It’s like David vs Goliath. Sony vs Microsoft. Or is that Microsoft vs Sony? Okay, forget David and Goliath. Maybe it’s more like Hitler and Churchill? No no no no. Um… Mac vs Windows? Nope. Yin vs Yang? Nope. Ok, forget the analogies.

But there’s definitely a battle brewing. Microsoft has spoken brashly about how the Xbox 360 will kill the PS3 and claim the throne for itself. Sony, meanwhile has preferred to speak softly and carry a big stick. Their presentation on Monday just blew everyone away. But just because Sony seems to have a technically superior machine, that doesn’t mean that they’ll come out on top. Microsoft has three things in its favour: half a year, Xbox Live, and Media Center. Microsoft has a half year head start, which isn’t much, but may be just the advantage it needs. It also has Xbox Live, which is really slick this time around. If Sony needs to fix one thing about their PS2 strategy with the PS3, it’s online gaming. While free (yay!), it was rather haphazard. Microsoft charged for Xbox Live (boo!), but it was really good. If Sony can come out with a good equivalent (yay!) that’s also free (yay!) then there’ll be no contest. The half a year lead won’t mean a thing. The third thing Microsoft has going for it is the whole Media Center integration thing. I’m a little skeptical about how big a deal this is, but some people think that this is a really big thing. So I call this the wildcard feature. But in my mind, the online support is the thing to watch.

But I’m not the only one comparing the PS3 to the Xbox 360, there are others out there as well. And I’ve already read some inaccurate information. So make sure you check the facts!

Link: Audioholics – Playstation 3 vs. Xbox 360
Link: Eurogamer – E3: Xbox 360 fails to convince in LA
Link: Eurogamer – Editorial – Reaction, Not Bias
Link: Eurogamer – Xbox 360 – The Undiluted Hyperbole
Link: Eurogamer – PS3 vs Xbox 360 – Rob’s take