In a world of $600 consoles, $60 games and $50 controllers, it is extremely important to know which console is right for you. Gamers want maximum enjoyment out of their consoles and even develop fierce loyalties toward their favorite console manufacturers. I myself own several systems and will try to present an unbiased opinion.

Microsoft Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 was the first console of the current generation. It was released in North America on November 22 2005. With 3 different price levels to choose from, it can be hard to know which 360 is right for you. The Core model will cost you $270 and is the cheapest way to get in on some 360 goodness. In the box comes a console, a wired controller and Xbox Live Silver, which lets you go online, but not play games. The Core is targeted at the casual gamer and while it may seem like a good option, be aware that because it does not sport a hard drive, you must purchase a $30 memory card to save games, bringing your total to $300, only $50 less than the next model up, the Premium. The Premium includes everything in the core, as well a 20GB Hard Drive, an Xbox Live headset, chrome finish and a 2 month free trial of Xbox Live Gold. The Premium is the most common choice for gamers beac

The Games

While the launch titles for the 360 were somewhat underwhelming, Microsoft's box has added several stellar (and many not so) games to its lineup. Of the games released to date, Gears of War weighs in as one of the 360's top sellers. A Microsoft exclusive, this third person shooter places heavy emphasis on an easy to use cover system. 360 also saw success with the release of Bethesda's RPG Oblivion, although the game has since been released on Sony's Playstation 3. Other notable games on the 360 include Ghost Recon Advanced Warfiighter and Capcom's Dead Rising. 360 leans more towards the action/shooter games, however several triple A RPGs are headed to the 'box this fall. Indeed, the future holds great promise for Xbox gamers. Most notably, Halo 3 hits store shelves as an Xbox exclusive on September 25 this year. For RPG fans, Blue Dragon hits this summer, as does Eternal Sonata. Shooter fans can get their fix from Bioshock in mid August as well. Finally, GTA IV releases in October with two exclusive downloads for Microsoft's Xbox Live service (more on Live later), followed by a packed November with games including; Assasin's Creed, Rock Band, Guitar Hero 3 and Xbox exclusive Mass Effect, a truly stellar looking RPG from Bioware, the Canadian developers who brought you Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire.