I've played my 360 for entire days with no issues.
I've seen friends get the red rings, but Microsoft has always fixed things as needed.
The only difference between the two is the free online play in the PS3 and the blu-ray in the PS3. But I have no need for a blu-ray player because I have a TV that's 10 years old and I'm not going to get any money anytime soon for an HDTV, so there's really no point to me.
Plus all my friends have 360's. Rather play with them than play by myself. I also can't stand PS3 controls for shooters, and I've played many PS2 games in my day.