There's a deal going on at EB Games where you can get a Xbox 360 (arcade or elite, depends on the luck of the draw really) at no cost if you trade in 4 used games that have a value of $8 or more, but it doesn't come with a hard drive, Xbox Live, etc., only the system+cords+a wireless or wired controller (luck of the draw again). Thing is though, I can find ANY EB Games stores that have used 360s (I guess they all sold out or...Gamestop scam? :shudder:). Xbox has a lot of costs further down the road from what I've seen but I haven't heard things like that about the PS3 aside from costs the 360 would have anyway.

Games aren't really an issue as I can find great games on both platforms, but EVERYTHING considered, what would you say is cheaper?

Go with the PS3. Paying for online with the Xbox 360 is unacceptable, so I go with the PS3, which I plan to get by Christmas.

Well, the Xbox 360 is cheaper, even down the road. Sony is introducing the PS3 slim as well, which is almost certainly going to force Microsoft to reduce theirs even more in a few months time.

If you want to go online, PS3 is cheaper. It has wireless as well as free PSN.

To go online for XBOX, you either need to buy the Wireless Adapter ($99) or connect by Ethernet. To play against others, you need to pay for XBOXLIVE Gold subscription.

Also consider that the PS3 has Blu-ray.

From my experiences from buying both a 360 and a PS3 this is what I have come to in costs:

XBOX 360 60 GB console ($399.99)
used WiFi adapter ($70)
Full year of XBOX Live ($10) (I found a great clearance deal at a cost guard base )
Play N Charge kit ($19.99)(Since I hate having to mess with dead batteries)
Intercooler fan ($30)

Estimated cost regularly: $570
The amount I payed: $500

Playstation 3 MGS Bundle ($499.99)
Intercooler Fan used ($17.99)
Duel Shock 3 controller ($49.99)

Estimated cost regularly: $580
The amount I payed: $568

The XBOX 360 to me was the cheaper of the two consoles in the long run because I kept searching for items on the clearance rack. The XBOX LIVE package I found was only being sold for $10 with normally would have costed over $70 a year or so back, it included 1 full year of XBOX LIVE, Ball Billiards, 200 Microsoft points, and a new headset. I'm not saying you will find the same deal but it never works to be a smart shopper.

As for the PS3 I spent a little more cash for less because of the fact I wanted backwards compatibility with my PS3 so I had to pay $100 extra just for that, if you already have a PS2 then you might as well save your cash for the PS3 Slim coming in September (unless you live in Europe) since it will only be $299.99. I got a used Intercooler fan at Game Stop while browsing around which, helps alot when you want to keep your PS3/360 cool so they don't overheat .

I think it depends on what you want to do with your system. I think the Xbox would be cheaper for me because I don't do much besides play games.