So, I recently have been playing through some PS3 and some 360 games. The games themselves are not the point of this entry, however. Instead, I think it it important to compare the experience between playing on the PS3 and the 360. The big thing that I've noticed is one of wireless controller behavior. The battery life of the 360 (either with a pair of AAs or with the recharable pack) is significantly better than that of the PS3 controller. I believe this fact is at least partially due to the 360's decision to automatically deactive an idle controller. Also of note is the behavior of the PS3 vs. the 360 when a controller is no longer able to connect. For every game that I've played on the 360 (approximately 3), the game automatically pauses when the controller turns off. The PS3, however, simply keeps on letting enemies shoot you. I consider this poor behavior. Restoring from a power loss is also very different. The PS3 has no removable battery which means that it must be plugged in via USB to charge. The downside to this is that, unlike the PS1 or PS2 controller's cable, the PS3 cable is only about 5 feet long. The PS3 controller also seems to not be rechargable via standard USB charging cables (like came with my cell phone). When the power dies on a 360 controller, I can put in another pair of batteries or switch for another battery pack.

Taken all together, this seems to show how much better the 360 controller is than the PS3 controller. Unfortunately, the ergonomics of the 360 controller are rather weak. They show especially in games that make heavy use of the shoulder triggers (like Kameo). The real problem is the long stroke length of the shoulder triggers which tends to cause pain in my wrist after extended playing. I had similar troubles with the controller on the Dreamcast which used a nearly identical shoulder button configuration (albeit with only one trigger per side). Hopefully, the next incarnation of the Playstation controller will include the wise decisions that were made on the 360 controller's power system without compromising the good ergonomics that have consistently been a hallmark of the line.

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