If your intention is purely to get a gaming console, then consider the XBOX - You can get plenty of games for it at fairly good prices. If you are into chipping & such; I consider the art as having matured on the XBOX. I consider PS3 as a "tech box". If you wish to go beyond games and want a solid tech box to tinker & experiment with; then the PS3 is for you. The downside is that if you have to stay legit, then be prepared to fork a little more for the games. Again if you are into jailbreaking - there's plenty of control over the box once you tread that path. The downside is that Sony is constantly sealing all the loopholes and making it harder for jail-breakers. PS : You may need to cross check the firmware version of the PS3 box to ascertain the ease of implementing any jail-break. My opinion may be skewed in that I only own the PS3 slim console.