There's no doubt that both Sony, Microsoft
and Nintendo are hard at work developing the next generation of game
consoles, but the truth is that so far there hasn't been enough reason
to make the upgrade. Normally the life span of a games console is
considered to be 5 years, and while at least one of the current consoles
in the market has reached this age, there's still no signs of it being
upgraded.
Sure enough, technology keeps evolving,
but there's only so much faster processing can do. There hasn't been any
significant developments to justify a next generation gaming system. So
which one is the best game console for you when looking at what the
market has to offer today?
The
grand old man on the scene at present is the
Xbox 360. Having
been released in 2005, it's now 5 years old, and the signs are starting
to show. You'll not get such things as built in WIFI or Blu-Ray with the
Xbox 360, but on the other hand you'll get plenty of games to chose
from, and the on line gaming community on Xbox 360 Live is second to
none.
Sony PlayStation 3
has got all these features, and is by far the most
powerful games console on the market right now. After a shaky start with
technical issues and a disastrous lack of good games, the PlayStation 3
is now up to speed with a number of great games on the shelves or due to
be released shortly. Also, the built in Blu-Ray player makes the
PlayStation 3 the top pick, and the best selling games console on
Amazon.com at the moment.
The
last key player on the market, when it comes to stationary games
consoles, is the
Nintendo Wii
. When released a few years ago it was
hailed as a revolution in gaming consoles, and to some extent it is.
With its controls having built in movement sensors, it adds a new
dimension to gaming, and caters for a new range of fitness related
games. At the same time, the focus of most of the games for the Wii is
on family fun, and the ability to compete against each other. True - you
won't get fast game-play - and not even be able to play DVDs from the
Wii, but the fun and addictive games for this console is unsurpassed.
Also,
when it comes to handheld game consoles, Nintendo has hit the nail on
its head with their
Nintendo DSi console. Again, the amount of fun and
addictive games you can get for the Nintendo DSi is second to none, and
it holds hours of fun for kids of all ages. The built in camera, and the
option to manipulate the photos and the sounds you can record with it,
provides nearly as much entertainment as the games themselves.
Although
the Sony PSP and Apple's iPod touch and iPhone does make some decent
attempts, they don't really come anywhere near knocking the Nintendo DSi
off the first place. While the
Sony PSP
is more powerful, the selection
of games isn't to the same level. As for Apple's products, they were
developed for different purposes, and merely has the gaming options as
an extra selling point.
So which one of the above choices is going to be the best game console
for you? Only you can make that decision, but I hope my review will have
helped you make up your mind.
By: Karsten Madsen
Karsten
Madsen is the webmaster of
http://www.SquidooFreak.com,
where you can look over his shoulder as
he attempts to make a full time income
online from building mini-sites on the
social networking site Squidoo.
. When released a few years ago it was
hailed as a revolution in gaming consoles, and to some extent it is.
With its controls having built in movement sensors, it adds a new
dimension to gaming, and caters for a new range of fitness related
games. At the same time, the focus of most of the games for the Wii is
on family fun, and the ability to compete against each other. True - you
won't get fast game-play - and not even be able to play DVDs from the
Wii, but the fun and addictive games for this console is unsurpassed.
is more powerful, the selection
of games isn't to the same level. As for Apple's products, they were
developed for different purposes, and merely has the gaming options as
an extra selling point.