The Xbox 360 has had the Netflix service for over a year.  It’s got this streaming shit down.  Well, it should.  But crashing into the party is the PS3 with it’s disc based application for the online streaming service.  You essentially have had a year long relationship with your 360 chick when all of a sudden this new “dreamy” black slim kid shows up in a leather jacket.  He comes around like the alter-Fonz (or Micheal Jackson) and says he can do the same tricks you can do in hopes of stealing your girl from you.  Jumping a pool full of sharks? Maybe.  Are there enough positives in the new dude to warrant using him to see what he can do? Or do you check him out and go with the old standby “one of the guys” for your viewing pleasure?  Find out after the jump.

The first thing you’ll notice for the PS3 is that you do in fact have to get up off of the couch.  This sucks.  PS3 – 0, 360 – 1.  The new service at the moment is disc based, so the application shows up in your video menu on the XMB.  Next year the plan is to give the PS3 an embedded application via a firmware update.  Really how bad is it to change discs?  Well, it turns out it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I really don’t have that far to walk.  Maybe a few steps?  If that?  I can almost reach the PS3 disc slot if I maneuver in a way so my stomach is on the couch and I extend my arms off of it.  I might need to just move the couch closer to the TV to rectify this.

Throughout the day this past Saturday I played a little Prototype and then got the urge to watch some IT Crowd: Season 3 while eating lunch or dinner with the girlfriend.  Plop out the game disc and put in the Netflix streaming disc.  No biggie; just turn around and do a swan dive back on the couch to continue right where I left off in my bag of potato chips.

The next thing I noticed after my first video was the picture quality of the streamed movie.  I don’t know if I should chalk this up to the PS3’s numerous display settings and the numerous things you can modify to help the screen (or if it was a fluke?), but I found that the PS3 Netflix experience was a little more cinematic.  PS3 – 1, 360 – 1.  The PS3 deep down was also made to be a Blu-ray player, so the added video settings for things like upscaling and PS smoothing give the PS3 the edge in the video experience.  It’s not much mind you, but I did notice a difference.  Plus, since I also use the PS3 as a DVD player as well, the controller buttons for streaming were easy to get used to as they were the exact same for a regular movie.

Speaking of controls, I did have a little trouble with the PS3 menu system for Netflix at first.  I was constantly pressing the wrong button and getting the “Do you want to stop playback” message.  I was simply fumbling around the controller trying to find the right button to navigate.  After 10 minutes or so I got the hang of the controls and got to checking out all of my Instant Queue and Movies You’ll Like.  It’s the same menu system as your old buddy the 360, but the PS3 menu system is not as quick to browse as the Xbox menu system.  PS3 – 1, 360 – 2.

Then it boils down to the cost of the Netflix service on each of the consoles.  Most of us core gamers are slyly tricked into believing that both of these Netflix services are free (or close to it).  This is where most out there are sorely mistaken.  We fail to add in the total for an Xbox Live Gold subscription.  You need this in order to access Netflix on the 360.  With the Playstation 3 the online service is free, so in turn the Netflix streaming service is free.  Here is the basic breakdown in price to get your stream on.

$8.99 – Basic monthly Netflix unlimited streaming package

$4.16 – Xbox Live Gold Subscription ($50 Live card / 12 months = $4.16 monthly fee)

= $13.15 (360 total a month) and $8.99 (PS3 total a month)

The difference between them is small, but alas, there is still a difference.  When you inflate the numbers you are paying $157.88 for the 360, and $108 for the PS3.  See? The price difference gets bigger than that $4 dollar a month fee discrepancy.  Most people wouldn’t see it and some simply wouldn’t care.  Do I see everyone going out to buy a PS3 over this and NOT having the 360 registered with Netflix?  Probably not.  Does it really mean that much to save less than 5 bucks a month? Probably not.  If you have a 360 you still play online games, so the value is still there for it, but the cost IS different when looking at them side by side.  Still though, between the two, it is broken down to PS3 – 2, 360 – 2.  It’s a flat out tie.

I have both next-gen consoles, some of you out there don’t.  All in all the movie and TV show selection is the same, the menu on the 360 is faster, but the picture I feel is better on the PS3 with a few video setting tweaks.  If you don’t have Netflix, do yourself a favor and get it now.  Not now. NOW!  Do it.  C’mon, do it!  You’ll have to put up with switching discs for a few months with the PS3, but you can’t go wrong with this service.  Just know that things will get much better when they go to an embedded XMB option for the PS3.  You’ll thank me later after you take in all of the majestic beauty of Beavers: IMAX.  It’s not what I expected being called Beavers, but it’s still informative.  Damn those little buggers can bite off some wood.