The Best Game Console

In many ways the Xbox 360 is starting to show its age. Released in 2005, the Microsoft Xbox 360 is the grand old man of the present generation of games consoles, and when you pit them together this is starting to show.

You won't get built-in WIFI, nor a Blu-Ray drive (Microsoft made a half-hearted attempt to back the detronised HD-DVD format), so you can't use it to play HD movies.

On the other hand - with the Xbox Live service - the Microsoft Xbox 360 has a very well developed online precence, which coupled with its huge range of games available gives this console an edge over its competitors.

Also, Microsoft recently introduced us to the Natal Project, where a 3D camera reads the players' movements and makes it possible to play without the use of controllers. For now, however, this remains a vision of future gaming rather than a living reality, so we're stuck with the traditional controllers for a while yet.

All-in-all, the Microsoft Xbox 360 is for you if you're after a games console with a broad selection of games, and excellent online gaming capabilities.

When it comes to raw technological power, the Sony PlayStation 3 comes out on top of the pack of the current generation of gaming consoles.

After a shaky start with a few technical issues, and a disasterous lack of good games, the PlayStation is now up to speed with a number of great games out, or due to be released very shortly.

At the same time, Sony has made a huge effort to improve the online capabilities of the console, so it's catching up with Microsoft - FAST!

The latest version of the Sony PlayStation 3 is equipped with built-in WIFI and a Blu-Ray player from the factory, which makes it a total entertainment center, capable of playing HD movies when connected to your HD TV through a HDMI Cable. Some Would even say the it's the best Blue Ray player on the market.

If you're the type of gamer for whom only the best is good enough - and you enjoy watching HD Movies on the HD TV you no doubt would have - the Sony PlayStation 3 is clearly the choice for you!

When Nintendo introduced the Nintendo Wii Games console, it shook up the gaming console world as we knew it! It's pointless to talk about technical power, stunning graphics and the Wii at the same time. Those things simply don't go together.

In saying that, though, it doesn't matter one bit! No - the graphics are not pretty - and you can't even play DVD movies on the Wii, but you simply can't beat this console when it comes to addictive fun for the whole family.

The Nintendo Wii is aimed at those who doesn't want crisp graphics and actionpacked games, but rather would like to enjoy themselves and have a laugh. The Wii controllers are sensitive to your moves, which means that even young kids can enjoy the games, and the fact that they're not overly precise has been addressed with the introduction of the Wii Motion Plus attachments.

Also, the Nintendo Wii has caused an avalance of Fitness games to be released, which are both good fun and quite effective in helping you with your exercise.

If you want hours of fun - and the ability to play games with your whole family - and also a chance of keeping yourself fit in the process, the Nintendo Wii is the best games console for you.

In my opinion there's no handheld games console at the market right now that will come close to beating the Nintendo DSi. There's a few strong contenders, like the Sony PSP, the Apple iPod touch and indeed the Apple iPhone - but apart from the PSP - they're not really games consoles.

With the Nintendo DSi - the number of games available is astonishing - and while some of them are not all that great, most of them are fantastic fun for hours. This is true whether you're a junior schools pupil - a parent of one - or somewhere in between. Add to that the addition of cameras and sound recording/editing software, plus the ability download and store music from iTunes through the built in WIFI, and the Nintendo DSi really stands out.

The problem with the Sony PSP is the selection of games, which for the most part has been adapted from the Playstation 2, rather than being developed to utilise the strengths of the PSP. In spite of this - the PSP is still a really good console. It can play movies and music, show pictures, and access content on your PlayStation 3 through the internet.

The Apple iPod touch and iPhone are made for entirely different purposes, but still claim bits of the handheld gaming consoles market, more as an extra selling point to their already outstanding features. However, the selection of games for them is very limited in comparison.