Battle of the Game Consoles, article + questions + discussion *crosses fingers* Options

[superstitious]

First off, I'd prefer this to stay here and not moved to News because the real reason I'm posting this is to get a feel for what next gen console would be the best choice for me (um, and Iz, of course).

Hope Fades for PS3 as a Comeback Player
In Battle of the Game Consoles, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox Widen Leads Over Sony's PlayStation
By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI

TOKYO -- For most of this year, Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 videogame console seemed finally to be taking off after a slow start. The PS3, trailing Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 consoles, was closing in on the No. 2 Xbox 360, with new games and quarterly sales growth at twice the speed of last year.

But early results from this holiday season aren't promising. U.S. sales of the PS3 fell 19% last month from a year earlier, while sales doubled for the Wii console and rose 8% for the Xbox 360, according to research firm NPD. Analysts say they expect PS3 sales for this month to be flat or lower than last year, while sales for its rivals are likely to rise. And Sony may not reach its goal of selling 10 million PS3 consoles in the fiscal year through March, analysts say.

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more here

Last year (2008, so almost last year) was a very financially straining year, so I decided to wait until I receive my tax returns to get a new console. I had my mind on a Wii for a while, but after visiting a friend who has a 360, I'm sort of conflicted now. Then I had read a few comments on Amazon (I was browsing through some games) and a few reviewers were singing PS3 praises and I became even more conflicted.

I'm sure many of you have one (if not more than one) of these, so I was hoping that people might find a bit of time to give me their take. Also, does a potential financial fallout have much of an impact? I mean, I'd hate to spend so much money on something that will possibly be obsolete in the near future. Maybe "obsolete" isn't the best word to use, but I'm not sure how else to phrase it.

I swear, I'm not always so cautious when it comes to game related purchases. I bought the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox without much thought. It's just that the new equipment seems like more of an investment as a whole.

If you could be specific as to why/if you have a preference, that would be great. :)

[mipadi]

If I had money to buy any console on the market now, I'd buy an Xbox 360. Here's why:

The Wii is fun, but I see it as more of a party-type console. If you have a bunch of friends that come over a lot on Friday nights, you'll probably have fun playing it. But as far as I can tell, it seems like it's a bit lacking as far as single-player fun goes -- i.e., flailing your arms around madly is only fun when there're other people flailing their arms around madly, too. Plus, the game selection is a bit...blah. I've experienced this with my Nintendo DS, too. When it comes to the DS and the Wii, there seem to be a few categories of games: (1) kiddie games that are usually not that much fun for adults (with the exception of, e.g., Mario and related games); (b) arcade-style games like Geometry Wars that are fun, but not necessary $20-30 fun; © ports of console or PC games that aren't quite as good as their brethren, like Assassin's Creed; (d) really, really fun games. Unfortunately, the number of games that fall into D is small.

The PS3...well, it's pricey. Too pricey, in my book. And the game selection isn't that much better than for the Xbox 360, so there's not a compelling reason to buy it.

The Xbox 360, though, is a good balance: it's got a lot of fun games, and a good selection of games, and it's fun to play by yourself or with friends. Plus, Xbox Live rocks. The console itself is a bit pricey, and the peripherals are kind of pricey, too, but if you have the money to burn, I think the 360 is the best buy.