| Finally, they're all here. The Xbox 360 has had the next | | | | playback of movies, just Nintendo games. |
| generation gaming market to itself for a year. Now its | | | | Backwards Compatibility |
| two competitors, the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, | | | | The Playstation 3 is just like the PS2 was. You'll be |
| are here. No more speculating about speed. No more | | | | able to play both PS2 and PSone games on the PS3. |
| guessing about memory. Now we can take a look and | | | | Nintendo is taking things a bit further. Their system will |
| see exactly how they stack up compared to each | | | | be compatible with the Gamecube games and also |
| other. | | | | the Gamecube controllers since the two systems use |
| Let the console wars begin again. | | | | very different controllers. Not only that, but the Wii will |
| Price | | | | also have the ability to download games from the |
| The PS3 has two configurations much like the Xbox | | | | original Nintendo (NES), Super Nintendo (SNES), and the |
| 360. The PS3 comes in a $499 version that comes | | | | Nintendo 64. |
| with a 20 GB hard drive and a $599 version that | | | | Sweet Features |
| comes with a 60 GB hard drive; Wi-Fi; and memory | | | | If you want high definition gaming, then the PS3 is the |
| stick, SD, and Compact Flash slots. | | | | way to go. It comes with a Blu-ray drive built in and |
| The Xbox 360 has two configurations. It comes in a | | | | can output in 1080p. Although the PS3 controller may |
| $299 core version and a $399 version that comes | | | | look familiar, it's had some updates. The controller is |
| with a 20GB hard drive. | | | | now motion sensing so in some games you'll be able |
| The Nintendo Wii is the cheapest of the bunch with | | | | to move your character or fly a plane just by moving |
| just one configuration that costs $250. | | | | the controller. |
| Processing Power | | | | The Xbox 360 was built to work with Windows XP |
| The Playstation 3 comes with its Cell processor. It's a | | | | media center. If you have a computer that already has |
| PowerPC based core that runs at 3.2 GHz that also | | | | media center on it, you'll be able to view pictures, |
| have seven DSPs that run at 3.2 GHz. This | | | | videos, and even recorded TV by using your Xbox. |
| configuration can do about 2 Teraflops. | | | | You won't need to put your PC in your living room to |
| The Xbox 360 has a Custom IBM PowerPC | | | | take advantage of having a Media Center PC. |
| processor. This processor also runs at 3.2 GHz. | | | | The Nintendo Wii decided to completely change the |
| However, Xbox went with a true 3 core processor | | | | way gaming controllers are built. In the past, one |
| compared to the one general processor of the Cell | | | | controller was always held with both hands. The Wii's |
| and seven additional DSPs. This configuration can do | | | | controller looks more like a TV remote control than a |
| about 1 Teraflop. | | | | game controller. It has a built in motion sensor so, for |
| The Nintendo Wii includes its Broadway processor, a | | | | example, to swing a sword, you simply move you |
| PowerPC based processor running at 729 MHz. | | | | hand just like you were really swinging a sword. |
| Disc Media | | | | Hopefully this review has helped you compare the |
| Part of the reason the PS3 is so much more | | | | three next generation gaming systems. Each has its |
| expensive than the Xbox 360 is because the Sony | | | | pluses and minuses, and feature that are unique to it. |
| decided to include a Blu-ray drive on the system. The | | | | Ultimately, your decision will likely come down to which |
| drive can play both Blu-ray movies and regular DVDs. | | | | system has the games that most appeal to you. And |
| The Xbox 360 comes with a DVD player and an | | | | that is a decision that only you can make when |
| HD-DVD add-on is planned. The Nintendo Wii uses a | | | | deciding on a system to buy. |
| DVD drive; however, the system will not work for | | | | |