Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Which one and Why? (UPDATE)

Almost every generation of gaming consoles has had 3 different consoles. In the past few years, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft have been those 3, and they’ve made they’re 3 consoles. The Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Let’s see what each one has to offer, starting with the Wii.

Nintendo is the only current company that has a real history in making video games, and has many lovable franchises, like Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Metroid, and many more. Of the last 2 generations of the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube, Nintendo has had some bad luck. However, by changing it’s focus from pumping up graphics every generation to creating a new way to play, Wii has accomplished that. I’m sure you’ve seen and heard about it’s motion-sensing remote, so I’ll just skip to the point. Wii is one of the greatest consoles of all time. It comes with Wii Sports for free, which has Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing. It’s combination of Miis, a great experience, GameCube game support, and a sleek, stylish look just cries out “buy me!”, and it works, since I have one. Unfortunately Wii doesn’t offer High Definition graphics or a DVD player like the other 2, and Nintendo’s biggest games, like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl don’t come out until the Holiday Season. However, it’s definitely worth a buy, with the cheapest price of this generation, $250, it’s a must-have if you’re an old-school gamer, a new gamer, a current hardcore gamer, an older gamer, a younger gamer, or not a gamer at all.

Wii: A, a pretty good console. NOTE: Due to the high demand, Wiis are very hard to find. If you don’t want to camp out, then your best bet is to check fliers with the Sunday newspaper. Skip to the Games section. If there’s a Wii picture, they have a few in stock. Go quick, and hope you can get a Wii. Target, Wal-Mart, EB Games/GameStop, Best Buy, etc. are good places to look.

 

Next is the PlayStation 3. Sony started in the gaming business with the original PlayStation a few years ago, and dominated the gaming industry. However, the PS3 is currently in last place. There are a few Pros to the supermachine, but it is improving. It has a built-in Blu-Ray player, and a new network that is yet-to-be released called Home. Home let’s you make a “The Sim’s like” avatar, or a digital replica of yourself. You can walk around and communicate with your friends who also have PS3. This isn’t worth too much, since the Xbox 360 can communicate to a PC or Mac with Windows Live (MSN) Messenger installed. However, the PS3 does have the prettiest graphics, at 1080p. However, if you don’t a HDTV with 1080p (you may only have 720p, or no HD at all), this will mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO YOU.

PS3: C, Better now. Even you’re a hardcore gamer who needs the best graphics with the built-in Blu-Ray player, it’s the most expensive console at $400 for 40GB and $500 for 8GB memory capacity. However, games are starting to come out for the PS3, and it makes a great Blu-Ray and media player.

 

Last is Xbox 360. Microsoft is the newest company to the gaming world. It has a built-in DVD player, a GREAT online system, and a good console overall. It has the largest library of games, due to releasing late 2005, a year before the newer consoles. It has HD graphics, at 720p, which is good enough for most people. It can also stream your music, videos, and media from you’re PC wirelessly through Windows Media Center (included only in Windows XP: Media Center edition and Windows Vista Home Premium).

Xbox 360: A , a pretty good console overall. If you’re a hardcore gamer, and the Wii doesn’t look so good to you, buy a 360. $270 for Xbox 360 Arcade package, that includes five classic games and does support HD, and also has a memory card insluded with one wireless controller, $350 for the Premium package, which has a 20GB hard drive and a wireless controller with HD graphics (720p), and $480 for the Elite package, all the features of the Premium with a 120GB hard drive.