360 vs PS3 vs Wii :: My Opinions on the Console Wars

Yeah, I know what you're thinking - another "ZOMG da xbox is da kewlst system!1111!1one!!!!1111!!!!!!" post. Nope, I'm not biased by any system - I'm a fan of all three, basically but I'm comparing the pros and cons of each system. If you haven't heard of any of these three systems, you must live under a rock since they are being talked about all over the internet.

Disclaimer: This guide was written on Saturday, October 6th, 2007. The world of gaming is constantly changing - new SKUs are announced, new games are released, more problems are resolved, new consoles get released, old consoles get discontinued so keep that in mind when reading this guide.

PlayStation 3

The PlayStation 3 is probably the most powerful of the three systems in terms of power and graphics. However, the current selection of games is limited at the moment. The PS3 comes in several different hard drive capacities (SKUs). As we all know, the PlayStation 2 was one of the most popular consoles of the last generation's console war and still is pretty strong in the industry, but as for the PS3, I don't think it's doing as well as it's earlier consoles did.

According to VGChartz, the PS3 has sold 4.82 million consoles since release. 1.21 million were sold in Japan, 2.07 million in North America and 1.54 million in other countries. I'm sure the software lineup will improve in the future, with games like "Grand Theft Auto: IV" coming out soon, but for now the PlayStation 3 wouldn't be an ideal device for me.

On the other hand, the PS3 is the only one of the three consoles to have blu-ray playback capabilities, and if blu-ray gets extremely popular in the future and wins the war against HD-DVD, people will be thankful they have a blu-ray player. If you take that into consideration, the PlayStation 3 is just a little cheaper than you think.

XBOX 360

The XBOX 360 is Microsoft's entry into the next generation console wars. With 11.46 million consoles sold to date, (according to VGChartz) it's a very popular console with great games released and more great games being released soon. Exclusives like Forza Motorsport and Halo 3 make the 360 a great choice for gamers, but it comes with one small problem. A small problem that isn't so small for some gamers - RED RING OF DEATH. You remember the blue screen of death from the wonderful world of PCs, correct? Now you can experience that kind of horror on your console. Yeah yeah yeah, I know... it's not a problem for everyone and Microsoft is working on it with the new "Falcon" SKU and improved components to prevent overheating, but unfortunately it remains a problem for some.

Like I mentioned before, Microsoft has done lots of help with the problem so you aren't totally screwed if something were to happen to your console investment. Recently Microsoft announced an extended three year warranty for anyone with a XBOX 360 and overheating problems. In my opinion, this is great for all current and future 360 owners and, while being an expensive move on Microsoft's part, it's a good move.

The XBOX 360 is cheaper than the PlayStation 3 and comes in three models - core, premium and elite. The core does not include a hard drive, but one can be purchased for it (or you can just buy a cheaper memory card) and it comes with one wired controller. The premium, being slightly more expensive but worth it in my opinion comes with a relatively small (but big enough for most gamers) hard drive and a wireless controller for convenience and less tangled wires. The more expensive Elite comes in a sleek, beautiful black color and includes a 120GB hard drive for lots of storage space and a black wireless controller.

It's your choice - buying a XBOX 360 is a great move but you have to think about the entire overheating problem and whether or not Microsoft will be able to handle it. As for the whole "falcon" SKU, I don't keep up with the latest XBOX news too much so I'm not overly sure if the problem has been entirely resolved or not yet, but a little research can help you out with that.

Nintendo Wii

It's time to talk about Nintendo's entry in the console wars. The Wii is the cheapest of the three systems and, instead of just using a standard controller with analog sticks, buttons and/or a d-pad, it has it's own motion sensor controller (the Wii remote) which is both a good and bad thing. Games like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption take advantage of this in a good way but others... well, don't.

The biggest problem with the Wii and hardcore gamers is that the Wii has more party and microgames than the other two consoles, and for more 'hardcore' gamers this isn't good. Nintendo is heading further and further towards the casual market every day with releases like Wii Play, Wii Fit, Wii Sports, WarioWare: Smooth Moves and Carnival Games. I'm not saying all the games are for casual gamers, though - there are some excellent games that have been released and/or will be released soon like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (even if it is kind of a Gamecube port), Super Paper Mario, Zack & Wiki, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl; not to mention the highly anticipated 2008 release of Mario Kart Wii.

While the Wii may not have that many hardcore games, it still is a good (and cheaper) choice for a gaming console.

Conclusion

In the end, each console has it's ups and downs; the Wii has too many party games (that's just my opinion), the PS3 currently lacks a large library of great games (although there are several ones that will warrant a purchase for some people) and the XBOX 360 has overheating problems.

So there you have it - those are my views on the never ending console wars. Hopefully my guide informed you of the pros and cons of each system and will help you decide in your next purchase.