I have and xbox 360 and love it, but at an equal price point with the PS3 the PS3 wins.

i have both systems....and at the new price points having experienced both, id buy a ps3....i find it funny that i can run movies from jmy windows media player fine...but the xbox 360 when i stream some of them says unknown format, yet my ps3 streams the same movie just fine....logically youd figure if it runs on windows, it would stream to the 360....plus the ps3 makes the same movie look cleaner and crisper

I thought this was all but confirmed weeks ago.

I love competition though. Everybody wins.

Microsoft isnt gonna let Sony take back the crown without a fight. DUH!

I have both and it's tough to decide if both were at the same price point. On one hand, the PS3 had built-in BluRay, wireless internet and browser but equally inviting the Xbox 360 has NetFlix and a better online experience.

On hardware, the PS3 wins hands down but in terms of features the Xbox 360 has the upper hand. I really enjoy the NetFlix capability but I think I'd have to give it to the PS3 and suggest that Microsoft needs to drop the price by a minimum of $50 to stay competitive.

DAMN!!! I just paid $299 for the pro a month and a half ago! At Walmart even!!!!

I have 360 but the $299 price is fail. They need to include a wireless adapter for freee, not a $99 addon. $99 for wireless is rediculous.

I think PS3 is gonna win this holiday season at its current price.

Well that's good. It sure will help 360 sales to stay ahead of the PS3. Of course the 360 that really seems to sell is the Arcade SKU.

In May 2008, Dell had the Elite for $329 with two games. Thats how I got my Elite.

I like how all this information keeps getting "leaked". Sounds more like marketing if you ask me.

Not true completely. Companies get ads many weeks in advance. It only takes one person to grab one and scan/upload to the internet. But you're right too, it could be a marketing ploy as well.

Their IS red light with it !

People need to stop this favoritism of the different consoles. I have all three and I know that each serves a purpose. For hardcore gamers the Xbox 360 is the best thanks to better exclusives and a better controller, however the PS3 makes up for that by being the best media center solution on the market, and still one the absolute best blu-ray players out. The Wii is so simple and refreshing that it really puts a smile on your face when playing with the wiimote. It all comes down to your needs, the console that is best for one is not always best for the other, it might not fit their needs like it does yours. I use my PS3 the most for movies, but I prefer most games on my Xbox 360, while I love to setup my Wii for the neighborhood kids to play.

If you want the ultimate gaming, media, and diverse device then a gaming PC is the ultimate. However, as many of us know, it comes with a hefty premium that isn't necessarily worth it to most people.

I love the price competition because it is going to make my Christmas shopping real easy, though it has been needed for a long time.

Or at least drop the adapter's price to 50$ and/or offer Wireless N for 100$...

Still many hidden expenses with the 360. Like LIVE GOLD and their $100 wireless adapter. Granted LIVE may be some better than Sony's online alternative, but the costs rack up.

If the new Elite hits the $300 price point, what is the new price of the arcade/pro or whatever model isn't getting dropped here?

yup. at best buy for example, the upcoming week's ad is sent to every store, and most employees have easy access to it.

What they need to do now is remove Arcade SKU completely and drop the Pro SKU down to the Arcade's pricepoint. I would be nice if they did one even further and kept the Arcade on the market, reducing it to a sweet ~$130 price that would put it in reach of many more people.

I bought the $299 Pro bundle over a year ago and it came with the wireless network adapter. It doesnt really make sense that it wouldnt come with the Elite bundle..

Sony COULD win the holiday war, but they need to educate potential buyers of the value the PS3 provides- the integrated wifi, Blu Ray, etc.

Those that aren't hardcore news hounds or those that are still playing the PS2 might not know about all the differentiators.

xbox is indeed actually a very reliable system that is if microsoft actually put more fans in the case so they dont overheat like crazy. sony has an amzing system with the ps3 and its good but online play is a little bad since a lot of people usually are yellow bar mostly all the time.

Mmmmm... I smell fresh n00b meat this upcoming holiday season.

No PC comments? wow

It has been proven at the forums (I forgot the actual post), that you could make a PC near the cost of a 360 or PS3 (without a screen and the other stuff of course, just the box). The only problem with games on the PC is that some of the game developers and publishers botched the ports.

The new prices of the PS3 and 360 would make Christmas season a big buying season, even with the recession.

I have X360 and not PS3 but if PS3 slim is $300 and X360 elite is $300 and both have 120GB while PS3 has blu-ray support... why not choose PS3? sure the game selections etc... but if you choose X360, you have to purchase the wireless adapter (or at least have a wireless-enabled laptop next to it) and X360 "live" is not free (gold membership).

Why is the wireless adapter always included as something you must buy? Sure, a number of people have wireless networks, but just as many have wired networks, or simply choose not to connect to the internet. And yes, Live is not free. A year's subscription makes it about $4 a month, and not that many people mind paying considering how well it works. And about "game selections"...well, are you buying a game console or are you buying a media center?

In any case all consoles have their strong points, as was mentioned earlier, and price drops are always welcome.

Hmm, the one I bought for my son's machine was $30.

You also don't have to buy the MS branded adapter, there are other companies who make wireless network cards for the 360 (not hard since it's just a USB adapter). You can also use the wireless adapter from the original XBox, of which you can find brand new for less than $30.

Personally, I prefer to use a wired networking for my gaming needs. Less worries about lost packets, etc. Even if my Linksys WRT54G is widely respected for it's signal and overall reliability, I'd rather not take the chance.

Also, not sure why you think they should be offering wireless-N. In the first place, I'd bet you wouldn't notice a difference when gaming on a 360 or PS3 between G up through N. Nor does the PS3 even offer built-in N-support to begin with. For both machines you'd have to buy an expensive non-branded N-adapter. Streaming videos might make a small difference, but I doubt a difference large enough to notice.

I admit, I could be wrong on that last part... I just don't see the reason to spend that much money on a wireless network adapter for a console machine, especially when my internet connection is maxed out at 18Mbps and your average broadband connection is still around 1.5Mbps.