PlayStation 3 Vs. Nintendo's Wii

Sony's PlayStation 3 will only be the new kid on the block for a couple of days.

Amid much fanfare and long lines of people camping out to get it, some for days, PS3 debuted early Friday.

But on Sunday, what promises to be a fierce competitor hits store shelves: Nintendo's Wii, pronounced "wee."

And on Friday, BestStuff.com Senior Editor David Gregg took a look at both, along with Xbox 360, which Microsoft debuted a year ago.

Gregg pointed out that PS3 is a lot bigger than predecessor PS2, because, "It has a built-in special disk drive called a "blue ray" disk drive that enables you to play the latest state-of-the-art, or gold standard high definition disks that are coming out for HDTVs.

For demonstration purposes, Gregg had the "NBA '07" PS3 game running.

Co-anchor Harry Smith called the graphics on it "stunning," adding, "You can really, really see the faces of the players. You can actually see the sweat!"

"The reason for that," Gregg explained, "is that this game console was designed to offer high definition graphics. It's got 1080P, which is the latest standard in high definition delivery, and it's all about the graphics and the realism of the playing experience."

But the pricetag is noteworthy, Gregg said: "You're talking about 500 bucks. $499 is the entry to get in."

But "the one everybody really wants," Smith observed, "is $599."

And one just sold on eBay for $14,100.

"Exactly," Gregg said, "because that's got the built-in hard drive, which you have to pay more for. The reason for the hard drive is to do the downloads of all the games and things you'll be able to access online."

There are 400,000 units available this week and, unofficially, about 1 million for the season, Sont says. But Gregg said that's "not a lot for the entire population of the United States."

At the same time, Nintendo's Wii bows Sunday.

A Nintendo representative was on The Early Show, playing Wii, holding what's called a "motion sensor controller."

Gregg said, "It really is revolutionizing the way people will playing video games. The graphics are a bit more simplistic (than PS3's), people would call them 'old-school.' But what makes it's revolutionary is that, as you pull the sensor, it's got a motion sensor and you actually feel a rumble in it, and it's got a built-in speaker, so you actually hear the swat of the racket hitting the ball" in the tennis game the Nintendo rep was demonstrating. In essence, the handheld motion sensor dictates and synchronizes with what happens on the screen, serving as a racket as a players swings his or her arm.

Smith noted that, "People have tried this motion sensor before and it's not been great. This actually is maybe up to expectations?"

"Absolutely," Gregg responded. "It is totally realistic."

And, he continued, "You might have a better chance" of getting a Wii, with some 4 million available. It costs $250, "a lot less on the pocketbook" than the PS3, Gregg observed.

Finally, Gregg gave "honorable mention" the "the one start started it all," Microsoft's Xbox 360.

It was, he said, "the first play console that redefined gaming." It's a multimedia device enabling users to play games, communicate with other players online and play each other.