Gaming is more mainstream than ever, but what console should you go for? Are you a casual or hardcore gamer, do you like playing online, what about getting interactive? Well the good news is that there is a console for you out there that will offer exactly what you need, you've just got to work out what that actually is.



Xbox 360 Elite

Microsoft's flagship gaming console offers a large hard drive to store games and movies on and a HDMI connection so you can connect it to a HDTV and watch high-definition movies or play games with crystal clear graphics. The Xbox 360 has been around for almost 3 years now so the games library that is on offer is pretty deep and this means there is bound to be something for everyone be it racing games, platformers or good old shoot-em ups.

Where the Xbox 360 edges out over the competition is the focus on online gaming. While it doesn't strangely have wireless connectivity built in as standard you can connect online and play against other gamers from around the world. In fact you can play millions of gamers everyday as most people do. Additionally you can also download movies and TV shows via Microsoft's Video Marketplace. Until recently you could also get a HD DVD drive for the console however following Toshiba's shutting down of the format this is no longer available. Rumours circle the web that Microsoft will be announcing a Blu-ray player for the console in the near future.

PlayStation 3

Sony's next generation console and follow up to the PlayStation 2, it's a supercomputer in the making coming with a Blu-ray drive built-in and the option of a 40GB or 60GB hard drive. Considerably more expensive than the Xbox 360 even after a price cut at the end of 2007, the PlayStation also has a limited offering of games being only still under a year old on the market. However with a plethora of good games either just landing or schedule to land in 2008 all that is about to change.

Metal Gear Solid, GT5, Drake, Killzone 2 and a couple more should ignite some much needed interest and what with Sony winning the next generation DVD battle with its Blu-ray format against Toshiba's HD DVD, the PS3 is positioned to eventually come out on top.

Nintendo Wii

While the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 pride themselves on being at the cutting edge of the gaming sphere with the latest graphics, demanding gaming and offering games gamers would want to play, Nintendo has chosen a different tactic for it gaming offering. Instead the Wii focuses on interactive game play, ditching the multimedia aspects, the video downloads or online communities instead for fun short games that involve the whole family.

Most of the best games on the Wii are short lived affairs and anyone looking to buy the console should invest in Wii Play, its fitness focused game Wii Fit (complete with balance board) and Mario Kart with the Wii Wheel, a wheel that you can clip the motion sensor controller into so you can pretend to drive while sitting on the sofa. The Nintendo Wii also has the benefit of being super cheap, at just 180 pounds it's fast becoming the new board game for the connected dinner party generation.