So you've decided to invest in a next generation video game console, but with such high prices you're not sure if you should "jump in" the Microsoft bandwagon or wait for Sony's behemoth. What should you do?

You must consider a few things to begin with: How much are you willing to pay? With the Xbox 360 debuting at $299 (core package) and $399 (premium package) you better be ready to shell out the cash. Sony has announced that they will also launch with two SKUs starting at $499 (core package) and $599 (premium package). I know your first question...why the higher price on Sony's part? Is their price tag reflecting a superior product? Not really, these two machines are very similar to one another in almost every hardware aspect. Both machines feature powerful processors clocking in at 3.2Ghz. Both feature very powerful GPU (or Graphics Processing Units) from the two top manufacturers in the computer industry. ATi with Microsoft and nVidia with Sony. What does this mean? Nothing really considering that the graphics thus far look identical on the two systems. Developers have even stated that the games are going to look identical for years to come, so don't get too caught up in the brand names just yet. Each console supports wireless controllers and wired controllers as well,  an ethernet port for Internet/LAN play, and fully Online gaming communities designed to tickle your fancy.

So what is the major difference you say? Well, to be frank it's really minor. Sony has chosen to include a Blu-ray player in their box (very similar to the DVD capabilities of the PS2) so that users with HDTVs can enjoy high definition movies from the get go. Microsoft is giving consumers the choice of buying the contending format drive (HD-DVD) as a USB add-on accessory this fall for $200. Why's this a minor difference? While Blu-ray does hold more data than DVDs, it will not be a necessity in games for quite some time (exceptions to games with long cutscenes: ie final fantasy). The DVD format was capable of holding over 400 hours of voice dialogue on The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion as well as all of the graphical beauty...and the developer confirmed that they had used only half of the space on the disc! This simply shows that developers still have plenty of room on DVD when using CODECs and such. So what's up with Blu-ray? Well if you own an HDTV you get a free player straight out of the box with the PS3...if you don't own an HDTV, then...well, it doesn't really make any difference at all. It's that simple. And with less than 10% of Americans owning an HDTV right now, I highly doubt that Blu-ray will play a role in this console battle.

So there you have it, all the facts to help you decide (hopefully) where to invest your money and who to trust.