Topic: PS360 Questions

I know I'm just asking for this thread to devolve into fanboy rants and be locked, but I actually have specific questions about these systems beyond "Which one should I get?" so hopefully I can get some good answers before that happens.
1. How are the controllers? I hated the XBOX controller, thinking it was too big and clunky (and I have big hands, so that is saying something). I don't remember liking or disliking the 360 controller, so that is probably at least an improvement. I don't think I've ever played a PS3, but I never really cared for other PS controllers, but I think that was mostly due to the buttons being shapes instead of letters, and I'm sure I'd get used to that quickly enough.
2. How does online work? Do I need a subscription to do anything on the 360, to get on XBLA, or just to do certain special things? And PSN is free, right, or have they changed that? As much as I would like to try some of the cool games like Braid or Journey, I don't think I'd be willing to pay just for the privilege of buying them.
3. What is the point of the different versions of consoles, especially if I'm not planning on downloading much if anything? Is the smallest size (4GB?) fine if I'm only going to be playing disc games, or do even those require installation so I will need something bigger?
4. Finally, of course the only real reason I'm considering getting one of these now is to play the games I haven't been able to as a Nintendo-only gamer and I'm hoping to find one cheap now that the new systems are out. These are the games I am particularly interested in: Mass Effect, BioShock, Elder Scrolls, and that Sonic Genesis collection with like 80 or so games on it that I can't remember the name. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I can get all of those on either console except maybe the Genesis one is only 360, right? I'm also a huge RPG fan, and while I've heard PS3 is probably the way to go for those, I'm looking for quality more than quantity as I'll never have the time or money to play all the good ones. I've loved the 3 Tales games I've been able to play and I've heard others are really good like Vesperia, Xilia, Graces, etc? but I'm not sure which systems those are on. Ni No Kuni also looks really good and that's only PS3, right? So which way should I go for the good RPGs and other games? And is there any word on Elder Scrolls Anthology coming to consoles. As much as I'd like to get that, I've never cared for playing games more complicated than King's Quest or Myst on a computer.
Thanks for any answers.

1. Both are respectable. The 360 is all around very good except for the d-pad. The d-pad is known for being difficult to use and unresponsive. The PlayStation 3's controller is okay, but not near as good as it should have been. The triggers take some getting used to, but the biggest problem for me is just how lightweight and "Fischer price" it feels. Sometimes it feels like the whole controller is just hollow. They're both overall good though, but note that the 360 controller takes 2 AA's, while the PS3 controller is charged with an (Included) mini-USB cable.

2. Essentially all but the most trivial features on Xbox Live requires a subscription, even Netflix and other paid services require one. PlayStation Network is free to use (On the PS3), and you can use Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc. as long as you subscribe to those services (Obviously ). You can get a PlayStation Plus subscription, though, which nets you a lot of games free of charge as long as you stay subscribed, good discounts on the PlayStation Store, save uploads, and some other stuff, and is definitely worth it! You don't need any subscription for anything on either system to use their digital stores, though, if you want to buy games like Braid or Journey.

3. If you want to download any amount of content, you're going to need a good amount of space for the 360, but very, very few games will require an install. A lot of games (Unfortunately) though, require day-one updates, but that would depend on game. PlayStation 3 games, though, do generally require installs due to the very slow Blu-ray drive, and some of those can go upwards of 5GB. I really wouldn't really recommend buying the low-storage budget alternatives of either, but I would consider the 12GB PS3 out of the question unless you'll be using it 99% as a Blu-ray player.

4. All of those 4 games are available on both systems, and you're thinking of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Which is an outstanding and extremely affordable must-own collection!), and it is available on the PS3 (I have it). As far as (J)RPG's go, I won't lie. neither are very good options (The 7th gen handhelds is where they went), but the PS3 probably does offer more. Vesperia is on the 360 (There was a PS3 version with added content, but that was in the Namco localization nightmares, and it never left Japan), and Graces and Xillia are on the PS3. Personally, I've only played Graces out of that trio, and I really would not recommend it unless you got it for $20 or less (The story feels like it could have been condensed to 5 hours, meh characters, generic world). Ni Nu Kuni (On consoles, there is a DS version (In Japan), is a PS3 exclusive. Persona 5, also, is coming to the PS3 exclusively, so that's something to note. The PS3 does have the JRPG edge (And just exclusive Japanese support in general, since Microsoft is infamous for poor performance in the region), but it really doesn't even come close to having the wealth of them the PS1 and PS2 had. As for WRPG's, I'm not even close to an expert on them, but I'd say both systems are about equal, but somebody can correct me if I'm wrong. ES Anthology probably will not come to consoles at this rate, but I could be wrong.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for the info!

One thing that bothered me was that the d-pad wasn't very bad on the 360. I use it when I play the Mega Man games and it's fine. RPGs work best on PS with a wide range of Final Fantasy and others, and FPS games work best on 360 with a range of Battlefield and Call of Duty as well as a few others.
I never liked the PlayStation controls due to the d-pad being where the left analog stick is on the Xbox controller. But I first started with the 360 so that's just me.

For point #4, basically:

If you want superior exclusive content and unrivaled Japanese support, get a PS3.
If you want superior online infrastructure and stability, get a 360.

Graces f and Xillia are fan-pleasers in the Tales of series. Both are better than Abyss and Legendia, the two PS2 games. Haven't played Vesperia.
Ni no Kuni is a brilliant game and almost worth the PS3 by itself.
Other good JRPG titles on the system (in my opinion) are Eternal Sonata, Disgaea series (if you just get one, get Disgaea D2), Resonance of Fate, and Valkyria Chronicles.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope had great battle mechanics and challenging bosses, but a couple of the characters were awful and the story is mediocre.
There's also plenty of niche stuff from NIS that I enjoyed, but they have a very limited audience and I'd strongly recommend reading reviews and watching gameplay videos before committing to a purchase of their products.

Thanks everybody. I've always leant more towards getting a 360, probably because it's cheaper, but I may be leaning more towards a PS3 now. I really don't care about online and the only first-party stuff I might be interested in by either is Uncharted. And I've heard those RPGs are good and if they aren't on 360 at all that wouldn't be good. Unfortunately I still can't find either of them for anywhere near what I'd be willing to pay. Even on Craigslist people are asking for more than Gamestop is, which is crazy.

PS3 has awesome exclusives and a decent controller (shoulder buttons aside). The 360 controller, on the other hand, is awful, and has very few good exclusives.

PS3 has more Japanese support, whereas 360 has more Western support.

6 years ago, I would have said to get the 360, but the PS3 is by far the better console these days.

Okay, so just as a clarification question because I'm still a bit confused: If I just want to put in a disc game and play it and nothing else, will I be able to do that on either system without having to pay more for a Gold Pass or whatever, or needing additional storage space for mandatory installation even with a disc game? Thanks.

I know I've packed away my last-gen consoles, but I know at least for the 360 that installing was not mandatory EDIT: for MOST games - Ghosts made me install one of the discs. Game updates and stuff like that come to you free without having to pay for Gold or PS+, though if you want to do anything multiplayer on 360 then you do need Gold.

Yes, you do not need a subscription to anything to play offline. Online play requires a subscription on the 360, whereas it is free on the PS3.

The PS3 requires installation on the majority of games, and some of them can go upwards of 5GB. Only a handful of games on the 360 require an installation. Unfortunately, both systems' games often require fairly large sized patches on some games for a decent experience, but it depends on game.

Thanks @8BitSamurai and everyone else. Do you happen to know about the specific games I am interested in (Mass Effect, Bioshock, Elder Scrolls, Genesis Collection) if they need to be installed? It will probably be awhile anyways. I went to Gamestop the other day and talked to the guy there and he said the prices won't drop until mid-Spring at the earliest when the new systems are readily available. I'm holding out hope I can convince my brother to just give me his 360 because I doubt he plays it much.

If you're planning to get a new system that's not the 12GB, you should be fine as I think the next hard with the least memory is 250GB. So the installs won't be a problem.

@Xyphon22
Mass Effect: 3.5GB
Mass Effect 2: 5GB
Mass Effect 3: No install required
Bioshock: 5GB
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: 4.5GB
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: 5GB
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection: No install (At least nothing over 10MB)

Could be wrong on some of these, since I don't have them personally (Someone correct me if I'm wrong)

PS3 shoulder buttons are terrible and gave me cramps (with games that used them a lot), but I bought some shoulder button attachments and haven't felt cramp since. Shouldn't be necessary, but there's a solution.

In my eyes there's no comparison, really, PS3 easily trumps 360. The latter used to have better indie games, but most have been ported over by now. Plus Sony has its first party studios and Japanese support.

Am playing Red Dead Redemption right now, I highly recommend it. And if you like 2D Metroids, get Guacamelee.

PS3 definitely has more value now than the 360. The only swing factor that I could really see is if you truly, truly dig Halo and Gears. Otherwise, the PS3 is the place to go.