If you had told me a year ago that I would be standing in a room, playing video games with people old enough to be my parents (and in some cases they were my parents) I would have told you that you were crazy, but that's what the Nintendo Wii brings to the table.
There are three major player in the console wars this Christmas, the Nintendo Wii, the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) and the Microsoft Xbox 360. Each console has it's own niche advantages and minor disadvantages, but the one major difference between choosing a console in 2007 is that there is no bad choice. There may be no wrong choice, but there are choices which are more "right" than others, this is mainly dependent on the types of games you and your kids enjoy.
The Wii has been this years media darling console and with good reason. The Wii has introduced gaming to a whole group of people who wouldn't look twice a at a video game console before.
I have yet to meet a person who didn't enjoy playing games on the Nintendo Wii. Sure I've met some who say things like “I was expecting better graphics”, but each and every person who has tried our Nintendo Wii has enjoyed the experience. Everyone from my Mother, to my daughter have enjoyed games like bowling, baseball and boxing on the Wii. Even just watching the amusing little Mii's walk around on screen can be fun.
Pick up the Wii controller and try games like bowling, baseball and see what a difference a motion sensitive controller can make to a game. When bowling, use the motion you would when you bowl, same for golf, baseball and a number of other games. When driving, turn the controller sideways and use it like a steering wheel. It really is quite revolutionary and gives the Wii it's own flavor.
If you have a teenage boy who likes online gaming, then chances are pretty good he'll be wanting an Xbox 360. The Halo series is one of the most successful of all time and it's only available on the Xbox360.
I've been very happy with the system, the graphics on our 42" plasma HDTV are outstanding and it came with a free month of Xbox Live Gold, which I just extended another 13 months for $59. Xbox Live and Halo 3 may be the Xbox 360's distinguishing features, Xbox Live allows you to download demo's of games, video clips and of course play multi player games online. There are many other great games for the Xbox like Gears of War and BioShock, in fact as of this Christmas the Xbox 360 probably has the best library of great games of all three systems, with the Wii in second and the Playstation 3 third.
The Sony Playstation 3 is the most expensive of the three systems, it was also the last one to hit store shelves. The Playstation 3 features include the best graphics subsystem of any of the consoles and of course the Blu-Ray DVD player which is built in. If you have a high def TV and want a Blu-Ray player, then the Sony Playstation 3 is the right choice for you.
The Playstation 3 was delayed many times and because of that it has the least number of games for it of all three systems, but if the new price reductions of the system are any indication (you can get a 40GB version for $399) then the Playstation 3 will make up lost ground quickly in 2008. I don't personally have a Playstation 3, so can't really comment on first hand knowledge of the system, but I know that Sony will not give up it's position as market leading in the video game console wars without a fight.
So, will it be the funky remote, the most games, or the Blu-Ray player and the promise of future dominance? Your decision is not an easy one, but I believe that there are no loosers in this race. All three systems will have an excellent library of games, amazing graphics and sound and none of them are going anywhere for a few years. Choose the fun and cute Wii with it's revolutionary controller, the sure footed and proven Xbox 360 with it's library of exciting games (mostly aimed at teens and young men) or the ultra powerful Playstation 3 with it's Blu-Ray player.
While I don't think that you should buy a system based on backward compatibility it is worth mentioning that all three gaming systems mentioned have some degree of backward compatibility. This may be important to you if you don't already own a system and are interested in picking up some inexpensive older games, beware however that not all older games will play on these systems. I believe the Wii is the most backward compatible of the three (with the Gamecube), but I do not have any hard/fast numbers.
If you're still confused you're going to need to find a way to find out what system your kid really wants this Christmas, I'll leave the interrogation technique up to you! In the end it's the games which make the system, not the other way around. Look at what games and types of games are available for each system and pick based one based on the games.
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