Which Gaming Console is right for me?
Friday, November 9. 2007
Christmas is fast approaching and many parents are thinking about a gaming console as a christmas gift idea for their children. If you ask the children themselves, they will always tell you to get the one their friends have, but is that really the right choice. Read on as I break down each console.There are three major players on the gaming console front, they are Xbox 360 from Microsoft, Playstation 3 from Sony and the Wii from Nintendo. The reason that I list the company names along with the consoles is that the target audience seems to have as much to do with the companies behind the consoles as the capability of the consoles themselves.
First, how about a little history lesson. In the early 80's, Nintendo was king. Their major competition in the gaming console industry was Sega, Sega dropped out of contention a couple of years ago and decided to be primarily a software company (you remember Sonic, don't you?). Nintendo has given us the original 8 bit NES, the Super NES (16 bit), the Nintendo 64, the Gamecube and now it's latest offering the Nintendo Wii. All of Nintendo's systems were extremely successful, except for the Gamecube. The Gamecube did not use standard size DVD's, but used the DVD format. The Nintendo Wii is the current offering and it's defining feature is it's unique wireless controller.
Sony started out with the Playstation, a console which was a direct competitor to the Nintendo 64. The Playstation used CD-ROM formatted disks instead of cartridges and this feature alone was likely responsible for the popularity of their Playstation. You see, it's much cheaper to create CD's than it is to create cartridges. Lower cost = more developers = more games = more buyers. Sony then had the extremely popular Playstation 2 which used the DVD format and now the Playstation 3 which includes a Blu-Ray player.
Microsoft was a late entry to the gaming console wars. Their first attempt was the Xbox. The Xbox used DVD's and was a direct competitor to both the Nintendo Gamecube and Sony Playstation 2. While the Xbox was not as successful as the Playstation 2, it did open up the world to online console gaming and it's Halo/Halo 2 games were the most successful of all time (at the time). Microsoft's current offering is the Xbox 360 and it builds on the Xbox's excellent online playing model. The Xbox 360 still uses a standard DVD drive, but has an HD-DVD player available as an inexpensive add on.
So, the decision is Wii or Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. We need to consider many factors including price of the system, system models available, capabilities of each system and of course what types and number of games are available for each system.
Since prices vary country by country and even store by store I'm going to generalize a bit. I will be quoting my generalized prices in $US. System prices range anywhere from $269 for the Wii to over $499 for the high end Playstation 3 and high end Xbox 360, but Sony and Microsoft have various models to match different price points. It's possible for instance to get an Xbox 360 "Arcade" for $299 (no hard drive) or a 20 GB Playstation 3 for $399. This of course makes the decision on which system to buy even more confusing. I would not recommend shopping on price point alone, it'll drive you crazy.
Here is my simple breakdown, feel free to ignore it. If you have small children ( under 8 ) who want to play a video game system, get a Wii. If your parents want to play the system, get a Wii. If you want a "party" system where a bunch of people will play something which doesn't involve killing, get a Wii. For everyone else, yes I'm talking about teenagers, people who like fighting and war games, people who want the shiniest graphics or HD video, consider the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.
XBox 360 vs Playstation 3. If you want to know flat out which system will have more games at the end of 2008, then I say Playstation 3. If you want to know who has more/better games for Christmas 2007, the answer is Xbox 360. If you want a really inexpensive Blu Ray high definition DVD player, get the Playstation 3. If your kid absolutely needs Halo, or likes playing online get the Xbox 360. Both systems have awesome graphics, both have models with hard drives, both will offer online services (although Microsoft's is better at the moment). The add on HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360 is another $200. The Xbox 360 and it's games tend to do better in the North American market while the Playstation 3 will tend to do better in every other market.
Personally, our family has a Wii and an Xbox 360 and are very happy with both systems. In fact, as far as Christmas gift ideas go, you can't do better than a gaming console which will provide your family with years of fun and entertainment. When we purchased them the Sony Playstation 3 was over $600. If Sony had the PS3 at $399, we may have thought twice about the Xbox 360, but not for long as my son "needed" Halo 3. I urge you to do your research, ignore price points as much as you can and just get the system which makes sense for your family. Trust me, in the long run you'll probably end up spending more on games than the original system price anyway.
Microsoft was a late entry to the gaming console wars. Their first attempt was the Xbox. The Xbox used DVD's and was a direct competitor to both the Nintendo Gamecube and Sony Playstation 2. While the Xbox was not as successful as the Playstation 2, it did open up the world to online console gaming and it's Halo/Halo 2 games were the most successful of all time (at the time). Microsoft's current offering is the Xbox 360 and it builds on the Xbox's excellent online playing model. The Xbox 360 still uses a standard DVD drive, but has an HD-DVD player available as an inexpensive add on.
So, the decision is Wii or Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. We need to consider many factors including price of the system, system models available, capabilities of each system and of course what types and number of games are available for each system.
Since prices vary country by country and even store by store I'm going to generalize a bit. I will be quoting my generalized prices in $US. System prices range anywhere from $269 for the Wii to over $499 for the high end Playstation 3 and high end Xbox 360, but Sony and Microsoft have various models to match different price points. It's possible for instance to get an Xbox 360 "Arcade" for $299 (no hard drive) or a 20 GB Playstation 3 for $399. This of course makes the decision on which system to buy even more confusing. I would not recommend shopping on price point alone, it'll drive you crazy.
Here is my simple breakdown, feel free to ignore it. If you have small children ( under 8 ) who want to play a video game system, get a Wii. If your parents want to play the system, get a Wii. If you want a "party" system where a bunch of people will play something which doesn't involve killing, get a Wii. For everyone else, yes I'm talking about teenagers, people who like fighting and war games, people who want the shiniest graphics or HD video, consider the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.
XBox 360 vs Playstation 3. If you want to know flat out which system will have more games at the end of 2008, then I say Playstation 3. If you want to know who has more/better games for Christmas 2007, the answer is Xbox 360. If you want a really inexpensive Blu Ray high definition DVD player, get the Playstation 3. If your kid absolutely needs Halo, or likes playing online get the Xbox 360. Both systems have awesome graphics, both have models with hard drives, both will offer online services (although Microsoft's is better at the moment). The add on HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360 is another $200. The Xbox 360 and it's games tend to do better in the North American market while the Playstation 3 will tend to do better in every other market.
Personally, our family has a Wii and an Xbox 360 and are very happy with both systems. In fact, as far as Christmas gift ideas go, you can't do better than a gaming console which will provide your family with years of fun and entertainment. When we purchased them the Sony Playstation 3 was over $600. If Sony had the PS3 at $399, we may have thought twice about the Xbox 360, but not for long as my son "needed" Halo 3. I urge you to do your research, ignore price points as much as you can and just get the system which makes sense for your family. Trust me, in the long run you'll probably end up spending more on games than the original system price anyway.
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