Can't really compare the 360 or PS3 to a laptop. To get a laptop which is decent enough to play most modern games, you'll have to spend at least 700, if not much more. Just need to know what you want to do. If you want a pure games machine, the 360 is fine, loads of games, hardware problems are less frequent, and it's not to dear anymore. XBL is great, you easily uild a friend list and most multiplayer games have communities who play together. The PS3 is also good, but less games, more expensive and the online community isnt so great. I don't own one, so I can't say much more than that.