Why PS3, Not Xbox Was My Netflix Machine Father's Day Gift

Forbes: This Father’s Day I had a dilemma on my hands. My dad had expressed an interest in seeing what this newfangled Netflix thing was all about, and I thought a good gift would be a box through which he could get the streaming service.

Naturally, as a gamer, my first thought turned to which console I could get him that would serve as a primary Netflix box. Yes, I could go with AppleTV, but if I’d never used it, teaching him would be a chore. Plugging in a laptop each time via HDMI would be too much of a hassle, and so I went with my original assertion, picking and choosing between which gaming console I’d get my dad. It was a present I never thought I’d give.

[Emilio_Estevez]

Seems like an obvious choice if you were to pick a console to stream Netflix for a not techy person. But why not a Roku box?

[Snookies12]

Lol, I said the same thing right as your comment was posted.

[Zuperman]

Another dumb This Vs That debate, If you have Netflix for one or the other platform, great. Enjoy it. lmfao..

[darthv72]

I stream netflix on wii, ps3, 360 and 3ds.

When it comes to streaming netflix in general I use an LG bluray player. It is the main player for all things movies and is the easiest device for my wife to use.

As for this article, why he didnt just go with either a dedicated netflix box or a bluray player is odd. Especially if the intended party is someone who isnt to tech savvy.

There are wireless bluray players for under $100 that can do netflix, vudu, hulu and a slew of other streaming services these days.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

or... he could have just bought dad a new smart TV with Netflix in it. Not sure what his dad's TV situation is but these kinds of TV's are brilliant options for those only looking to do Netflix. You can get a great 30-32 inch smart LCD TV for just about the same price as the different console bundles these days.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

or even better yet...

He could have bought Dad the Sony Blu Ray Player w/ Wifi(Netflix, Pandora, Youtube, facebook & Twitter apps) for $120 via Best Buy (Model: BDPS390).

My point I think there are far better cost options for getting someone a machine for Netflix play than a 360 or a PS3.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

I agree with you guys that are better options for non tech savy people, but what if his father happens to look interested in gaming?

I know my father would randomly join me in a match of International Superstar Soccer when I was a kid and it was great fun, despite he being completelly out of his confort zone. If he was still alive I would totally give him a PS3, imagine rocking out BF3 with your old man!

Other thing to consider is if it's a trojan horse of a present... Give your father a PS3, so you can play when you are visiting! LOL

[pixelsword]

...the heck is a Roku box?

[Army_of_Darkness]

The HD quality does not compare. besides, I'm sure any father would want more than just a bluray player eventually.

[moparful99]

@Dlacy13g You cannot buy a smart tv for the same price as a console.. A 32 inch lcd hd tv costs 2-3 hundred right now.. a vizio 32 inch lcd smart tv is $369 right now..

[Kurt Russell]

I bought my dad a card and a bottle of whisky.

[Arnon]

If I were to do this, I'd get him a 4gb 360 with Kinect, and a membership to Netflix. Using Kinect with netflix is a godsend for browsing, and my dad is a computer radio engineer, so he'd get a kick out of using Kinect as well.

[ChrisGTR1]

ehh last time i checked u needed a xbox live membership to even use netflix on xbox so obviously ps3 is a better choice top that off with a bluray player.

[nukeitall]

I was going to say the same thing, the Roku supports more apps than PS3 and cost a fraction of it, uses less power and is easier to use. You don't have to use a controller and instead use a remote like device.

[Emilio_Estevez]

Yeah, but it doesn't have a Blu-Ray player, which could be another reason for it.

[nukeitall]

Blu-ray feature is hardly worth $150-200 extra?

If it was such an issue, here is a blu-ray player with netflix for $80 and it doesn't have that pesky controller:

http://www.amazon.com/LG-BD...

Also, Roku gets Angry Bird! XD

[moparful99]

@nuke Sony makes a really nice tv style remote for the ps3 that works brilliantly and also has the square, x, circle, and triangle buttons.. Buying a ps3 as a primary netflix device isn't as bad of a deal as you all are making it out to be.. The blu-ray and access to the playstation movie store makes it a great movie device...

[Persistantthug]

So in his case, the PS3 makes sense.

[showtimefolks]

GOOD FOR YOU PEOPLE HAVE OTHER OPTIONS SO AS LONG AS YOU HAPPY WHO CARES WHICH ONE YOU PICK

[_Aarix_]

Easy for you to say.

[Godmars290]

You said it yourself: for some even a Roku is too technical. That or they don't advertise on TV.

Though anyone looking will just find a TV with streaming capability.

[hazelamy]

because then you wouldn't be able to play games on it as well.

[Hayabusa 117]

I was going to say exactly the same thing everyone else was going to say: why not just buy a Roku box? Everyone else said it even though the first comment already said it, yet everyone still felt the need to say what's already been said, so I said it as well :)

[mewhy32]

I agree with Emilio. If you were going to buy a streaming device then they should have just bought a Roku box.

[r1sh12]

This whole debate between and xbox or ps3 (for netflix) is mute I think.
He said it was money that made him decide for the ps3 which is a fair conclusion and I would agree with it.
But as a few people have pointed out, there are significantly cheaper devices that support netflix and do an equally good job for streaming when compared with the ps3/xbox.
A cheap blu ray player will be the first thing that comes to mind, and if he wanted all the extra features a samsung smart blu ray player would have satisfied all the needs which would have worked out cheaper. This sort of thing seems its a bit like flame bait, because there are at least another 99 devices that deliver the same content for less than a ps3/xbox...

[Snookies12]

A Roku player would have worked as well. XD

[Christopher]

Yeah, don't get why you'd get a console in the first place. I get his choice of one with a 'friendlier' user interface, but I'd rather show my dad how to navigate to the Netflix icon on the PS3 and give him a Blu-ray player as well as the other video streaming options out there without any annual costs.

[nukeitall]

They have that too, and it's not a PS3 and cost far less at $80 (one third):

http://www.amazon.com/LG-BD...

I don't see it either. Maybe dad will play some games once he figures out the interface?

[TekoIie]

I just cant get over how this can be made into an article. Yeh for just Netflix then the PS3 is the one to go for but really?

How much further can gaming journalism fall?

[Condemnedman]

This is the type of lame articles that make it to the front page of this site it's posted by some right sad losers trying to push the notion that every one should buy a PS3 over an Xbox :-#,

[iceman2885]

The other obvious advantage for PS3 over 360 as one's "Netflix Machine" (if your not gonna go for the cheaper Roku or AppleTV) is that it plays Blu-Ray.

[darthv72]

options on the market that play bluray as well as the various streaming services.

[moparful99]

But with a ps3 you also have access to the playstation movie store and you can rent or buy and save them to your hard drive..

[Soldierone]

If he is a gamer I can see getting him a console. However I wanted to get my girlfriend's parents something to watch Netflix on, so I got them a Blu-ray player....only 80 dollars, watches Blu-rays, and an easy keyboard style peripheral to type on Netflix, all through wi-fi too.

The only reason I'd get my (or her) parents a PS3 was for free chat on it. However we live within a good radius and see them all the time, so no need for it.

[Moncole]

The reason you would get your parents a PS3 is stupid, you have free chat on everything. You can use Facebook, email and texts.

[Soldierone]

The point is keeping it away from the computer, and something on the TV.....

I don't see how MY viewpoint is stupid just because its different than yours though. I'm on my PS3 a lot, it would make for communication to be a lot easier, and can have video on the TV.

[moparful99]

Soldier he's just a sony hater and any reasonable opinion in favor of the ps3 obviously angers him so let him fume in his own little world... Just a troll..

[AngelicIceDiamond]

(Sigh) Now somebody is gonna wright about which console is best for Netflix streaming?

BorderLands! Please come out!

[chukamachine]

Is english your first language?

It's spelt write.

[TekoIie]

Uh-oh theres a Keyboard Warrior over here ^^^

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Or how bout I don't care...

[pwnmaster3000]

He actually corrected you in a nice way.
And you should care, so next time you wont make the same mistake.

[PixL]

Is it yours?

It's spelt 'English', with a capital letter.

[DasTier]

You forgot the capital 'E' on English.

You fail.

:'(

-EDIT-

Damn you PixL! Now I look foolish!

[sandman224]

I agree 100%

[Summons75]

Xbox had the better netflix till the last big update now it's terrible the layout sucks and no group watch >.> It took almost 6 months but I finally got use to the PS3 netflix which I now find better.

[slaton24]

yeah ps3 is alot better on netflix u just subscribe to the service on xbox u got to subscribe to both the xbox live and netflix which is stupid cause thats just more money

@darth---dude some people who use the xbox for lets say kids may not pay to have live because of how (air quotes) dangerous online violence is so they dont pay to get netflix either and also i dont use live and i can still buy games from the store so i do my free gaming and netflix on u guessed it ps3

[darthv72]

there are even people who buy the wii or 360 or ps3 and dont even hook them up to the internet.

Go figure. Everyone is different.

[Roper316]

but who really wants to pay Netflix for their services and then pay MS for the right to watch what you are already paying for when you can watch it free everywhere else with just your Netflix account.

a complete and utter fool that is who

[Hicken]

The world is full of fools.

[darthv72]

like it has to be done in that order. Chances are there are people who are live members first and netflix members second.

So in that case, being able to watch netflix over live is very likely. Its all about taking advantage of what's in front of you.

[DragonKnight]

You just justified paying twice for the ability to use one streaming service. Are you proud of yourself? Did your parents teach you nothing of the value of a dollar?

In Plain English: HOW MUCH SENSE DOES IT MAKE TO PAY A BASE $60 A YEAR AND AN ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTION FEE TO WATCH NETFLIX?

I can't believe you would actually say "well maybe it wasn't in that order." WHO CARES WHAT ORDER IT'S IN, YOU'RE PAYING TWICE FOR ONE SERVICE!

[darthv72]

sheesh you seem butt hurt over the fact i choose to pay for live AND netflix. Go figure netflix isnt the selling point for live but the way you stated it, it may as well be.

It's okay. i get it. I also use netflix on the wii, ps3, 3ds and my phone. I pay for netflix and i use it on as many devices as i see fit. If one of them happens to be a 360 and i am already a live gold member then so be it.

[DragonKnight]

I don't care what you want to throw your money away on. But to try to justify robbery is why you, and those like you, are a part of the problem. There is no justification for one person to have to pay to 3 different companies in order to use 1 service.

For all intents and purposes, this discussion assumes that individual A possesses only 3 things. The first is an internet connection which Individual A pays an ISP for. The second is a PS3 AND an Xbox 360. The third is a Netflix subscription.

We'll say Individual A has a decent broadband package, which will run him/her about $50 a month for good speed and bandwidth. We'll say that Individual A has an Xbox Live Gold account paid at the base price MS asks for, $60 a year or $5 month. We'll also say that Individual A has a Netflix subscription for one year. According to netflix's own site, that runs you $95.88, or $7.99 a month.

In one year, the total cost of using ONLY NETFLIX for the PS3 is $695.88.

In one year, the total cost of using ONLY NETFLIX for the Xbox 360 is $755.88

Explain to me the justification. Explain to me how that is GOOD and/or a right thing.

That is my issue with your statement. You are trying to suggest, in even the smallest fashion, that it is acceptable to pay 3 different companies for the use of 1 service. Frankly, that should be unacceptable to anyone with common sense.

[Shepherd 214]

Hmmm, no..I'm not paying twice for one service since I am using both of the services.

[GameOn]

lol ok whatever, no one signs up to gold just for netflix. Its for people who are already gold subscribers. Im not sure why we bother because youre obviously too thick to understand.

[Skate-AK]

Haha I wonder if his dad will ever play MW3 since its bundled in.

[FrigidDARKNESS]

Who cares there nothing on Netflix anyway. they lost majority of their contracts.

[Siren30]

Still have alot

[ALLWRONG]

not really, netflix lost more than half their content. hulu has more now.

[badz149]

lol it's hard to find you convincing with username like that! maybe that's why you have more disagrees

[greenpowerz]

I agree. I canceled Netflix because of what you think. Also waiting for new BD movies longer than ever was a turn off for me. But I need to renew my membership because comcast movies ondemand is wasting more money .My BD-c6900 makes Netflix look good close to Comcast HD channels.

Hollywood making Netflix wait longer for new releases hurt the nostalgia of the business that built it. Folks felt a victory over the greed. Most are don't have patients.

[ALLWRONG]

Netflix is just one of many apps on the 360. There is also more to choose from and it's easier to use. If it wasn't for the 360 there wouldn't be any video apps on the PS3. MS started it, then Sony followed.

[IRetrouk]

See play tv, 4od BBC iPlayer

[slaton24]

wow ummm dude no it didnt....they just went with it and now its all about apps and kinect and oh yeah the same four games every year

[jacksons98]

"MS started it, then Sony followed"
I remember when 360 didn't have Blu-ray or even HDMI and all the 360 fans were like, it doesn't matter HD is a gimmick and 360 is laser focused on games. We don't need movies, internet, etc...

[badz149]

you can't be wronger than THAT!

[greenpowerz]

With smartglass coming, if one had to buy a console to enjoy Netflix(lol) the 360 would be the best choice. Paying for XBL would grant him features we don't even know about but will soon find out in a few hours. Chances are the house holds already have game consoles and BLU ray players in them. Current and future XBL services and features on MS tablets and phones as well as partner device makers all sharing the complete experience across xbox, windows and more. Well worth the yearly fee.

Dad can pause his xbox with his voice and have XBL feed his portable device espn sports stats, the resume the movie on the tv by voice. Nov 2012

[maniacmayhem]

I choose PS3 for Netflix just because the UI is so much better.

The new set up on the 360 is painful and i really wish they would roll it back to how it was before.

[FunkMacNasty]

^^^^ Agreed. Ps3 is the way to go for Netlix viewing, it's just much more of an intuitive setup for browsing the que and peeking at different titles. I HATE the way Netflix works on Xbox (and just about everything else's functionality in the most recent dashboard update sucks IMO as well)

On Xbox It drives me nuts that if I just press a button to read the description of a film or to browse through episodes of a TV series, it just ques up and starts playing and you have to pause it and find the 'more' episodes icon, which sometimes doesn't appear for some reason.. Netflix + Xbox 360 = ANGER!

[iammason]

Cool, another crappy opinion piece that is in the top trending articles on N4G.

[Ravenor]

Gaming news is a joke, the author chose to buy his dad a PS3 over a 360...GREAT! Why do we all need to know this? How is this relevant?

[WetN00dle69]

Cause its Pro-Sony!
Just look at all of these fanboys moist with excitement over some stupid irrelevant article!

[arbitor365]

roku box is cheaper. but between the ps3 and xbox, its obvious to pick the one that doesnt have a yearly $60 fee. its common sense. netflix is works perfectly on both of them, so why pick the needlessly expensive one?

[ACEMANWISE]

I don't see how the Xbox 360 is considered "winning" this war for the living room. I understand that this is regarding the fight to have an all-in-one box under your television. Yet I don't think Xbox Live is helping matters much.

For gamers Xbox Live is a given and adding extra services like Netflix would be considered an added value to an already great gaming service.

That said we move on to the overall picture. The war for your living room. From this standpoint I don't see how they can, or ever will, win the war for any room in the house. From the typical consumer (the audience that accounts for the majority...and why the war is waged in the first place) would never pay for a gaming service to get to the main reason why bought the console. To them it is yet another barrier to pay for. In their eyes they already have to pay for internet. There is no reason why they would want to pay for an irrelevent service in order to get to another paid service. By this point they are looking back over to their current cable or satelitte services and comparing costs. It's bad enough the biggest barrier is the cost of internet service providers and all the hoops they require one to go through.

[Shepherd 214]

It's probably pretty common for one household to be paying for Internet, Netflix fees, Live fees, and even fees like COD Elite or BF Premium, or in extreme cases both. That's alot of money.

If xbox live subscriptions decline, MS may have to drop the price of gold some. It would be a smart move because then more people may be willing to give it a go while at the same time raising the value of Live and it's competitiveness.

[KMCROC54]

I prefer my xbox for netflix since it was there where i became a fan of netflix, no need to switch.

[ChunkyLover53]

Why is this even here? It seems very much like a pointless article to force people to debate.

I actually bought my mom a Roku player for Mothers Day this year, spent $45 and just added my Hulu Plus and Netflix accounts to the machine so that she can have both of those services for free.

Why would you spend $250-$300 on something just to stream movies? So many better options.

[Servbot41]

I gave my mother my PS3 as a Netflix machine because it broke for a second time and Sony wanted another $200 to fix it again. And for the record, it was vacuumed weekly, had about six feet of space for the rear fan and one foot of space for the side fans, and was used about twice a month.

[CoryHG]

"Unfortunately, Xbox Live Gold is a money printing machine for Microsoft at this point. I’m currently paying for it despite the fact I haven’t played an Xbox game online in over six months. It auto-renews year after year, and I’ll probably never shut it off for as long as I own the console."

--While obviously there shouldn't be a debate over this topic, the fact that this statement is in this article bothers me. You're not helping the fact that MS charges year after year. There are others who pay no attention and they keep taking your money. Long live Sony.

[bigtrucknd]

He should have just got his dad a jelly of the month membership it's the gift that keeps on giving.

[darthv72]

Clark.

[HmongAmerican]

I have Netflix. Just one account can be use to stream Netflix on different machine, PC, consoles, etc.. and all device that support Netflix app for as long as you log on to the same account. Even my brother use my account over at his house through his new SAMSUNG Smart 3d TV. Why won't he let dad use his account so dad doesn't have to pay.

[Gigawatt25]

"Plugging in a laptop each time via HDMI would be too much of a hassle"

No, that's being a lazy ass.

[Wolf873]

Well he got a neat blu-ray player along with it, so no loss really.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

I wouldn't get him a PS3 or a 360, that' ridiculous.

A Roku Streaming Player would accomplish the same task and its only $99. Its easier to use, and it also has a wider variety of free streaming video content.

Seriously, this article reads like an advertisement. And that's because well.... you figure it out.

[TheKayle]

saying the iterface of the ps3 is better than xbox..is like saying pig can fly

but i add...if u buy ps3 for netflix ..u and ur dad r stupids or millionars...

anyway...next console to buy to stream media..is xbox
if ps3 dont improve their horrible browser ..and interface...and dont do something like smartglass they r fucked..
kinect is too much ahead and sony need to learn about it

ps. i own a ps3 and a xbox

[InTheLab]

"u and ur dad r stupids or millionars"

Hehe.......hehehehe....wow...

[SSKILLZ]

Blah blah blah, smart glasses that make u look stupid and kinect are a joke.

Internet explorer on the Xbox 360 Wow big woop !

Ps3 has what needs this gen and its called Games,

Who cares if you own the two ur still a troll

[MaxXAttaxX]

The 360's interface may be prettier, but the PS3's is simple enough to understand.
Also you don't have to pay $$ for XBL Gold to access Netflix. Sounds smart to me, not stupid. I don't get what being a millionaire has to do with this, though.

[TXIDarkAvenger]

Obvious choice.

If buying a console for Netflix, might as well not get an Xbox 360 as on top of the Netflix subscription you have to pay for Xbox Live Gold membership. Also it seems he likes movies so the PS3 has a blu-ray player.

[gamer7804]

you can stream netflix from a pc to an xbox 360 without a gold subscription or just via a ps3...

But why not just a cheap blu ray player with netflix built in, far cheaper than xbox or ps3.

[Shnazzyone]

Should have got him a wii. It's an inexpensive option. I know my dad absolutely loves it and the pointer based interface he instantly gets. One button to choose move the point to what he wants. Also his eyes are going as he is nearing his 60's so he doesn't care about HD or SD. He's still rocking an 40 inch tube set. All he wants is a way to watch Stargate and whatever else is on his mind with as few problems as possible. I'd imagine my dad would flip his shit if the wii had to update every time he didn't boot it up for a week.

Dad doesn't buy movies anymore along with the earlier mentioned lack of caring about HD vs SD quality so blueray is a null point. In the end the wii's simple, straighforward controls and interface makes it ideal for the "older technology users" out there. Plus at 99 bucks even the price is right.

[horndog]

This man is an idiot.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Please buy him Red Dead Redemption, too. Most fathers won't even game...until they play Red Dead Redemption. ;)

[kma2k]

i just found it funny that he isnt a gamer but you bought him a MW3 bundle lol

[0pie]

xbox live is needed to stream netflix? What the...

[SaffronCurse]

With the ps3 you also get an additional blu ray player too.

[Lucretia]

obviously the ps3 because who wants a bill to play netflix on their 360, also ps3 is a blu ray player and can play games. thats why it was choosen besides a plain blu-ray player

[XboxInnovation]

So ps3 wins the Netflix war, the only thing it won this generation lol. Talk about fanboy desperation.

[_LarZen_]

You fool.

[_LarZen_]

You should have bought him a AppleTV or any other device that can stream content. That is if he aint gonna play games ofc.

Regarding Bluray if he has any interest in picture quality he owns a dedicated bluray player.

[Trenta27]

I use Netflix mostly on the PS3. Why? The Xbox is prone to heating problems. My PS3 isn't. Netflix is sometimes on all day so I don't want to have to run my Xbox in to get any repairs done all because I want to watch a few movies.

[chaos_mechanica]

Are the Forbes guys just getting into the gaming world? The other day i read a supposed PS3 article that turned out to be a Dark Souls fan service article. Now this. I love the PS3, but this is a "PS3 VS XBOX360" flame war that the net doesn't need. I read the article, and he says his dad isn't even a gamer. Why give him this $250-300 ultimate gaming device if he's only going to go on one app for it? Unless it's for when the author of the article comes over and wants to BS a little. But that $250 could be spent on a bluray player, a smart TV, or anything else that caters to the typical consumer.

[MadMen]

cool story bro, blog it