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By: Adam Jones on Wed Mar 12, 2008

Don't let the broad range of entertainment systems confuse you. This handy guide gives a run-down of the current top dog systems on the market, their advantages and disadvantages, in order to better assist you when buying a video game console.


The Adam & Eve of the current gen of video game giants was the Microsoft XBOX 360. An early market entrance and big push means that there's a substantial back-catalogue of games available, so if it's freedom o' choice at this point in time you're looking for, XBOX 360 is the way to go. Bear in mind that with time, other platforms will narrow the gap. When it comes to what the value-added elements of the XBOX, there are optional attachments such as a WiFi Ethernet connector, wireless headset support, and an HD-DVD attachment to enable watching high definition movies (in this case, Microsoft bet on the wrong horse, and is left with an HD format recently abandoned by its manufacturer, Toshiba). As far as networking, the XBOX Live is a vast online gaming community that gets kudos from many industry veterans and fans alike for its usability and sheer size.

If it's a more playful, fun gaming experience you're looking for (something to pay attention to if children will be using this), why not have a glimpse at the Nintendo Wii? A neatly designed little packaged that brings to mind the playfulness of the original Super NES, it's won the hearts of the gaming community by virtue of its revolutionary controls and interface. As Wii game-play is controlled by a pair of wireless motion detecting "nunchucks" (an evolution from the previous Nintendo Gamecube platform), they're ideal for group gaming. Don't be put off by the all that, though - there are games geared to the more mature audiences, but the true strength of this dynamo lies in the family-friendly games. And it warms the heart of this old-time gamer to know that even in the 21st century, I can cast a misty-eyed glance to my formative years by accessing the Nintendo Wii Online Portal to download classic titles from Nintendo and Sega's days gone by.


And last and certainly not least, Sony's Playstation 3 sets the standard for future systems to follow, with enhanced entertainment functionalities and features that out-perform the others. Smartly choosing to add a Blu-Ray player to the system means that the PS3 is an ideal choice for both a high definition home entertainment system and a gaming console. Beyond that, built-in WiFi capabilities, Bluetooth (for the remote control, controllers and head-sets) and memory card readers (at this point only available on the 60 GB and plus models), diminish the necessity of future peripheral purchases. With that many features out of the box, the PS3 has an edge over the competitors and looks to dominant in the near future. For immediate purchase and playability, it has to be admitted that the game catalogue is only now beginning to build, as a series of false starts and inventory issues hampered the PS3 from making a timely entry into the market and dealing with third-party developers. Notwithstanding that, though, the benefits of this machine should appeal to both the advanced gamer and the all-round gaming and entertainment buff alike.

Adam Jones is a video game programmer and tap-dancer living in Quesnel, B.C.