.

Man, Cool Matty. Probably an understatement to say you really hate the PS3.

Living in an apartment, I have no efficient and clean way to run a network cable from my pc to the xbox. If I want to play online, I'll just take my 50ft cable from the router to the xbox and remove afterwards, but its not a permanent connection. And no way am I getting the xbox's ludicrously overpriced wifi.

Can the PS3 stream from the PC through wifi? (I have a crappy Belkin router anyhow, so I somewhat dread playback speed :P)

Yarg - I quite often stream from my laptop to the ps3 using my cheapo Netgear.