GameCore Guide: Which Game System?

(CBS)  GameCore is a column by CBSNews.com's Chad Chamberlain that focuses on gamers and gaming.

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This holiday season promises to be exciting. The next generation console wars are under way with the arrival of Sony's long-awaited PlayStation 3, Nintendo's Wii, and Microsoft's XBOX 360.

Some may wonder why we've included the Xbox 360 as a part of the next gen console wars. Well, it's simple. Despite the fact that they dropped their unit around this time last year, Microsoft was at the forefront of the next gen console wars because, well, they were the only ones. Now with some serious competition from both Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft might just have to fight to stay at the top.

There's been quite a buzz going around for the past several months about what each system is offering. From Blu-Ray to Wii Sports to heavy online support, consumers have been besieged with a multitude of marketing tactics to gain their support. If you're like the many confused consumers out there, buying a next gen system will seem a bit daunting. This guide will give you a comprehensive view of each next gen system in simple terms.

Playstation 3
Well, it's finally here. Something the gaming community has long awaited and, unless you've have been living on the moon for the last year, you know what I am talking about. Playstation 3 is currently in stores now but just what are you getting for your $500+ dollars? Read More...

To see photos from the midnight release of the Sony Playstation 3, click here

Nintendo Wii
Nintendo's Wii, formerly known as Nintendo Revolution, has stirred up quite a bit of noise in the industry because of its revolutionary (no pun intended) approach to gaming. But is it realy all that revolutionary? Read More...

To see photos from the New York release of Nintendo Wii, click here

XBOX 360
Last year this time, Microsoft was the first to successfuly step onto the scene with their next generation console, XBOX 360. With heavy internet support and a serious technology boost is worth the price point? Read More...
By Chad Chamberlain

[gamecore-2009]

how do you all feel about the blu-ray disc and drive? from my understanding it's only a single speed blu-ray drive and if so, would be slow by comparison. which also means extremely slow read time which might have some affect on load times as well...

[dredre2k]

I think that the XBox 360 and the Wii are going to win this round of the game system wars...
The PS3 is way too overpriced, and this will deter almost everyone except for the Hardcore PS3 fans, nerds, and spoiled rich kids. ;-)

The Wii looks like it's a lot of fun... ALTHOUGH, i'm still mad with Microsoft that they've practically abandoned the older X-box, and the fact that many of the older x-box games aren't compatable with the 360. At least the Wii works with older gamecube games and controllers. NEVERTHELESS i'll probably be purchasing an Xbox 360 when Halo 3 comes out...

[boyo3221]

Hey Chills , you are obviously Blind cause look at ign's review of 3 games that ps3 has and 360 has and 360 wins in all cases. Ps3 does not nor will have the online dominance like the 360 has, and you want dominating graphics look at gears of War Game oVer, you LOSE hope ya had fun wasting 600 bucks on another sony failure BluRay the new Betamax, Minidisc, Digital 8. All movie people are agreeing now Hd-Dvd is the best format and waaaaay cheaper and holds more data than blu ray is currently offering. hope you had fun wasting ur money, playstation is OVER

[boyo3221]

Hey Chills , you are obviously Blind cause look at ign's review of 3 games that ps3 has and 360 has and 360 wins in all cases. Ps3 does not nor will have the online dominance like the 360 has, and you want dominating graphics look at gears of War Game oVer, you LOSE hope ya had fun wasting 600 bucks on another sony failure BluRay the new Betamax, Minidisc, Digital 8. All movie people are agreeing now Hd-Dvd is the best format and waaaaay cheaper and holds more data than blu ray is currently offering. hope you had fun wasting ur money, playstation is OVER

[boyo3221]

Hey Chills , you are obviously Blind cause look at ign's review of 3 games that ps3 has and 360 has and 360 wins in all cases. Ps3 does not nor will have the online dominance like the 360 has, and you want dominating graphics look at gears of War Game oVer, you LOSE hope ya had fun wasting 600 bucks on another sony failure BluRay the new Betamax, Minidisc, Digital 8. All movie people are agreeing now Hd-Dvd is the best format and waaaaay cheaper and holds more data than blu ray is currently offering. hope you had fun wasting ur money, playstation is OVER

[UberSavant]

Of course, games are what it's about. After studying the game library for both PS3 and Xbox 360, I've figured out which has the best games for me. I liked 2 games on PS3's lineup, while I have an 18 game long wishlist for Xbox 360. Furthermore, with Live Marketplace launching and P2P and Torrentz, I have no interest in a next gen drive. With Xbox 360, I wasn't forced to buy one. WIth PS3, everyone pays for it, regardless of whether they'll use it.A standard Xbox 360 costs about $400, much lower than PS3's $500-$600. For these reasons, coupled with Sony's arrogance and MS' attention to the Xbox 360 experience, I will not be purchasing a PS3.

For me, Xbox 360 has won this console war with ease.

[UberSavant]

I've read many a spec comparison, and it can be concluded that...

*PS3's Cell is better for physics and graphics

*Xbox 360's CPU is better for AI

*In all other areas, the two CPUs are about equal

*Xbox 360's GPU is much better than PS3's GPU

*Xbox 360 has a significant memory advantage

*Unless PS3 has 1 or 2 GB of RAM, there is a bottleneck that means that Blu Ray isn't going to do anything for games.(Blu Ray is just a luxury meant for watching Blu Ray movies.)

*Wii is about as power as the original Xbox with a slightly slower CPU speed and slightly higher GPU speed

Main source: http://forums.xbox.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=8142087

Say what you want about specs, but specs determine what games can do. You couldn't play Red Steel on Intellivision with the same quality. There's a reason PCs have to be upgraded to play the lastest games. Because I value specs, I will not be getting a launch Wii.

[Syndicate]

Other than the exclusive titles available on certain systems your best bet is a PC. My pc has ben running games that look better than anything on xbox 360 or ps3 for years. There is now a dedicated physics card available for PCs. you will have to wait for the next gen console to get this feature. Other advantages include 100% backward compatability. You can also emulate older console systems and play thier games. with the falling prices of pcs and the rising prices of consoles the PC is even more atractive. The nice thing about consoles is they tend to work all the time. Sometimes you have to upgrade a computer to take full advantage of a game. I prefer computers they seem like a better deal in the long run. You don't have to throw it out you can upgrade it.

[chills2008]

That guys is a loser. I brought home my PS3 yesterday and let me tell you there is nothing of comparison. I have played XBOX306 and demoed the Wii and PS3 is the best

[jeditrip]

Of the 3, I would be more lkiely to buy an Xbox360 and then pick up the Wii. 2 reasons: Halo and Zelda.