Which has the best games, PS3 or Xbox 360? Don’t answer that, we could still be arguing about it for literally decades. The analysts at Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) reckon they’ve got the solution though, courtesy of Metacritic and a bit of careful number crunching. Their research shows that overall 17% of PS3 games are rated at 85/100 or higher, while Xbox 360 has to make do with 13%. So there you go.
At the other end of the spectrum, Sony is also leading. Just 30% of PS3 games are rated as 65 or lower, while its 38% for Xbox 360. This backs up other recent stats that showed PS3 scores beating Xbox 360 over all.
What do these stats mean? Apart from ‘not much, really’, it’s that in theory you should have better odds of picking up a PS3 with some decent games than if you picked the Xbox 360. Naturally, the review scores themselves, especially ones drawn from Metacritic, are not gospel truth and can be easily biased, although in which direction really depends who you ask and what day of the week it is.
It is also interesting to note that EEDAR’s methodology includes a “weighted system to determine its review score, meaning that greater significance is allocated to some critics than to others”. And of course there’s the problem of the PS3 having less games overall than the Xbox 360.
So, to be honest, it’s a statistical minefield and we think it’s perfectly fair to say that you can’t go wrong with either system. And if you’re buying a new PS3 or Xbox 360, for God’s sake look beyond the price tags, because if we’ve learned anything in the last few days it’s that Sony is extremely confident its current PS3 pricing strategy is fair, good value overall and won’t be shifting any time soon.
And that Xbox 360 is also a thoroughly good laugh. Also: Wii.
(via Edge)
