Ever since gaming consoles became popular, there has always been a rivalry between leading developers. Although the best gaming consoles in the market today came a long way from their predecessors, there is a solid competition between the Sony Playstation 3, the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Each having unique features that the other lacks, it is hard for consumers to decide which one is the best. In purchasing practically any gadget, one must consider its features, performance, value for money, and aesthetics.
The ever popular Playstation has been around and evolving since 1994, when it first came out of Sony factories in Japan. Although continuously changing in physique and power, the Playstation has maintained its name which has both become reputable and a formidable competition. Since the first generation of Playstations, the smaller PSOne followed, the Playstation 2, a rather slimmer version of the Playstation 2, then the Playstation 3. Since then the name has sold over 100 million units worldwide.
The PS3 comes in 20, 40, 60, and 80 GB models, each including one or two controllers, a USB cable, an audio/video out cable, an Ethernet cable, and a power cable. The 60 and 80 GB models have built in Wifi and multiple card readers, therefore only different in hard drive size. The Playstation 3 features a slot-loading 2x speed Blu-Ray disc drive for games and movies, boasting excellent graphics up to 1080 vertical lines of resolution in full HD. All PS3 models have an upgradeable SATA 2.5” hard drive, an IBM designed CPU, and an NVIDIA graphics processor. It has 256 MB main memory and 256 MB DDR3 memory for its graphics processor. The Playstation 3, like its predecessors has a number of accessories to enhance game play or to increase functionality, such as a compatible camera. Sony still maintains its top notch game titles such as Gran Turismo, Metal Gear, and Ridge Racer, and popular sports titles, but loses some other good titles to Microsoft, possible due to the more expensive Blu-Ray technology. The Playstation 3 retails for about 500 USD with games at around 80 USD, rather expensive compared to the competition.
Microsoft’s Xbox 360, retailing for about 350 to 400 USD is showing just as much potential as the Playstation 3. The Xbox 360 comes in either 20GB, 120GB, or Arcade versions which have no internal memory. Microsoft provides Xbox Live support, which is an online gaming service for an annual cost. Inside the Xbox is an IBM designed triple core xenon CPU, and an ATI Xenos graphics processing unit with 512 MB of memory partnered with 512 MB of main memory. As with other consoles, there are also a number of accessories available for the Xbox 360 for a personal touch.
Performance-wise, the Xbox 360 does really well with graphics, almost at par with the Playstation 3. Although several bugs and hardware failures became an issue during its early years of deployment, Microsoft has provided several upgrades to the console as a remedy. The Xbox 360 supports several of the best game titles, even games available for the PS3, but at a cheaper price (40 to 60 USD). The Microsoft Xbox 360 has proven that it is well worth its value.
Nintendo, which has catered more on family gaming over the past years, released its latest gaming console in 2005, called the Nintendo Wii. Though its predecessors have not been much of a success for Nintendo, the future of the Wii looks promising. The Wii’s most unique feature is its controller, which uses a combination of accelerometers and infrared detectors to sense its position in 3D space. This allows gamers to use various physical gestures in game in addition to regular controller buttons. The controller comes with the “Nunchuk” unit, which features an accelerometer, an analog stick, and two trigger buttons. This feature allows a gaming experience that cannot be found in any other gaming console ever made.
The Nintendo Wii’s main drawback would be its graphics engine, which is only equivalent to the Sony PS3’s predecessor, the Playstation 2. The Wii is powered by a 729 MHz CPU, and an ATI made Graphics Processing Unit, which is said to be clocked at 243 MHz. It has a total of 88 MB main memory, and 3 MB internal GPU texture memory. The Wii allows for up to 2 GB of external storage via memory card, and comes with a built in 512 MB flash memory. Although 16:9 widescreen mode is available for the Nintendo Wii, its resolution is only half of that of the PS3. Nintendo offers several peripherals for the Wii, including a sports pack with various attachments such as a tennis racket, golf club, and racing wheel. However, due to its unique design, the number of accessories is rather limited, and basically revolves around the controller. The Nintendo Wii could connect to the internet using built in Wifi or Ethernet adapter, just like the Xbox 360 and PS3. Games available for the Nintendo Wii are relatively limited as compared its competition from Sony and Microsoft, many of which are for a much younger audience. The Nintendo Wii sells for about 300 USD with games retailing for about 50 USD or less.
Given the different features and specifications, the Microsoft Xbox 360 seems to have a notch over its competition, based on its performance over value ratio. However, the PS3 and Wii do not fall short in the performance and features categories. The PS3 still provides the best overall graphics performance and game play but comes with a rather hefty price tag. The Nintendo Wii on the other hand, grants users a unique gaming experience at a much cheaper price, but does entirely capture gamers’ attentions.
When comparing game play between the 3 consoles, the PS3 has the most striking screens, followed by the Xbox 360. The Nintendo Wii has rather disappointing graphics which matches its games in the maturity level. Not considering software piracy in the Philippines, it would still be great to purchase the Playstation 3 if it falls within financial capacity. However, when considering a tighter budget, the Xbox 360 would be the way to go. Sadly, most gamers in the Philippines consider the much cheaper prices of pirated DVD games for the Xbox 360 and Wii, which are not yet available for the PS3 and would come in very expensive Blu-Ray discs.Personally, the games solely available for the Playstation 3 are enough reason to own one. However, the number of Xbox 360 games available still manages to entice more users. In conclusion, it is safe to say that purchasing one of the consoles is a matter of personal preference. If you want affordable yet friendlier family fun, then the Wii would be most ideal. The Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 cater to a more mature audience, differing in both price and overall performance, which are rather proportional in my opinion.
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