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.
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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.
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.
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
The HD quality does not compare. besides, I'm sure any father would want more than just a bluray player eventually.
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
So in his case, the PS3 makes sense.
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.
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...
http://www.amazon.com/LG-BD...
I don't see it either. Maybe dad will play some games once he figures out the interface?
How much further can gaming journalism fall?
options on the market that play bluray as well as the various streaming services.
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.
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.
BorderLands! Please come out!
It's spelt write.
And you should care, so next time you wont make the same mistake.
It's spelt 'English', with a capital letter.
You fail.
:'(
-EDIT-
Damn you PixL! Now I look foolish!
@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
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.
a complete and utter fool that is who
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.
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!
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.
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.
I couldnt of said it better myself!
But hey if the article is Pro-Sony they get accepted in a heart beat! Even if the article itself is stupid such as this one!
lol it's hard to find you convincing with username like that! maybe that's why you have more disagrees
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.
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...
you can't be wronger than THAT!
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
The new set up on the 360 is painful and i really wish they would roll it back to how it was before.
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!
Just look at all of these fanboys moist with excitement over some stupid irrelevant article!
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.
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.
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.
--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.
Clark.
No, that's being a lazy ass.
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.
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
Hehe.......hehehehe....wow...
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
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.
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.