Round 2: Controllers

Round 2: Controllers. Both companies did a good job in sticking with the console design by incorporating the looks into the controller. Both look good, but I have to put them up to the test to see which controller is better. Starting with Playstation 3 (Ps3).

The Playstation 3 controller is black slick plastic with all black buttons except for the little designs on the 4 buttons on the the right side of the controller. Its D-Pad is separated into 4 different sections which I found to be better and more easily controlled than the Xbox 360's D-Pad. It fits well to the hand and has a night rubber texture over the analog sticks. The right 4 buttons press flush into their spots and so does ever other button including the two analog sticks. It has no battery back and no bulging spot on the back, therefor you have to charge the wireless controller. The controller does not have an built in places for mics and does not include one either, but you can buy a keyboard expansion for the top of it.

Now to the Xbox 360 controller.

The Xbox 360 controller has a white rough texture (just like the console) with same basic button layout as the Ps3. The controller analog sticks are slightly different on the Xbox 360 though; the left stick is where the D-Pad is on the Ps3 (high up on the controller) and the D-pad is lower and the controller. It had multi colored buttons on the right side of controller, grey D-pad and analog sticks, and a chrome and green LED Xbox 360 logo display in the middle. The analog sticks are covered in a thin layer of rubber to provide more friction. It has a battery pack on the back which can either be used to put in batteries or a rechargeable battery pack (both the same size). The cord to charge the controller is inserted into the gray slot on the top of the controller (just like the Ps3's).


Now that I'm done writing about Round 2: Controllers, I will pick the winner.


After long thought and hundreds of hours with both controllers the winner is... Xbox 360


The reason I picked the Xbox 360 controller is because it is more durable, it is slightly heavier and more realistic feeling, its buttons click down not mash (by that I mean they either are down or they are up, while Ps3 you can hold down in the middle), and it just looks better period in my opinion. One last thing before I go into my big rant is that the Ps3 controller is too small and seems designed for a kid. ---The main reason it wins is because of the Ps3's stupid flaw. They triggers on the back and the analog sticks on the front have convex surfaces. Convex simply means it bends OUTWARDS as opposed to inwards, which is more natural. This means that every time you press the triggers or make swift flicks across the analog sticks, you fingers slip off. This is most annoying in racing games, shooting games, and other games that require you to hold down the trigger for long amounts of time. The Xbox 360 controller is all concave which means it "caves in." By doing so your fingers fit snug into both the analog sticks and the triggers without any slip whatsoever.

I had to give the Xbox 360 this one, and it totally deserved it, thus giving the Xbox 360 one more point to the scoreboard.


Xbox 360: 2/10
Playstation 3: 0/10

Round 1: Design and Looks

On each post I'm going to start with the *BLACK* Playstation 3 and then go on to the Xbox 360. (The Playstation 3 above is the white Playstation 3, same design as the black, but is is simply white).

The Ps3 has a sleek black design with a built in hard drive. It has "Playstation 3" printed on the top in a silver text color. Under the disk drive it has a Playstation logo as well as a Sony logo with an on/off button (touch activated) embedded under the disk drive. Underneath is a flat surface, on it located 4 USB ports. It is an off-set "football" shaped design on the sides and a rounded square bottom and top. So it can sit and not wobble back and forth the bottom is squared off.

Now to the Xbox 360.

The Xbox 360 has a rough "gritty" white texture on all sites but the two small ends are a medium colored gray. All the bottom and top sides (when laid horizontally) are flat, the small end on the end closer to the on/off button is concave and full of holes for ventilation, the end on the other side is flat but when you stick the hard-drive on it sticks out about a 1/2 inch out, and the back side is slightly rounded. It has a engraved white Xbox 360 logo on the two big sides. On the front side (where all the main buttons are located) it has a round concave button with green LED power button in the middle. Next to it is a chrome, sliding disk drive with a chrome button to open and close it; engraved on the drive is "Xbox 360". Under the disk drive is 2 memory card slots, a sleek black controller receiver, and a controller synchronizing button.

And the winner for looks is... Xbox 360

I had to give Xbox 360 this one. It looks alot better and does not have that super awkward and weird shape the Ps3 has. The sleek design on the Ps3 can be easily scratched and get purple fingerprints on it every single time you touch it. The buttons on it are less obvious and don't even look like buttons. The 360 is also smaller, more lightweight, and looks better when stood up vertically. The Xbox 360 mostly won because it has a nice, simple shape, and doesn't look like a flattened football.

Xbox 360: 1/10

Playstation 3: 0/10

To all you who are Ps3 fans, I already know that Ps3 is going to win most of the upcoming Rounds so be patient. Once again, I'm not biased and like both consoles equally. See you next time on Round 2: Controllers.