PS3 Slim vs Xbox 360 Elite

With price drops for both the PS3 Slim and the 360 Elite now official, I thought that I would make a quick comparison of the 2 systems.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Price - both systems are now priced at $299.

Hard Drive - both systems have 120GB hard drives.

Disc Drive - the PS3 disc drive can play Blu-Ray, DVD and CD, while the 360 can play DVD and CD only.

Last Gen Compatible - the PS3 Slim will only be backwards compatible with PS1 games.  The 360 Elite is backwards compatible with original Xbox games.

WiFi - is included with the Slim.  The 360 is WiFi capable, but only with a $50 add=on.

Bluetooth - the Slim is Bluetooth enabled, the Elite is not.

Online Play - both systems have online play.  The Slim's online play is free of charge, while the Elite needs a Gold Xbox Live membership ($50/year) to play online.

USB Ports - the Slim has 2 USB ports, while the Elite has 3.

Controllers Included - both systems are packaged with 1 controller

Dimensions - Slim = 290 x 65 x 290mm.  Elite = 310 x 80 x 260mm

Weight - the Slim weighs in at 3.2kg.  The Elite tips the scales at 3.5kg.

With free online play and the ability to play Blu-Ray movies the PS3 Slim would seem to hold an advantage (however slight) over the Xbox 360 Elite, but will it be enough for Sony to overcome the sales difference between the two systems.  Currently Microsoft has sold just less then 32,000,000 units, while Sony has sold close to 24,500,000.  The price drop, coupled with a strong slate of upcoming exclusive games (Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain & God of War III) give Sony their best chance to duplicating the success they had with the PS2.  With the unprecedented success of the Wii, it's highly unlikely that Sony or Microsoft will win this console war, but I think that Sony will start to chip away at Microsoft's lead and they will end up very close in total sales by the end of this console cycle.